US-Israel Strike Hits Natanz During Eid, Leader Absent
Thousands of Iranians gathered for Eid al-Fitr prayers on Saturday, marking the conclusion of Ramadan amidst escalating tensions with the United States and Israel. This religious observance coincided with reports of a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, an action that directly escalates the long-standing shadow war into open aggression. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who
recently assumed leadership following his father's death in a US-Israeli strike, was notably absent from the traditional Eid prayers. This marks a significant departure from established custom where the supreme leader presides over the ceremony. Mainstream outlets like Al-Monitor, while acknowledging a 'reported' Israeli strike, consistently soften the US role, presenting it as an observer or a
supportive partner rather than a direct participant. This framing obscures the reality of years of joint military planning and operations, where the US military actively engages alongside Israel in reconnaissance, intelligence sharing, and logistical support for strikes against Iran. The persistent re-categorization of such actions as solely Israeli-led serves to insulate Washington from direct
accountability under international law, despite continuous US military presence in the region and overt statements of collaboration against Iranian interests. This pattern of downplaying US direct aggression echoes historical efforts to obscure its hand in regional conflicts, such as the USS Liberty attack in 1967, where US forces fired upon an American naval ship during the Six-Day War, resulting