Israel prepared for evacuation of tourists in event of Iran attack, says Tourism Ministry head

“If and when the skies close, we have the means, and all the managers know what to do in that moment,” Director-General of the Tourism Ministry, Michael Izhakov, said.

Israel’s plan to evacuate approximately 42,000 tourists amid the possibility of an Iranian attack is ready, Director-General of the Tourism Ministry, Michael Izhakov, announced on Monday. Itzhakov explained that Israel has been preparing for an evacuation scenario for about a month now, after he discussed with Tourism Minister Haim Katz that the country needs to learn its lesson from previous scenarios, alluding to the 12-day war with Iran in June of last year.

He noted that the Tourism Ministry has developed internal procedures designed to provide certainty and reassurance to tourists in the event of an airspace closure. Although data from the Population and Immigration Authority estimated that there are around 42,000 tourists in Israel, the data is incomplete regarding Israelis with dual citizenship who may be tourists but are not counted as such upon entering the country, he explained. Izhakov's remarks come amid rising tensions with Iran and the possibility of a security escalation as Trump weighs US strikes on the regime. (Read More)

Report: Iran deploys units along coast to counter possible US landing

Reports indicat Iran has deployed Revolutionary Guard units and advanced coastal defenses along its southern coastline, including near the Strait of Hormuz, amid rising tensions with the US.

Intelligence assessments from Persian Gulf states indicate that Iran has reinforced its southern coastline with units from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a move seen as preparation to counter any potential US ground operation. The deployments are concentrated along strategic areas of the Persian Gulf, including the Strait of Hormuz. The reported buildup comes as US naval forces increase their presence in the region. Washington has dispatched an aircraft carrier along with multiple warships and frigates, a show of force that Iranian officials and regional analysts have described as a de facto naval siege.

Late last week, US President Donald Trump confirmed the deployment of what he called an “armada” to the Middle East, saying the move was intended to deter Iran amid ongoing unrest inside the country. Iranian authorities have responded by strengthening coastal defenses and conducting military drills focused on repelling amphibious landing operations.

According to intelligence shared with several Western diplomatic missions, Iran has positioned IRGC and Basij units along its more than 2,400-kilometer coastline, with particular emphasis on key locations such as Qeshm Island and the port city of Bandar Abbas. The stated objective, according to the reports, is to prevent any U.S. ground landing on Iranian territory. (Read More)

NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN IN IRAN

(Ed note: If President Trump chooses to attack Iran, could we see the fullfillment of a little known prophecy in Jeremiah 49:34-39 concerning the western part of Iran, then known as Elam? Be up to date, and get your copy now.)      (CLICK HERE)

Iran Expert: 'I was shocked by Witkoff's remarks on Iran'

Iran researcher Beni Sabti criticizes Witkoff's remarks on the killing in Iran that "has stopped", but holds out hope that it was part of an act of misdirection.

Beni Sabti, an Iran specialist at the Institute for National Security Studies, delivered sharp criticism of Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy, during an interview at the Arutz Sheva - Israel National News booth at the IAC conference in Florida. Sabti said Witkoff’s narrow focus on Iran’s missile program and nuclear ambitions - while disregarding the plight of ordinary Iranians living under repression - was deeply troubling. “I sat there in shock," he said.

According to Sabti, regional discourse has shifted away from the grassroots level and is now concentrated among political leaders. “The conversation moved from the street to the leaders’ level," he said, describing a dynamic now centered largely between Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with Israel playing only a limited role. He holds out hope that the change is an act of misdirection. "We have seen before that Trump has tried to mask his true intentions. It seems that we are at a stage where we do not necessarily need to know what is truly happening, and must wait and see what develops."

He argued that the Iranian regime has perfected the art of survival, even instructing Hamas on how to withstand sustained pressure. As a result, Sabti said, Iran favors long-term endurance over a dramatic, single blow against the regime. “This is a regime focused entirely on survival," he explained. “The leader will flee from place to place, generals will relocate constantly, and the country will resemble one vast refugee camp. This requires patience." (Ed note: Whatever happens, Bill Salus' book, "Nuclear Showdown in Iran" discusses a little known prophecy about Elam, and Ezekiel 38:5 tells us that there is yet another prophecy that Persia will appear again.) (Read More)

Turkey Prepares Contingency Plans for Likely US-Iran War

Ankara triggers Plan A, B, and C as U.S. carrier groups move into striking range of Iran. Fearing a tidal wave of one million refugees, Turkey is preparing a massive buffer zone to seal its border and insulate itself from the fallout of a potential Iranian revolution.

Reports from Turkish media indicate that the Turkish government is actively preparing for various scenarios and implications of a potential war between the United States and Iran, including the establishment of a buffer zone along the Turkey-Iran border in the event of the Iranian regime's collapse and a subsequent wave of migrants.

This information emerged from a briefing by the Turkish Foreign Ministry to Parliament's foreign affairs committee, as reported by outlets like Türkiye newspaper and Middle East Eye. According to the briefing, Ankara has developed multiple contingency plans—A, B, and C—for all eventualities, with a focus on preventing a massive influx of refugees into Turkey.

Officials emphasized the need for a buffer zone on the Iranian side of the border to ensure that any migrants remain there, drawing from experiences with Syrian refugees during past conflicts. Estimates suggest that a full-scale war could drive up to one million Iranian refugees toward the Turkish border. (Read More)

Middle East officials concerned Trump may strike Iran in coming days

US warships and jets are moving toward Iran, raising fears of an imminent strike as Tehran and its proxies threaten retaliation and regional leaders warn of a potential wider conflict.

