Thuppahi's Blog

ATLANTIC COUNCIL …https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/experts-react-the-us-and-israel-just-unleashed-a-major-attack-on-iran-whats-next/

He went big. On Saturday morning, US and Israeli forces unleashed Operation Epic Fury, what US President Donald Trump called “a massive and ongoing” campaign against Iran. He called on the Iranian people to overthrow the regime once the fighting is done. Iran responded quickly by attacking Israel and US bases in the region. Below, our experts assess the unfolding war and where it goes from here.

Click to jump to an expert analysis:

Nate Swanson: We know the objective—and little else

Jonathan Panikoff: The Iranian regime is under unprecedented strain, but beware ‘IRGCistan’ 

Matthew Kroenig: A high-risk, high-reward campaign

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Desert Wanderer

Photo by Kyodo News Stills via Getty Images

This war is about regime change. The US and Israel are trying to topple the government,  remove the leaders. They have attacked the President’s residence, the spirirual leader Hosseini Khamenei’s residence, and the homes of many other leaders, in decapitation strikes,  but nas they had shifted location and didn’t bring their mobile phone with them.

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Vitaly Ryumshin, journalist and political analyst  …. https://www.gazeta.ru/comments/column/articles/22525411.shtml

While Russia closely follows the negotiations over Ukraine and the ongoing saga regarding Telegram, a different drama is unfolding across the Atlantic. It’s one that feels less like geopolitics and more like a real-world science fiction thriller. And this time, it’s not fiction.

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Item in  The Island, 26 February 2026, withthis Title: “Samra, Airee headline Associates’ team of the tournament

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Danyal Rasool

in ESPNcricinfo, 00 February 2026,nwhere the title runs thus: “Ravindra, Santner and McConchie eliminate Sri Lanka”

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Desert Wanderer

Australia is recalling diplomatic staff from embassies across West Asia, including Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the UAE.

Australia has also advised all Australian citizens to leave the region immediately, saying the situation in West Asia is unstable and unpredictable. If they don’t leave now, and war breaks out, all commercial airline flights to and from the region will cease and there will be no way out.

This development suggests Australia has either been informed by the US of the date war will break out; or that Trump’s State of the Union address indicates to Australia that the decision to go to war has been made, and that war is imminent.

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Andrew Fidel Fernando in  ESPNcricinfo, 25 Feb 2026, where the headline reads “Harry Brook restores order on another rowdy night for England”

It was in the early days of England‘s winter, way back on October 31, when Brook got into an altercation with a Wellington bouncer hours before going on to captain the third ODI against New Zealand. As with the cricketing variety, being struck by a bouncer can really change a guy. If you’re smart, evasive action tends to be taken. Since arriving in mid-January in South Asia, about a week after this story emerged in the press, Brook has made it a point to stress team curfews, remaining level, and generally just laying off them beers, lad.

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Vijayarajan Subramanium, in Facebook, 26 February 2026

October 14, 1964. Tokyo. Inside the Japan National Stadium, seventy thousand spectators watched the men’s 10,000 meters final at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Among the runners was Ranatunge Karunananda, wearing uniform number 67. He represented Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, a small nation that had struggled to send athletes to the Games. Karunananda was his country’s national record holder. He was also ill, weakened by a cold that had lingered for days.

The pistol fired. Thirty-eight men began the 25-lap race. The pace was punishing. By the tenth lap, the leaders had already lapped Karunananda. By the twentieth, he was several laps behind. Nine runners abandoned the race entirely. Dropping out would not have been disgraceful. It would have been practical.

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