Strike preparations without a final decision
Netanyahu said: “We have intelligence information that Iran will attack us before the elections”.
U.S. officials told The Atlantic that Trump was considering several days of strikes, potentially immediately after the midterms, against missile and drone facilities, energy infrastructure and nuclear sites, but had made no decision.
Officials told The Wall Street Journal he was leaning toward major operations, with nuclear facilities and Iranian-controlled islands among options; warships were preparing for possible strikes in coming weeks.
Officials told CNN that plans coordinated with Israel awaited presidential approval, with the “Mother of All Bombs” against Iranian energy facilities and nuclear sites among options.
Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said a strike that weekend was possible, while emphasizing Trump’s openness to a deal.
Asked about Barrack’s remarks, Trump said: “He is a powerful man, I guess. I don’t know anything about it”. Trump separately raised “another little ‘Operation Epic Fury’” or an agreement, while doubting Iran would agree.
Kurdish Channel 8 reported a U.S. warning to Iraq of a possible strike in coming days. It said Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi warned Iran-backed armed groups that intervention would carry legal consequences.
Israel Hayom reported armed Israeli fighter flights through Syria and Iraq toward Iran before turning back, intended to train crews, gather intelligence and familiarize Iran with Israeli air activity, potentially preserving surprise.
It said the tactic was used three months before the June 2025 attack launching Operation Rising Lion, the 12-Day War.
Gaza strikes
The IDF and Shin Bet said a Wednesday strike in Khan Yunis eliminated Ramadan Muhammad Ashahada Diab, the Popular Resistance Committees’ local commander.
The military said he advanced attacks on troops and civilians and worked to restore Hamas’s military capabilities in systematic violation of the ceasefire.
Gaza’s third-largest terrorist faction, the organization participated in the October 7 massacre, murdering and abducting civilians and soldiers, and fought alongside Hamas.
The IDF said it was formerly Fatah-affiliated and is now linked to Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
In two separate Friday incidents in northern and southern Gaza, troops eliminated two terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line.
Lebanon: weapons interception and fuel sanctions
The Lebanese Army said it intercepted weapons and ammunition being smuggled from Syria across the northern border. The recipient was unidentified; previous cases involved shipments reportedly destined for Hezbollah.
Defense Minister Israel Katz sanctioned Coral Oil through the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing.
The Defense Ministry said it supplied about 130,000 liters of diesel and gasoline to Hezbollah-owned Al-Amana, designated a terrorist organization in 2020.
The ministry said fuel supports Hezbollah’s weapons transport, generators and underground infrastructure.
Coral Oil is British-registered, operates through a Lebanese branch and is owned by Lebanon’s A. Yamin Group.
Citing company documents, the ministry described a wider family-linked fuel and trade network with intercompany dealings worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It said the sanction aims to sever commercial supply links supporting Hezbollah’s operations.
Hatzerim investigation
Troops found three balloons carrying suspected drugs and tobacco beside Hatzerim Airbase’s fence.
The incident is under investigation; smugglers previously used balloons across the Egyptian border.
