Katz threatens to take territory in Lebanon if attacks persist; evacuation warnings expand

Demanding end to Hezbollah’s rocket and drone fire, defense minister says army readying to expand operations; Lebanese told to leave homes south of Zahrani River.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday he has warned Lebanon that if it does not stop the Hezbollah terror group’s continuing rocket and drone attacks, Israel will “take the territory and do it ourselves.” Meanwhile, Israel expanded its evacuation warnings in south Lebanon, telling more communities further away from the border to leave or risk being targeted as the military escalates its operations against the terror group.

“Hezbollah launched heavy barrages toward the State of Israel yesterday. The IDF responded forcefully in the Dahiyeh and against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon,” Katz said during an assessment with senior Israel Defense Forces officers, referring to Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold.

“I warned the president of Lebanon that if the Lebanese government does not know how to control the territory and prevent Hezbollah from threatening the northern communities and firing at Israel, we will take the territory and do it ourselves,” he said. Katz also said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “instructed the IDF to prepare for an expansion of IDF activity in Lebanon to restore calm and security to the northern communities.”

On Wednesday, Hezbollah launched some 200 rockets and around 20 drones at Israel over a period of several hours, marking its heaviest fire since it began its attacks on Israel in support of its sponsor Iran, amid the US-Israeli war against the regime in Tehran. The vast majority of the rockets were intercepted or struck open areas. There were two impacts in residential areas, causing damage and lightly injuring two people. Nearly all of the drones were intercepted, aside from one that crashed near a border community without exploding, according to the military. (Ed note: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir have told everyone, including the government of Lebanon and its military, that if they can't stop Hezbollah, Israel will do it. Danny Danon has delivered the same message to the UN. Get ready!)   (Read More)

The Defense Minister's dire warning to Lebanese leaders

Defense Minister in situational assessment: "The destruction of the bridge over the Litani is just the beginning. Lebanon failed to dismantle Hezbollah and will pay an increasing price."

Defense Minister Israel Katz delivered a stern and unprecedented warning to the Lebanese government during a special security assessment on Friday morning, stating that Lebanon would be held responsible for Hezbollah's actions and would pay a rising price for failing to disarm the terror group. The assessment, conducted at the "pit" in the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, was attended by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and senior security officials. The meeting took place just hours after the Israeli Air Force destroyed a key bridge on the Litani River, which had served as a major route for transferring weapons and Hezbollah operatives to southern Lebanon.

In his remarks, Katz emphasized that Israel would hold the Lebanese government directly responsible for the ongoing terror activities coming from its territory. "This is just the beginning," he declared. "The Lebanese government and the state of Lebanon will pay an increasing price in terms of lost territory and damage to national infrastructure used by Hezbollah militants." He pointed out that Israel would no longer tolerate a situation in which the Lebanese government continues to shirk its international obligations. "The Lebanese government has deceived the international community and failed to meet its commitment to disarm Hezbollah. It will continue to pay escalating costs until this fundamental obligation is fulfilled."

Katz made it clear that the destruction of Lebanese national infrastructure was a direct response to rocket fire targeting Israel. He stressed that the current campaign in Lebanon was intertwined with the broader struggle against Iran. "The Prime Minister, the IDF, and I are committed to defending the citizens of the north and all Israelis - we will do everything to fulfill this commitment both in Iran and in Lebanon." (Source)

Why Iran’s vital Kharg Island oil hub is still untouched by US-Israel bombers

While some argue for destroying the terminal through which 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow, others caution of a global market ‘tailspin’ 

Kharg Island – through which 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow – is arguably the country’s most sensitive economic target but the export terminal has so far remained untouched throughout the US-Israel bombing campaign. Experts say bombing or capturing the site with US forces would be likely to cause a sustained increase to already surging oil prices, as it would amount to taking the entirety of Iran’s daily crude exports offline.

“We may see the $120 a barrel price we saw on Monday heading to the $150 if Kharg were attacked,” said Neil Quilliam, with the Chatham House thinktank. “It’s too vital for global energy markets”. Although the US has struck 5,000 targets in and around Iran, it has so far refrained from bombing the country’s oil infrastructure – though oil prices remain nearly $20 per barrel higher because the fear of Iranian retaliation has in effect closed the strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic.

Israel’s air force did strike two oil refineries and two depots on Saturday, plunging Tehran into what some residents described as an “apocalyptic” darkness as thick black smoke descended over the capital. But there have been no attacks since. Kharg, a five-mile-long coral island in the Persian Gulf 27 miles from the mainland, is where pipelines from Iran’s oilfields in the centre and the west of the country terminate. Established by a US oil conglomerate, Amoco, it was seized by Iran during the 1979 revolution.

While most of Iran’s coastline is silty and too shallow for very large crude tankers used by the oil industry, Kharg is sufficiently close to deep waters. Satellite imagery reveals vast loading jetties emerging from its eastern shore. Typically, between 1.3m and 1.6m barrels of oil a day pass through Kharg, though Iran increased volumes to 3m a day in mid-February, according to the investment bank JP Morgan, in anticipation of a US-led attack. A further 18m barrels are stored on Kharg as a backup, the bank added.  (Ed note: This very important small island will be very big soon.)  (Read More)

Kharg Island: Iran’s ‘Achilles' heel’

Donald Trump accused Tehran of “making us look a bunch of fools” and said he would “go in and take” an island from Iran. But this threat wasn’t made in 2026. Trump said it in 1988. In an interview with The Guardian’s Polly Toynbee nearly 40 years ago, the now US president raged against the Iranians, saying: “One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I’d do a number on Kharg Island.” Situated northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically important shipping route in the Gulf, Kharg Island has long been seen as Tehran’s Achilles’ heel. Grabbing it today could “let Trump beat Iran without sending a single soldier”, said The Telegraph. 

 
What is Kharg Island?