Tensions in the Middle East continued to rise on Monday as US warplanes and aircraft carriers moved closer to the Persian Gulf, prompting growing concern among regional officials that the United States may strike Iran in the coming days - a move that could trigger widespread retaliation by Iran and its proxy militias, The New York Times reported.

According to a US official quoted by The Times, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by three warships armed with Tomahawk missiles, entered the Central Command area of responsibility in the western Indian Ocean on Monday. If ordered, the carrier could launch strikes on Iran within one to two days. The US has also deployed a dozen F‑15E attack aircraft to bolster its strike capabilities. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that he could order military action against Iran since protests erupted across the country in late December and grew into nationwide demonstrations.

In early January, he said the United States was “locked and loaded" if “innocent protesters" were killed. Days later, he encouraged demonstrators to continue, saying “help is on its way." Iranian security forces then launched a brutal crackdown that rights groups say has killed thousands. No US military action followed. (Read More)

Board of Peace tests US influence as Saudi Arabia recalibrates - analysis

Saudi Arabia expands its diplomatic options with Russia, Iran, China, and Turkey as Washington weighs confrontation with Tehran.

The balance of power in the Middle East continues to shift, and the prospect of a US-Iran war could further destabilize a region already being pulled into a new order. More than two years of war between Israel and multiple regional adversaries, along with a shift in American foreign policy, have reshaped alliances and threat perceptions across the region.

Now, as US President Donald Trump has established the Board of Peace, a new advisory body meant to coordinate diplomatic, security, and economic tools to prevent large-scale conflict while advancing American strategic interests. The attention has turned to the White House and whether the initiative will change a Middle East already altered by weakened Iranian proxies, shifting alignments, and uncertainty over Washington’s long-term role.

For allies and adversaries alike, the question is whether this framework marks a genuine move that will affect realities on the ground, or whether it is simply a repackaging of American power projection at a moment when regional actors are hedging, rearming, and recalculating red lines amid the risk of a broader US-Iran confrontation. (Read More)

Shin Bet reveals new details: The terrorist who led Israeli forces to Ran Gvili's body

The Shin Bet revealed that intelligence from the interrogation of an Islamic Jihad terrorist led to the identification and recovery of Ran Gvili’s body from a cemetery in northern Gaza.

The Shin Bet revealed new details on Monday about the intelligence that led to the operation to recover the body of Ran Gvili, the last deceased hostage in Gaza. Approximately one month ago, in an operation in southern Gaza City, forces arrested an Islamic Jihad terrorist who was involved in military operations against IDF soldiers during the war, and brought him for interrogation by the Shin Bet.

During the interrogation, the terrorist admitted his involvement in the transfer of Ran Gvili's body between several locations and pointed to several other involved terrorists who knew the location of his burial.

The intelligence obtained during the investigation strengthened the assessment regarding the burial location at the Al-Batsh cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip. The Shin Bet said that based on this information, a large-scale operation was carried out in the area, during which the body of Ran Gvili was identified and returned to Israel. (Source)

BREAKING: Body of Ran Gvili, the Final Oct. 7 Hostage, Returned to Israel

After 843 days, the circle has finally closed. The IDF has recovered the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the final hostage held in Gaza since October 7. Following a high-stakes operation in a Shuja'iyya cemetery, the "Hero of Alumim" has finally returned to Israel for a state burial.

In a somber conclusion to a nearly two-year national ordeal, the IDF announced on Monday that the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage from the October 7, 2023, massacre, has been recovered and returned to Israel for burial. Following a complex identification process at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir), in collaboration with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, Gvili’s family was officially notified that his remains had been positively identified.

Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old officer in the Negev Yasam (Police Special Patrol Unit), became a symbol of extraordinary courage. On the morning of October 7, despite recovering from a broken shoulder sustained in a motorcycle accident, Gvili donned his uniform and rushed to the front lines, telling his father, "I won't let my friends fight alone."

He is credited with saving dozens of lives near Kibbutz Alumim and the Nova music festival, reportedly neutralizing 14 terrorists before being severely wounded and abducted. In January 2024, an expert panel ruled that Gvili had died of his wounds shortly after being taken into Gaza. (Ed note: This is a very big deal to the Jews, we could began to see things really move in the Middle East now. This thing ain't over.)  (Read More)

IDF finds last October 7 hostage Ran Gvili's remains in northern Gaza

The military rushed to find Gvili's remains as the clock ticked down for Israel to reopen the Rafah Border Crossing.

The IDF on Monday afternoon found the remains of the last remaining Israeli hostage, St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, in northern Gaza. According to the IDF on Sunday night, a series of clandestine operations started over the weekend to get closer to the potential location of Gvili.

There were two to three locations where the IDF suspected Gvili was buried, but the recent intelligence gave indications that Gvili was buried in a Muslim cemetery in the Shejaiay Darah-Tuffah portion of northern Gaza on the Israeli side of the yellow line.

The IDF said that the intelligence it obtained about Gvili's remains did not come directly from Hamas. At the same time, the IDF said that Hamas, or the Qatari mediators, were consulted about this intelligence, and had believed it could be correct. IDF sources implied that Hamas's recent information about where Gvili might have been buried, may have been misdirection. (Read More)

Iranian merchants have 20 minutes of supervised internet access per day for transactions - report

Iranian merchants have only 20 minutes of internet access per day to conduct their operations with other countries, Farsi-language news network Iran International reported on Sunday. According to the report, the president of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Majidreza Hariri, said that the internet is available in Tehran and other provinces for registered people who need to continue operations with China.

