The third front of the Middle East crisis, Iran, expects to see the specter raised by Yoav Gallant come to fruition in the coming hours : "Anyone who thinks that a simple attempt to harm us will dissuade us from acting should take a look at Gaza and Beirut," said the Israeli Defense Minister.
The Islamic Republic, which in the meantime has suspended all night flights, is showing off its confidence and is telling Benyamin Netanyahu not to "play with fire", as declared by the commander of the Pasdaran Navy Alireza Tangsiri.
Tehran warned via its state-run Tasnim news agency that "the plan for responding to a possible Zionist action has been fully prepared. If Israel acts, there will be an Iranian counterattack ," adding that the October 1 attack "demonstrated that Iran can level any place." Meanwhile, the Pentagon said Gallant would meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in the United States on Wednesday, prompting speculation that the window for the Iran operation would have to be by Tuesday or be postponed, as it is unlikely that a defense minister would cross the Atlantic in the midst of a supposedly "unprecedented" retaliation.
Also from the US, excerpts of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris have arrived, which will be published in full by 20 Minutes : "When we think about the threat posed by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, I think it is definitely our duty to do everything we can to allow Israel to defend itself from these types of attacks," said the Democratic presidential candidate. And when asked if Benyamin Netanyahu is an ally, Harris responded: "The best phrase is 'we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people' and the answer to that question is yes."
The prime minister, for his part, patched things up with French President Emmanuel Macron over the phone today, after appearing furious in a video posted on X on Saturday evening in which he urged him to "be ashamed": Netanyahu explained his vision to him, certainly with less vehemence, but Macron - the Elysée reported - while reaffirming that "France's commitment to Israel's security is unshakeable" reiterated that "the time has come for a ceasefire" in Gaza and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the horrors of October 7, IDF commandos, with the support of the Air Force, continued to destroy rocket launchers, weapons and Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanese territory. UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force that guards the Blue Line with the contribution of a thousand Italian soldiers, warned that Israeli operations near their positions are currently "extremely dangerous".
But further movements of elite units have been practically announced through new evacuation requests to civilians from 25 locations in southern Lebanon, indicating to head north of the Awali River. The militants aimed directly at Haifa Bay with two ballistic missiles - intercepted - and with dozens of rockets on northern cities that have not yet been evacuated. While in the Strip the 162nd division moved from Rafah and the Philadelphia Corridor, on the border with Egypt, in the north to attack the militants of Hamas and Islamic Jihad who in these months of clashes have managed to rearm themselves by reaching the northern part of Gaza through tunnels. At least 17 people died in Jabalyia, according to the Palestinian civil defense, including 9 children. A mosque and a former school were also hit.
(Online Union)