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Israeli Military Chief Warns of New Plans to Strike Iran

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, center, reviews an honor guard in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP)
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, center, reviews an honor guard in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP)
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Israeli Military Chief Warns of New Plans to Strike Iran

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, center, reviews an honor guard in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP)
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, center, reviews an honor guard in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (AP)

Israel's military chief Tuesday warned the Biden administration against rejoining the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, even if it toughens its terms, adding he's ordered his forces to step up preparations for possible offensive action against Iran during the coming year.

The comments by Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi came as Israel and Iran both seek to put pressure on President Joe Biden ahead of his expected announcement on his approach for dealing with the Iranian nuclear program. In Iran, leaders said they would not wait indefinitely for Biden to act.

The 2015 deal put curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the easing of crippling economic sanctions. Israel strongly opposed the deal, saying it did not include sufficient safeguards to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. It welcomed the Trump administration's withdrawal from the agreement in 2018.

Biden has said he will seek to revive the deal, with some changes.

In his address, Kochavi said a return to the deal, even with some improvements, “is bad operationally and it is bad strategically.” He said allowing Iran to proceed with a nuclear program would be “an unacceptable threat and will lead to nuclear proliferation across the region.” Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Kochavi said that given the threat posed by Iran, Israel's military would be prepared to attack on its own if needed.

“I instructed the army to prepare a number of operational plans in addition to the existing ones,” he said. “We are taking care of these plans and will develop them during the coming year. Those who decide on carrying them out, of course, are the political leaders. But these plans have to be on the table.”

Just hours before Kochavi spoke against a deal, Iran prodded Biden to rejoin the atomic accord. “The window of opportunity will not be open for long,” said Iran’s Cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei.

Israeli officials, including Kochavi, say that Iran is in a much weaker position than in 2015 after years of sanctions by the Trump administration. They say that any new deal should eliminate “sunset” provisions that phase out certain limits on Iran's nuclear activities, address Iran's long-range missile program and its military involvement and support for Israel's enemies across the region.

Tensions around Iran have steadily increased. During Trump’s final days as president, Tehran seized a South Korean oil tanker and begun enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels, while the US has sent B-52 bombers, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and a nuclear submarine into the region.

Iran has also increased its military drills, including firing cruise missiles as part of a naval drill in the Gulf of Oman this month.

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World

Bus Accident Kills 14 in Ecuador

Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo
Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo
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Bus Accident Kills 14 in Ecuador

Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo
Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026. EPA/Xavier Montalvo

A bus veered off the road and plunged into a ravine in southern Ecuador Wednesday, killing 14 people and injuring at least 29, emergency officials said.

The accident happened in the Molleturo area in the Andean province of Azuay, whose capital Cuenca is Ecuador's third most populous city, AFP reported.

"At this time, the number of people who have died on the Cuenca-Molleturo highway has risen to 14, and the number of injured to 29," Ecuador's emergency service ECU911 wrote on X late Wednesday.

"Personnel from the coordinated agencies are at the scene searching for more people who may have lost their lives," it added, without specifying the number of passengers on the bus.

Traffic accidents are among the leading causes of death in the South American country, where more than 2,000 people died in road accidents last year, compared to a record 2,373 deaths in 2023, according to official figures.

World

Police Arrest Two over London Synagogue Arson Attempt

Police officers stand on duty at a cordon near to the Finchley Reform Synagogue, in the North Finchley area of north London, on April 15, 2026, following an attack on the synagogue in the early hours of the morning. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)
Police officers stand on duty at a cordon near to the Finchley Reform Synagogue, in the North Finchley area of north London, on April 15, 2026, following an attack on the synagogue in the early hours of the morning. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)
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Police Arrest Two over London Synagogue Arson Attempt

Police officers stand on duty at a cordon near to the Finchley Reform Synagogue, in the North Finchley area of north London, on April 15, 2026, following an attack on the synagogue in the early hours of the morning. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)
Police officers stand on duty at a cordon near to the Finchley Reform Synagogue, in the North Finchley area of north London, on April 15, 2026, following an attack on the synagogue in the early hours of the morning. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)

Police in London arrested two people on Wednesday over an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in the north of the city, amid an upsurge in “antisemitic” incidents in Britain.

The pair -- a 47-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man -- were detained in Watford, north of the capital, and are being held in custody, police said.

A little-known extremist group with possible links to Iran claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity, AFP said.

The attack shortly after midnight on Wednesday came after an arson attack on ambulances run by a Jewish charity in London last month and a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester in October 2025.

The latest incident, which police said was being treated as an "antisemitic hate crime", was being investigated with support from counter-terrorism detectives.

"I hope the swift action by officers today to identify and arrest two people provides some reassurance and demonstrates how seriously we take attacks of this nature," Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in the area, said in a statement.

Describing the attack in an earlier statement, police said two people wearing dark clothing and balaclavas approached the synagogue in Finchley and "threw two bottles suspected to contain petrol" which did not ignite, the Metropolitan Police Force said.

