'A new chapter' for Israel and Iran
After a week of tense internal deliberations and calls for international calm, Israel attacked air defense systems in Iran on Friday, according to Western and Iranian officials. The Israeli airstrike is the latest in an exchange of attacks between nations.
I talked about Iran and Israel with my colleagues Farnaz Fassihihead of the United Nations office, who reports on the shadow war between countries.
What does this attack mean for the conflict between Iran and Israel?
I think it marks a new chapter in their years-long rivalry because, despite fighting each other secretly, through proxies and through covert operations, this was the first time in 45 years that they directly attacked each other. So this is a turning point in the relationship that reverses all the previous rules.
The two have really taken things to a significant level and I think it remains to be seen whether this latest tit-for-tat will create some deterrence for both sides.
How do Iranian people react?
In Iran, people are very worried about a war with Israel, but this comes along with many other problems Iranians face.
The government has begun a very aggressive street campaign, cracking down on women who do not comply with the headscarf law. The government is summoning activists, journalists or anyone who criticizes its Israeli policies. They're issuing a gag order. So people in Iran it feels like they are being forced from many different sides.
And the economy is terrible. It's a sanctions-hit economy, there's a lot of corruption, and since the conflict with Israel, Iran's currency has plummeted against the dollar. So they've seen the real impact of this on pricing.
What do you think will happen next?
I think it looks like both sides are standing down. And there's also been a lot of diplomatic pressure and messages sent to both Iran and Israel – from America, from countries in the region, from European countries, African countries, China, Russia, everyone – calling to Israel and Iran and say the region cannot handle another major war, just stand down.
Even the Biden administration has repeatedly told Israel that it is not interested in a war with Iran. The United States does not want war in Iran and has told Netanyahu that the United States will help defend Israel, just as it did when Iran attacked, but will not participate in attacking Iran. And I think that was factored into Israel's decision to downsize because they realized they would have to fight Iran alone.
I think people feel like maybe the threat of war has passed, like we've come to the brink of war and retreated.
But this is a volatile situation. Things are far from stable – because of another miscalculationAnother attack, another assassination and it could blow up again.
The US House of Representatives voted in favor of Ukraine and Israel
The House of Representatives voted approved 95 billion USD on foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as Chairman Mike Johnson mobilized support from both sides to advance a long-stalled aid package.
Myanmar rebels began to turn the tide
Since the junta in Myanmar staged a coup in February 2021, ending a brief period of democratic reform, much of the country has turned its back on the military.
Recent books and shows are taking a more positive approach to the climate crisis, a kind of “apocalyptic optimism,” to borrow a phrase from sociologist Dana Fisher.
In the face of the apocalypse, these works all emphasize that hope is important. They believe that optimism, whether qualified or hard-won, may be the thing that finally moves us to act.
Peter Morgan moves from 'The Crown' to the Kremlin
Switching from Princess Diana to Vladimir Putin can be difficult for some writers. Not Peter Morgan.
After six seasons of the Netflix drama “The Crown,” Morgan has turned to a different kind of royal: the oligarchs who helped empower Putin. In the play “Patriots,” which opens today on Broadway after a successful run in London, he has created a mosaic of four Russian men whose fates are intertwined during the post-Soviet period.
Mine colleague Maureen Dowd asked Morgan whether news about the British royal family will inspire him to write more about the contemporary monarchy remains to be seen. “Not for a second,” he said.
That is the content of today's meeting. Thank you for spending part of your morning with us and see you tomorrow. – Knit
PS You can put these eight events in chronological order?
You can contact Dan and the team at Brief@nytimes.com.
Thank you Farnaz Fassihi.
