Growing public anger in US
about Trump's war on Iran,
new poll shows
May 7th, 8:06pm
(PressTV)
A new poll has shown growing public anger toward President Donald
Trump's war on Iran, with most US citizens saying the illegal war
has "done more harm than good," weakened the United States'
global standing, and worsened economic hardship at home.
According to the results of a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll, published
on Wednesday, a clear majority of US citizens now reject Trump's
handling of the unprovoked war that began on February 28, was
waged in close collaboration with Israel, and lasted....... for the
next 40 days.
According to the poll, over 60 % of respondents – six out of
every 10 US citizens ––– disapproved of Trump's policy,
while only 33% supported his confrontational policy,
which risks the global isolation of Washington.
Public frustration has sharply increased since March, when
54% percent of US citizens disapproved of Trump's war,
while just 33% approved of his Iran policy.
Opposition to Washington's war on Iran was even more widespread,
as 61% of US citizens said the US military campaign had "done
more harm than good," a view shared by one-quarter of
Republicans, while only 38% believed it had "done
more good than harm."
Even among Republicans, opposition has noticeably risen.
While 72% continue to support Trump's Iran policy,
disapproval has increased to 22%,
up from 15% in March.
22% of them also maintained that the US position
globally has deteriorated, double the 11%
recorded in January.
The poll also found that 62% of US citizens believe Trump has
weakened the US position internationally and damaged the
country's global standing through his aggressive foreign
policy decisions, up from 57% in January.
Economic pressure inside the US is also intensifying the
backlash, with 61% of US citizens now disapproving of
Trump's handling of the economy, up slightly from
March, while only 35% approve.
Rising fuel prices have become a major source of anger,
with over 80% saying energy costs are straining their
household budgets. Most respondents also directly
blamed Trump for the crisis.
The poll also suggested that 63% of US citizens feel the
economy is not working well for them personally, and
56% believe their local area is either "not very
affordable" or "not affordable at all."
The CEO of US energy giant Chevron, Mike Wirth, warned
that crude oil shortages have begun due to the closure
of the Strait of Hormuz and the effects of the US-
Israeli war against Iran.
“We will start to see physical shortages,” Wirth said
during â an event. “Demand needs to move to meet
supply. Economies are going to have to.. slow.”
Oil prices are once again surging as a result. Several
nations have already been rationing energy as a
result of the crisis created by the illegal
US-Israeli war.
Fertilizer production has also been severely disrupted,
raising fears of a global food catastrophe, with Yara
CEO Svein Tore Holsether warning that billions of
meals could be lost ------- because of collapsing
fertilizer supplies.
____________________________________
Israel disables missile-tracking
systems ------- over Iranian
infiltration fears
May 7th, 7:57pm
(PressTV)
Mounting fears over Iranian intelligence capabilities and growing
espionage inside Israeli occupied territories have pushed the
regime to impose tighter censorship measures and disable
critical missile-tracking systems, leaving their northern
communities "operationally blind" and abandoned,
according to reports.
The Israeli army recently blocked access to a security alert system
previously used by emergency responders and local officials in
northern Israel to track missile impact zones, Israel's Ynet
newspaper and website reported on Thursday.
The decision stems from fears that Iranian intelligence could
infiltrate the regime's rocket-tracking system and use the
information to improve the precision of future strikes
against the occupying entity, it added.
The move comes despite continuing tensions along the Lebanese
border, where Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and responses
by the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement have persisted
....even after a temporary ceasefire.
The restrictions have intensified frustration and panic among
northern Israeli officials, who say the army's decision has
left them unable to respond effectively during attacks,
with Assaf Langleben, head of the Upper Galilee
Regional Council, warning of "operational
blindness" caused by the shutdown.
"It is absurd that Hezbollah knows where it is firing, so at least we
should also know and be able to deal with the incidents and the
responses we are required to provide," he stressed.
Kiryat Shmona mayor Avichai Stern also lambasted the decision,
saying that "leaving us without [the system] means abandoning
even more lives ------ in an area where most residents already
lack protection."
"Now we are also not being given the ability to go out,
rescue and save them during fire," he further said.