Roughly 15 nautical miles from the Iranian mainland, this small coral outcrop is widely regarded by Iranians as the “Forbidden Island”. It is just five miles long and three miles wide. Beyond its “imposing steel fences and military watchtowers” is a “pristine landscape” where “millennia of diverse human history quietly coexist”, said Al Jazeera. It is also home to the “beating heart of Iran’s modern energy empire”.It has history with the US. When Iranian militants kidnapped 52 US diplomats in 1979, advisers to President Jimmy Carter suggested seizing Kharg but the plan was rejected as being too inflammatory. In 2016, 10 US marines were held after straying into Iranian waters near the island. 

 
Why is it important?

It processes 90% of the nation’s total oil exports, handling approximately 950 million barrels a year. So if the US captured the island, it could cause a huge problem for Iran’s economy for years to come. “Seizing” Kharg Island would “cut off Iran’s oil lifeline, which is crucial for the regime”, Petras Katinas, from the Royal United Services Institute, told The Telegraph. It could be used as a bargaining chip as oil exports make up nearly 40% of the Iranian government’s budget, so this would “give the US leverage during negotiations”, regardless of “which regime is in power after the military operation ends”.The move “would be reminiscent” of the US intervention in Venezuela, when it “effectively took control of the country’s oil sector”, oil analyst Tamas Varga told CNBC. 

So why hasn’t Trump seized it?

Taking the island would make American and Israeli troops vulnerable to attacks by Iranian forces. In the longer term, it would damage any future regime’s chances of managing the economy, something Washington might be keen to avoid. Neil Quilliam, from the Chatham House think tank, told The Independentit is “unlikely” Trump would take over the territory. Previous US presidents have “steered away from Kharg understanding its strategic importance to global oil markets”. But if Trump did control Kharg Island, he could “pressurise the existing regime into compliance”, or “all-out collapse”, forcing any new government to “toe Washington’s line” if it wanted to “regain sovereignty over oil exports”, said The Telegraph. (Source)

‘Take the Oil’: Seizing the Kharg Island Terminal is the Ultimate Checkmate to Iran

Should Trump Take Kharg, Rather than Destroy It, He Can Ensure the Regime Can Never Again Pay the Salaries of Its Bureaucrats and Soldiers  

America Should Seize the Kharg Oil Terminal—Not Bomb Iran  

When protests erupted in Tehran’s bazaar, President Donald Trump warned Iran on TruthSocial, “If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has now called Trump’s bluff. Reports filtering out of Iran suggest Iranian security forces have conducted a massacre of protestors far larger than what the Chinese Communists did at Tiananmen Square. Either Trump stands down, at which point he essentially mirrors President Barack Obama, voiding his own red lines in the wake of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons use, or he attacks Iran.  

The Kharg Island Play  

Fortunately, Trump has a way out if he only looks at past plans. In 1979, after radical students loyal to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took 52 American diplomats hostage, President Jimmy Carter tasked Adm. James “Ace” Lyons to come up with a plan to compel their release. Lyons proposed blockading Iranian ports and seizing Kharg Island. His logic was simple: The Revolutionary regime could not afford a cessation of its oil exports.  

Carter’s aides ultimately rejected the plan; they feared a blockade sliding into direct conflict, something Carter himself had ruled out in the emergency National Security Council meeting that occurred just after the hostage seizure. Carter’s fear and self-deterrence kneecapped his administration and empowered Khomeini to extort the United States. Only when Ronald Reagan took office did Khomeini release the hostages, fearing what might come next. 

Iran’s Geography Problem  

Lyons died in 2018, but his plan remains as relevant 46 years later. Iran’s vulnerability is its geography. The Persian Gulf is extremely narrow and shallow. At its deepest point, it is only 298 feet deep. In comparison, Lake Michigan’s deepest point is almost 1,000 feet deep. The Persian Gulf’s average depth is even less—just 160 feet deep, but much shallower as it slopes up to Iran’s rocky shore. In practice, this means that ordinary tankers, let alone the supertankers that today carry most crude, cannot get anywhere near the Iranian coast. To resolve this problem, the Iranians pipe most oil they produce to the Kharg Oil Terminal, built during the Shah’s time, on Kharg Island, about 15 miles off the coast of Iran. Today, Kharg is responsible for about 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports.  

What Will Iran Do In Response?  

...Will Khamenei take the loss of Kharg sitting down? First, there is a limit to what Khamenei can do when he’s hiding in an underground bunker isolated from even his top aides. Second, any Iranian military attempt to confront U.S. forces will not only divert forces from attacking Iranians in the streets but will also end with those Revolutionary Guardsmen losing in epic fashion.  

...After Operation Praying Mantis, regional Arabs told a joke: “Why does the Iranian Navy have glass-bottom boats?” The answer: “So they can see their air force.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, of course, could target Kharg with ballistic missiles, but that would sign their death warrant. Not only would Trump respond in kind, but such action would end Iranian oil exports for months to come, again leaving salaries unpaid.  

...Khamenei’s arrogance and his misreading of Trump already led to the loss of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, raising questions even among supporters about what their multibillion-dollar sacrifice was for. To cap that off with a loss of Iran’s oil revenue would likely be too much for even Khamenei’s most ardent supporters to survive. Ace Lyons will be laughing from his grave.  (Ed note: This article was first posted on our Newsstand on Wed Feb 11, 2026.).  (Read More)

Hezbollah fires 200 rockets at north, Iran launches missiles in ‘integrated operation’

Lebanese terror group Hezbollah blasted some 200 rockets and 20 drones at northern Israel for hours on Wednesday evening, repeatedly sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis to shelters. Two people were lightly injured in northern Israel. A house was destroyed by a direct missile hit in Moshav Haniel, in central Israel. An elderly woman and her Filipino caregiver were in the safe room of the home, and emerged unscathed.

The onslaught marked the largest Hezbollah attack on Israel since hostilities intensified last week, as the terror group began attacks to support its sponsor, Iran, which is under intense attack from a joint US-Israel air campaign that began on February 28. Israeli strikes, meanwhile, continued in Beirut and beyond, with Lebanese sources reporting casualties in multiple areas.