"The time given is undesirable, only allowing to check a couple of emails in a short 20-minute span," Hariri added. According to another report by the Farsi-language network Manoto, Ali Hakim Javadi, head of the Computer Industry Organization, has announced that daily Internet outages cause economic damage of between two and three trillion tomans ($18 million to $27 million).

Iran has been cut off from the Internet since January 8, resulting in the longest Internet blackout in the country's history. The Islamic Republic has used this as part of its repression mechanism to crack down on the nationwide protests reported in the country since late December. The Islamic Regime had assured last week that the Internet would return to the country by Friday, and reports indicated that some services linked to the regime had been restored. (Read More)

The Smoking Gun: US and Israel Uncover Proof of Secret Iranian Executions

Hard intelligence obtained with Israeli assistance has reportedly confirmed that the Iranian regime carried out mass executions of protesters even after giving personal assurances to President Trump that the killings would stop.

Washington has reportedly obtained "smoking gun" intelligence, gathered with critical assistance from Israeli agencies, proving that the Iranian regime executed detained protesters after promising President Donald Trump it would show restraint. This development has effectively shattered the credibility of Tehran’s leadership within the White House, as the administration now possesses unequivocal proof that executions were carried out using multiple methods, including live fire in the streets and the killing of captives. The discovery has not only intensified the military buildup in the Persian Gulf but has also triggered a fierce internal debate among Trump’s top advisors. With an American armada led by the USS Abraham Lincoln moving into position, the "window for diplomacy" appears to be closing as the U.S. and Israel tighten a coordinated vise around the Islamic Republic.

The core of the current crisis stems from a direct communication reportedly sent by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkianto the U.S. government, promising that mass executions of protesters would be halted. President Trump had previously cited these assurances as the primary reason for delaying a military strike. However, the new intelligence reports tell a different story. Evidence indicates that while the regime was publicly claiming to de-escalate, its security forces were actively using lethal force against demonstrators and bystanders alike.

According to reports from Israel Hayom, the evidence includes specific proof of detainees being executed by gunfire after their capture. This intelligence directly contradicts the public pushback from Iran’s judiciary and top prosecutor, who recently labeled claims of halted hangings as "completely false" in an attempt to maintain domestic defiance. For Washington, this is no longer a matter of rumor; it is a confirmed test of Iranian credibility. Trump’s previous warning was blunt: "If you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit." With the proof now in hand, the President's red line has been visibly crossed. (Read More)

Netanyahu meets Witkoff, Kushner to discuss next steps in Gaza

Jared Kushner said the “master plan” to rebuild Gaza depends on Hamas disarming. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Saturday with a United States delegation, including Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and the architect of the White House’s Gaza initiative, Jared Kushner, to discuss the implementation of Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza Conflict. “The discussion was constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps and the importance of continued cooperation on all matters critical to the region,” Witkoff posted to X on Saturday. Also joining the discussion were White House advisor Josh Gruenbaum and Senior Advisor Aryeh Lightstone. 

The U.S. delegation reportedly intended to pressure Jerusalem into opening the Gaza Strip’s Rafah Crossing to Egypt, despite Hamas’s failure to retrieve the body of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, who died fighting terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. His remains are the last held by the terror group.

In a statement issued by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Gvili’s family said, “The pressure should not be on the Israeli government to continue fulfilling its part of the deal while Hamas deceives the entire world and refuses to return the last hostage in accordance with the agreement it signed.” According to the Trump plan, Hamas is to return all living and dead hostages in Phase 1 before the commencement of Phase 2. However, U.S. President Donald Trump formally launched Phase 2 with the signing of the charter for the Board of Peace, a key body in his Gaza initiative, on Jan. 22. (Read More)

MBS’s gamble: Saudi leans toward Turkey and Qatar, avoids Israel-US bloc - opinion

Saudi Crown Prince shifts strategy, leaning on Turkey and Qatar while Israel-US-UAE alliance strengthens.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is quietly recalibrating his regional posture. Rather than moving closer to the Abraham Accords framework, he is loosening Saudi Arabia’s alignment with Israel and the United States while edging toward Turkey and Qatar. This is not a tactical adjustment; it is a strategic bet – one built on the assumption that Iran’s regime will endure and that the regional order will not shift abruptly. If that assumption holds, MBS gains flexibility. If it fails, Saudi Arabia risks finding itself aligned with the future destabilizers of the Middle East.

For years, Riyadh benefited from the Abraham Accords without formally joining them. Israel, the United States, and the UAE created a powerful security and intelligence axis that constrained Iran and reshaped regional deterrence. Saudi Arabia remained adjacent – cooperating quietly, extracting security dividends, and preserving political room to maneuver. It was a position of influence without exposure.

The Israel-US-UAE relationship is no longer a loose arrangement of convenience. It is hardening into a durable strategic bloc, with expanding cooperation in air defense, intelligence sharing, military technology, and economic integration. Abu Dhabi has entrenched itself as Washington’s most reliable Arab partner, while Israel has become the operational backbone of regional security planning. Crucially, this consolidation is taking place without Saudi Arabia at its center. (Ed note: Is Ishmael beginning to show his true colors? This thing ain't over.)  (Read More)

IDF reactivates old Jordan border outposts amid new threats from the east

The Israeli military has begun upgrading and fortifying old outposts and bunkers along Israel’s border with Jordan.

