The Famous City of Sidon, Lebanon Hit By Today's Israeli Drone

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

                                                 Sidon, Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Lebanese citizens to join Israel's fight against Hezbollah again.  Fighting has continued despite an April ceasefire which was not observed by either Israel or Hezbollah and a conditional truce announced last week after Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington.  During this period, Israel bombed southern Lebanon and 12 people were killed yesterday, hopefully being Hezbollah.  A border town said 2 municipal employees of which one was a municipal councillor, apprehended by Israeli forces who had approached the IDF, were later released.  

"Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli strikes on more than 30 locations in southern and eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, including on Tayr Debba and Deir Qanun al-Nahr, and on three towns where Israel's military issued evacuation warnings."

Sidon is a coastal city far from the border that has been relatively spared in major Israeli attacks.  It hosts many displaced people.  An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle was reported, so someone high up the ladder of Hezbollah must have been known to be in it.  

Sidon is an ancient Syrian city now a part of Lebanon.  It was regarded as the capital of the Phoenicians who are termed Sidonians in the Bible and  i Homeric verse.  The city is even mentioned in the Tel elAmerna letters.  Jezebel was of Sidonian origin and introduced its Baal cult into Israel.  Sidon was occupied on several occasions by the Assyrians, and was subject to Persia and was captured by Alexander the Great.  Then later, after falling under Roman domination, it finally lost its independence.  

Sidon officially became part of the modern Lebanese state following World War I, when the League of Nations established the French Mandate of Lebanon in 1920. 

Historically, the city's inclusion in Lebanon's geographic and administrative borders took shape through several key eras: 

• The Ottoman Era (1516–1918): During the 17th century, Sidon heavily flourished and was rebuilt under the patronage of Fakhr ad-Dīn II, a renowned semi-independent ruler of Lebanon. 
• The French Mandate (1920): Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Sidon was integrated into the newly created State of Greater Lebanon under French administration. 
• Independent Lebanon (1943): Upon Lebanon gaining independence in 1943, Sidon became one of the major cultural, historic, and economic hubs in the southern part of the country.                                                
  
                                        Prime Minister Nawaf Sllam
• Prime Minister Nawaf Salam: Serving as the Head of Government, the Prime Minister is historically a Sunni Muslim and directs the cabinet.

• Previously, he served as Lebanon’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations and represented Lebanon in the U.N. Security Council in 2010 and 2011. He was a member of the Lebanese National Electoral Law Commission, the Lebanese National Commission of UNESCO, and the executive bureau of the Socio-Economic Council of Lebanon. In addition to stints in private law practice early in his career, he taught at American University of Beirut and Sorbonne University in Paris. Salam is author of numerous books, essays and articles, including several works in the fields of international, constitutional, electoral, and Islamic law, as well as on international organizations and international affairs. In 2019, he gave the keynote address at the Harvard International Law Journal 60th Anniversary Symposium, titled “Reflections on International Law in Changing Times.”Born in Beirut in 1953, Salam belongs to a prominent family in Lebanon. Both his uncle and cousin served as the Lebanese prime minister. His wife, Sahar Baassiri, is a journalist who also served as Lebanon’s ambassador and permanent delegate to UNESCO. 

  
  
  
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President Joseph Aoun:  Serving as the Head of State, the President is historically a Maronite Christian. Joseph Aoun previously served as the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces.  The President  and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rule Lebanon today. Both leaders assumed their roles in early 2025 following a period of political deadlock, taking office to help navigate the country through ongoing peace negotiations and economic recovery.  Lebanon operates under a parliamentary democratic republic that uses a sectarian power-sharing system. The formal powers of governance are divided among its top leaders: Joseph Aoun (born January 10, 1964, Sin el Fil, Lebanon) is the president of Lebanon (2025– ) and was previously the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; 2017–25). Having overseen the army amid popular unrest in 2019 and during Israel’s invasion in 2024, he is generally considered a neutral and trusted figure within Lebanon’s polarized and sometimes sectarian political system.