An opening salvo of 100 rockets was launched from Lebanon around 8 p.m. just as a missile from Iran targeted the central region of the country, in what Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said was a coordinated attack. More Iranian missiles targeted the north and south of the country. The Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted by air defenses, which also worked to thwart the Hezbollah attacks. However, several impacts were reported, causing fires, and two people were lightly injured.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said the two, a 35-year-old woman and a man in his 50s, were hit by “flying objects” following impacts. They were taken to a hospital. According to rescue services, a rocket that struck a home in the northern town of Bi’ina injured one of the two victims. Four others were treated for acute anxiety at the scene. As the Israel Defense Forces instructed residents of the north to stay close to shelters, Hezbollah continued firing rockets and drones, with sirens set off across the Galilee and in Haifa as well as in communities up to 50 kilometers from the border with Lebanon. (Read More)

Taking the Ground: The New Order to Expand IDF Operations in the North

Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned the Lebanese President that Israel will seize territory in southern Lebanon to stop Hezbollah’s attacks if the Lebanese government fails to act.
In a major escalation of rhetoric and military planning, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that the IDF has been officially instructed to prepare for a significant expansion of its operations within Lebanon. Following a high level situational assessment with the military's top brass, including the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Commander of the Air Force, Katz revealed that he had issued a direct and severe warning to the President of Lebanon. The Minister made it clear that the Israeli government will no longer tolerate the inability of the Lebanese state to restrain Hezbollah. If the national government in Beirut cannot prevent the terrorist group from launching rockets at northern Israeli communities, Israel intends to enter the territory and establish security through direct military control. 

The core of the new Israeli policy centers on the accountability of the Lebanese state. Minister Katz was blunt in his assessment of the situation, stating that he had informed the Lebanese leadership of the consequences of their inaction. "I warned the President of Lebanon that if the Lebanese government does not know how to control the territory and prevent Hezbollah from threatening the northern settlements and firing toward Israel, we will take the territory and do it ourselves," Katz declared. This statement suggests that a ground operation aimed at creating a buffer zone is now a primary consideration for the political echelon. The Minister emphasized that the priority is the "return of quiet and security" to the residents of northern Israel, many of whom have been displaced for months.

The directive to expand activity follows a night of heavy rocket fire from Lebanon, which was met with powerful IAF strikes in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut and across southern Lebanon. During the meeting with senior commanders, including Home Front Command head Major General Rafi Milo and IAF chief Major General Tomer Bar, Katz and Prime Minister Netanyahu finalized the instructions for the next phase of the campaign. "The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare for the expansion of IDF activity in Lebanon," Katz confirmed. This preparation involves coordinating the logistics for an increased troop presence and ensuring that the Air Force is ready to provide the necessary cover for any potential ground movements. (Read More)

Hezbollah launches over 100 rockets at Israel’s North in joint attack with Iran, five injured

In response to Hezbollah's rocket barrage, the IDF resumed strikes on Dahiyeh, Beirut, and is considering attacking Lebanon's civilian infrastructure, a source told the 'Post.'

Five people were injured when a rocket hit a residence in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, including four suffering from anxiety, United Hatzalah announced on Wednesday evening. Firefighters cut off the electricity to the residence to prevent a fire, United Hatzalah added. This came after sirens sounded across the country after Hezbollah and Iran launched a joint attack on Israel on Wednesday night. Hezbollah terrorists launched over 100 rockets against northern Israel in a single barrage on Wednesday night, a security source confirmed.

IDF Arabic-langugage spokesperson Col (res.) Avichay Adraee warned residents of Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut known to be a Hezbollah terror stronghold, to evacuate the area due to IDF strikes on Wednesday night. Adraee issued a similar warning earlier on Wednesday afternoon, but the latest comes after Hezbollah terrorists launched a barrage of over 100 rockets towards northern Israel, with at least one direct hit recorded.

Additionally, United Hatzalah stated that it had received reports of rockets and shrapnel hitting several sites in northern Israel. There were also reports of rocket fallout starting a fire in a forest in the region. (Ed note: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF will not allow Hezbollah to pound the north part of Israel. This battle is going to get very intense. Watch out Beirut!)  (Read More)

IDF Chief Zamir orders reinforcements to the North for potential broader invasion against Hezbollah

The IDF is ramping up operations in southern Lebanon, moving key forces and expanding attacks on Hezbollah strongholds, as direct confrontations on the ground escalate.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday ordered significant reinforcements to the North, indicating that Ground Forces involvement in Lebanon might escalate. He instructed the IDF to reinforce Northern Command and redeploy the Golani Brigade from operations in Gaza to the North, the IDF said. Despite ramping up operations on the northern border, Home Front Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Shai Klepper told citizens on Wednesday evening that there would be no changes to the civilian security guidelines, adding that the guidelines would be re-evaluated over the weekend.

"I know that with the renewal of fighting on the northern front, feelings of discomfort and uncertainty have resurfaced," Klepper said. "At the same time, I want to say that the IDF is beyond the border, defending the residents of the north and operating to directly and significantly weaken Hezbollah." The Golani Brigade is the IDF’s foremost large-scale offensive invasion force. It is usually not brought into a new sector just to carry out guard duty.

The IDF has already sent the 36th and 91st Divisions deeper into southern Lebanon than the original plans dictated. So far, the 146th and 210th Divisions have not advanced as deeply, but they also have expanded operations in southern Lebanon beyond the five outposts that Israel has maintained near the border since the November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah. In the coming days, the IDF is expected to approach 1,000 attacks in Lebanon, including dozens of major airstrikes in the Beirut neighborhood of Dahiyeh, Hezbollah’s stronghold. (Read More)

Danon to UNSC: 'Either Lebanon restrains Hezbollah or Israel uses full force'

Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, tells the Security Council: "Hezbollah is not attacking Israel to protect Lebanon or to protect Lebanese citizens. It is acting to serve the Iranian regime's agenda."

