Reported strike on Iranian missile launch site
Iranian media reported that a strike targeted an IRGC missile launch site in Sirik, southern Iran. There were also reports of Israeli Air Force activity over Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iranian official warns of expanded targets
A senior Iranian security official said Tehran expects another U.S.-Israeli attack and considers Washington’s diplomatic efforts insincere, according to Fars News Agency.
The official warned that renewed large-scale conflict involving the assassination of Iranian officials or the killing of civilians would lead Iran to consider U.S. political targets and the infrastructure of countries involved in the war legitimate targets.
Israeli strike proposals and U.S. diplomatic efforts
Prime Minister Netanyahu is pushing to resume strikes inside Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported. Israel presented U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth with an intelligence-based list of targets for strikes against Iran.
Diplomats are racing to prevent an escalation as the U.S. sends additional warships to the region and Israel prepares for potential attacks, the newspaper reported. A U.S. official told the Journal: “Hostilities are likely to escalate rapidly in the region beyond their geographic scope”.
A White House spokesperson said Washington would not attack Iran before the midterm elections.
“We are taking the risk of escalation seriously amid Trump’s threats and Iran’s refusal to comply with his demands,” Middle Eastern sources said, according to the Journal.
President Trump said:
“We are not negotiating with the Iranians, and something will happen one way or another soon. Most people believe we will do something after the elections in Iran, and we will see what happens”.
U.S. troop withdrawals and diplomatic staffing changes
The U.S. is quietly withdrawing troops from bases in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait while reducing diplomatic staff across the Middle East, NBC News reported.
Diplomatic missions across the region are adjusting staffing levels because of the threat posed by the Houthis, according to CNN.
Katz and Lapid clash over election security warnings
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said:
“Any attack on Israel and any future terrorist attacks, should they unfortunately occur, will be attributed to Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, and their fellow opposition members—who relentlessly attack the Prime Minister and me, and cast doubt on our judgment in warning and alerting the public, based on intelligence in our possession, about our enemies’ intentions to attack Israel and carry out terrorist attacks on the eve of the elections or during them, in order to influence the election results.
All the criticism and statements attributing ulterior motives to us demonstrate a disconnect from reality and the narrow political interests of those making them. Such statements undermine Israel’s deterrence and encourage our enemies to act.
The Prime Minister and I will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of Israel and strike our enemies with force, at any time and in any place—as we have done throughout recent years.”
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid responded:
“The reckless and hysterical statement by the Defense Minister is a gift to Israel’s enemies. Once again, this failed government is looking for excuses and scapegoats for the failures of Netanyahu and the bunch of incompetents surrounding him.
They failed to eradicate Hamas, failed to bring down Iran, failed to eliminate Hezbollah, and failed on the international stage. And now they’re blaming the opposition.”