Although the two countries signed a peace agreement in 1994, Israel is increasingly concerned about the potential for mass-infiltration from Jordanian territory in the east. Military assessments indicate that this risk has grown considerably since the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

The border outposts, reportedly built in the 1960s, are being reactivated for the first time since the 1970s in response to the escalating threat. The fortifications stretch for approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles), covering about 20% of the 400-kilometer (250-mile) border between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Although the two countries signed a peace agreement in 1994, Israel is increasingly concerned about the potential for mass-infiltration from Jordanian territory in the east. Military assessments indicate that this risk has grown considerably since the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

The border outposts, reportedly built in the 1960s, are being reactivated for the first time since the 1970s in response to the escalating threat. The fortifications stretch for approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles), covering about 20% of the 400-kilometer (250-mile) border between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  (Ed note: Remember, as both Bill Salus and Hal Lindsey have well said, "The peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt are as thin as the paper they are printed upon." This thing ain't over.)   (Read More)

BREAKING: USS Abraham Lincoln Reaches Striking Range of Iranian Coast

With the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and the full activation of advanced missile defense systems, the United States has officially achieved total combat readiness for a potential strike on Iran.

The military balance in the Middle East has shifted decisively as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and its accompanying fleet officially reached the region this weekend. According to reports from Channel 13, the arrival of this massive naval "armada" marks the completion of a strategic redeployment ordered by President Donald Trump to place American firepower within striking range of the Iranian coast. Simultaneously, the Jerusalem Post confirmed that U.S. military defensive systems, including THAAD and Patriot batteries, are now fully in place across the region. 

With the final logistical pieces of the puzzle locked into position, the White House now possesses the full range of operational options to respond to the Iranian regime's recent domestic atrocities and nuclear provocations. The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and its Carrier Strike Group represent a significant escalation in American striking power. The group includes multiple Arleigh Burke class destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, capable of hitting deep-interior targets such as underground command centers or nuclear enrichment facilities. 

This naval force is bolstered by Carrier Air Wing 9, which features advanced F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The transition of these assets from the Indo-Pacific to the Arabian Sea underscores the administration's priority on the Iranian threat, especially following reports that the regime has systemically slaughtered thousands of protesters behind an internet blackout. (Read More)

US bulks military presence in Mideast as CENTCOM chief heads to Israel

Trump: Washington is monitoring Iran “very closely.” Tehran’s prosecutor-general: No execution have been canceled.

The U.S. military continued bolster its forces in the Middle East throughout the weekend, with assessments that their deployment will be completed in the coming days ahead of a possible strike on Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Friday aboard the Air Force One that “We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case … and we’ll see what happens. We have a big force going toward Iran; I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely. He reiterated that his threats prevented the execution of 837 people whom Iranian authorities arrested during the nationwide protests that shook the Islamic Republic earlier in January.

“They would have been dead, every one of them would’ve been hung. This is like from a thousand years ago. … Mostly young men were going to be hung on Thursday, and I said if you hang those people you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It will make what we did to your Iran nuclear look like peanuts,” the president said in reference to the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has moved into an underground shelter in Tehran, Iran International, an opposition-affiliated outlet, reported on Saturday. It cited two sources close to the government as saying that the underground facility is a “fortified site with interconnected tunnels.” Khamenei’s third son, Masoud Khamenei, has assumed the roles of the supreme leader’s office, they added.  The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying destroyers are on their way to Iran in the Indian Ocean. The carrier strike group is expected to join three littoral combat ships, which ported in Bahrain on Friday, The Independent reported. (Read More)

UK sends warplanes to Qatar as fears rise over Iran conflict

British government responds to Qatar request amid 'regional tensions' as US aircraft carrier heads for Gulf.

British warplanes have been sent to Qatar to help to defend the Gulf region as the danger of conflict against Iran increases. The UK government said on Friday that it “noted regional tensions” as it sent the squadron of Typhoon jets to Al Udeid airbase, near Doha. The Ministry of Defence said the jets would form No 12 Squadron, a joint RAF-Qatari unit, to “bolster defensive capability in the region” at the invitation of the Qatari government.

“This partnership bolsters the national security of both our nations and supports stability in the Gulf region,” said UK Defence Secretary John Healey. “Today’s deployment builds on those shared aims as Typhoon jets from our joint squadron deploy to support its defence.” The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, part of a group equipped with F-35 fighters, is also expected to arrive in the Gulf early next week, having crossed the Malacca Strait on Wednesday. It is accompanied by guided-missile destroyers and submarines as further US weaponry is moved into the region, including Patriot and THAAD air defence batteries.

US President Donald Trump said late on Thursday that he sent the “armada” of warships towards Iran “just in case". A second aircraft carrier, the George HW Bush, is also understood to have been sent from Norfolk, Virginia, and is to reach the Middle East in the coming weeks. Defence sources told The National that the build-up in the region “is very much in line with the potential for a US strike on Iran”. (Read More)

Why President Trump insists on Turkey’s involvement in Gaza: Paybacks … and oil

As the formation of the Gaza Board of Peace (BoP) steams ahead with invitations to a diverse collection of individuals and politicians from around the world, Israel is laser-focused on two specific recipients: Turkey and Qatar. Why is Trump seemingly ignoring virulent Israeli opposition to a Turkish presence in Gaza specifically? “The answer to this question is very clear: Everything is because of Syria,” Turkey expert Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, PhD, told ALL ISRAEL NEWS. “When you compare his first term to his second term, you see the U.S. could never have penetrated Syria in its entire history.”

A friendly rapport between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, makes American involvement in Syria now possible, explained Yanarocak, a researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University. Syria was under Ottoman rule until 1918. Then the French stepped in, followed by the former Soviet Union, and then Iranian influence. With the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his regime in December 2024, Turkey has become the most prominent foreign nation in Syria.

