04/02/24 04/02/24 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable. aid workers and those doing humanitarian work, innocent civilians should be provided

with protection. amy: israel is facing global condemnation after an israeli airstrike in gaza killed six international aid workers from the charity world central kitchen and their palestinian driver just after they unloaded more than 100 tons of food aid that had been brought by ship from cyprus. we will go to gaza for the latest. meanwhile, the biden administration continues to send a massive amount of arms to israel, including 1800 2000-pound bombs that are strong enough to level city blocks. we will speak to former state department official josh paul and a u.s. soldier who is refusing to remain silent. >> i am larry hebert. i am active-duty air force. i am in washington, d.c., conducting a white house. i am on day three. next week i will be outside of congress in solidarity with the

people in gaza. amy: plus, iran is vowing revenge after israel attacked the iranian consulate in damascus, killing at least seven iranian officers including three commanders. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. world central kitchen has suspended aid operations in gaza after an israeli airstrike killed six international workers from the charity and a palestinian driver. the aid workers were struck after they left a warehouse in deir al-balah where they had unloaded more than 100 tons of food aid that they had brought into gaza by ship from cyprus. the aid workers were driving in a clearly marked convoy branded with the charity's logo.

world central kitchen said the attack occurred even though they had coordinated in advance with the israeli military. erin gore, the ceo of world central kitchen, said -- "this is not only an attack against wck, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. this is unforgivable." earlier today, the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu acknowledged israel carried out the attack saying "unfortunately, over the last day there was a tragic incident of an unintended strike of our forces on innocent people in the gaza strip." the killed aid workers include three british nationals, an australian, a polish national and an american-canadian dual citizen. two of the aid workers were filmed inside gaza prior to the attack.

>> [indiscernible] amy: both of those aid workers are now dead. the u.k. prime minister said he was shocked and saddened by the attack. australian prime minister anthony albanese condemned the attack and demanded accountability from israel. >> this is a human tragedy that should never have occurred, that is completely unacceptable. amy: the official death toll in gaza is now approaching 33,000 as israel continues its assault in defiance of last week's u.n. security council ceasefire resolution. in rafah, an israeli airstrike killed four people including two children. meanwhile, reuters is reporting the biden administration is considering a new $18 billion arms package for israel that

would include dozens of f-15 aircraft. this is in addition to the recent u.s. approval of 1800 2000-pound bombs and 500 500-pound bombs, as well as 25 f-35 fighter jets. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says he will ban the award winning tv network al jazeera after israeli lawmakers passed a bill allowing for the temporary banning of foreign broadcasters deemed to be a national security threat. al jazeera is the most widely viewed network in the arab world and is one of the few outlets to have reporters inside gaza. iran has vowed to retaliate after israel bombed the iranian consulate in damascus, syria, killing at least 11 people -- seven people, including three senior iranian commanders and at least four other iranian officers. the u.k.-based syrian observatory for human rights said the death toll could be as high as 11.

mohammad reza zahedi, a senior commander in the al-quds force. he is said to be the highest ranking iranian military officer to be killed since the u.s. assassinated general qassem soleimani in baghdad in 2020. iran's ambassador to syria hossen akbari condemned israel for striking a diplomatic building. >> we told you before commandos very will such crimes come in a kind of crimes will not be made without response. amy: primary elections are being held today in wisconsin, connecticut, rhode island, and new york. in wisconsin, activists are urging voters to cast their ballots for "uninstructed." inspired by michigan's "uncommitted" campaign, palestinian rights advocates, union members, and low-wage and immigrant workers have rallied behind the push to vote "uninstructed," an option on wisconsin ballots that allows delegates to make their picks at the party conventions rather than selecting a preferred candidate at the polling site. here in new york, the "leave it blank" campaign similarly urges democrats to voice their

opposition to biden's support for israel's assault by withholding their vote and submitting a blank ballot. the initiative is backed by the working families party, ifnotnow, jewish voice for peace, mpower action, sunrise movement, and other groups. the florida supreme court issued two critical decisions on abortion monday. in a major blow for abortion access across the southern united states, florida's highest court ruled abortion rights are not constitutionally protected, allowing a near-total abortion ban to go into effect. the six-week ban provides exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies, and medical emergencies. but reproductive rights advocates hope the legislation will be short-lived since the florida supreme court also ruled monday a referendum enshrining the right to an abortion in the state's constitution can appear on the november ballot. the florida supreme court also ok'd a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana.

the ballot measures require a 60% majority to pass. in germany, a new law went into effect monday legalizing the personal possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis. it also allows individuals to cultivate up to three marijuana plants at home. cannabis will remain illegal for anyone under 18 as some health professionals warn the new legislation could increase smoking among young people. at midnight monday, people gathered at berlin's brandenburg gate for a "smoke-in" to celebrate. >> if you really go into education instead of criminalization, and that is the right way to go now, i think you could definitely bring awareness to it. no matter what kind of consumption it is, alcohol or marijuana or other things, the most important thing is always safe for use and harm reduction. so always make yourself aware of what is a healthy dose.

the dose makes the poison. amy: deadly violence continues to plague haiti as armed groups and police traded more gunfire overnight monday in port-au-prince. at least five people were killed. >> i got a phone call this morning. they told me my father had died. i was astonished. when i arrived, i saw him lying on the floor. amy: the spiraling political turmoil in haiti appears to have no end in sight. recently-resigned prime minister ariel henry, who remains locked out of haiti by armed groups, raised questions this week over the constitutionality of a transitional council, which is being formed to serve as an interim governing body until elections were scheduled. this comes as canadian forces have been sent to jamaica to train troops from caribbean nations to join the u.n.-authorized mission to haiti. last week, the u.n. human rights chief called for an arms embargo on haiti, calling the situation there cataclysmic. the majority of guns pouring into haiti are smuggled in from florida and other parts of the

united states. new york judge juan merchan expanded a gag order on donald trump monday ahead of his april 15 criminal hush money trial, barring trump from attacking the judge's family members. among other things, trump called merchan's daughter a "rabid trump hater." he shared a photo of her on social media. meanwhile, trump posted a $175 million bond in his civil fraud case monday as he appeals the $464 million judgment against him. the bond is underwritten by the california-based knight specialty insurance company. the company is owned by billionaire don hankey, who has been dubbed the king of subprime car loans and is the largest shareholder in axos bank, which has provided financial services to trump and jared kushner's family businesses. and the 2024 izzy award for "outstanding achievement in independent media" will be shared by "in these times" and journalists mohammed el-kurd,

lynzy billing, trina reynolds-tyler, and sarah conway. the award this year recognizes reporting by "in these times" on worker-centered economic justice stories. mohammed el-kurd is the nation's first ever palestine correspondent and wrote, among many things, "the right to speak for ourselves." lynzy billing chronicled the american military's environmental devastation in afghanistan for inside climate news. trina reynolds-tyler and sarah conway produced the seven-part series "missing in chicago," which exposed police malpractice in the handling of missing persons cases, disproportionately affecting black women and girls. and democracy now! is honored -- is receiving special recognition for our coverage of the ongoing war on gaza. the izzy award is named for the dissident journalist i.f. "izzy" stone, and is presented by the center for independent media at ithaca college. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!,

democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman in new york, joined by democracy now!'s juan gonzalez. hi, juan. juan: hi, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers across the country and around the world. amy: the world central kitchen has suspended aid operations in gaza after an israeli airstrike killed six international workers from the charity and a palestinian driver. the aid workers were struck after they left a warehouse in deir al-balah where it had unloaded more than 100 tons of food aid that they had brought into gaza by ship from cyprus. the aid workers were driving in a clearly marked convoy branded with the charity's logo. world central kitchen said the attack occurred even though the charity had coordinated in advance about the convoy with the israeli military.

the killed aid workers include three british nationals, an australian, a polish national, and an american-canadian dual citizen. australian prime minister anthony albanese condemned the attack. >> we certainly have already contacted the israeli government directly. we contacted the israeli ambassador to ask for accountability here. the truth is that this is beyond any reasonable circumstance. someone going about providing aid and humanitarian assistance should lose their life. and there were four paid workers as well as a palestinian driver in this vehicle. this is a human tragedy that should never have occurred, that

is completely unacceptable. amy: benjamin netanyahu appeared to acknowledge israel carried out the attack, saying "unfortunately over the last day, there's a tragic incident of an unintended strike of forces on innocent people in the gaza strip." united nations aid coordinator for the palestinian territory said, "this is not an isolated incident. as of march 20, at least 196 humanitarians have been killed in the occupied palestinian territory since october 2023. this is nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict in a year." we begin today's show in rafah, gaza, where we are joined by the gaza-based journalist akram al-satarri. thank you so much for joining us. what do you understand took place. talk about the charity workers

who were killed and their driver, what they were doing. >> they were helping people. they were trying to bring food aid, whom they were in touch with, whom they were thinking they deserve to be treated as humans and they deserve to be safe and secure. however, they themselves, the ones extending helping hand, ended up being killed by an israeli attack. the circumstances are not clear yet. neither the government of israel that apparently ordered the attack, no matter the circumstances. nor that palestinians that were extending helping hand in trying to secure a lifeline while their lives were taken by the israeli attack. juan: how does this happen when reportedly the world central

kitchen was coordinating its efforts and was informing the israelis of where it's aid workers were? >> this is the fact that shocked everyone stopped as a matter of fact, many international headquarters and some workers were also affected by the ongoing bombardment. around 166 unrwa staff were killed while they were moving from their places to their duty stations and back to their homes or even when they are still conducting their jobs and extending a helping hand to the people. the coordinates are very clear for the israeli army. this is a protocol that has been followed since the war started. everything of humanitarian aid worker extending helping hand that is doing anything, -- i

think it is the full responsibility of the israeli government to clarify and provide justification and not just justification of the killing itself, but the circumstances that led to that catastrophic incident given it is not unprecedented where many others lost their lives because of the way the israeli army has been to live with the general population in gaza. as you have just said, the car was marked as world central kitchen. the staff who are there were already recognized. they are well aware there moving while the israeli army is aware of their movements. entering and leaving is also well known. the place where they were unloading the food and the food

items for the people of gaza are well known by the army. i think it is upon the israeli army to accept -- including canada, usa, poland, and also i think the u.k. how this happened and why this happened. juan: has there been any improvement in the last week or two of supplies coming into gaza , especially food and medical supplies? >> well, the food and medical supplies are still very scarce in the gaza strip. voicing concern over the fact supplies are limited entering gaza. even more israel is being selected about what does and

does not enter gaza. a very big strike when the al- shifa hospital was destroyed. it lost 100 dialysis machines. it also lost one third of services throughout the gaza strip. the situation is dire and continues to get even worse. israel is not willing or able to allow more food supplies and medical supplies into the gaza strip. not far from us is a hospital that is suffering because of the fact they have access to very limited supplies and they have been calling for the international community, for the world, even for israel to allow unhindered access of the medical supplies and food supplies to help the people. they have a place for the people with dialysis, that need dialysis machines and whose people have some nutritional

needs and those needs are not met. and if the situation continues the way it is, even the urgent and immediate medical needs of those people are not going to be met which compromises the whole life. amy: i want to talk about this in the context of the looming famine. hundreds of fellows -- hundreds of thousands of post-simians pushed to the brink of famine right now. av is reporting cyprus, which has played a key role in try to establish a route to bring food into the territory, said ships that recently arrived were turning back with some 240 tons of undelivered aid. the word -- the world kitchen chef was the first to get massive amount of food into gaza and now we see what has happened to them. i am wondering, are you hungry? is your family hungry? >> this is a very critical

question. for you to understand, i am a gazan. gazan means i am living the very same circumstances my people are living. sometimes it is ramadan time and sometimes we eat one meal a day. sometimes the meal is not decent for someone who has fasted around 60 hours. this is a situation for most. but people in the south of gaza are living -- the world central bank organized with an intention of delivering 400 tons of food that were not delivered initially where 700,000 palestinians are denied any access except for limited quantities. now the 1000 tons -- the amount

allowed in -- were not allowed where 700,000 people are waiting for the food. the famine is not living. the famine is already taking place. we have adults and young who died from starvation. we have many more people were complaining about the significant loss. we have people and children who were eager to eat anything whatsoever. anything. people in the north eight the grass. they eat also animal seed. they are sorting it out, pleading that, grinding it, making bread out of it. and even when the taste and smell is not what you expect as a human, they still have to eat it because they don't have any other option. that situation continues to be very dire. that situation continues to deteriorate. some people organized and formed special committees for the sake

of receiving the food that is allowed from the road between rafah and khan younis and gaza and those people ended up in targeted. 70 were killed. more than 500 palestinians were killed. in different incidences targeting the people. they are waiting for the food. 20 different incidents of targeting that took the life of 500 palestinians and 70 of those who are working to organize everything. the way it is now, the way this targeting is done is indicating they're willing to deprive us people of any hope and life whatsoever. amy: i want to ask about the israeli prime minister singh he will ban al jazeera after the israeli lawmakers, the knesset,

passed a bill allowing for the temporary banning of foreign broadcasters deemed to be a national security threat. al jazeera is the most widely viewed network in the world. the way the arab world sees what is happening in gaza and through al jazeera english, the way the rest of the world sees as well. your thoughts on what this means? i should also add a number of al jazeera reporters have been killed. >> the issue is that -- al jazeera law, which means [indiscernible] stopping al jazeera from covering on the ground or accusations that it is compromising the security. al jazeera has reported inside

palestine in the gaza strip and they have been covering the news about the situation. i think it is the way they have been doing things that provoked the israeli knesset members and the israeli government. the military ground operation is not going the way they want it to go, and it is now the six months they have been facing significant obstacles, achieving what they have been achieved. they have worn the palestinians of an imminent transfer to the egyptian side. some of the incidents that were described as genocidal behavior by the experts. and some provided by al jazeera was used also by south africa when south africa was providing the evidence about the ongoing situation in gaza strip. and that is why now israel is

defining al jazeera as an enemy and also trying to change other news outlets that might be thinking of providing comprehensive coverage as the one al jazeera is providing, which is recognized by the global community and the people in palestine and for areas of the middle east. they are trying to stop al jazeera but i don't think they have the power. when i say the power, because now we are shifting. when it comes to the media, you have the social media and any different platforms -- many different platforms. i don't think it is going to be stopped by any plan -- they are making themselves a mockery because there is no way to stop anyone from saying what they think -- as long as we have alternative media, social media

come and the citizens media. and i think they will continue doing what they can do from gaza and sometimes they would have alternative sources from inside israel and they will continue their message and will continue their mission. amy: akram al-satarri, thank you for being with us, speaking to us from rafah in gaza. we had this latest news from the israeli newspaper haaretz, it is just reported new details about the deadly strike on the world central kitchen aid workers. the newspaper writes, "at some point when the convoy was driving along the approved route, the war room of the unit responsible for security of the route ordered the drone operators to attack on a for cars with a missile. some of the passengers were seen leaving the car after he was hit and switching to one of the other two cars. they continued to drive and even notify the people responsible that they were attacked but

seconds later, another missile hit their car. the third car the convoy approached and the passengers begin to transfer to it the wounded who survived the second strike in order to get them out of danger. i did a third missile struck them. also have written volunteers -- all seven volunteers were killed in the strike. that again haaretz reporting the israeli military ordered the drone strikes mistakenly thinking a member of hamas was part of the aid convoy. when we come back, the biden administration continues to send a massive amount of arms to israel, including 1800 2000-po und bombs. we will speak to josh paul a u.s. soldier who is refusing to remain silent. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. the biden administration is continuing to send massive amounts of arms to israel. reuters is reporting the biden administration is considering a

new $18 billion arms package for israel that would include dozens of f-15 fighter jets. this is in addition to the recent u.s. approval of 1800 2000-pound bombs and 500 500-pound bombs, as well as 25 f-35 fighter jets. we're joined now by josh paul, a veteran state department official who worked on arms deals and resigned in protest of a push to increase arms sales to israel amid its siege on gaza. he is the former director of congressional and public affairs for the bureau of political-military affairs in the state department, where he worked for 11 years. now a nonresident fellow at dawn, democracy for the arab world now. thank you for joining us again. in light of what we're talking about right now, the world central kitchen suspending its operations in gaza after their

six workers and their palestinian driver were hit by airstrikes, israeli airstrikes. can you talk about the latest news, first "the washington post" exposed the sale of the f-35 fighter jets and other bombs and a reuters talking about additional weapon sales to israel, what this means, how they are used by israel? >> thank you for having me. perhaps i will start with the latter point because i think this is important context. the strike on the world central kitchen comes on the same to israel wrapped up its operation in al-shifa hospital. nor is it the first strike on humanitarian workers. in february, they murdered a man . in november, three doctors from doctors without borders. in december, murdered a board member of msf u.,.

in february, after giving permission for ambulance to retrieve a five-year-old girl, they struck the amy lentz, killing the medics. this is a continuing pattern. last week the u.s. authorized the transfer of over 2000 more bombs to israel. this week will provide 1000 more. it has been doing this on a weekly basis since the conflict began. these are the arms that israel is using to kill not only thousands of civilians, but hundreds of aid workers as well. juan: josh paul, this news of u.s. weapons in this way by israel, talking about not only the killing of aid workers but the attack on a consular offices this week in syria, the

diplomatic offices of iran and the banning of al jazeera. what does u.s. law say about how weapons can be used by states that receive them from the united states when it comes to violations of human rights? >> that is a very good question. there are a variety of laws that apply here. ranging from the requirement the was provided arms be used in accordance with international law to more specific laws that for example cannot be provided to country that is restricting the delivery of u.s. funded mandatory and assistance. we have seen many examples of them striking the humanitarian assistance. the important thing here is that is not what is happening. the biden administration has not is seeking legal opinions on whether the arms we are

providing to israel are being used in accordance with law and not been seeking assessments from the intelligence community of israel's actions using u.s. weapons. it is effectually sticking its fingers in its ears and covering its eyes. it is making a purposeful decision to not know what is going on. i have never seen anything like it. juan: is it even possible when you're dealing with 2000 pound bombs to talk about protecting civilian life as israel continues to do? >> not in the context of a place like gaza. this is the size of metro cleveland, basically. it has dropped thousands of these bombs in that space. it is impossible to talk about the principles of discrimination that are central to the humanitarian law. amy: on monday, journalists questioned u.s. state department

spokesperson matthew miller about the latest u.s. arms transfer to israel. >> i understand it can take years but are you basically saying the authorization of the transfer, in the recent weeks was a coincidence? >> i am not saying it is a coincidence. has been engaged in a military conflict and of course then you deplete your military stocks. >> so that was a request in recent weeks for the additional -- for the fulfillment -- >> as is always the case, i'm not going to get into the timing of exact request. i will be quick. this is a process we keep congress fully apprised of. when you see these types of requests and get publicly reported, got to remember israel is in an armed conflict and dispensing a great deal of material and some of that is to be replenished for long-term security. >> secretary and a lot of senior

officials from this administration basically said -- and -- we know the initiations policy has changed, not conditioning weapons to israel but when you go and make such an authorization of the transfer in recent weeks, even if the actual weapons transfer was approved years ago, don't you think it is going to damage the weight of your credibility and basically your sincerity in saying -- >> i do not agree with that at all. we have been very clear we want to see israel do everything it can to minimize civilian casualties. we have made clear they need to operate at all times in full compliance with her national humanitarian law. at the same time, we are committed to israel's right to self-defense. >> 2000 pound bomb is self-defense in your opinion? >> they need the ability to

defend themselves. well armed adversary. hezbollah, which has thousands and thousands of fires and quite sophisticated material and weaponry as we have seen employed against israel in the last three days. yes, they do need the modern military equipment. >> in gaza -- >> we have made clear whatever weapons they use in gaza, be it a bomb, take ground come anything, that we expect them to use those weapons of complaints of humanitarian law and we had frank conversations with them about the fact there are far too many civilians have died in operations and they need to do better in taking to account for need to minimize civilian harm and we will continue to do that. amy: this is matthew miller just last week. >> we have not found them to be in violation of international humanitarian law either when it comes to the conduct of the war

or or the provision of humanitarian assistance. amy: i assume, josh paul, you know matthew miller well. you worked at the state department for 11 years. your response? >> there's a lot to impact. to his last point, the point is they've not found israel to not be in compliance with international law because they have not ask their own lawyers whether that is the case or not. as long as they do not ask the question, they do not get the answer they do not want. he also noted and the reporter noted that this was a case only approved by -- wholly approved by congress. this was a case for f-35 approved by congress in 2008. that was before the first caste led in 2009. comes now in the context of an ongoing conflict. the idea you can take an

authorization congress gave in a completely different context and say this is the approval to move forward with these arms transfers now in this new context is very questionable. as was also noted, israel is continuing to use these bombs regardless of what matt said, they may be able to use them against hezbollah or iran, it is using them in gaza. by providing these arms at the rate we are doing so, we are essentially letting israel choose wherever it chooses to use them rather than forcing them to make a hard choice of what is the threat of which it needs these weapons. amy: josh paul, thank you for being with us, veteran state department official who worked on arms deals and resigned in protest of a push to increase arms sales to israel amid its siege on gaza. he is now a nonresident fellow at democracy for the arab world now, or dawn. this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez.

