It was a short news headline, but it said a lot. The 9 a.m. radio news on Israel’s public broadcaster on Monday, June 8, announced: “No rockets have been launched on Israel in the last hour.”
Take a second for the meaning of that to sink in – the absence of rockets was the news itself. By 10 a.m., the headline was obsolete, and Israelis in large parts of the country were rediscovering their stairwells, shelters, and safe rooms. And spare a thought for residents of northern Israel, for whom this has become the norm, as they dodge incessant Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon for almost three years.
The flare-up this week marked the first time Iran launched ballistic missiles on the Jewish state since the April 8 ceasefire. The Houthis in Yemen, apparently suffering from severe FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), joined in, while Hezbollah continued its ongoing rocket and drone terrorism. The round of hostilities earned several social media nicknames, including: “The One-Day War,” and journalist Emily Amrousi’s “Operation Routine Lion” (a play on the name of this year’s Operation Roaring Lion and last June’s Operation Rising Lion). As usual, the humor was a way to deal with the tension and reflected Israel’s famed but strained resilience.
The Iranian missiles did not come out of the blue, as it were. The Islamic Republic launched its barrage in support of its proxy, Hezbollah, which has constantly violated a US-brokered ceasefire and didn’t like the consequences. When Israel attacked Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s Dahiya neighborhood in response to the terrorists’ barrages, Tehran decided to strike out – firing missiles indiscriminately on Israeli citizens (and shooting a few rockets on Arab Gulf states for good measure).
One unintentional outcome: Iran’s attacks on its neighbors have strengthened the Arab states’ understanding of the importance of Israel as an ally against the global village bully.
Ignoring US President Donald Trump’s blunt warning not to respond, Israel hit back, targeting aerial defense systems and a petrochemical facility reportedly used to manufacture raw materials used for ballistic missiles. Although the opposition criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally, especially ahead of the upcoming elections, there was a virtual consensus that Israel had no choice but to take action.
In the bloody aftermath of the Iranian-sponsored, Hamas-led invasion and mega-atrocity of October 7, 2023, it is clear that Israel cannot afford to let terrorist organizations get away with attacks. Indeed, this week’s rocket barrages diverted attention from the lethal terrorist shooting in the Sharon region, in which one Israeli man was murdered and five were wounded. Other recent attacks were thwarted or did not result in fatalities.
As Khaled Abu Toameh wrote for the Gatestone Institute, “All terrorist roads lead first to Tehran.” Abu Toameh noted the interview given by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to CNN on June 5, when Aoun, directly referring to the Iranian regime, declared: “You are not trying to help us; the people of Lebanon are paying the price for your own interests… Our interests do not align with yours… This is not your country, it is our country.”
The same day, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, referring to Iran’s rejection of a ceasefire agreement, told a UN humanitarian appeal, “This is yet another confirmation that this war is not ours, that it is not fought for us, but on our soil and at the expense of our people.”
Abu Toameh noted: “So long as Hezbollah and Hamas remain armed and in power, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains ruling Iran, there will be no lasting peace or stability in the Middle East. All three remain deeply committed to their jihad (holy war) against Israel, and are prepared to pursue it indefinitely.”
Ceasefire and the World Cup
TRUMP’S CALLS for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities might be driven partly by the desire to present solid foreign policy successes ahead of the midterms in November, but he also has his eyes on the ball of a non-political game. The US, along with Canada and Mexico, is hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled for June 11 to July 19.
Security will be extra tight, not because of Israeli actions but because the Palestinian massacre of 11 Israeli team members at the 1972 Munich Olympics showed the world a new type of terrorism – getting as much global attention as possible.
When Paris Saint-Germain FC beat England’s Arsenal in last month’s Champions League final, rioters took to the streets of Paris and across France to celebrate with acts of looting, arson, and violence that included the attempted storming of a police station.
As many quipped, if this is what a football victory looks like, imagine what would have happened had PSG lost. Ironically, both European teams wear the shirts of Gulf sponsors: PSG is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, which is backed by the Qatari government, while Arsenal is sponsored by Dubai’s Emirates airline.
Backing sports is not necessarily financially lucrative, but it does buy soft power and influence – a winning situation as far as countries like Qatar are concerned. As I noted when Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, apparently the result of kickbacks rather than being good sports, the tiny but mind-blowingly wealthy state has consistently played a double game: It sponsors terrorism and carries out human rights abuses while winking to the Western world and using its powerful Al Jazeera media empire to project a desired moderate image.
Iran, too, has politicized sports, including banning its citizens from competing against Israelis. Perhaps that’s not really so different from Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Slovenia (which last week elected a friendlier government) refusing to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest because Israel took part.
At pro-Palestinian rallies around the world, the national flags of the countries where the demonstrations are taking place are rarely, if ever, found. Those ostensibly celebrating PSG’s victory were not waving France’s Tricolore.
At solidarity rallies for Israel, however, the local flag is usually seen alongside Israel’s Blue-and-White Star of David. There are also often Iranian expats, people who escaped the ayatollahs’ regime, proudly raising the pre-Islamic Republic’s “Lion and Sun,” as they stand next to Israel’s supporters, united by the understanding of the true enemy of global peace and stability.
This was particularly true after the January crackdown by the Islamist regime, which left more than 30,000 protesters dead within days. Incidentally, FIFA is allowing the Palestinian flag to be displayed inside World Cup stadiums, even though no Palestinian team is participating, while it has banned the Lion and Sun. International politics can be a dirty game indeed.
MEANWHILE, FOR the European Union, kicking Israel is the name of the game. It is singling out the Jewish state on the international playing field with the threat of sanctions next week.
This week, France led a string of countries, including the UK, Canada, and Norway, in banning Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and several “settlers” in a move against the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Last week, Australia and New Zealand also imposed sanctions. These are all countries that have experienced escalating antisemitism, by the way.
Ostensibly, this is a move against (isolated but reprehensible) acts of so-called settler violence; however, every year brings a different pretext for the anti-Israel measures. Ironically, the economic sanctions often harm Palestinian and Arab workers associated with the Israeli companies. Talk about foul play.
The more the EU, UN, and others delegitimize Israel, the more Israel’s enemies are encouraged. The more terror attacks are perpetrated against Israeli and Jewish targets, the less the people of Israel feel there is a peace partner to talk to.
Here’s praying that it is football strikes and goals, rather than rocket strikes and hits, that make the local and world news headlines this summer.