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Kamala Harris Vows to Do ‘Whatever Is Necessary’ to Prevent Iran From Acquiring Nuclear Weapons if Elected
US Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo: Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS
US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday vowed to ensure that Iran never obtains nuclear weapons if she wins the White House in November.
“Make no mistake: As president, I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend American forces and interests from Iran and Iran-backed terrorists, and I will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” Harris said in a conference call with Jewish American supporters marking the Jewish High Holidays, according to a White House transcript of the conversation.
“Diplomacy is my preferred path to that end, but all options are on the table,” she added.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, also lambasted her opponent, Republican nominee and former US President Donald Trump, arguing that he was not tough enough toward the Iranian threat.
“I am clear-eyed. Iran is a destabilizing and dangerous force,” Harris said. “When Donald Trump was president, he let Iran off the hook. After Iran and its proxies attacked US bases and American troops, Trump did nothing. And he pulled out of the nuclear deal without any plan, leading to an unconstrained Iranian nuclear program.”
“On the other hand, our administration struck Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria when they attacked American troops, and we are the first administration to ever directly defend Israel,” Harris continued, referring in part to the Biden administration in February ordering strikes against Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria in response to a drone strike attack on American soldiers. The strikes successfully neutralized over 85 targets.
The administration also helped Israel defend itself against Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on the Jewish state in April.
When Trump was president, he withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which placed temporary restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, and reimposed harsh economic penalties on the regime.
The US sanctions levied on Iran under the Trump administration crippled the Iranian economy and led its foreign exchange reserves to plummet. Under Trump, the US also killed Qassem Soleimani — who was the head of the elite Quds force, which is responsible for Iran’s proxies and terror operations abroad — in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020. Soleimani is revered by the Islamic Republic as a martyr and is commemorated across the country.
Trump and his Republican supporters in the US Congress have criticized the Biden administration for renewing billions of dollars in US sanctions waivers, which had the effect of unlocking frozen funds and allowing the country to access previously inaccessible hard currency.
US intelligence agencies have for years labeled Iran as the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, noting it devotes significant sums of money and weapons each year to supporting proxies across the Middle East such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Many observers have suggested that the unfreezing of Iranian funds allowed the country to ramp up its funding of terrorist groups, potentially facilitating the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
“And then, of course, last week, on Oct. 1, I was in the Situation Room for more than three hours coordinating in real time with our military leadership as our forces intercept missiles over the skies of Israel,” Harris said during her call, referring to Iran’s most recent missile barrage targeting Israel.
Since launching her presidential campaign in July, Harris has scrambled to shore up support among Jewish voters, repeatedly vowing to defend Israel if elected in November. While accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, Harris reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring Israel’s security. She has also denied rumors that she would impose an “arms embargo” on the Jewish state.
Though Harris has repeatedly issued nominal support for Israel, supporters of the Jewish state have raised concern that she might not defend the Jewish state as vigorously as previous administrations.
Harris does not have the decades-long relationship with Israel that US President Joe Biden does. Harris also harbors close ties to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which has become increasingly hostile toward the Jewish state. The vice president has been under pressure from pro-Palestinian activists to break with the Biden administration by adopting a more adversarial posture toward Israel.
Harris previously urged the White House to be more “sympathetic” toward Palestinians and take a “tougher” stance against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Politico report in December. In March, White House aides forced Harris to tone down a speech that was too tough on Israel, according to NBC News.
Later, she did not rule out “consequences” for Israel if it launched a large-scale military offensive to root out Hamas battalions in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, citing humanitarian concerns for the civilian population.
Harris initially called for an “immediate ceasefire” before Biden and has often used more pointed language when discussing the war, Israel, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Harris has also expressed sympathy for anti-Israel protesters on US university campuses. In an interview published earlier this year, Harris said that college students protesting Israel’s defensive military efforts against Hamas are “showing exactly what the human emotion should be.”
Iran is Hamas’s chief international backer.
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‘Evil Has Suffered a Severe Blow,’ Netanyahu Says After Sinwar Slain
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem on June 5, 2024. Photo: Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool via REUTERS
JNS.org – “Evil has suffered a severe blow,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday night following the confirmation of Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar’s death in a southern Gaza shootout.
“The man who committed the most terrible massacre in the history of our people since the Holocaust, the mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of our citizens, was eliminated today by our heroic troops,” the prime minister said.
Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in the northwestern Negev, was shot dead on Wednesday by Israel Defense Forces troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah area, the army confirmed earlier on Thursday.
The Palestinian terrorist leader “was eliminated after hiding for the past year behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip,” according to the IDF.
Netanyahu noted in his taped video statement on Thursday evening that “one year ago, we celebrated Sukkot. At that exact time, Yahya Sinwar was engaged in the final preparations for the Oct. 7 massacre.
“To the dear families of the hostages, I say: This is an important moment in the war. We will continue with all our strength until all your loved ones—who are our loved ones—return home,” the premier continued.