The UN Security Council convened today (Wednesday) to discuss the situation in Lebanon, following Hezbollah's continued attacks on Israel and Israeli activity in southern Lebanon. Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said in the session that since March 2, Hezbollah has launched more than 880 rockets and missiles, over 60 drones and more than 15 anti-tank missiles at Israel.

During the discussion, the ambassador presented a map of Hezbollah's infrastructure south of the Litani, including launch sites, weapons depots and underground bunkers, and made it clear that this is a direct violation of Security Council Resolution 1701. Danon stated: "Lebanon now faces only two options: either the Lebanese government takes real action and restrains Hezbollah, or Israel uses its force to dismantle this terrorist organization. There is no other option."

He also said that since the ceasefire came into effect, Israel has submitted 929 enforcement requests to the Lebanese army to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, but some of the sites remained active and were being reused for launching missiles at Israel. Ambassador Danon added: "We warned Lebanon 929 times. The terrorist infrastructure remained in the area, and the missiles were again fired at Israeli citizens." (Source)

North Korea Elbows into Iran Conflict, Pledging Support for ‘Supreme Leader’

North Korea on Wednesday announced its support for Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and denounced what it called “illegal” attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who said Pyongyang “respected” the appointment of Khamenei to succeed his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury last week. “Regarding the recent official announcement that the Iranian Assembly of Experts has elected a new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader,” the foreign ministry said, according to KCNA.

“We express grave concern and strongly condemn the aggression of the United States and Israel, which, by launching an unlawful military attack against Iran, are undermining the foundations of regional peace and security and increasing instability in the international landscape,” the statement added. The North Korean spokesperson said the U.S. and Israeli effort to destroy the “political system and territorial integrity of a country” should be “condemned and rejected by the entire world.”

Daejeon University professor Song Seong-jong, formerly with South Korea’s ministry of defense, told the UK Guardian on Monday that the Iran war has probably reinforced North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s conviction that nuclear weapons are an indispensable shield against U.S. military action. “Kim must have thought Iran was attacked like that because it didn’t have nuclear weapons,” Song said.

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) senior adviser Sydney Seiler said Trump’s “willingness to use military force and threats for negotiating leverage” would make Kim “nervous and less likely to hastily seek talks,” although there were not any signs that North Korea was willing to bargain its nukes away before Operation Epic Fury, or before Donald Trump returned to office, for that matter.  (Off the shelf, North Korea can provide a ICBM carrying a nuclear payload, and if it is an solid-fuel rocket, can have a range up to 9300 miles. Enough to reach the US.)  (Read More)

IDF strikes Iranian explosives experiments nuclear facility at Parchin-Taleghan 2

The IDF on Thursday said it had struck Iran's advanced explosives experiments nuclear facility at Parchin-Taleghan 2. On February 2, multiple satellite photo providers put out pictures of the latest Iranian efforts to conceal the status of their nuclear program rebuilding efforts at Natanz, Isfahan, and Parchin-Taleghan 2. Parchin-Taleghan 2 had previously served as an AMAD-era nuclear weapons group site relating to explosives testing and is just south of Tehran.

On March 8, despite doubts about recent Israeli military claims of having destroyed a secret nuclear site, which was critical and potentially dangerous for future Islamic regime plans to develop a nuclear weapon, The Jerusalem Post exclusively confirmed with Israeli sources the severity of the site. On March 3, IDF Chief Spokesman Brig, Gen. Efi Deffrin revealed in a press conference that the air force had destroyed a secret Iranian nuclear weapons development site.

Naming the site as Min Zadai, on the northeast outskirts of Tehran, Deffrin said that the site was related to weapons group developments. He said that IDF intelligence followed nuclear scientists who tried to travel there clandestinely. From following these scientists, he said that the IDF was able to learn about the dangerous nature of these activities, for helping Tehran potentially start to rehabilitate aspects of weapons development for a nuclear bomb. Most of the global media attention focuses on uranium enrichment since that is the hardest issue to conquer and can take many years to master.

But without a number of weapons components being developed, enriched uranium can not be delivered as a weapon. Prior to the Israel-Iran War of June 2025, Natanz was Iran's largest site for enriching uranium, containing the vast majority of its centrifuges, situated around 220 kilometers (135 miles) south of the capital. It was a mix of above and below-ground facilities. (Read More)

8 Muslim countries, including UAE, pan Israeli closure of Al-Aqsa amid Iran attacks

Eight Muslim states, including close Israeli partners, blast Israel for keeping Muslim worshippers out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount during the month of Ramadan. Israel has restricted the size of public gatherings, including at the Western Wall, as Iran and Hezbollah fire missiles at the country daily.

“Security restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship coupled with discriminatory and arbitrary access restrictions to the other places of worship in the Old City constitute a flagrant violation to international law, including international humanitarian law, the historical and legal status quo, and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship,” say the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

The UAE is widely seen as Israel’s closest partner in the Middle East. Egypt is also a close security partner. The nations stress that the entire Temple Mount complex — the holiest site in Judaism, but where Jewish access is limited — is exclusively a Muslim place of worship, and that only the Jordanian Waqf can regulate entry to Al-Aqsa. (Source)

FBI warned California that Iran could launch drones at the West Coast, ABC News reports

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned police departments in California that Iran could retaliate for US attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, ABC News reported on Wednesday, citing an alert it reviewed.“We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert shared by ABC News said.

"We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack,” the message, which was reportedly shared during February, said. The FBI and the White House both decline to respond immediately to a request for comment from Reuters and ABC News. The report also mentioned that US officials are growing worried about the use of drones by Mexican cartels on the southern border, and the possibility that they could be used to strike US citizens and forces alongside the border. US President Donald Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Wednesday that he was not worried about Iran-backed attacks on US soil.