This holds promise for Turkey’s allies of geographic and economic advantages – including access to oil – and likely is what accounts for a conciliatory U.S. foreign policy toward the nascent Syrian government under President Mohammed al Jolani (Ahmed al-Sharaa) and the lifting of sanctions. Jolani is formerly affiliated with both al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist organizations. (Ed note: A very interesting article about the old man of Turkey who wants to renew the Ottoman Empire, and he won't be able to help himself, he will be after Israel, because he hates them so.) (Read More)

Iran may have slaughtered 30,000 protesters in 48-hour intense crackdown - report

As many as 30,000 people may have been killed across Iran during a two-day crackdown on January 8 and 9, TIME reported on Sunday, citing two senior Health Ministry officials and a separate compilation of hospital data shared with the publication. The figures have not been independently verified and far exceed numbers publicly cited by authorities. The number, if true, would massively increase the death toll from previously believed estimates. Days after the alleged massacre, Iran International estimated around 12,000 deaths from the two-day period.

The officials said the scale of killing overwhelmed the capacity to handle the dead, exhausting body bag stocks, and prompting the use of eighteen-wheeled trailers to move bodies. TIME reported that security forces used rooftop snipers and trucks mounted with heavy machine guns after authorities cut communications. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official warned on state television that anyone entering the streets should not complain if a bullet hit them, according to the report.

A hospital-based count shared with TIME listed 30,304 deaths as of Friday, January 9, said Dr. Amir Parasta, a German-Iranian ophthalmologist who compiled the data. “We are getting closer to reality,” he said, while adding that the tally likely excludes cases from military hospitals and unreachable areas. Public health specialists quoted by TIME cautioned against over-extrapolating from hospital records but said the internal figures point to mass killing over a short period. (Read More)

Iran’s Khamenei moved to fortified Tehran bunker amid US strike fears

Report: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was transferred to a fortified underground site in Tehran, over concerns of a possible American attack, with his son Masoud reportedly managing key communications with regime bodies.

The London-based Persian-language broadcaster said the fortified facility where Khamenei is being housed is a ‘secure site connected by tunnels.’ It also reported that Masoud Khamenei, the supreme leader’s third son, has assumed day-to-day management of the Office of the Supreme Leader and is serving as the main channel of communication with the government’s executive bodies. On Friday, the opposition channel Tosi TV reported that Friday prayers Khamenei was expected to lead had been canceled. ‘In recent weeks, the Revolutionary Guards managed to extract Khamenei from his bunker for a few minutes at a time for public appearances during prayers,’ the report said.

Since US President Donald Trump threatened the Iranian regime earlier this month, tensions across the Middle East have steadily risen over the possibility that the American president could order an attack on regime targets. Trump has told Iranian protesters, who he said were being massacred by the regime, that ‘help is on the way’ and urged them to continue demonstrating. Trump’s combative statements were met with threats from Tehran, which vowed to retaliate against American assets and interests in the Middle East, as well as against Israel.

Last weekend, Trump referred to Khamenei as ‘a sick man who needs to lead his country properly and stop killing people,’ adding that ‘it is time for a change of leadership in Iran.’ In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that any attack on the supreme leader would be considered a ‘declaration of total war on the Iranian nation’ and said the Islamic Republic’s response to any military aggression would be ‘severe and regret-inducing.’ (Read More)

Anger in Israel at US special envoy Steve Witkoff

Israeli official claims: “Witkoff pushed to bring our major rival Turkey to the border. The clock is ticking backward toward a confrontation with Turkey."

Officials in Jerusalem have expressed anger toward US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is pressuring Israel to open the Rafah crossing before the return of the final hostage, Ran Gvili. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, sharply criticized Witkoff in a conversation with Ynet: “Witkoff pushed to bring our major rival, Turkey, to the border. The clock is ticking backward toward a confrontation with Turkey, which would pose a real danger to our security."

Kan 11 News reported that Israeli officials were caught off guard by the announcement regarding the opening of the Rafah crossing and intend to demand explanations from envoys Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Security Cabinet is scheduled to convene on Sunday, where it is expected to approve the crossing’s opening and discuss recent developments in Iran. The visit by Witkoff and Kushner - who landed in Israel on Saturday - was not planned in advance. It was arranged at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the announcement of the crossing’s opening as part of President Trump’s launch of the “Board of Peace."

During their visit, Witkoff and Kushner are holding discussions with Netanyahu on the opening of the Rafah crossing, ahead of the expected return of the last remaining hostage, Ran Gvili. Gvili’s family issued a statement on Saturday night: “President Trump himself stated this week in Davos that Hamas knows exactly where our son is being held."

“Given this knowledge, we urge that pressure be directed where it belongs: on Hamas, to fulfill its obligations under the agreement. Hamas is deceiving the international community and refusing to return our son - the last remaining hostage - in clear violation of the agreement it signed." “We ask that the Prime Minister of Israel make clear to the respected American envoys that anyone who truly seeks to advance the rehabilitation of Gaza and peace in the Middle East must, first and foremost, bring Rani home." (Source)

Family of last hostage urges Witkoff, Kushner to pressure Hamas, not Israel

The imminent arrival of the American delegation was met with indignation by the family of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, whose body remains in Gaza.

The family of the last deceased hostage held in Gaza raised concerns on Saturday following the news that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Board of Peace member Jared Kushner were to arrive in Israel later in the day and reportedly pressure Jerusalem into opening the Strip’s Rafah Crossing to Egypt, despite Hamas’s failure to retrieve the body of Border Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.

