As Israel Plots To Strike Iran, Its Choices Range From Symbolic To Severe

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As Israel Plots To Strike Iran, Its Choices Range From Symbolic To Severe | The Washington Post 

Israel has promised to retaliate for Iran’s massive missile attack last week. How it does so involves great risk, and could have major repercussions for the archenemies, the Middle East and the world. Israel’s options range from symbolic strikes on military targets to crippling attacks on Iran’s vital oil industry or its secretive and heavily fortified nuclear program. The intensity and timing of any retaliatory strike was expected to top the agenda of a planned meeting this week at the Pentagon between Israel’s defense minister and his U.S. counterpart. But late Tuesday, the Pentagon said the meeting was abruptly postponed.  

MI5 Spy Chief Says Russia And Iran Are Behind A 'Staggering' Rise In Deadly Plots | Associated Press 

Britain is facing a “staggering rise” in attempts at assassination, sabotage and other crimes on U.K. soil by Russia and Iran, as the two states recruit criminals to “do their dirty work,” the head of Britain's domestic intelligence agency said Tuesday. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said his agents and police have tackled 20 “potentially lethal” plots backed by Iran since 2022 and warned that it could expand its targets in the United Kingdom if conflicts in the Middle East deepen. So far, the threats have been aimed at Iranians abroad who oppose the country’s authorities. But McCallum said there is the risk “of an increase in — or broadening of — Iranian state aggression in the U.K.” if the Middle East crisis escalates with Israel launching a major attack in response to Iran’s recent missile barrage.  

Israel Says It Has Killed Slain Hezbollah Leader's Successors | Reuters 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday Israeli airstrikes had killed two successors to Hezbollah's slain leader, as Israel expanded its ground offensive against the Iran-backed group with a fourth army division deployed into south Lebanon. Netanyahu spoke in a video released by his office hours after the deputy leader of Hezbollah, which is reeling after a spate of killings of senior commanders in Israeli airstrikes, left the door open to a negotiated ceasefire. 

UANI IN THE NEWS 

Interview With UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky | Times Radio 

On October 8, 2024, UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky was interviewed by Andrew Neil for Times Radio. Brodsky answers the question "How close is Iran to being able to make nuclear bombs and deliver them by ballistic missiles?" and more. 

'Distrust' Between US And Israel: Juvenile Nonsense Or Opportunity? | Iran International 

The Biden administration is reportedly losing trust with Israel’s government as strikes on Iran loom. That apparent distrust comes with risks and possibly some benefits, according to experts Iran International spoke with. The alleged mistrust is related to Israel's military and diplomatic plans in the Middle East, according to the Axios, which has quoted unnamed US officials. That friction has only intensified, according to reports, over how Israel intends to strike back against Iran after Tehran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 2.  

NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM 

Ultra-Hardliners Rejoice Over Claims Of Iran's Alleged Nuclear Test | Iran International 

Pro-establishment voices on Persian-language social media claim a recent earthquake in Iran’s Semnan Province was actually a covert nuclear test, with ultra-hardliners calling for Iran to pursue nuclear deterrence capabilities.  “It seems that there was no earthquake but a nuclear test in Semnan two nights ago … Now [can you imagine] what would happen if that explosion occurred on the ground in Israel?” one of them asked. The post referred to an earthquake of 4.4 magnitude on the Richter scale at a depth of 12 km, according to Tehran University’s Geophysics Institute, in Semnan Province that was felt as far as the capital Tehran.  

MISSILE PROGRAM 

Revealed: Iran’s Secret Military Base Shipping Ballistic Missiles Overseas | The Telegraph 

Iran is rapidly expanding a secretive military site used to manufacture ballistic missiles for export overseas, The Telegraph can reveal. The clandestine site is used to store and prepare missiles before they are shipped overseas to Tehran’s proxies and allies. Activity at the site, known as the “Shahid Soltani Garrison”, has intensified in the second half of the year, coinciding with reports from Western governments that Iran had begun shipping ballistic missiles to Russia. 