he turned out to an active duty member of the u.s. air force who started a hunger strike sunday outside the white house to demand an immediate ceasefire in gaza. senior airman larry hebert has been been holding a sign that reads "active duty airman refuses to eat while gaza starves." he is on day 3 of his hunger strike while on leave from his duty station in spain. larry says he was inspired in part by the actions of aaron bushnell, the 25-year-old active duty member of the u.s. air force who set himself on fire in front of the israeli embassy in washington, d.c., in february to demand a gaza ceasefire. senior airman larry hebert joins us now from washington, d.c. , where he is also hoping to meet with members of congress. he is a member of veterans for peace. there, welcome to democracy now! can you explain your hunger

strike in front of the white house? >> thank you. thank you for having me on. i appreciate it. my hunger strike is in solidarity with the civilians in gaza. it is completely wrong and immoral for civilians to be starved and bombed and targeted in any manner. that is what the hunger strike is specifically for. juan: larry, you took an authorized leave from your assignment at your naval station in spain to do this protest. how did you get permission and what has been the response of your superiors? >> well, to take authorized leave, that is earned just

through continuing my service. there is no specifics on what i have to provide them as far as what i will be doing on leave. just that i am taking leave and where roughly i am going. amy: have you got response from them given what you're doing as you stand in front of the white house conducting your hunger strike? >> i have had a couple members from my command reach out. and i expect to speak to my commander fairly soon. amy: you want to become a conscientious objector? >> yes. i mean, i think that is one of the routes that can be taken.

while that process is going, if my command wants to work with me and work out a deal where i am in either a reassignment or possibly some sort of mutual discharge, i would accept that as well. juan: and you mentioned the tragedy of aaron bushnell and how that affected your outlook and decision. could you talk about that a little bit more? >> what aaron did was courageous and emotional for me. it really resonated because what he was feeling was exactly how i was feeling. obviously, i am not going to that extent. i don't think anyone needs to. i think what he did was unique and effective, but what really

infuriated me was the silence thereafter his actions. i don't know a single member of our government or leaders in the military that really spoke on aaron, even uttered his name. but i had seen people in yemen and in gaza holding up his picture and sending their condolences. i even saw the official statement from hamas, who is a deliberate enemy of our military and our government. they issued an official statement sending their condolences to aaron and his family. it really broadened my perspective to see even our adversaries speaking out and sending their condolences to our

own military members. amy: do you have a message, larry, for other members of the military in the united states or other militaries around what is going on right now in gaza? and as you stand in front of the white house and hope to speak to congressmembers in washington, d.c., what is your message? >> i hope, firstly , that withaaron's actions and the members of the state department that spoke out recently and myself, i am hoping that other active-duty members will be more public with their concern over the atrocities happening in gaza . it is not even a political issue at this point. it is civilian lives and their

being bombed, shot, raped and starved. there is a mass starving going on and it is unconscionable. it should not be allowed. it breaks international law as well as our own laws. i know a lot of active-duty members may be afraid to speak out, but the truth is that the military is supposed to be -- or at least in the u.s. -- is supposed to be held to the highest of standards. what is happening in gaza is not the highest of standards. and people need to recognize that and be more public about it. juan: larry, you talk about violations of federal law.

veterans for peace that you belong to recently called on the u.s. inspector general to investigate illegal shipments of weapons to israel. could you talk about what those violations that you believe are? >> right. i haven't got into the logistics of the law itself. i am not an expert on law. but, i mean, you can speak to the experts we just had on democracy now!, the woman from the state department who spoke out and referenced specific laws that were in breach. veterans for peace, who i recently joined, they have the very specific details that they can issue and speak more on. amy: larry, you were there in

front of the white house as families went on to the white house lawn to engage in the easter egg hunt. they were reading your sign. you have two small children. can you talk about, as we wrap up, why you joined the u.s. military? >> yes, so my reason for joining was i met a lot of veterans when i was working in oklahoma. i met retired marines, retired air force, retired army. i met a lot of different backgrounds. and they all told me that joining the air force would set me up for life through education, housing, just the basic pay. and while that was true, there

is an element that i realized i did not understand the entirety of, you know, our foreign policy. so that was my reason for joining. i don't entirely regret my time in the military, but now that i am more aware of our foreign policy and what is going on, i definitely -- i can't see myself containing service. amy: i want to thank you for being with us. i know this is one of the first tv interviews you have done and you are on the third day of your hunger strike. larry hebert, active-duty air force senior airman who started -- on hunger strike. speaking to us from washington, d.c. coming up, iran designed revenge