The report about the potential use of drones to strike the US comes along with other reports that point to possible terror attacks performed by "lone wolf" style of terrorists. Experts have also warned of the potential activation of "Iranian sleeper cells" across the West amid the ongoing US-Israel military action. The concerns were raised after two Iran-related violent incidents took place during the first week of the war - one in Austin, Texas, and another in Toronto. (Read More)

Displacement in Southern Lebanon Grows as Israel Orders Evacuation South of Litani River

Civilians fleeing villages near the border are moving north into Sidon as fears rise that the river could become the next major military line.

[SIDON, Lebanon] Sidon, the largest city in southern Lebanon, is filling with civilians displaced from villages south of the Litani River after new Israeli evacuation orders pushed residents north, raising fears that the river could again become the main military line in the Israel-Lebanon conflict. Many of those arriving have nowhere to go, and the humanitarian strain is already visible in the city’s streets and along its seafront.

“It breaks my heart to see all the people sleeping on the Corniche,” Malik, a Sidon native who owns a trucking company, told The Media Line while standing in front of one of the bombed buildings in the city. Only one wall of the building remains standing. The shelling has left it twisted and unstable, with pieces of the staircase scattered from the upper floors. Malik, 59, has his trucks parked next to this Muslim Brotherhood building and said he left three minutes before the first shell hit. “They hit it twice,” he said. Luckily, this time he saved all his trucks. “Each one is worth $100,000, and during the Beirut port explosion [in 2020], I already lost two,” he said.

“This will be the last war; Hezbollah will keep fighting until the end, they won’t give up, but we can’t take it anymore. We’re tired,” says Malik, his hands blackened from removing debris that landed on his vehicles. Not everyone in Sidon sees the war ending soon.“This won’t be the last war, because Israel can’t achieve its goal,” the 21-year-old Palestinian-Lebanese student from Sidon tells The Media Line. According to Sara, Israel’s objective is not only to disarm Hezbollah but also to seize a large part of Lebanese territory. “It’s a very, very important geographical position; that’s why Lebanon has suffered so many wars,” she said.

The Litani River has long been central to the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, both as a geographic marker and a strategic military line. Known in classical sources as the Leontes and believed to derive from an older Semitic name, the river lies about 30 kilometers north of the border between the two countries and runs 140 kilometers from its source in the Bekaa Valley to its outlet in the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre.  (Ed note: Sidon, a very ancient city is located on the Mediterranean Sea and has a population of it is thought about 163,000 people.)   (Read More)

Southern Lebanon is actually northern Israel - opinion

Historically speaking, southern Lebanon is in fact northern Israel, and the roots of the Jewish people in the area run deep.

As the IDF battles to clear southern Lebanon of Hezbollah terrorists, it is worth highlighting an intriguing historical fact, one that many seem to have forgotten. Having grown up with an international boundary between the Jewish state and our neighbors to the north, we take it for granted that this is how it has always been and should be. But the truth is that the current border between Israel and Lebanon is little more than a century old and is entirely artificial, a relic of a time when European colonialists whimsically drew lines on maps over a bottle of brandy in smoke-filled rooms.

Historically speaking, southern Lebanon is in fact northern Israel, and the roots of the Jewish people in the area run deep. Whether or not this can or should be translated now into a political reality is a far more complex question, but there is simply no denying our connection to the land. Indeed, back in biblical times, southern Lebanon was clearly part of the Land of Israel. In the Book of Genesis (10:19) it says, “and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Tsevoyim as far as Lasha.” Sidon, a city in Lebanon, is about halfway between the current Israeli border and Beirut. 

Just prior to his death, our biblical patriarch Jacob blessed his 12 sons, and the blessing he gave to Zevulun was “Zevulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon” (Genesis 49:13). The Book of Joshua (13:6) mentions Sidon explicitly as being promised to the Jewish people, and it also says (19:28) that the border of the tribe of Asher extended to Sidon. INTERESTINGLY, THE midrash in Bereishit Rabbah (39:8) says it was in Tyre, a city now 12 miles (19 kilometers) north of the Israeli border, that God promised the Land of Israel to Abraham. (Ed note: This article was posted on JPost on Nov 16, 2024 and is still very timely for today.)  (Read More)

IDF reinforces northern front, moves Golani Brigade from south

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir orders reinforcement of Northern Command sector, transfer of the Golani Brigade following situational assessment.

IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday held a situational assessment with additional commanders following recent developments in Operation “Roaring Lion." The Chief of the General Staff instructed to reinforce the Northern Command sector and to transition the Golani Brigade to operations from the Southern Command to Operations in the Northern Command sector.

Subsequently, and in accordance with the situational assessment, a decision will be made regarding additional reinforcements. "The IDF is operating with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization as a result of the terrorist organization's decision to deliberately attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian terror regime, and will not tolerate any harm to the residents of the State of Israel," the IDF stated. (Source)

US military says it destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels Tuesday in Strait of Hormuz

The American military says it has destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. “US forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Central Command says on X, attaching a video showing some of the strikes.

Earlier, several American media reports claimed that US intelligence had started seeing indications that Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the reports, US President Donald Trump said that the American military had destroyed “10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!” (Source)

US destroys mine-laying vessels as Trump warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz

The US military "eliminated" 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the US Central Command said in a statement, as President Donald Trump warned that any mines laid in the Strait by Iran must be removed immediately. Trump previously said the US had "completely destroyed" 10 inactive mine-laying vessels.

In apparent response to media reports that Iran had begun laying mines in the waterway, a key passage for oil shipments, Trump posted on Truth Social: "If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!" He said that if Tehran did not do so, it would face military consequences, but he did not provide details. Trump also said the US was using the same technology deployed against drug traffickers to "permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait."

In recent months, the US has carried out a series of strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that it alleges were carrying drugs, killing dozens of people. The Pentagon said earlier on Tuesday that it was striking Iranian mine-laying vessels and ​mine storage facilities. The US-Israel war against Iran has already effectively halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, along Iran's coast, where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. (Read More)

IDF hits wave of targets in Iran, destroying regime’s repression apparatus

Internal Iranian security forces "have for years been responsible for executing terror activities," the Israeli military said.