- Surge in attacks -

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin (HAYI) group, claimed responsibility for the attack, SITE Intelligence Group reported.

The group previously claimed similar attacks in Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands.

The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 instances of anti-Jewish hate across the UK last year, a four percent rise on 2024, but down on 2023.

Two men and a boy have been charged over the ambulance attack on March 23, in which four ambulances run by volunteer organization Hatzola were destroyed.

It provides free medical transportation and emergency response to those living in north London.

On October 2, 2025, during the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, the attack on the synagogue in Manchester killed two people and seriously injured three, prompting increased anxiety among Jewish communities.

In February, a court jailed two men for life after police foiled a separate plot to carry out an ISIS-inspired gun attack on a Jewish gathering in Manchester.

Two Iranians also appeared in court in London in March accused of spying on the Jewish community in London on behalf of Tehran.

World

Australia to Boost Defense Spending Citing Growing Threats

This handout image taken on July 23, 2024 and released by the Australian Defense Force shows a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (top R) in formation flight with an RAAF EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft (bottom R), RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (top C), a Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier II (bottom C), an F-35 Lightning II (top L), a Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 (bottom 2nd L), and a Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle (bottom L) over northern Australia during Exercise Pitch Black 2024. Handout / AUSTRALIA DEFENCE FORCE/AFP
This handout image taken on July 23, 2024 and released by the Australian Defense Force shows a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (top R) in formation flight with an RAAF EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft (bottom R), RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (top C), a Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier II (bottom C), an F-35 Lightning II (top L), a Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 (bottom 2nd L), and a Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle (bottom L) over northern Australia during Exercise Pitch Black 2024. Handout / AUSTRALIA DEFENCE FORCE/AFP
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Australia to Boost Defense Spending Citing Growing Threats

This handout image taken on July 23, 2024 and released by the Australian Defense Force shows a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (top R) in formation flight with an RAAF EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft (bottom R), RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (top C), a Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier II (bottom C), an F-35 Lightning II (top L), a Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 (bottom 2nd L), and a Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle (bottom L) over northern Australia during Exercise Pitch Black 2024. Handout / AUSTRALIA DEFENCE FORCE/AFP
This handout image taken on July 23, 2024 and released by the Australian Defense Force shows a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (top R) in formation flight with an RAAF EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft (bottom R), RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (top C), a Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier II (bottom C), an F-35 Lightning II (top L), a Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 (bottom 2nd L), and a Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle (bottom L) over northern Australia during Exercise Pitch Black 2024. Handout / AUSTRALIA DEFENCE FORCE/AFP

Australia will raise defense spending to 3.0 percent of GDP by 2033 as armed conflicts flare worldwide, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday.

The new commitment follows pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration for Canberra to boost military expenditure as a share of total annual economic output.

"International norms that once constrained the use of force and military coercion continue to erode," Marles said in a speech in Canberra, outlining a boost to spending on missile defense, drones and guided weapon stockpiles.

"More countries are engaged in conflict today than at any time since the end of World War II, and this is occurring across every region of the world."

Australia's defense spending had previously been forecast to rise to 2.3 percent of GDP by 2033, AFP said.

But the country will spend an additional AU$53 billion ($38 billion) over the next decade when compared to its 2024 defense strategy, Marles said.

In the shorter term, spending would climb by an extra AU$14 billion over four years.

To reach the 3.0 percent figure, Australia changed how it calculates the defense budget to match a NATO definition that includes factors such as military pensions and defense intelligence.

Marles said Thursday this allowed better comparisons with other countries and put Australia ahead of comparable European and Asian nations with a defense spend this year of 2.8 percent.

- China build-up -

But the new spending still falls short of the 3.5 percent of GDP that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded Australia shell out last year.

Wary of China's navy build-up, US ally Australia has reshaped its defense force in recent years to focus on its missile strike capability and deterring an adversary from its northern approaches.

It has also embarked on its largest-ever military spending project to build nuclear-powered submarines next decade under the AUKUS agreement with the United States and the UK.

Marles emphasized Australia would focus in 2026 on building greater military self-reliance but was not jettisoning its US security alliance, which he said remained "fundamental".

"There is no effective balance of power in the Indo-Pacific absent the continued presence of the United States," he said.

Spending to build a missile defense system will accelerate -- up to AU$30 billion over the next decade.

Another AU$36 billion will be spent to build guided missiles locally.

Australia's vast coastline and small population have also spurred a focus on developing large autonomous submarines and fighter jets, dubbed the Ghost Shark and Ghost Bat.

This week, Canberra said it would boost spending on drones by up to AU$5 billion in response to shifts in warfare tactics in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Under the AUKUS agreement, the United States will sell Australia two nuclear-powered submarines from 2032.

Australia and Britain will then build a new class of submarine in the 2040s.

Critics have alleged the deal does not guarantee that Australia will ever receive the submarines.