after israel attacked the iranian consulate in damascus, killing at least seven iranian officers, including three commanders. back in 20 seconds. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. iran has vowed to retaliate after israel bombed the iranian consulate in damascus, syria, killing at least seven people, including three senior iranian commanders and at least four other iranian officers. the u.k. based syrian observatory of human rights has the death toll could be as high as 11. a senior commander in theal quds force is dead. he is said to be the highest ranking iranian military officer to be killed since the u.s. assassinated qassem soleimani under trump in baghdad in 2020. iran's abbasid are to syria

condemned. "we will make them regretful about the crime and similar acts. condemned the strike and accused israel of "expand the war and push the region to chaos. "the new york times" described it as among the deadliest new year's longshot a war between israel and iran. the attack in syria also came a day after israel assassinated a hezbollah leader in lebanon. we're joined now by senior diplomatic correspondent for huffington post akbar shahid ahmed. can you talk about the significance of this strike and who died? >> sure. the committee was good was the connective tissue between iran and a lot of its proxies, specifically hezbollah and lebanon but also folks in syria. this is some extremely valuable, important to iran.

and not just two years, but where he was killed. this is israel choosing to target a diplomatic facility. iran is that others who were targeted had diplomatic passports. they see this as israel regions diplomatic norms and because israel has chosen to go after such a senior high-profile person, they cannot not be a response. either from iran or its allies. what does that look like? juan: could you talk about this -- it is been decades now that israel has used this policy of assassinations and often attacks in other countries on people that it determines to be immediate enemies of itself. how has the international community allowed this and basically turned it away from

looking at these consistent acts of what can only be called terror? >> the israelis see this as part of the self-defense. they do an effective job convincing people they need to do this or they will be at risk. what is now after october 7 is -- well israel is receiving huge amounts of american support in a while gaza is suffering, we now see them risking a two front war, maybe three front war. that is where the pattern is an doing this. a totally different, dangerous space right now. while the u.s. has quietly sort of conveyed the message we don't want to be responsible, it is really hard to avoid

miscalculations on all sides. from the iranian point of view, they can't let this go and responded to. amy: if you can talk about why you think this has happened right now and what you think this means? we have response from all over. ali vaez told al jazeera israel may be pushing to expand the war in what would be a "win-win situation" for israel. why? >> this is about the political calculus of benjamin netanyahu and very much the assessment not just here in washington among a lot of this officials who are really worried about where it is going, it is also the assessment of a lot of israelis. netanyahu sees this as a moment to create -- timing wise,

important to remember six months into the war on gaza, they have not gotten -- they have not brought home the hostages. it is a distraction for netanyahu. i think in terms of the significance, we cannot help but take about the most horrifying aspect of this which is the " n" word, "nuclear" word. iran is closer to developing a nuclear weapon than it ever has been before. that is a trump decision. now if iran assesses they need to establish and send a message to israel, will they go down that path? that is when the u.s. starts to risk -- what i'm hearing from my sources across u.s. government and intelligence, a lot of alarm bells going off right now saying the israelis want us as americans into a broader war, potentially with iran and what

is striking is the highest levels of the biden administration, whether it is the white house or state department, don't seem yet to be managing the threats. there is no guarantee and what you have on the u.s. side is rhetoric saying we don't want to see a regional war but you don't have actual action. you do not see the u.s. saying "we won't send israel fighter jets, etc., etc., because of the risk of war." juan: you mentioned the domestic problems that netanyahu faces. as the massive protests calling for his resignation grow, is it your sense the extremism of the actions of the netanyahu government will also grow sort of as a means deflecting, not distracting, the opposition he faces internally? >> it is a real risk, juan.

there are a few factors. of course hezbollah, which is the iran-backed -- there is a lot of fear among israelis. thousands have left for fear of an october 7-cell attack by hezbollah. netanyahu can tap into that fear and the added layer of this is netanyahu's political survivor and then who comes after netanyahu if he does fall? at a moment where upwards of 70% of the israeli public or in a pro-war mood, feeling under attack, also benefit for other politicians to seem hawkish, so that means israeli defense -- let the press against lebanon, could also mean some of the candidates the uss talked about as alternatives to netanyahu

like benny gantz. there is not an anti-hawkish narrative inside the israeli body politic. there is an anti-netanyahu one. the risk of war is only growing. amy: we want to thank you for being with us. akbar shahid ahmed is the senior diplomatic correspondent for huffpost. we will link to your articles at