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday declared it had dismantled most key assets of Iran’s internal security forces in Ilam province, a western region that became a flashpoint during the anti-regime protests that swept the Islamic Republic earlier this year. Security forces and members of the Basij—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ volunteer militia—”carried out many terror attacks and brutally repressed internal protests during demonstrations that took place across Iran in the December–January period,” the IDF stated

Since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion” on Feb. 28, Israeli Air Force jets struck the local headquarters of Tehran’s internal security forces, including barracks of a special forces unit; an office of the regime’s Intelligence Ministry; an IRGC command center responsible for battalions that suppress protests; and several Basij and IRGC infrastructures used to reinforce the regime’s control, it said.The IDF noted that the damage to repression and control mechanisms in the Ilam province, which borders Iraq and has a significant Kurdish population, was just “one example of many” of its recent operations.

The security forces “form part of the Iranian regime’s security apparatus and have for years been responsible for executing terror activities,” said the army, noting that they also lead Tehran’s main “repression efforts against internal protests, particularly in recent periods, using severe violence, mass arrests, and force against civilian demonstrators.” (Ed note: GOOD! The "Basij" is a volunteer militia group that rides around on their motorcycles and shoots the kids in the streets. The Basij also has gone into the hospitals, shot the wounded, then shot the doctors who try to intervene) (Read More)

Navy strike on Beirut hotel overnight killed five top IRGC commanders, IDF says

Military says the five were members of Quds Force’s Palestine and Lebanon corps, were involved in aiding Hezbollah and Hamas; targeted hotel was housing people displaced by war. The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that five top commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in an Israeli Navy strike targeting a hotel room in Beirut overnight.

The IDF, in a statement, said the commanders who were killed “while hiding in a civilian hotel” were members of the Quds Force, the IRGC’s extraterritorial arm, in its Palestine and Lebanon corps, and were involved in aiding Hezbollah and Hamas with funds and intelligence. “The Iranian terror regime systematically operates among civilian populations in both Iran and Lebanon, cynically exploiting residents and using them as human shields to further terrorist objectives,” the IDF said in a statement prior to publishing the names of the targets.

The five were named as:

 *Majid Hassini, a senior moneyman in the Lebanon Corps, who the IDF says was responsible for transferring funds from Iran to proxy groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah and Hamas

* Ali Reza Bi-Azar, chief of intelligence in the Lebanon Corps
* Ahmad Rasouli, chief of intelligence in the Palestine Corps
* Hossein Ahmadlou, a lower-ranking intelligence operative in the Lebanon Corps
* Abu Muhammad Ali, Hezbollah’s representative in the Palestine Corps

Lebanese officials had said the strike killed at least four people at a Ramada hotel. An AFP photographer at the bombed seafront hotel saw shattered windows and heavy damage to one room while security forces sealed off the area. Last week, the Israeli military issued an unusual threat against Iranian regime officials in Lebanon, warning that they will be targeted if they do not leave the country. Reuters reported on Saturday that following those threats, more than 150 Iranian nationals, including diplomats and their families, had left Lebanon. (Ed note: Did you notice it was the Israeli Navy? But doesn't that Navy operate on the Mediterranean Sea? Very interesting.) (Read More)

Hezbollah preparing for long war, US pours cold water on Lebanon-Israel talks proposal

Amid the increasing rocket fire from Hezbollah, Israeli officials estimate that the group is preparing for a prolonged campaign, an Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post. In recent days, the attacks on northern Israel have not stopped. Anti-tank missile incidents targeting IDFpositions along the northern border have also continued. Among many Israeli officials and foreign diplomats, the question being asked is: “What is the terrorist organization trying to achieve with this move, which seems completely illogical?”

While officials in Lebanon say they want to pursue a diplomatic initiative and hold talks with Israel, the United States is reportedly angered by the Lebanese government’s conduct. According to a source who spoke with the Post, Washington believes Lebanon is not acting firmly enough against Hezbollah and is therefore, at least for now, “pouring cold water” on the Lebanese proposal.

A Western diplomat told the Post that Hezbollah believes it has reached a point where it has nothing to lose. “In light of Iran’s weakening, the removal of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from Lebanon, and the blocking of financial transfers to Hezbollah, the organization feels it has reached a point where it must act.”

Two Israeli officials told the Post that Hezbollah aims to deter the Lebanese government from taking action against it by demonstrating its capabilities. At the same time, it is trying to pressure Israel into withdrawing from its line of military positions inside Lebanese territory. On Monday, Israel hinted that the IDF would make Hezbollah pay a price for the attacks on Israel. Defense Minister Israel Katz, during a visit to Northern Command, said: “Not only will we not withdraw in the face of Hezbollah, but we will seize the opportunity to strike it.” On Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with senior security officials and Defense Minister Katz to discuss the war with Iran and the fighting in Lebanon. (Source)

Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is hiding enriched uranium

'Up to 60 percent of enriched uranium is still stored in tunnels in Isfahan, allowing Iran to produce a nuclear bomb in a short period of time,' says Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

While President Trump claims that Iran’s nuclear program was destroyed in Operation “Midnight Hammer" (Rising Lion) in June 2025, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) asserts that the enriched uranium is still hidden in tunnels beneath the city of Isfahan. Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, stated in a press briefing in Paris that half of the uranium enriched to 60 percent is being concealed by Iranian authorities in tunnels in Isfahan.

At the outbreak of Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, Iran possessed 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent, which would allow it to produce 10 nuclear bombs in a short time. Speaking to reporters, Grossi said, “We believe that in Isfahan, until our most recent inspection, there were a little over 200 kg, maybe slightly more, of uranium enriched to 60 percent. The stockpile is mainly in Isfahan, and some of the stockpile that was held elsewhere may have been destroyed."

