@jessofarabia
Travel writer | Guidebook Author | Obsessed by deserts, mountains & finding the perfect hummus | Ex-Lonely Planet Türkiye & Egypt author | Lives in a cave | Posts mainly about: MENA, travel, books I like, & my stupid cats | Working on a novel.
I really think Hesgeth believed Iran would get knocked out in the first round and there was no need to plan for everything that was obviously going to happen next, Israel knew better but kept that to itself, Trump was incurious and easy to persuade, and nobody in administration dared push back.
Very much enjoying random messages from friends in US & Europe asking if I'm OK, & the maps screenshot I've knocked up for my response showing how far away I live from the Iran border.
I should really get into ghost-writing. There seems to be A LOT of work about.
Photos from the scene. @irishtimes.com #lebanon #beirut
Finished Sarah Moss' Ripeness, so I'm again up-to-date with her entire oeuvre (love using that word: it's so wanky).
For me, this was one of her more uneven books. Though, I'm also 200pgs from finishing Helen Garner's diaries & maybe they're so brilliant it's casting shade on everything else. 🤷
This very straight news piece buried deep within the FT never uses words like corruption or insider dealing but every detail is quietly devastating. Why is the FT virtually alone in the UK media in covering this important story?
Ryan from The OC going hard on how crypto is a scam is the wildest silver lining in this timeline
I just got an email pushing a new book, and ... I'm not going to call out the book itself, cause I don't wanna ruin anyone's day, but ... I am going to subtweet it.
It's yet another book on how the problem with climate change is ... the way we talk about it! "Framing"! "Messaging"!
Liverpool fans rise a big banner in tribune in Galatasaray -Liverpool football game, writing Atatürk's quote "Peace at home, peace in the world" on it. Photo credit unknown
Liverpool fans in İstanbul, right now.🥲
Well worth reading: on Turkey's response to the war on Iran.
Story 👀⬇️⬇️⬇️
British Airways cancels flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv until later this month, while flights to and from Abu Dhabi have been halted until later in the year.
As someone who has flown out of Iğdır Airport, I quite like the new advert...& let's face it, it's WAY better than the stalker one.
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far. Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again - Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen! This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Trump threatens to destroy a country of 90+ million people and describes it as “a gift from the United States of America to China”
A reminder that when Christian Zionists and Christian Nationalists in the West talk about Christians, they are not talking about the Christians of the same holy land that Jesus himself came from. They don't give a shit about us.
My latest piece on Turkey and the Iran war:
1️⃣ NATO intercepted a second Iranian missile that entered Turkish airspace. Ankara warned Tehran, while Iranian officials denied responsibility and said they respect Turkish sovereignty. But Iran’s so-called “mosaic defense” strategy, 1/4
lol. 🙃
I went to get some diesel yesterday, and the woman behind the counter told me I'd been clever to fill up while there's still something in the pumps, since the Strait wouldn't be opening any time soon. I've never received geopolitical advice in a petrol station before.
Let's not forget. The U.S. has form for lying about using Tomahawk missiles, especially when they kill lots of children.
This was 2009 under the Obama administration. 41 civilians killed including 21 children. The lie and coverup went on for years.
Must-read today in @thenation.com: the peerless
@mohamhawish.bsky.social on why the Iran war is a disaster for the people of Gaza. www.thenation.com/article/worl...
I will never understand why they do it when LEAVING the country. It's so stupid.
The only time this has ever happened to me is when entering/leaving Israel (I generally get a 3-5 hour interview) & well, they just don't like me for a few obvious reasons so it's kind of different.
My friend (Australian) flew to Berlin today.
Berlin Airport passport control: every single Turk in front of her gets asked, how long they're staying/do they have a hotel reservation/how much $ do they have/are they using cash or card.
Her: hello - stamp - bye
welcome back to racist Europe.
Putting their soldiers and ships and aircraft at risk is easier for Europeans than exerting any political pressure on the United States and Israel.
Massive Israeli-U.S airstrikes on Sarandaj, Iran
People in the ME sharing their own experiences to avoid repeating mistakes, while every generation in the US needs to repeat the previous one's mistakes to relearn the same lessons, because history is not taught and press doesn't remind them.
Images verified by Human Rights Watch show Israel fired white phosphorus in populated areas of southern Lebanon.
All many Americans seem to care about is the price of fucking oil for their stupid cars so this - ridiculously - may actually be the one thing that stops their latest war.
The new Supreme Leader’s first directive appears to be a formal continuation of the strategy Iran has been pursuing since Ali Khamanei’s assassination: dispersed military decision making and a pursuit of deterrence so the US/Israel doesn’t aggress against Iran again.
We now know the identity of the Nepalese national who was killed as a result of the Iranian attacks on the UAE.
Dibash Shrestha, aged 29, was as a security guard at the airport employed by the Middle East Company. Shrestha died while trying to diffuse the drone.
What a tragedy.