U.S. President Donald Trump “himself said this week in Davos that Hamas knows where our son is. We wonder why the pressure is being directed at the wrong place?” Gvili’s family was cited as saying by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an organization formed after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The forum has said in a statement that the goal of Witkoff’s and Kushner’s visit is to ensure the opening of the Sinai-Gaza border.

The pressure should not be on the Israeli government to continue fulfilling its part of the deal while Hamas deceives the entire world and refuses to return the last hostage in accordance with the agreement it signed,” Gvili’s family continued. “We call on the prime minister of Israel to address the esteemed American envoys and say that anyone who wants to advance the reconstruction of Gaza and peace in the Middle East would do well to focus their efforts first and foremost on bringing Rani home.

”The terms of the ceasefire stipulate that its second phase, which includes the disarmament of Gaza’s terrorist groups along with the territory’s reconstruction, will commence only after all hostages, alive and dead, return to Israel. The truce took force on Oct. 10, after which all the remaining abductees returned home, except for the remains of Border Police volunteer Gvili.  (Ed note: Has Hamas disarmed as yet? Anyone else remember Biden's team of Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan and Lloyd Austin constantly putting pressure on Israel and not Hamas or Hezbollah? Sound familiar?)  (Read More)

IDF strikes Hezbollah weapons manufacturing facility

The IDF this afternoon (Sunday) struck a structure from which Hezbollah terrorists operated in the Bir al-Sansal area in southern Lebanon. The military stated that recently, the IDF identified the terrorist activity of Hezbollah operatives at the site, which was used as a weapons manufacturing site for Hezbollah.

In an additional strike in the Beqaa area, the IDF struck military infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah.

"The activity of Hezbollah terrorists at these sites constitutes a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon and pose a threat to the State of Israel. The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel," the military stated. (Ed note: The Bir al-Sansal area in southern Lebanon is less than 2 miles from the city of Tyre.)   (Read More)

Trump Says U.S. ‘Armada’ Is Bearing Down on Iran

President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday that an “armada” of American warships is heading for Iran and implied that military force could be on the table if the regime in Tehran continues murdering its own people to stay in power. "We have a big flotilla going in that direction. We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” Trump said on his flight back from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

Trump said the regime in Tehran refrained from hanging 837 of its prisoners on Thursday due to pressure from the United States. “I said if you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. They actually said they canceled it. They didn’t postpone it, they canceled it. So that was a good sign,” he told the reporters on Air Force One. “But we have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it, we’ll see,” he added.

“We’re watching Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” he warned. Trump also said during a CNBC interview from Davos on Thursday that Iran must “stop with the nuclear,” and implied American airstrikes similar to those that destroyed Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities in June 2025 could “happen again” if they do not desist. Two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its battle group will arrive in the Middle East within the next few days. (Read More)

RGC chief says force has ‘finger on the trigger’ as US fleet heads to Middle East

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a force that was key in putting down recent nationwide protests in a crackdown that left thousands dead, is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger,” its commander says, as US warships headed toward the Middle East.

Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reports on its Telegram channel that the commander, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, warns the United States and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.”

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” Nournews quotes Pakpour as saying.

Tension remains high between Iran and the US in the wake of a bloody crackdown on protests that began on December 28, triggered by the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial, and swept the country for about two weeks. (Source)

UN rights chief says Iranian security forces followed wounded protesters into hospitals

Special rapporteur urges an expanded UN probe into the massacres committed by the regime during the protests. 

The Islamic regime's brutal crackdown on protests saw security forces chase wounded demonstrators into hospitals, a United Nations human rights chief said on Friday. “We have indications that the security forces made mass arrests, even pursuing injured people into hospitals,” Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council at an emergency session on Iran.

“Thousands were killed in Iran’s crackdown on protests, including children,” he added. At the same session, the special rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato, urged an expanded UN probe into the massacres committed by the regime during the protests.

“Now is the time for the international community to respond and to support the people of Iran in their pursuit for fundamental rights and accountability,” Sato said. The verified death toll from the crackdown reached at least 5,002, activists said on Friday, warning many more still were presumed dead as the comprehensive internet blackout and the repressive nature of the regime meant that the figures could only be preliminary. (Source)

After Gaza: IDF prepares for next scenario

This week, the forces of Battalion 401 completed a brigade-wide exercise on the northern border, the first after two years of maneuvering in the Gaza Strip. The exercise took place under the command of Division 91, with the goal of strengthening the forces' preparedness for a variety of emergency scenarios, and for the purpose of defending the communities near the Lebanese border, while drawing lessons from the southern campaign.

During the exercise, the forces dealt with enemy-simulating scenarios, multi-front defense, casualty evacuation under fire, and logistical and technological responses in an emergency. The training was carried out in cooperation with rapid response teams in the field, and included ongoing operational situational assessments to ensure optimal real-time responses.

"The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel, while at the same time continuing to prepare for a variety of scenarios, maintaining readiness, and validating operational plans," an IDF statement read. (Ed note: So the IDF now has a Battalion that had been trained to fight both in Gaza and the southern parts of Lebanon. Maybe places such as the city of Tyre?) (Source)

Trump's board of folly: Why putting Turkey, Qatar in charge of Gaza is a farce - opinion

To place Ankara and Doha – two of the most vocal enablers of Hamas – in charge of shepherding Gaza toward peace is akin to appointing the tobacco lobby to run the World Health Organization.

There are policy decisions that are misguided, and then there are decisions so breathtakingly absurd that one wonders whether satire has replaced strategy. The Trump administration’s reported decision to appoint Turkey and Qatar to the so-called “Board of Peace” tasked with overseeing Gaza belongs firmly in the latter category. To place Ankara and Doha – two of the most vocal enablers of Hamas – in charge of shepherding Gaza toward peace is akin to appointing the tobacco lobby to run the World Health Organization. It is an insult to common sense and a direct affront to Israel’s most basic security needs.

