Netanyahu asserts readiness for offense and defense
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the country’s readiness for both offense and defense during his visit to the Tel Hashomer army recruitment base, where he met with draftees to the IDF’s Armored Corps and Combat Engineering Corps.
“We are continuing forward to victory. I know that Israeli citizens are on alert, and I ask you one thing — stay calm and composed. We are striking our enemies and are also determined to defend ourselves,” Netanyahu told the troops.
He expressed his pride in the soldiers, both those in the reserves and the standing army, calling them the “backbone of the nation.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has emphasized that the election of Yahya Sinwar as the leader of Hamas sends a clear message that the Palestinian issue is now significantly controlled by Iran and Hamas. Katz stated, "The election of Yahya Sinwar as the leader of Hamas must send a clear message to the world that the Palestinian issue is now completely controlled by Iran and Hamas."
Katz warned of the consequences of Israel withdrawing its military presence in Gaza, saying, "Without Israeli action in Gaza, the area would fall entirely under Hamas control." He further explained that in Judea and Samaria, the survival of Abbas and the Palestinian Authority is due to "Israel's intensive military operations against Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure, which are supported and promoted by Iran."
Highlighting the regional threats, Katz noted, "Iran is working to smuggle weapons into Jordan to destabilize the Jordanian regime and then flood the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria and the entire area with weapons and funding to establish another terror front from the east against Israel’s major population centers."
Katz proposed a solution: "The solution is Palestinian self-management in Judea and Samaria, allowing them to manage their own lives." However, he stressed that "Israel must maintain control over security and foreign affairs to prevent the establishment of another Iranian-Islamist extremist stronghold and enable Palestinians to manage their internal affairs. Anything else will lead to the creation of another Iranian outpost in the region, which will explode in the face of the world and all regional countries."
Katz concluded by urging global support for Israel: "The world must see reality as it is and support Israel, which currently stands at the forefront of the battle against the Iranian and extremist Islamist axis."
A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged in connection with a plot to assassinate US politicians and officials, potentially including former President Donald Trump.
Asif Merchant, 46, faces a charge of murder for hire after prosecutors say he paid $5,000 to an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman.
Merchant, who frequently traveled to Iran, Syria, and Iraq and allegedly has a wife and children in Iran, reportedly discussed a complex plot targeting a political figure under heavy security. He was arrested in July and is currently being held in New York.
According to the Justice Department's indictment, Merchant arrived in the US from Pakistan in April following a two-week stay in Iran. Upon arrival, he contacted an individual he believed could facilitate the assassination plot. This contact, however, reported Merchant to the authorities.
The indictment describes how Merchant allegedly made a "finger gun" gesture when discussing his intentions and emphasized that the operation would not be a "one-time opportunity" and would be "ongoing", suggesting other plots may be afoot. He purportedly planned to leave the US before the targets were killed, maintaining communication through code words.
In June, the contact introduced Merchant to undercover FBI agents posing as hitmen. Merchant allegedly instructed them to steal documents from the home of a target, stage protests at political rallies, and assassinate a "political person." The targets were to be revealed in late August or early September.
While the indictment does not specify the targets, sources have indicated that Trump was one of them. The former president, who ordered the killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, is already under increased security measures due to an Iranian plot against him, revealed in June. Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened revenge against Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Advisor John Bolton for Soleimani's targeted killing.
FBI Director Christopher Wray described the latest scheme as a "dangerous murder-for-hire plot straight out of the Iranian playbook." He stressed that any foreign-directed plot against a US official is a severe threat to national security and will be met with the full force of the FBI.
The plot is unrelated to a previous assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, where a Secret Service sniper shot a 20-year-old assailant.
Iran’s response to the Israeli assassination of a senior Hamas official in Tehran is taking longer than expected, US intelligence sources told Al Arabiya on Tuesday. While initial assessments had predicted an early-week attack, the latest information suggests any retaliation may now be delayed until late Thursday or Friday.
It is believed that Iran will wait until after Wednesday’s meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah before taking any action.
German airline giant Lufthansa announced on Wednesday that it will avoid using Iranian and Iraqi airspace until August 13, extending its earlier decision due to high tensions in the Middle East.
In addition to this, Lufthansa has extended the suspension of its services to Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut, Amman, and Erbil until the same date.
