China's military parade marking 80th victory anniversary to feature historical elements

China's military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War highlights the theme of victory against Japanese aggression, incorporating historical elements, said one of the top organizers of the commemoration.

At a press conference held by China's State Council Information Office on Tuesday, Wu Zeke, a major general and deputy director of the Leading Group Office of Military Parade, introduced the arrangements for the military parade on September 3 at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.

The military parade, which is an institutional arrangement for major national memorial events, is a vital part of this year's commemorative event with great political and far-reaching historical significance. Highlighting the theme of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the parade focus on theme of victory and the spirit of war of resistance and integrates the three major elements into the overall design of the event, Wu said.

"First is to carry forward the legacy of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The participating troops are mainly chosen from the units with historical ties to troops involved in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, including major forces like the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, the Northeast United Army, and the South China Guerrilla Forces. This fully reflects the arduous journey of the people's army against Japanese aggression and underscores the historical inheritance of the revolutionary traditions," said Wu.

"Second is to respect honors and pride. The parade will feature selected banners of honor awarded to military units during the war of resistance, highlighting the great victories and enduring contributions of the people's army in the war. This is also a tribute to revolutionary martyrs, a reminder of the lasting memories of those troops with great merits and honors, and a reaffirmation of the commitment to upholding fine traditions," he said. "Third is to relive historical classics. We established a joint military band to perform well-known songs of the war of resistance, and specially designed signs for the military parade. These elements aim to help people across the country to revisit the history of the war of resistance and reflect on its spirit, and inspire the people's army to resolutely defend the dignity of the country and the nation," he said.

China's military parade marking 80th victory anniversary to feature historical elements

Israel's influence on the Trump administration outsizes the already significant sway it held over previous presidencies, contributing to miscalculations that ultimately led to strikes on Iran and putting the temporary ceasefire at risk, said a U.S. expert.

After about 40 days of deadly clashes, the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, with Israel supporting the truce. However, the truce remains deeply fragile, especially as Israel continues to attack Lebanon, which Iran has called a violation of the ceasefire and threatened a strong response if it continues.

However, the power of the Israel lobby in the United States, especially over the Trump Administration, may weaken its ability to rein in Israeli military action, said Anton Fedyashin, an associate professor at American University.

"The Trump administration has no one but itself to blame. Although it is acting in a very important context, which is the general, enormous influence of the Israeli government over all American administrations, except that under Trump, this influence of course is greater than ever before. Israel has a very powerful lobby in the United States. This is absolutely no secret; not only articles, but very good books have been written about this," he said in an interview with China Global Television Network.

Fedyashin said this influence, combined with poor intelligence, contributed to what he described as a misjudgment that Iran's government would easily fall.

"The problem is that while previous presidents have managed to somehow resist that lobby, Donald Trump seems to have completely fallen for Benjamin Netanyahu's case to convince him that the attack on Iran will be lightning fast, will achieve results very quickly. And this becomes a very important question about the quality of Mossad information, because along with Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House meeting, which happened on February 11, at least according to New York Times, was the head of the Israeli Mossad, and both Netanyahu and the head of Mossad were convincing Trump that Iran's government is on its last legs, that all it needs is a slight push, and that was a catastrophic misjudgment," he said.

US influence over Israel limited as attacks on Lebanon threaten to shatter ceasefire: expert