Hezbollah has never officially taken over the Lebanese state. Instead, it operates as a powerful political party, a heavily armed militant force, and a parallel organization that controls significant social services and institutions in the regions under its influence.

• 1992: Hezbollah participated in national elections for the first time, securing eight seats in the Lebanese Parliament. 
• 2005: The group entered the national cabinet for the first time. Since then, it has maintained an active role in government, frequently leveraging its political and military power to veto government decisions or collapse administrations when its demands are not met. 
2018: Hezbollah and its political allies reached the peak of their parliamentary influence, securing a majority in the general election. However, this coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the 2022 elections.

While Hezbollah’s formidable military and political presence heavily dictates Lebanon's broader governance, domestic affairs, and foreign policy, the country maintains a multiconfessional democratic system that includes a multitude of rival parties, factions, and a sovereign national government.

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Resource:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Sidon

https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20260611-israeli-strikes-kill-12-in-lebanon-as-netanyahu-urges-fight-against-hezbollah

The Window of Opportunity Was Ajar and Only The Israelis and Trump Breathed In Its Air

Nadene Goldfoot                     

                         The Book of Esther in Bible

The question continues to be asked by all the reporters, why now?  Why did the USA join Israel in attacking Iran?  I have the answer.  

It was destined by a force no one can yet understand, that certain events would happen at the same time.  Purim, a holiday of remembrance of history that took place in  a huge empire about 1,513 years ago, that held many Jews.                      

Jews had been remembering this close call to their being, their religion if you wish ever since that day.  It was a happy memory and celebrated  in that manner.  We celebrated it again last Monday.  

God commanded the Jewish people in the Torah to remember and observe several specific holy days, primarily outlined in Leviticus 23. These include the weekly Sabbath (Shabbat), the three major pilgrimage festivals (1.Passover, 2. Shavuot, 3. Sukkot), and the High Holy Days of 4. Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) and 5. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). 

Jews knew that this event of being saved from extinction needed to be remembered and celebrated as well. They didn't realize it would be copied in the future by a Hitler doing Haman's work 1,540 years from then starting in the 1930's CE/AD.  

                       Queen Esther with son Darius

 Jews were to be killed which was brought about by Haman. Under King Xerxes I (in Hebrew-Ahasueros(reigned 486–465 BC), (Queen Esther  lived during the 5th century BC, roughly between 487 and 465 BC, in the Persian capital of Susa. As queen to King Ahasuerus (commonly identified as Xerxes I, who reigned 486–465 BCE), she lived during the period of Persian rule over the Jewish diaspora. the Achaemenid Persian Empire was at its peak, forming the largest empire in the world up to that point.) It spanned approximately 5.5 million square kilometers (about 2.1 million square miles) and covered parts of three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.   This took place about 1,487-1,465 years ago according to my figures.                             

             Esther Denouncing Haman (1888) by Ernest Normand

This would have been complete extermination of all Jews in the world !  

So this special window creaking to open a bit of the special air coming through brought on Persia's new kingships of Ayatollah's  of the Islam faith of  Shi'a that had become murderous.  The leadership had taken on Hitler's position of the aim to kill all Jews. They kept their own Jews living in Persia for last as a ruse to their aims.  Their plan was unique.  They spent so much time arming all their henchmen in other countries dependent on them, Persia-now called Iran, that they neglected  their own basic duties keeping water running or food growing in their land.  Hence, a Rebellion leading to Revolution !!! Tousi has it all documented !!!

People, young and bright, realized this as they were losing their jobs, money, and were becoming desperate.  They took to the streets and rebelled, finding other like young people there as well.  (They opened the window a wee bit)

 Reza Pahlavi (born 1960). Known as the Crown Prince of Iran,  has lived in exile (USA) since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and is a prominent political opposition figure calling for a democratic, secular state in Iran.  He has been its leader of a Revolution since the beginning.  Reza opened it wider.  The West has not been mentioning him, but Tousi in England has.  He has TV hookup from Iran during their blackout that is showing what is happening to the Rebels.  I remember 60 minutes also doing an hour on Reza.  Possibly it's to keep him alive, safe from the goons that go around shooting and killing for the Ayatollas in power.

                         Palestinians of 2 camps who could never work together,  fed ammunition to use against Israelis by Iran as Iran did to all countries they helped to develop hatred for Israel such as Syria, Lebanon, and the terrorists of like Hamas and Hezbollah, etc. .   

Israel was facing instant death of all of them with Iran's intercontinental missiles with nuclear power that Iran promised to hit them with.  The day of Iran's success in creating such a air missile death was almost upon them!  Evidently the rest of the world was unmoved by such a threat, even though it included the USA who was called the big Satan;  Israel being the little Satan by Iran's measurement.  Israelis saw a window open on PURIM !

          Israeli Air Force, flying in tandem with USA over Iran the first time hitting sites they thought were now gone forever...

In the meantime, Israel has been joined by the USA's Trump who gave the people his promise of help if the Ayatollah started to kill the rebels, and he had ships in the water aimed for Iran. 

So we have Purim,  A Revolution in Iran led by Crown Prince Reza , an Israel living under daily threats of atomic bomb carried by Iran's intercontinental missile, and Iran was only weeks away from making it.  Trump, who has Jerad, an Orthodox Jewish son- in- law and may have inhaled some of Jerad's air blowing in his home, and his advisors as to attacking Iran, and it coincided with Israel's plan.   Four puzzle pieces fitting together in a once in a lifetime plan was taking place. The plan took place over a 1,600 Years ago with Purim.   The window of opportunity was here, blowing in the air only special people could breathe in, evidently;  those who are part of of the puzzle. 

On October 2024, Trump hit the sites to make such missiles.  

Israel has just repeated the job according to ynet news below, again hitting the same sites after finding Iran had been reviving it.  "The IDF said Thursday it struck the Taleghan site at Iran’s sensitive Parchin military complex, saying Tehran had sought to use the facility to advance capabilities linked to nuclear weapons development. "

Resource:

AI says, 487 BC was 2,513 years ago, as of the year 2026. This is calculated by adding the 487 years before the year 1 AD (as there is no year 0) to the 2,026 years that have passed since then 

https://www.google.com/search?q=name+of+son+of+last+shah+of+Iran&sca_esv=7106858f813936e4&sxsrf=ANbL-n4Pb4pKEvrs4El74KR50Qz2ZZFeeQ%3A1773230983321&source=hp&ei=h1uxaZihEajC0PEP_sXa4QM&iflsig=AFdpzrg

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1ril7xczl?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=editorial-push#google_vignette

History Skills +1

Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran and The Revolution

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

           Reza Pahlavi, crown prince of Iran (31 October 1960, Tehran, Iran;  once called Persia

Reza Pahlavi (born 31 October 1960) is an Iranian politician and dissident. A member of the Pahlavi dynasty, he is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, and Farah Diba. He is one of the mainstream figures of the Iranian opposition, which oppose the Islamic Republic of Iran. Born in Tehran, Iran, Reza Pahlavi was officially named crown prince of Iran at the time of his father's coronation in 1967.  The Shah's eldest son shows us that indeed, he is a true leader. 

                   His father, the Shah of Iran

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Persian: محمدرضا پهلوی ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini, which abolished the Iranian monarchy to establish the Islamic Republic of Iran.                                   

The late Shah of Iran Reza Pahlevi and his wife, Farah Pahlavi, were photographed in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 1979. Farah Pahlavi had a home in Greenwich for many years in the 1980s and '90s.RANDY TAYLOR/Associated Press                                                                        

Crown Prince Pahlavi began a relationship with Yasmine Etemad-Amini in 1985. They married on June 12, 1986, in Greenwich, Connecticut; he was 25 and she was 17. The couple have three daughters: Noor (born 3 April 1992), Iman (born 12 September 1993), and Farah (born 17 January 2004).  Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and his family resided in Greenwich, Connecticut, for about 14 years, with his mother, Empress Farah, settling there in the mid-1980s after the Iranian Revolution, though he later moved to the Washington D.C. area, making his time specifically in Connecticut part of the earlier exile period, not his primary long-term residence as an adult, with his main base shifting to the U.S. capital.                                  