Let us dispense with the polite fiction that Turkey and Qatar are “honest brokers.” Qatar has for years served as Hamas’s chief financial lifeline, hosting senior terror leaders in luxury hotels while funneling billions of dollars into the terror group’s coffers. These funds did not build kindergartens or desalination plants. They built terror tunnels, long-range rockets, and Hamas command centers. Even now, Doha refuses to sever ties with Hamas, preferring instead to cloak its indulgence of terrorism in the language of “mediation.”

Nor has Qatar bothered to hide its worldview. In repeated official statements and speeches by its leaders, the Jewish state is accused of “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing,” and even waging a war of annihilation against the Palestinians. In March 2025, a Qatari diplomat told the United Nations in Geneva that the “fraternal Palestinian people… face a real existential threat as a result of the war of extermination and ethnic cleansing waged by Israel, the occupying power.”

...Peace in Gaza will not emerge from the chancelleries of Ankara or the palaces of Doha. It will come only when Hamas is disarmed, delegitimized, and dismantled, and when those who financed and defended it are held to account, not handed the keys.

...History has a way of judging such folly harshly, and it is unforgiving to those who confuse appeasement with statesmanship. Empowering Turkey and Qatar to oversee Gaza will not weaken Hamas; it will merely entrench it under international cover.

...When the next round of violence erupts – as it inevitably will – no Board of Peace and no communiques or diplomatic euphemisms will obscure those who enabled it or the responsibility they bear for the consequences. (Ed note: Great article from JPost, a must read.)   (Read More)

Trump envoys to visit Israel, press Netanyahu on Rafah opening

US President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected to arrive in Israel on Saturday and are expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to a report in Ynet on Friday, the meeting is expected to focus on the opening of the Rafah crossing and the start of the rehabilitation of Gaza.

The report further stated that the Americans are asking Israel to open the crossing even before the return of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, but they have promised Israel that the US will guarantee that maximum efforts will be made to find him. Israel announced on Thursday that it would discuss reopening the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip next week.

A source in the Prime Minister's Office stated, "There is an effort to bring back Ran Gvili while exhausting the available information. The Cabinet will discuss this issue and that of opening the Rafah crossing at the beginning of the week." The Rafah crossing was expected to reopen under the ceasefire in effect in Gaza since October, but it has remained closed due to Hamas violations and delays in returning the bodies of hostages. Reports earlier this month indicated that the US has been increasing the pressure on Israel to open the Rafah crossing. (Source)

Israel said seeking to ensure more Palestinians are let out of Gaza than back in

With Rafah crossing set to open despite Israeli opposition, Israeli officials said to be insisting on setting up military checkpoint inside the Strip that will screen every Palestinian going in or out.

Israel wants to restrict the number of Palestinians entering Gaza through the border crossing with Egypt to ensure that more are allowed out than in, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters ahead of the border’s expected opening next week. The head of a transitional Palestinian committee backed by the US to temporarily administer Gaza, Ali Shaath, announced on Thursday that the Rafah Border Crossing — effectively the sole route in or out of Gaza for nearly all of the more than 2 million people who live there — would open next week. Israel has not approved or confirmed the move, and the cabinet is set to discuss the issue on Sunday.

Under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, the border is supposed to open after Hamas returns all the hostages in Gaza. Hamas still has the body of Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, who was killed defending Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel during the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza.

The Rafah Crossing was shut by Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Gaza side in May 2024, but was briefly reopened in early 2025 during a short-lived ceasefire. Israel has publicly agreed to open the crossing only for outbound traffic from Gaza until Gvili’s boy is returned. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly discuss the return of Gvili’s body and opening the Rafah Crossing during the cabinet meeting on Sunday. (Ed note: Both the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphia Corridor have been known for drugs, military arms and amunition being smuggled into Gaza, supplied by Bedouin and Egyptian military and other civilan people. (Read More)

For Israel, the Philadelphi Corridor must be a red line - opinion

There is bitter irony underlying the raging debate about whether Israel should hold on to the Philadelphi Corridorat the southern end of Gaza even at the expense of a possible hostage deal with Hamas. It was, after all, precisely 19 years ago this month, on September 12, 2005, that the IDF withdrew from Philadelphi, thereby capping off the Israeli retreat from the Gaza Strip.

That disastrous move, in defiance of strategic logic as well as common sense, set the stage for the traumatic series of events that have enveloped the Jewish state since Oct. 7. And yet here we are, just three months after Israeli troops resumed control over the Philadeliphi Corridor, and the government is coming under heavy criticism for insisting on retaining it. While there are plenty of legitimate issues for which the government can and should be criticized, the issue of the Philadelphi Corridor is most certainly not one of them.

...Netanyahu rightly highlighted the fact that the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from the corridor resulted in a “massive introduction of weapons, munitions, machines for producing weapons, and machines for digging tunnels – all sponsored by Iran, directed by Iran, financed by Iran.”

...This is not mere spin. Last month, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that more than 150 tunnels built by Hamas have been discovered along the Philadelphi Corridor alone, and it is believed there are still dozens more yet to be found. In fact, in late July the IDF revealed that it had uncovered a tunnel that was large enough to allow big vehicles to pass through undetected.

