Experts expect that if #Trump orders the American #military to directly participate in #Israel’s bombing campaign, #Iran will quickly retaliate against #UStroops stationed across the #MiddleEast.

“The Americans should know that any #US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei, warned on Wed, acc/to state news media.

#law #geopolitics #war #Congress #Constitution #ExecutiveOverreach #AbuseOfPower #autocracy

>40k #US active-duty #troops & #civilians are working for the #Pentagon in the #MiddleEast, & billions of dollars in #weapons & #military equipment are stored there. Over decades, both during & after #war, the #USmilitary has fortified its defenses in the region, said Dana Stroul, the Pentagon’s top ofcl for Middle East policy during the #Biden admin.

US further strengthened those defenses, she said, after #Hamas’s attacks on #Israel in Oct 2023, which set off a broader conflict….

#law #Trump

#Iran has gone dark on the 6th day of #Israel
strikes, w/widespread #communication restrictions. #Internet service is severely restricted, & news #media sites are not updating. Family chatrooms on #WhatsApp, which Iranians inside & outside the country use as a lifeline, have gone quiet, & reaching people on the #phone inside the country has become extremely difficult.

#geopolitics #war #MiddleEast

Senator #BernieSanders, the Vermont independent, said in an interview w/ NYT that any #military action being considered by #Trump must be voted on by #Congress. “The #Constitution of the #UnitedStates is quite clear,” he said. “It is Congress that determines whether or not this country goes to #war, not a president unilaterally.”

#law #geopolitics #MiddleEast #Israel #Iran #USpol #ExecutiveOverreach #AbuseOfPower #authoritarianism #AmericanAutocracy

#Netanyahu released a video address to the people of #Israel on Wed in which he provided updates on the status of the #war w/ #Iran, praised Israeli civilians for their “steadfast spirit” & thanked #Trump for being “a great friend of the State of Israel.”

“I thank him for standing by our side, & I thank him for the support that the #UnitedStates is providing us in defending the skies of Israel. We talk continuously, including last night. We had a very warm conversation.”

#law #geopolitics

American #diplomats have begun leaving #Israel amid the escalating #war between Israel & #Iran, the #US embassy in Jerusalem said in a statement, without saying how many remained. The statement said the diplomats were departing Israel “through a variety of means,” without clarifying.

#Trump #law #geopolitics #MiddleEast #USpol #Congress #Constitution #ExecutiveOverreach #AbuseOfPower #authoritarianism #AmericanAutocracy