Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian alleged in an interview with American conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that Israel had made an attempt on his life.
“They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” Pezeshkian responded when Carlson asked if he believed Israel had tried to assassinate him.
Pezeshkian refrained from giving details such as when the alleged attempt took place or whether it coincided with Israel’s recent 12-day air assault on Iranian territory.
When Carlson pressed him on how he could be certain that an attempt had been made, Pezeshkian responded, “Of course, it was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life… It was Israel,” according to a translated transcript from Persian to English used in the interview.
The Iranian leader explained that he had been in a meeting at the time of the incident. “I was in a meeting… but thanks to the intelligence by the spies that they had, they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he recounted.
In the same interview, Pezeshkian addressed the topic of nuclear negotiations, indicating Iran is open to returning to the table if trust can be rebuilt between the two countries. “We see no problem in reentering the negotiations,” the Iranian president says.
Still, he stressed that certain assurances would be necessary before talks could resume. “There is a condition… for restarting the talks. How are we going to trust the United States again? We reentered the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?”
WATCH:
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist Party delivered a forceful speech during his party’s meeting on Monday, vowing to fight tooth and nail against any efforts to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“Delivering logistical aid to Hamas is the craziest occurrence that I’ve come across since the war began. It harms the soldiers, it harms the hostages, it prolongs the war, and it’s bad for the State of Israel,” Smotrich said firmly.
He emphasized that he is unafraid to be the lone voice opposing the prevailing consensus. “I stood alone before the war when I opposed the assumption that Hamas was deterred, when I spoke out against the restraint against Hezbollah, and I stand today as well. I was right then, and I am right now too.”
Commenting on the broader movement toward reaching a temporary agreement with Hamas, he made his red lines clear. “There is one price that we will never be willing to pay – that is the surrender to Hamas terrorism. The saying ‘restraint is strength’ is dead. The idea of a Palestinian state is dead. The illusion that there’s someone to talk to is dead.”
Smotrich described the delivery of supplies into Gaza as a critical miscalculation. “It’s not a matter of military tactics or ranks on one’s shoulders, it’s a question of reason and determination. If Hamas is acting up to prevent aid from being cut off, it’s obvious that this is the right way.”
He also took aim at blind adherence to military brass, urging independent thinking even when faced with high-ranking opinions. “I love and appreciate the IDF Chief of Staff and commanders, but you can’t bow to generals. Not everything they say is correct, and those who forgot the dozens of generals who supported the disengagement [from the Gaza Strip] should go back and remember what they promised us.”
Smotrich ended his remarks with a defiant note, underscoring his purpose in government. “I am not here to be embraced in the TV studios. I am here for the soldiers, for the residents of the Gaza envelope, for the truth. We will continue to strive for victory, even if it takes time, even if we’re the only voice left in the room.”
{Matzav.com}
MK Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, launched a fierce attack against the Israeli coalition, asserting that the government is actively obstructing efforts to finalize a comprehensive agreement to secure the release of the hostages.
During a speech that opened his party’s faction meeting, Lieberman issued a scathing remark: “The soldiers who fell in the last few months did not fall for Israel’s security — they fell on the altar of coalition preservation.”
In response to Lieberman’s accusations, Yehuda Vald, Director-General of the Religious Zionism party, issued a strongly worded rebuttal. “Liberman’s statement is the epitome of insensitivity, cynicism, and heartlessness,” Vald stated.
He continued, condemning Lieberman’s rhetoric as a betrayal of the military’s sacrifices. “While our heroic soldiers are fighting in Gaza to bring back the hostages and destroy Hamas, he tells them they’re there for nothing. While mothers bury their sons who fought for the country, he spits in their faces and desecrates their deaths. Lieberman has no place in Israeli politics. Period.”
Adding to the outrage, bereaved father Itzik Bonzel lashed out at Liberman, comparing his stance to that of controversial Arab MKs. “Lieberman and Yair Golan are truly fully cooperating, working hand in hand with [Joint List MKs] Ofer Cassif and Ayman Odeh. Mr. Lieberman, you have lost it. ‘Take your shoes off your feet’ when you speak about our holy sons.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
A newly uncovered internal campaign memo reveals that Joe Biden’s advisors pushed him to commit to an early debate with Donald Trump in hopes of securing a broader audience ahead of the crowded summer season.
The confidential six-page strategy paper, dated April 15, 2024—just over two months before Biden’s ill-fated debate showing—oddly features bolded and capitalized references to the 46th president throughout the text.
“By holding the first debate in the spring, YOU will be able to reach the widest audience possible, before we are deep in the summer months with the conventions, Olympics, and family vacations taking precedence,” the memo stated, according to Politico.
The strategy laid out in the document aimed to place Biden side-by-side with Trump early, hoping the contrast would benefit the sitting president.
“In addition, the earlier YOU are able to debate the better, so that the American people can see YOU standing next to Trump and showing the strength of YOUR leadership, compared to Trump’s weakness and chaos,” it added.
The internal memo is cited in the new political book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, authored by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf.
Just prior to the memo’s circulation, Trump’s camp issued a public challenge to Biden, urging him to step onto the debate stage ahead of the traditional fall schedule, declaring he would debate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”
“Your senior advisors, including Ron [Klain, former White House chief of staff] and Cedric [Richmond, then campaign co-chair], continue to believe it is important to move forward with a plan that supports your participation in debates as early as possible,” the memo also emphasized.
The document warned against waiting until late in the campaign season, arguing that by then, many voters in key swing states would have already submitted mail-in ballots or missed registration deadlines.
“YOUR Senior Advisors think strategically holding these debates in the fall, after many of the battleground states have already begun their early voting process and voter registration deadlines have passed is too late,” the memo stated, pointing to states like Wisconsin and North Carolina.
The plan outlined in the memo proposed hosting a debate prior to the Democratic National Convention in August, and a follow-up after Labor Day. The idea was to reassess the campaign’s direction after the first showdown.
Biden’s team homed in on June 26 or 27 for the first debate, aligning the date with his travel schedule and notable events such as the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
One month after the memo’s drafting, Biden officially issued a challenge to Trump to meet him onstage, a proposition the Trump campaign immediately accepted.
The candidates agreed on two debate dates: the first on June 27, the second scheduled for September 10.
That second debate never took place. Biden’s disastrous first performance triggered panic within the Democratic Party, and mounting pressure ultimately forced him to end his re-election campaign on July 21.
{Matzav.com}
The chareidi factions in the Knesset issued a strong warning Monday morning, signaling they may intensify their protest and halt support for coalition-backed legislation unless serious movement is made on the long-stalled Draft Law.
As reported by Kan Reshet Bet, the main form of pressure being considered by the chareidi lawmakers is to withhold cooperation on legislative matters, including bills introduced by the government itself.
Despite the standoff, United Torah Judaism representatives are facing a key decision Monday: whether to back the appointment of their own member, MK Yisroel Eichler, as Minister of Construction and Housing.
While insiders anticipate that UTJ members will ultimately cast their votes in favor of Eichler’s appointment so he can take up the ministerial role, the final word will come only after the party convenes internally.
Officials within both Shas and United Torah Judaism have said they expect MK Yuli Edelstein, who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to bring the Draft Law forward. They remain hopeful that there will be sufficient time to pass it before the Knesset wraps up its summer session in three weeks.
{Matzav.com Israel}