'We operated like blind mice'
Israeli security officials in northern settlements described scenes
of confusion and helplessness during recent missile alerts, with
one official confessing that ......when sirens sounded, "we
operated like blind mice."
"When I don't have this tool, I don't know where to run.
We are ahead of another round, Hezbollah will again
target our homes, and our residents will pay the
price," the official warned.
Another security officer criticized the army's response,
saying that "no one talks to us, explains, or thinks
they owe us answers. They simply cut us off."
"In the army, instead of dealing with how to handle and
prevent leaks, they chose the easiest solution and
shut everyone out" and that "they irresponsibly
chose to punish us," he added.
The crisis reflects deepening Israeli concerns
over Iran's growing intelligence reach inside
the occupied territories.
Israeli authorities have sharply tightened military censorship
since the 12-day war against Iran back in June last year,
banning international and local media outlets alike
from revealing precise missile strike locations
or damage to strategic facilities.
Furthermore, espionage fears have also surged, with Israeli
reports indicating.... that dozens of settlers have been
charged in recent years with spying for the Islamic
Republic as Iranian intelligence is reportedly
recruiting Israelis --- ''through financial
incentives'' to photograph sensitive
sites ...and assist in operations
inside the occupying entity.
Israeli media revealed this week that Iran has obtained
highly sensitive information linked to the Institute for
National Security Studies (INSS) ---- one of Israel's
most important security think tanks connected
to both the army and Tel Aviv University.
Reports say --- Iranian intelligence gathered personal data
on researchers – including former senior Israeli security
officials – as well as details of confidential meetings
between INSS figures and the Israeli military,
further fueling alarm inside Israel's
security establishment.
____________________________________________________
Hezbollah ---- directly strikes an Israeli
command centre in southern Lebanon
May 7th, 3:27pm
(Al Mayadeen)
Hezbollah announces a set of defensive operations,
targeting Israeli vehicles, troops, and a command
centre - in southern Lebanon.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah - announced
several retaliatory operations in defense of Lebanon
against the Israeli aggression, which has only
escalated since the declaration of a fragile
ceasefire in mid-April.
Hezbollah also announced an operation carried out on Wednesday,
May 6, at 5:00 pm, against an Israeli troop gathering in al-Taybeh,
South Lebanon, with an FPV drone. A direct hit was confirmed.
May 7 operations
Kicking off the operational day, Hezbollah's fighters targeted at 8:45
am an Israeli D9 bulldozer in Khallet al-Raj in the southern town of
Deir Seryan using an FPV drone, and confirmed a direct hit.
At 10:15 am, a drone launched by the Resistance dropped a bomb
on a Merkava tank in al-Bayyada, achieving a bullseye strike.
Three minutes later... Hezbollah carried out a top-tier military
operation targeting an Israeli command centre in al-Bayyada
with an FPV drone. A direct hit was confirmed.
At 2:00 pm, an Israeli enemy soldier and vehicle gathering
in Shamaa was targeted with a rocket barrage.
At 2:30 pm, an Israeli enemy soldier gathering in eastern
al-Bayyada was targeted with a rocket barrage.
At 2:45 pm, Resistance fighters targeted another Merkava
tank in Bint Jbeil town with an FPV drone, achieving a
confirmed hit. At 2:50 pm, as military vehicles moved
in to pull out the tank, the fighters targeted them
with artillery shells.
Concurrently, the Lebanese Resistance announced
targeting a newly established Iron Dome platform
near the Jal al-Alam site with an attack drone,
leading to its destruction.
Between 3:00 and 5:00 pm, gatherings of Israeli enemy
soldiers at Khallet al-Raj towards the river in the town
of Deir Seryan were struck with artillery shells.
At 3:30 pm, a gathering of Israeli soldiers at Khallat Al-Raj
in Deir Seryan town ------ was targeted with an FPV drone.
At 3:45 pm, a NAMER vehicle was targeted with an
FPV in Bint Jbeil. Hezbollah confirmed a direct hit.
At 4:30 pm, a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers
at the Alman - Al-Qusayr triangle was struck
with two FPV drones.
At 6:30 pm, Hezbollah, once again, targeted a newly
established Israeli command centre in al-Bayyada
with artillery shells.