Ceremony at Pasargadae to mark the 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire in 1971; the Crown Prince is at far right, age 10, standing next to his parents.

He has been the leader of the 9 days of fighting and demonstrating against the Ayatollah regime that has been ruling for the past 45 some years.  This is why this time the Iranian people will be successful in overthrowing the Ayatollah and his government.  They have a leader.  

The people have woken up to the fact that they had been a people of the famous Iranian Empire that had accomplished much.  They have been a frightened people fearing failure and death in the hands of the Ayatollahs. Things couldn't get worse for them as they find themselves now.  They have reached the point of being fearless;  of trusting in something more than themselves.                     

             In his youth, he was a keen football player and spectator.

As a cadet of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, he moved to the United States for pilot training at Reese Air Force Base in 1978. The next year, his father was overthrown and the monarchy was abolished in the wake of the Iranian Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini. 

In 1980,at age 20,  following the death of his father in exile, Reza Pahlavi declared himself shah of Iran, stylizing himself as "Reza Shah II", and actively participated in political activities opposing the Islamic Republic from abroad. Abroad is where he is right now, ready to step in once the Ayatollah scrambles to Russia, his hideout.  

• Contingency Plans: According to intelligence sources cited by British and Israeli media, Ayatolla Khamenei has reportedly developed a "Plan B" to flee to Moscow, Russia, with up to 20 close aides and family members if the security situation and protests overwhelm his forces. This plan is said to emulate the escape route taken by Syria's Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.While his precise, real-time location remains a state secret, it is known that various international intelligence agencies monitor his movements closely, as Mossad might be doing, or CIA.  

            Reza's portrait is being shown at this rally

In January and February 2025, he advised U.S. President Donald Trump against entering into an agreement with the Islamic Republic that would limit Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

During the 2025 Iran–Israel war, following Iranian blackout of the internet, Pahlavi said the blackout "is a sign of panic not strength." Pahlavi said in the same interview he viewed the destruction of Iran's military infrastructure and possessions such as airbases and fighter jets as a loss. Pahlavi said that the war was not that of the Iranian people but Khamenei's war and that it was the Iranian people who are paying the price.

            January 3, 2026, a London exile thanks Trump for Pahlavi

On February 23, 2025, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Pahlavi called on Europe and Americans to prepare for impending collapse of regime in Tehran. At another time  Pahlavi denounced inequalities and energy crises in Iran. He criticized the drying up of rivers and air pollution in Iran, which is now so critical.  

                                                   Iran–Israel war

On 17 June 2025, amidst the Iran–Israel war, Pahlavi delivered a statement declaring that the Islamic Republic of Iran is "on the verge of collapse." He emphasized that internal divisions and defections within the regime signal its impending downfall. Pahlavi expressed confidence that the Iranian people, who have long resisted oppression, will soon achieve liberation. Pahlavi addressed the Iranian military and security forces, urging them to abandon the regime and join the people's movement for change.

Reza Pahlavi;  Leader in exile, attends a session of European Parliament in Belgium in 2023. 

His stance during Iran–Israel war, especially his presentation of the Israeli attacks as "an opportunity", has drawn strong criticism from many other Iranian opposition figures, including several high-profile political prisoners in Iran, labelling Pahlavi as a "traitor" to his country of birth, with Al Jazeera saying “He was really the only opposition figure that was supportive of [Israel’s war]” and that he "may have squandered the little support he once had by choosing not to condemn Israel’s heavy bombardment of Iran".