Netanyahu called on “everyone who holds our hostages” in the Strip to lay down their weapons and hand over the captives, promising that the Israeli military will allow terrorists who surrender to “leave and live.”
“Now it is clear to everyone, in Israel and throughout the world, why we insisted on not ending the war,” the longtime Israeli leader continued. “Why we insisted, despite all the pressure, to enter Rafah, the fortified stronghold of Hamas where Sinwar and many of the murderers hid.”
In a separate statement, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant noted that the Sinwar “joins a long series of eliminations,” including that of Hamas “military” leader Mohammed Deif and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah.
“Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted and on the run. He didn’t die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself. This is a clear message to all of our enemies—the IDF will reach anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel or our security forces, and we will bring you to justice,” Gallant said in a statement released by his office.
Addressing Palestinian terrorists, he continued: “It is time to go out, release the hostages, raise your hands, surrender. Go out with the hostages, free them, and surrender,” Gallant concluded.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi issued a statement on Thursday night after he met with the soldiers who killed Sinwar.
“The troops acted correctly, with professionalism and determination—not because they knew Sinwar was there, but because our soldiers excel in every encounter with terrorists, in all sectors,” Halevi said.
“The boldness, determination and bravery of IDF troops operating in all arenas led us to him and brought about his end. We said we would get to him, and indeed, we got to him,” the general continued.
“We will not stop until we capture all the terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre and bring all the hostages home,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog likewise stressed that “we must act in every way possible to bring back the 101 hostages who are still being held in horrific conditions by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
“I commend the Israel Defense Forces, the Shin Bet and the security services for eliminating the arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar,” the head of state said on social media. “Sinwar, the mastermind behind the deadly October 7th attack, has for years been responsible for heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians, citizens of other countries, and the murder of thousands of innocent people. His evil endeavors were dedicated to terror, bloodshed and destabilizing the Middle East.”
The post ‘Evil Has Suffered a Severe Blow,’ Netanyahu Says After Sinwar Slain first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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President Biden’s Statement on the Death of Yahya Sinwar
US President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 28, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
JNS.org – “Early this morning, Israeli authorities informed my national security team that a mission they conducted in Gaza likely killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. DNA tests have now confirmed that Sinwar is dead. This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.
As the leader of the terrorist group Hamas, Sinwar was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, and citizens from over 30 countries. He was the mastermind of the October 7th massacres, rapes, and kidnappings. It was on his orders that Hamas terrorists invaded Israel to intentionally—and with unspeakable savagery—kill and massacre civilians, a Holocaust survivor, children in front of their parents, and parents in front of their children.
Over 1,200 people were killed on that day, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, including 46 Americans. More than 250 were taken hostage, with 101 still missing. That number includes seven Americans, four of whom are believed to still be alive and held by Hamas terrorists. Sinwar is the man most responsible for this, and for so much of what followed.
Shortly after the October 7 massacres, I directed Special Operations personnel and our intelligence professionals to work side-by-side with their Israeli counterparts to help locate and track Sinwar and other Hamas leaders hiding in Gaza.
With our intelligence help, the IDF relentlessly pursued Hamas’s leaders, flushing them out of their hiding places and forcing them onto the run. There has rarely been a military campaign like this, with Hamas leaders living and moving through hundreds of miles of tunnels, organized in multiple stories underground, determined to protect themselves with no care for the civilians suffering above ground. Today, however, proves once again that no terrorists anywhere in the world can escape justice, no matter how long it takes.
To my Israeli friends, this is no doubt a day of relief and reminiscence, similar to the scenes witnessed throughout the United States after President Obama ordered the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden in 2011.
Israel has had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7.
I will be speaking soon with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to congratulate them, to discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.
There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us.”
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Egypt’s Sisi Meets with Iran’s Foreign Minister
FILE PHOTO: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks as he meets with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in Baghdad, Iraq October 13, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ahmed Saad/File Photo
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday, Egypt’s presidency said in a statement.
The meeting focused on regional developments, with al-Sisi reiterating Egypt’s call to avoid the expansion of conflict and the need to halt escalation to prevent a full-scale regional war.
Araqchi emphasized the importance of continuing efforts to explore prospects for mutual development of relations between the two countries, the statement added.
Araqchi landed in Cairo late on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian officials, the first such visit in years as part of a Middle Eastern tour amid concerns of a wider confrontation in the region with Israel.
Tensions are high in anticipation of an Israeli attack on Iran in retaliation for Iran’s missile attack on Oct. 1. That followed a rapidly spiraling conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Araqchi arrived for “important talks with Egypt’s high ranking officials that will be held tomorrow [Thursday],” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Wednesday, after stops in countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Lebanon.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have generally been fraught in recent decades but the two countries have stepped up high-level diplomatic contacts since the eruption of the Gaza crisis last year as Egypt tried to play a mediating role.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend the country’s presidential inauguration.
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