According to him, “The prevailing assumption is that the material is still there. Therefore, we have not seen-and not only us, I think generally anyone observing the facility via satellite images and other means to see what is happening there-any movement indicating that the material has been removed." Since Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, Iranian authorities have not cooperated with the IAEA, nor disclosed how much enriched uranium they possess and where it is hidden. The US and Israel attacked nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordow, but Grossi claims that enriched uranium is still present in Natanz as well. “There is a quantity of uranium enriched to 60 percent also in Natanz, and in our view it is still there," Grossi said. (Source)

Araghchi: Iran no longer willing to negotiate with US, shifts blame on destabilized oil production

"I don't think the question of talking with Americans or negotiation with the Americans once again would be on the table," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told PBS News Hour in an interview on Monday. According to Araghchi, the US has soured the potential of future negotiations by repeatedly attacking in the middle of diplomatic talks - first last year in June, and then as the opening to Operation Epic Fury. "This year, they tried to convince us that this time is different. They promised us that they don't have any intention to attack us," Araghchi said. "So I don't think talking with Americans anymore would be on our agenda anymore."

Araghchi also denied that Iran was intentionally putting pressure on the US and Israel by targeting oil productionin other nations in the region. He claimed that oil tankers are "scared to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," but that "We are not preventing them to navigate in that strait." Instead, the minister shifted the blame onto the US and Israel's aggression towards Iran, arguing that by attacking, they have destabilized the region.

"This is a war imposed on us," he stated, "What we are doing is only defending ourselves. We are facing an act of aggression, which is absolutely illegal. And what we are doing is the act of self-defense, which is legal and legitimate. Well, we have already warned everybody in the region that if the US attacks us, since we cannot reach the American soil, we have to attack their bases in the region, their facilities, their installations, their assets. And as a result, the war would be spread into the whole region. So these are the consequences, the consequence of the US aggression against us. We are not responsible for that.” (Source)

Meet the Next Khamenei: Iran Appoints U.S.-Sanctioned Son to Replace Dad as Supreme Leader

Iranian state media on Monday confirmed the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to become the new Supreme Leader. Iran’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) immediately swore fealty to the new dictator and launched another wave of missiles and drones at Israel and the Gulf Arab states to commemorate his ascension.

The previous “supreme leader” was killed in the opening moments of Operation Epic Fury last week along with dozens of other high-ranking Iranian officials. The 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was only the second Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the leader of the 1979 revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khamenei’s second son Mojtaba has been a reclusive figure until now, often seen orbiting the highest levels of power in the Iranian theocracy but rarely stepping into the spotlight. He has no official resume and no previous positions of responsibility.

As Al-Mayadeen delicately put it on Monday, Mojtaba Khamenei “ascended through informal channels, building an extensive network of relationships across Iran’s security apparatus, religious institutions, and political circles.” Al-Mayadeen struggled to make Mojtaba look like a refreshing out-of-the-box choice for supreme leader, praising the “scholarly foundation” that supposedly distinguishes him from other “Iranian political figures,” but this is a tormented way of saying that the younger Khamenei has no real experience at governing — and his selection might annoy Iranians who believe in the Islamic Republic’s mythology of revolution against the hereditary monarchy of the Shah of Iran. (Ed nore: It is said that the son has very close ties to theAs Al-Mayadeen delicately put it on Monday, Mojtaba Khamenei “ascended through informal channels, building an extensive network of relationships across Iran’s security apparatus, religious institutions, and political circles.”

Al-Mayadeen struggled to make Mojtaba look like a refreshing out-of-the-box choice for supreme leader, praising the “scholarly foundation” that supposedly distinguishes him from other “Iranian political figures,” but this is a tormented way of saying that the younger Khamenei has no real experience at governing — and his selection might annoy Iranians who believe in the Islamic Republic’s mythology of revolution against the hereditary monarchy of the Shah of Iran. (Ed note: It is said that the son has very close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Does the apple fall far from the tree?) (Read More)

PLO warns against Passover Sacrifice on Temple Mount

The Palestine Liberation Organization denies the historical and religious Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and warns against plans to perform the Passover sacrifice during the upcoming holiday.

The Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) department for “Al-Quds affairs" warned about what it described as intentions by “settlers" to carry out the commandment of the Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount during the upcoming Passover. In a statement it published, the organization said these were systematic Israeli attempts to change the existing historical and legal status on the Temple Mount by using a religious narrative to justify a policy of establishing facts on the ground.

According to the PLO, far-right elements in the Israeli government are providing backing for moves intended to allow shared religious worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (the Temple Mount) by Jews as well, and to hold ceremonies that it says contradict the “religious and historical character of the site." The PLO stressed its false claims that the entire Temple Mount area is an exclusively Islamic place of worship and that decisions by the United Nations and UNESCO affirm this. Therefore, it said, any attempt to hold Jewish religious rituals there would constitute a blatant violation of international law.

In a recent weekly lecture, Yitzhak Barda, one of the leading rabbis of Tunisia, spoke in favor of ascending to the Temple Mount in accordance with Jewish law after ritual immersion and removing one’s shoes. He also called on the Israeli government to cancel existing restrictions there in order to allow the Passover sacrifice to be offered at its proper time already this year. (Ed note: The Passover will begin on April 1st this year. Does the PLO think that something is going to happen this year? Israel has that Red Heifer ready to go. Stay tuned folks!) (Source)

UAV operator tells JNS about missions ‘some did not think possible’

The Israeli Air Force’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) array is playing a central role in the unprecedented scale of aerial strikes during the ongoing Operation Roaring Lion, conducting continuous missions deep inside Iran to hunt ballistic missile launchers and degrade the regime’s other military capabilities.

Maj. G, an experienced UAV reservist operator with nearly two decades of operational experience, described to JNS in an exclusive interview the intricacies of the historic long-range operations. Having participated in the opening waves of both the current campaign and the June 2025 Operation Rising Lion, he emphasized the sheer magnitude of the current offensive.

“First of all, it’s an honor to be a partner to such an opening flight,” Maj. G stated. “This is the largest opening flight the State of Israel has ever done, including more than Operation Focus in the Six-Day War.” Some 200 IAF aircraft took part in the February 28 opening strike, eliminating 40 of the top Iranian military and terror leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei at a Tehran compound.