Pahlavi has said that after the Islamic revolution in 1979, he concluded the merit of "separation of religion from state as a primordial principle and precondition to democratic order."  Pahlavi has said that he has no intention to take a long-term leadership role in Iran should the current regime fall.  The people may see it otherwise. 

Update: 1/10/26;  I don't know what they are waiting for.  The Ayatollah hasn't been newly heard from for several days, probably escaping to Russia with suitcases full of useless money worth nothing which is not going to help him get a hotel room, perhaps.   Trump offers his good wishes but no help even though some have been killed by the government, many in hospital.  Internet was completely cut off last night causing people to take to the streets since they could not watch any TV, and they joined the others there.  It's happened.  

Update on Update 6:14pm:  Iran's foreign minister has fled with his family to Lebanon.  

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reza_Pahlavi,_Crown_Prince_of_Iran#:~:text=In%202013%2C%20he%20founded%20the,of%20the%20West%20and%20Europe.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reza-Pahlavi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzaANx5Mn24

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi

Ayatollah As NOT Part of Empire of Cyrus II of Persia

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

                           Ayatollah Ali Khamenei;  Supreme leader of Iran                                         (born April 19, 1939 in Mashad, Iran-86 years old)

                           Cyrus II The Great  of Persia in 559 BCE

Somebody said that the problem is that Iran's Ayatollah wants the greatness that Cyrus II the Great had.  He thinks they are part of the ancient empire, even at this late date.  He doesn't know about Cyrus, evidently.  

Cyrus the Great II was the Persian king who died in 529 BCE.  He was a conqueror, as many were back then.  He overran the Babylonian Empire, and this included Eretz Yisrael.  The thing about Cyrus is that we Jews thought he was related to Queen Esther and King Ahasueros.  Why?

    Returnees rebuilding 2nd Temple being released by Cyrus

The story I am about to tell is said to have happened later in the Persian Period and before 330 BCE, however.  Why?  In 2nd Temple times, the scroll of Esther was already apparently included in the canon.  Its reading on Purim was made obligatory, and a special talmudic tractate was written on the relevant regulations.  it became one of the favorite objects of Jewish folk-art.  So it could have happened before 529 BCE.  

Babylonians had attacked Judah and took away people in 597 BCE and again in 586 BCE.  Nebuchadnezzar II  had taken over the holdings of the Assyrians.  They went to the river in Babylon where they met up with Jews from a previous raid by the Assyrians.  This meant that that there were members of the 10 Tribes of Jacob along with the newer Jewish hostages and constituted a large Israelite (Jewish)  population.    

Cyrus followed  very enlightened policy towards his subject peoples, so in 538 BCE, about 60 years later, had granted permission to the exiles of Judah in Babylon to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple.  This is recorded in (Ezra 1:1-44) and II Chron.36:22-23).  For this kind act, so out of place, the Jewish exiles regarded Cyrus as a Divine agent (someone selected by G-d to help them). This thought is found in (Is.44:28;45:I)

Many of the exiles remained in Babylon even after Cyrus permitted a return to their homeland, Judah. There were Persian towns made up entirely of Jewish populations such as Nehardea, Nisibis, and Mahoza.  The Jews of Babylon remained in constant touch with the Jews of Judah  and even supplied some of their leaders, such as Hillel.                                        

In fact, during the Roman occupation, the Babylonian Jews rose against the emperor Trajan (98-117), the revolt being bloodily suppressed by his commander, Lucius Quietus in 116.  Under both Persian and Parthian rule, the Jews of Babylon enjoyed an extensive measure of internal autonomy, being headed by an EXILARCH of Davidic descent who was the king's representative, while the community was governed by a council of elders.  

The great literary creation of the Jews of Babylon, the Babylonian TALMUD, reflects a society preponderantly based on agriculture and crafts.  They were learned in Jewish studies and had produced works of literary merit, such as Ezekiel, Daniel and Tobit.  

                             Queen Esther and her son, Darius

King Darius I reigned from 522-486 BCE and had inherited the throne from Cyrus !!!  At the beginning of his reign, he permitted Zerubbabel and the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to resume reconstruction of the Temple.  

