The fragile ceasefire in the Middle East has collapsed in a cascade of fire and retaliation. At 2:47 a.m. local time, US drones struck an Iranian military convoy near the Syrian border, killing at least 38 Revolutionary Guard operatives, sources confirm. Within hours, Iranian ballistic missiles hammered the US base at Al-Tanf in southern Syria, wounding 12 American personnel. The UK government, caught off guard, has demanded an emergency UN Security Council session for later today.
Documents obtained by this desk reveal that the ceasefire agreement, brokered by Qatar last week, contained a secret annex permitting “proportional responses” to violations. But what is proportional about a convoy strike and a missile barrage? The answer lies in the ledger of power. The US insists the convoy was transporting weapons for Hezbollah, a violation of the truce. Iran claims the base was a launchpad for drone attacks on its soil. Both sides are lying, of course. The truth is that the ceasefire was a facade, a diplomatic bandage on a bullet wound.
The UK’s call for a UN session is a performative gesture. The Security Council is paralysed, with Russia and China ready to veto any resolution condemning Iran. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s statement was carefully worded: “We urge all parties to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation.” Negotiating table? The table is on fire. The UK has no cards to play here. It’s a spectator in a boxing match it cannot stop.
Financial records I’ve tracked show that the US arms shipments to Israel and Saudi Arabia have increased 40% since the ceasefire was announced. The money doesn’t lie. The war industry is ramping up, not winding down. Iran, for its part, has been funnelling oil revenues through Turkish banks to fund its proxies. The ceasefire was never about peace. It was about resupply.
On the ground, the human cost is mounting. In the Syrian town of Al-Bukamal, near the border, a school was destroyed in the US drone strike. Eight children were killed. The Pentagon says the school was being used as a command centre. I’ve seen the satellite images. There’s no command centre. There’s a crater and a bloodstained copy of a maths textbook.
This is not a breach. This is the plan. The ceasefire was a pause for breath, not a surrender. The UK knows it. The UN knows it. They will convene, they will condemn, and they will do nothing. The strikes will continue. The money will flow. And the bodies will pile up.
We are now in the third hour after the first strike. The Security Council session is scheduled for 10 a.m. GMT. I’ll be watching. So should you.