Maj. G expressed hope that this effort will go on to create quiet for many years for the State of Israel. He operates the Israel Aerospace Industries-made Heron 1 UAV, known in Hebrew as the Shoval, a domestically produced UAV that he described as a force multiplier. The Heron UAV is operated by the IAF’s Squadron 200, which is known as the first UAV squadron and the oldest squadron of drones in the Israeli Air Force. (Read More)

Report: Trump Weighing Special Ops Raid to Secure Iran’s Enriched Uranium Stockpile

President Donald Trump is weighing options that could include deploying special operations forces into Iran to secure or destroy highly enriched uranium stockpiles as part of his pledge that Tehran “will not have a nuclear bomb,” according to multiple reports Saturday. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump suggested the possibility of a ground operation had not been ruled out, saying U.S. forces could move in at a later stage of the conflict if necessary. “Right now we’re just decimating them, but we haven’t gone after it,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s nuclear material. “But something we could do later on. We wouldn’t do it now.”

Axios reported Saturday that U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed sending special operations forces into Iran to secure the regime’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium once Tehran’s military capabilities are sufficiently degraded. The outlet reported that Iran possesses roughly 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, material that could potentially be converted to weapons-grade fuel within weeks.

According to the report, officials have debated whether the material would be physically removed from Iran or diluted on site by nuclear specialists working alongside special operations units, possibly including scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at the challenge earlier this week during a congressional briefing when asked if Iran’s uranium would be secured.

“People are going to have to go and get it,” Rubio said, without specifying which country’s forces might carry out such a mission. A U.S. official told Axios the operational questions remain complex, including determining the precise location of the uranium and how troops would safely reach and secure it. “The first question is, where is it?” the official said. “The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?” (Read More)

Iran may still have access to enriched uranium at site bombed by US last year – report

NY Times says US intelligence believes there’s a ‘very narrow access point’ through which uranium at Isfahan could be moved; Trump doesn’t rule out ground op to secure stockpiles.

Iran may be able to access and move highly enriched uranium that had been previously thought to have been buried underground by US strikes on the Isfahan nuclear facility last June, according to a New York Times report. The Saturday report said US intelligence agencies have determined that there is now a “very narrow access point” through which the uranium could potentially be retrieved. The newspaper, writing based on anonymous interviews with US officials, said that American spy agencies are constantly surveilling the Isfahan facility and believe they will know of any Iranian attempts to relocate the enriched uranium. US officials have reportedly been debating options of how to secure the uranium for several weeks.

Since the US and Israeli bombings last June, Iran has refused to show what happened to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium or allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to sites where enrichment took place. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would not rule out the idea of sending ground troops into Iran to secure the country’s stockpiles of enriched uranium.

“At some point maybe we will. That would be a great thing,” he told reporters during a briefing aboard Air Force One. “We haven’t gone after it but it’s something we could do later.” Some critics of the US-Israeli war on Iran launched last Saturday have said airstrikes alone are unlikely to achieve the stated goals of destroying Iran’s military capacity and preventing it from developing a nuclear bomb. Asked about the use of ground troops in general, Trump did not rule it out, saying: “Could there be? Possibly, for a very good reason — it’d have to be a very good reason.”  (Read More)

Mossad can detect, catch if Iranian nuclear officials move enriched uranium, US intel suggests

US President Donald Trump might consider a covert mission to seize it once the Islamic regime is more decimated.

The New York Times on Sunday expanded on a September 2025 exclusive by The Jerusalem Postregarding the ability of intelligence agencies to catch the Iranians with their remaining 60% enriched uranium if they tried to access it for use. Previously, the Post reported that the Mossad had a sufficient handle on the location of Iran’s enriched uranium – not struck during June 2025’s Operation Rising Lion – and could intervene if Tehran appeared to be trying to use that uranium to move in the direction of a nuclear weapon.

Further, the Post noted that the Mossad would place a heavy focus on the issue until, at a minimum, the Islamic Republic granted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to nuclear inspectors.
During the June 2025 operation, Israel and the US destroyed much of Iran’s three major nuclear facilities – Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. They also damaged dozens of other nuclear facilities.

However, a major dispute and source of speculation was the 60% enriched uranium – 400 kilograms worth of close-to-weapons-grade material – that was not destroyed by Israel and the US during Operation Rising Lion. In theory, this volume of 60% enriched uranium could be further enriched and used to produce around half a dozen nuclear bombs. In late June 2025, some Israeli critics claimed that the Islamic Republic could even rush out a nuclear bomb in a matter of months, since the uranium had not been struck. (Read More)

Netanyahu: IDF has ‘many surprises’ in store for Islamic Republic

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that the Jewish state’s military still had “many surprises” in store aimed at destabilizing the Islamic Republic and enabling change in Tehran. “We have many more targets and I will not detail them here,” the premier stated in a Hebrew-language address to the nation on Saturday night. Jerusalem is working according to “an organized plan,” he continued.

“To Revolutionary Guard operatives, those who tyrannize the Iranian people in the streets, I say only this: You, too, are in the crosshairs,” Netanyahu said, adding that “no harm” would come to those who surrender and lay down their weapons. “Through our daring pilots and those of the U.S., we achieved almost total control of Iranian skies,” he said. “With each passing day, we’re peeling away more and more of the Iranian regime’s capabilities.”

Netanyahu noted that in the first week of the joint Israeli-U.S. campaign, the two militaries eliminated “the tyrant” Ali Khamenei; killed “dozens” of top Revolutionary Guards operatives and hundreds of terrorists; destroyed Iranian military, nuclear and government facilities; and bombed hundreds of ballistic launchers used to attack Israel. Jerusalem and Washington embarked on “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury” on Feb. 28 after Khamenei ordered the restoration of nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities destroyed by Israel and the U.S. in 2025, he said. (Read More)