...If anyone is wondering how Hamas was able to obtain the extensive military hardware that it had before the outbreak of the current war, they need look no further than Philadelphi which, thanks to Egyptian incompetence or connivance, served as the terrorist organization’s lifeline for nearly two decades. (Ed note: This article was first posted by JPost on Sept. 8, 2024, and is still timely today.)  (Read More)

As Syrian forces push northeast, Kurds mobilize against new jihadi assault

BEHIND THE LINES: As Syrian forces push into Kurdish regions, the Syrian Democratic Council calls for urgent global intervention to prevent a massacre.

"Regarding Rojava – in the event of government forces seeking to enter our regions – the region will enter a total resistance situation. The people, for now, are mobilized,” Îlham Ehmed, a top official of the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday. Ehmed, who is co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), is one of the two most senior officials of the Syrian Kurdish de facto autonomous zone (the other is Gen. Mazloum Abdi) and the de facto foreign minister of the area.

“We need international support in this matter. For the right of the Kurdish region not to be attacked,” she continued. “There are certain figures in Israel engaged in communication with our side,” Ehmed said later in the same briefing. “We expect their support. If these conversations lead to support, we will be happy to accept it from wherever it comes.” It has been a dramatic week for the Syrian Kurds, in which they have found themselves abruptly plunged into a war for survival. Still, the broader trend lines had for a while become increasingly visible. They pointed toward the imposition by the Islamist authorities in Damascus of power east of the Euphrates.

...The sudden thrust of Damascus’s forces across the Euphrates River last week was in many ways tactically surprising but strategically inevitable. Since the Sunni jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization seized power in Syria on December 8, 2024, two incompatible governing entities in Syria have uneasily co-existed. The first is the Syrian government of President Ahmed Sharaa, which rules Damascus and now the rest of Syria west of the Euphrates River, aside from areas in the southwest held by Israel, and a small de facto Druze autonomy in Sweida. (Read More)

US considering complete withdrawal of troops from Syria - WSJ

The United States is considering a complete withdrawal of its military troops from Syria, US officials told the Wall Street Journal on Friday, a move that would end US military involvement in Syria, which began with a 2014 intervention in the Syrian civil war ordered by former US president Barack Obama. Around 1,000 US troops are stationed in Syria, WSJreported, and are mainly co-stationed with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) troops.

The US-SDF partnership originally began with US efforts to combat the Islamic State in Syria before Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s overthrow of the Assad regime and assumption of power in late 2024. The report of the potential withdrawal comes as near-constant clashes between the Syrian government forces and the SDF damage efforts to integrate the two forces.

The clashes and US military proximity are further complicated by US President Donald Trump’s positive relationship with al-Sharaa, who has led moves aimed at integrating the SDF and Kurdish Syrians into greater Syrian society. Earlier in the week, Syrian government forces seized control of SDF-run prisons holding thousands of Islamic State terrorists, leading to the US initiating operations to move the prisoners out of Syria to Iraq. According to three US officials who spoke to WSJ, the Syrian army’s seizure of the prisons and other previously SDF-controlled swathes of territory has led to the US questioning “the viability of the American military’s mission in Syria.”  (Ed note: Remember to always keep one eye on the state of Syria.)   (Read More)

Inside the US military’s massive buildup ahead of possible Iran strike

The United States is reinforcing its forces in the Middle East to provide President Donald Trump with “decisive” options against Iran.

Amid rising tensions with Iran, the United States is steadily amassing military force in the region, according to open-source intelligence analysts, media outlets covering the U.S. military and American newspapers reporting. According to The Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump has continued to press his advisers for “decisive” military options against Iran, even after backing away from a strike last week. Senior U.S. officials told the paper that the president repeatedly uses the word “decisive” when describing the impact he wants any American action against Iran to have.

At the center of the buildup is the movement of the aircraft carrier USSAbraham Lincoln and its strike group, which includes destroyers, F-35 jets and additional combat aircraft. According to maritime tracking websites, the carrier passed through the Malacca Strait on Tuesday and was heading west toward the Persian Gulf, several days away. After leaving the heavily trafficked shipping lane, the vessel has been sailing without activating its AIS transponder, which enables open-source tracking.

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush also departed Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday. Online assessments suggest it may also be heading to the region, though no official confirmation has been issued, and in any case, its arrival would take at least several weeks. Meanwhile, air traffic to the region continues. F-15 fighter jets arrived in Jordan on Sunday, according to flight-tracking data and senior U.S. officials who spoke with WSJ. On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command publicly acknowledged the movement and released a photo of an F-15 landing at one of its bases. “The F-15’s presence enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability,” the command said in an X post. (Read More)

Trump's Iran strategy: US prepares decisive action as tensions rise in the Middle East

US President Donald Trump is keeping "all options on the table" while US forces assemble in the Middle East.

As the confrontation between the United States and Iran reaches its peak ahead of the weekend, timed with the expected arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump now finds himself at a pivotal moment, one that may prove decisive in a conflict that has been unfolding for decades.

The president’s directive has been clear: keep all options on the table. And that is precisely the process now underway. In recent days, a wave of fighter jets, refueling aircraft, destroyers, and other naval assets has been deployed to the Middle East, specifically to the area of responsibility of US Central Command. Currently leading CENTCOM is Admiral Brad Cooper. “It is critical today that we provide the maximum maneuver space and maximum decision-making space to the Secretary of Defense and to the President, so they can determine key plans and directions,” Cooper said during a recent hearing.

Cooper is no stranger to Iran. In testimony before the Senate ahead of his appointment, he noted that he had lived for several years just 100 miles from Iran, referring to his tenure as commander of the Fifth Fleet and the naval forces of US Central Command, a role he assumed in 2021. (Read More)