U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS 

U.S. Frustrated By Israel’s Reluctance To Share Iran Retaliation Plans | The Wall Street Journal 

Israel has so far refused to divulge to the Biden administration details of its plans to retaliate against Tehran, U.S. officials say, even as the White House is urging its closest Middle East ally not to hit Iran’s oil facilities or nuclear sites amid fears of a widening regional war. U.S. officials are frustrated that they have been repeatedly caught off guard by Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, and are seeking to head off further escalation. Some had hoped the U.S. would learn more about what Israel was contemplating during a planned visit Wednesday between Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, but Gallant postponed his trip, the Pentagon said.  

Canceled Israeli Visit Highlights Tensions Ahead Of Iran Counterstrike | The Washington Post 

A planned visit to Washington by Israel’s top defense official was abruptly canceled by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, U.S. officials said, a sign of tensions between the two allies that casts doubt on whether the Biden administration can prevent Israel’s multifront conflict from exploding into wider war. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been scheduled to host his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, at the Pentagon on Wednesday for a meeting expected to focus on Israel’s expanding military operation in Lebanon and its anticipated counterstrike against Iran, whose massive missile barrage this month represented the latest salvo in a battle now spanning the Middle East.  

Kamala Harris' Tough Words On Iran Confounds Critics | Fox News 

Vice President Kamala Harris had harsh words for Iran in an interview Monday evening as she said the regime is America’s biggest foe.  In a sit-down with CBS’ "60 Minutes," the Democratic presidential nominee was asked to name the U.S.’s greatest foreign adversary. "I think there's an obvious one in mind, which is Iran. Iran has American blood on their hands." "This attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles. What we need to do to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power. That is one of my highest priorities."  

RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN 

Hezbollah Steps Up Rocket Fire As Israel Sends More Troops Into Lebanon | The Washington Post 

Hezbollah fired another barrage of rockets into Israel on Tuesday, and the militant group’s acting leader vowed to keep up pressure that has forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border. The Israeli military said it sent more ground troops into southern Lebanon and that a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an airstrike. Dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah were aimed as far south as Haifa, and the Israeli government warned residents north of the coastal city to limit activities, prompting the closure of more schools. The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched about 180 rockets across the border.  

Israeli Raids On Syria Intensify In Pursuit Of Hezbollah Supply Lines | The National 

From bombing a home of President Bashar Al Assad's brother to striking a military headquarters in Damascus, Israeli raids on Syria have intensified in pursuit of key supply lines to Hezbollah, a development that could damage the alliance between the Iran-backed militant group and the Syrian leader. Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Iran has carved out a zone of control in the country, turning it into a logistics, weapons development and manufacturing lifeline for Hezbollah, security experts say. Syria has also become a launch pad for drug smuggling by cartels linked to the armed group.  

IDF Says It Intercepted Drone ‘From The East’ As Iraqi Militia Claims Attack On Southern Israel | The Times Of Israel 

The IDF says that it intercepted a drone “launched from the east,” a term used to refer to Iraq. No air raid sirens were activated before the interception, which an IDF statement says was “in accordance with protocol.” The statement from the military comes shortly after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia network, claimed an attack on southern Israel. 

GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN 

Gulf States Must Not Let Airspace Be Used Against Iran, Iranian Official Says | Reuters 

Tehran has told Gulf states it would be "unacceptable" if they allowed their airspace to be used against Iran and any such move would draw a response, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday, amid concerns about possible Israeli retaliation for last week's Iranian missile attack. The official was speaking as Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi headed to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states for talks. 

OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

Former UK Soldier Accused Of Helping Iran Said He Wanted To Be Double Agent, Jurors Told | Reuters 

A British soldier passed sensitive information to people linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and later broke out of prison, sparking a nationwide manhunt, prosecutors told a London court on Tuesday.  Daniel Abed Khalife collected "sensitive and sometimes secret" information for more than two years between May 2019 and January 2022 and then claimed he did so to become a double agent, prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors.