Countdown to Middle East war? Region can step back from brink

One thing is for sure: Israel is not going anywhere.

The fundamentalists must be thinking - praying - that Armageddon is near.

Israel is finished.

With the help of the US, they will destroy the entire region, which is what the US wants.

Wick's pencilToday 08:13 am JST

Israel is finished.

With the help of the US, they will destroy the entire region, which is what the US wants.

Ok, so what then?

Iran's nuclear sites are spread over many locations, some of them deep underground.

“Iran has WMDs and we know where they are!”

Bit of a lame excuse and one that has been used before. But it might work.

“Iran has WMDs and we know where they are!”

Bit of a lame excuse and one that has been used before. But it might work.

.

Israel definitely has WMDs and the Iranians know where they are too.

kurisupisuToday 10:08 am JST

“Iran has WMDs and we know where they are!”

Bit of a lame excuse and one that has been used before. But it might work.

.

Israel definitely has WMDs and the Iranians know where they are too.

That's quite impressive considering the submarines change positions all of the time.

Extremists on both sides refuse to commit to stop targeting civilians. No end in sight until that happens.

Israel is finished.

With the help of the US, they will destroy the entire region, which is what the US wants.

Yes, israel is basically just a US military outpost in the ME; placed there in order to influence the region.

But just like African countries have been kicking out the US (and French) military, hopefully the people in israel will soon be forced to leave.

Raw BeerToday 12:19 pm JST

Israel is finished.

With the help of the US, they will destroy the entire region, which is what the US wants.

Yes, israel is basically just a US military outpost in the ME; placed there in order to influence the region.

But just like African countries have been kicking out the US (and French) military, hopefully the people in israel will soon be forced to leave.

Going to be interesting how you force a nuclear power to "leave" and by that I mean Israel.

Wick's pencil

Israel is finished.

With the help of the US, they will destroy the entire region, which is what the US wants.

So which one of the two contradictory statements are you claiming? That Israel is finished, or the Israel will destroy the region? Both can not exist at the same time.

Israel started it and it only requires Irael to act more responsibly in order to end it. It is not retaliation when you are the initial aggressor, it is simply escalation.

Hello Kitty 321Today 02:48 pm JST

Israel started it and it only requires Irael to act more responsibly in order to end it. It is not retaliation when you are the initial aggressor, it is simply escalation.

Israel did not plan the Oct 7th attack nor the Oct 8th followup from Hezbollah.

I can't imagine that Isreal would want a direct confrontation with Iran. Most likely they will hit a few sites in Iran to get even and Iran will not respond to this. Hopefully at least.

Analysts say OPEC has enough spare capacity to cope even if all Iran's production was knocked out.

This maybe true but at what cost? And also ignoring the fact that Iran will close the Hormuz Strait or at least target the tankers. Saudi oil assets will also be targeted. Bye bye world economy.

Did Trump have a chat with Bibi and promise him freedom to do as he pleases if he can trash the economy just before the election? Conspiracy theory maybe but not too far fetched.

callbsout

Israel is currently 76 years old. I am pretty sure it won't see the 100th birthday.

I have no idea about about how the world looks like in 24 years, and neither do you. However, the idea that the region will be peaceful if Israel is deleted is patently false. As is the idea that Israel, a nuclear power, will quietly fade into the night. A last reaction would be the Samson Option, and if that happens there is no telling what happens next.

Mr Kipling

Did Trump have a chat with Bibi and promise him freedom to do as he pleases if he can trash the economy just before the election? Conspiracy theory maybe but not too far fetched.

Still fixated on Trump? Your claim rests on the idea that Trump will be the next president, which is quite a surprising statement seeing your previous posts.

The fundamentalists must be thinking - praying - that Armageddon is near.

That, dear friend, is exactly why the so-called Christian right in the US supports any barbarity Israel commits. They sincerely believe that Israel is going to start Armageddon and that will lead to their salvation. An awful lot of US politicians believe this tripe too. There is also a line in the Bible that those who treat Jews with kindness will in turn be favored in heaven. That is why Israel gets a pass by the US on anything it does. Too many Americans think Israel is their ticket to salvation. I could not make this up. A fundamentalist I knew told me this one day. Since then I have asked others and yes it is widely believed. Crazy that the world's most powerful nation has a foreign policy driven by religious nonsense.

I have no idea about about how the world looks like in 24 years, and neither do you. However, the idea that the region will be peaceful if Israel is deleted is patently false. As is the idea that Israel, a nuclear power, will quietly fade into the night. A last reaction would be the Samson Option, and if that happens there is no telling what happens next.

Israel has divided in it's past into two separate warring countries that were later conquered by the Babylonians. I would not say it is out of the realm of possibility. Israel is certainly bitterly divided between its more secular urban population and fundamentalist settler population.

This maybe true but at what cost? And also ignoring the fact that Iran will close the Hormuz Strait or at least target the tankers. Saudi oil assets will also be targeted. Bye bye world economy.

The last time Iran tried to close the Straits of Hormuz during the Iran Iraq war it didn't work. They got handed their backside during Operation Praying Mantis after the USS Samuel B. Roberts hit an Iranian mine.

A larger war is very likely at this point. I just hope it does not escalate to nuclear weapons.