The Resistance emphasized that the operations come
in response to the Israeli violations of the so-called
"ceasefire" in Lebanon. In hundreds of daily raids,
"Israel" --- has not halted its attacks on Lebanon,
killing over 350 civilians - and injuring hundreds
of others ---- wiping out entire neighbourhoods
in the South. In an unprecedented escalation
since the announcement of the truce, Israeli
airstrikes -------- hit an apartment in Beirut's
Southern Suburb, on Wednesday night.
'Israel' unleashes wrath, goes after medics
Today, Israeli occupation forces carried out a series of
airstrikes and artillery attacks across southern
Lebanon on Tuesday, targeting towns,
vehicles, and the vicinity of a
hospital, according to
local reports.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon
reported that an Israeli drone strike targeted the
area surrounding the Sheikh Ragheb Harb
Hospital, in the town of Toul, in the
Nabatieh district.
When ambulance crews rushed to the hospital perimeter
immediately after the first strike, Israeli occupation
forces targeted them, resulting in injuries to
several paramedics... from the ambulance
service of al-Risala Scouts Association.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Bint Jbeil, the Israeli
occupation army carried out a mass detonation in Bint
Jbeil, demolishing entire neighbourhoods, according
to Al Mayadeen's correspondent.
Separately, the Lebanese National News Agency reported
that one citizen was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a
vehicle near the town of Maifadoun.
In further attacks, an Israeli drone struck a motorcycle at the
intersection leading to the town of Baraachit in the Nabatieh
district. Another vehicle was targeted in the town of
Hanaway, in the Tyre district.
A drone strike targeted a motorcycle near the intersection of
the town of Brayqaa. Another drone strike targeted a car
on the Blat road in the Marj'youn district.
Earlier in the day, two citizens were killed in an Israeli occupation
aircraft strike on a vehicle on the road near Habouch, according
to initial reports. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health
confirmed that three citizens were killed and seven
others were injured ----- in a strike on the town
of Ansariya.
Source: Al Mayadeen English
__________________________________
Leader’s advisor: No US escape
without reparations; region
must secure itself
May 7th, 11:11am
(PressTV)
Iran will not allow the United States to escape the crisis
it created without paying reparations for decades of
damage, a senior advisor to the Leader of Islamic
Revolution said.
Speaking to Al Mayadeen, Mohsen Rezaei, said Iran will not
allow US President Donald Trump to set out an unrealistic
plan for the Strait of Hormuz and simply exit the arena.
“Given the unfolding developments, and attempts to reopen
the Strait of Hormuz, the United States is seeking to stage
a flamboyant gesture --- then exit the scene. We will not
allow such schemes to materialize,” Rezaei, currently
a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, said
on Thursday.
He emphasized that Tehran must secure a satisfactory
outcome from indirect negotiations with Washington
and derive tangible benefits.
Rezaei noted that the United States must
pay reparations for all damage inflicted
on Iran.
“We will doubtlessly demand our rights and reparations,
even if US military forces return home and withdraw
from the region. We have endured them, for 47
years and will continue to tread the path of
resistance,” the Expediency Council
member said.
Rezaei also stated that regional countries should ensure
their own security independently, and that all foreign
forces, whether US or European, must withdraw
from the region.
“We can ensure our own security. We want to establish a
regional security council. There are major countries
in the region, such as Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, and
Saudi Arabia, and we can provide security,”
he said.
On February 28, following the assassination of Iran’s late
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali
Khamenei.... and several high-ranking military
commanders, the United States and Israel
initiated a large-scale and unprovoked
war of aggression against Iran.
In response, Iranian armed forces carried out
100 waves of counterattacks over 40 days,
targeting US and Israeli military assets,
which resulted in significant damage.
A Pakistani-mediated two-week ceasefire was brokered on
April 8, allowing for negotiations in Islamabad, where Iran
proposed a 10-point plan calling for US troop withdrawal
and the lifting of sanctions.
Despite 21 hours of intensive talks on April 11 and 12,
the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran without an
agreement, citing deep mistrust that Washington
would honour its commitments.
Iran has stated that any return to ceasefire negotiations is
contingent, on the lifting of the illegal US naval blockade,
which officials argue constitutes a violation of the truce.