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Iran attacks Israel
Iran attacks Israel | Ian Bremmer | Quick Take

Iran attacks Israel

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Hi, everybody. Ian Bremmer here, and a Quick Take on a Sunday, which usually means something is not going well, and that is certainly the case in the Middle East, where you had unprecedented strikes by Iran and its proxies against Israel.

Now, on the one hand, clearly a very dangerous thing to do, on the other hand, could have been a hell of a lot worse. What do I mean by that? Well, it is not World War III. Americans warned Iran not to hit the United States, and the Iranians gave a heads-up, days in advance, through a number of actors, most importantly through Iraq. This reminds me very much of after the American servicemen and women, three were killed in Jordan, by an Iranian proxy. The Americans did not want a war to break out with the Iranians directly, waited about a week, gave a heads up through Iraq, of the kind of attack that the Americans were planning, waited four days, gave the Iranians a chance to basically prepare and get their own forces out, and warned them that if this were to happen again, there would be direct consequences, a direct strike on Iran itself.

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Should Israel have waited before invading Gaza?
Should Israel have waited before invading Gaza? | GZERO Media

Should Israel have waited before invading Gaza?

Could Israel have waited longer to start its war in Gaza?

On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer asked former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak if Israel had fallen into a trap in the way it’s fighting the war against Hamas. In the last month, there’s been a shift away from sympathy for Israel in the wake of October 7th and a growing criticism of its tactics in Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, hundreds of thousands more have fled their homes, and Israel’s total blockade has prevented desperately needed humanitarian aid from reaching civilians.

Barak believes that Israel could have gotten more aid in sooner but also says that it’s determined to destroy Hamas, arguing that waiting longer would have put them at a disadvantage militarily. But the former prime minister does concede that Israel’s current government needs to be realistic about what they can achieve in Gaza.

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Hamas attacks in Israel ignite war
Hamas attacks in Israel ignite war | Quick Take | GZERO Media

Hamas attacks in Israel ignite war

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take:

War, as I think you all know, is back in the Middle East, massive attacks by Hamas leadership into Israel. So far, over 100 deaths and 1,000 casualties among Israeli civilians that we know of, this in a country of less than 10 million. So, think of that in the context of a United States with several hundred million. This is no less than Israel's 9/11.

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Are Russian tanks on the move?

EYEPRESS via Reuters

What We’re Watching: Ukraine latest, Israel blocks arms to Kyiv

Is Russia trying to de-escalate? The markets rallied on Tuesday after Vladimir Putin announced he would “partially pull back troops” from the Ukrainian border. Putin retained a conciliatory tone at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying that Russia does not seek war. While some believe this is a sign that the Kremlin is looking to de-escalate, the Russians did not say how many troops would be withdrawn. Meanwhile, Russian military drills in Belarus and Black Sea naval exercises continue, and NATO says it hasn’t seen any significant changes on the ground. In a sign that Moscow isn’t willing to ease pressure on Ukraine just yet, the State Duma on Tuesday passed a resolution calling on Putin to recognize two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. Such a move would effectively end peace negotiations over the so-called Minsk Agreement. Will Putin give it the go-ahead?
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Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon.

REUTERS/Ammar Awad

What We're Watching: American missile defense, Chilean impeachment scandal

The US ups its missile defense game. Israel has used for years a precise missile defense system — known as the Iron Dome — as a bulwark against short-range rocket attacks from terror groups. In recent weeks, the US has been using the same technology — jointly developed by Israeli and American defense contractors — in the US Pacific territory of Guam to test its own defense capabilities against Chinese weapons, according to the Wall Street Journal. This comes after Beijing, as part of a military drill, recently sent sophisticated hypersonic missiles into space that could reach Guam, about 1,800 miles from mainland China. The Pentagon is not messing around in anticipating potential threats from Beijing right now as bilateral tensions continue to rise. However, the DOD says this tech isn't a long-term fix because Iron Dome isn't meant to be used to thwart cruise missiles, which are capable of transporting a nuclear warhead long distances. Meanwhile, the US military has requested more than $200 million to develop a new missile defense system for Guam, but Congress has yet to deliver.

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