Now, Esther (Hadassah) was the daughter of Abihail (father) and written about in Megillat Esther) of the Bible. According to the biblical book of Esther, Esther was the daughter of Abihail. She was raised by her cousin, Mordecai, who adopted her as his own daughter after her parents died. Persian Queen Esther (492 B.C.–c. 460 B.C.), born as a Jewish exile named Hadasseh, eventually became the queen of Persia, which during her lifetime was the greatest empire in the known world.

This book is about the deliverance of the Jews of Persia in the time of King Ahasuerus. It's why people in the synagogues read from the Scroll of Esther and when we have the festival of Purim and eat hamentaschen (3 cornered filled cookies).  We are happy, wear costumes, and get a little shicker (tipsy).

 Esther herself finds out that Haman, (possibly related later to Hitler....same goals in life) wants to kill all the Jews in the world and the king is emperor over a huge part of their continent.  She is in good with her husband, so she tells him of the plot and figures it's a good time to tell him that she is also Jewish.  He has Haman hung along with his sons so puts an end to the goal of that family.  

So we find that Cyrus was the grandson of Queen Esther.  This history will not be found in Islamic writings;  only Jewish ones.  Amazing, isn't it?  The empire he admired was led by a Jewish leader, and Cyrus had his father, Darius, to copy.  

Also amazing is that good relations continued between Israel and Iran with the Shah of Iran that the Ayatollah had overthrown.  

 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini "got rid of" or overthrew the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and this was known as the Iranian Revolution or the Islamic Revolution.  

It's important to note that while they acknowledge and respect Cyrus, the Islamic Republic of Iran's primary focus is on its Islamic heritage, and there is a distinction between respecting ancient Iranian history and promoting pre-Islamic nationalist movements. Some sources suggest that the Iranian government has taken steps to discourage excessive celebration of pre-Islamic figures like Cyrus, particularly when these celebrations are perceived as being linked to the former monarchy or as undermining the Islamic Republic. 

According to Iranian leaders, their desire is not to eliminate all Jews, but rather to see the demise of the State of Israel, which they refer to as the "Zionist regime". So they want to drop an Atom bomb on Israel and  destroy it.  

Here's why they hold this view:

• Ideological opposition to the state of Israel: Iranian leaders view Israel as an "illegitimate regime" and a "colonial outpost" established and supported by Western powers.
• Support for the Palestinian people: Iran's declared goal is to eliminate Israel's "imposed regime" and allow Palestinians to self-determine their fate and form a new government where Muslims, Christians, and Jews can coexist.  This is what Israel already has created until the Hamas under Iran came along.  
• Anti-Western sentiment: Israel is seen as a close ally of the United States, which the Iranian regime views as an obstacle to its goal of removing American influence from the Middle East.
• Strategic goals in the region: Iran seeks to assert its leadership within the Muslim world and expand its influence by positioning itself as a strong opponent of Israel. (war between Iran and Saudi Arabia--religion of shi'i,sunni)
• Internal political purposes: The Iranian government faces internal challenges such as economic difficulties and political unrest, and presenting Israel as an external enemy can serve to unite the population and distract from these internal issues.
• Historical context: Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran and Israel had friendly relations, but the revolution brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power, who viewed Israel as an enemy. 

It's important to note that many Iranians do not support their government's anti-Israel stance and desire a more peaceful approach. 

Iranians;  you have your chance now.  Step up.  Feel the fresh air.  The window is open for just a short time.  The mental disease characterized by a fear of going outside is called agoraphobia. It's an anxiety disorder where people fear situations where escape might be difficult or help might not be available, especially if they have a panic attack.  You may never get another chance.  

Resource:

https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/bible/old-testament/esther#:~:text=Persian%20Queen%20Esther%20(492%20B.C.,empire%20in%20the%20known%20world.

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Tanakh, Stone Edition; pages 1752 under writings