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Israeli Army Prepares List of Iran Targets

A Hezbollah fighter stands at a watch tower at Juroud Arsal on the Syria-Lebanon border, July 29, 2017 (Reuters)
A Hezbollah fighter stands at a watch tower at Juroud Arsal on the Syria-Lebanon border, July 29, 2017 (Reuters)
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Israeli Army Prepares List of Iran Targets

A Hezbollah fighter stands at a watch tower at Juroud Arsal on the Syria-Lebanon border, July 29, 2017 (Reuters)
A Hezbollah fighter stands at a watch tower at Juroud Arsal on the Syria-Lebanon border, July 29, 2017 (Reuters)

Military sources in Tel Aviv revealed that the Israeli army has presented the government with several scenarios for striking targets in Iran, but emphasized that it would be difficult to determine the outcome of such strikes or assess how it would affect Tehran's nuclear program.

According to a report published by Haaretz on Wednesday, the military says it is preparing for a possible attack on Iran, acquiring advanced weapons, conducting air force training exercises and collecting new strike targets for the Military Intelligence.
“The Israeli army was given an additional budget of 9 billion shekels ($2.9 billion) for this purpose,” the newspaper wrote.

Military officials said the army will be ready to strike Iran as soon as the government gives its approval.

The military is also preparing for the consequences of striking Iran, including a round of fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon or Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army’s assessment revealed that Iran has increased and improved its air defense array over the past years and has managed to significantly increase its arsenal of long-range missiles, Haaretz said.

“Due to this development, the Israeli military signed several contracts over the past year worth billions of shekels in order to expand and strengthen Israel's air defense,” it added.

This came while Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi announced that the army’s ability to maneuver has improved considerably.

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Taiwan Says Somalia Bans Entry to Its Citizens amid Somaliland Dispute

A soldier lowers the Taiwan national flag during the daily flag ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
A soldier lowers the Taiwan national flag during the daily flag ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
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Taiwan Says Somalia Bans Entry to Its Citizens amid Somaliland Dispute

A soldier lowers the Taiwan national flag during the daily flag ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
A soldier lowers the Taiwan national flag during the daily flag ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Somalia has banned entry to Taiwan passport holders citing compliance with a United Nations resolution, the island's foreign ministry said, blaming Chinese pressure on Mogadishu at a time Taiwan is boosting ties with Somaliland.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has endured three decades of civil war.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory and likewise diplomatically isolated, and Somaliland set up representative offices in each other's capitals in 2020, angering Mogadishu and Beijing.

In a statement late on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority had last week issued a notice that as of Wednesday Taiwanese passports will not be accepted for entry to Somalia.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a solemn protest against the Somali government's move, instigated by China, to restrict the freedom and security of travel of our nationals, and demands the Somali government immediately revoke the announcement," it said.

Somalia's outgoing Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi told Reuters the measure had been taken because they recognize one China policy and consider Taiwan a part of China.

"We banned from Somalia all illegal work of Taiwan and those with Taiwanese passports," he said.

"It (Taiwan) violated the independence and unity of Somalia by opening illegal offices in a town which is part of Somalia, without permission from Somalia." He was referring to Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital.

Somaliland officials could not be reached for comment.

A spokesman for China's foreign ministry said the decision was a legitimate measure taken by Somalia to safeguard its rights and interests.

"It also shows that Somalia firmly abides by the one China principle ... we firmly oppose the establishment of institutions or any form of official exchange between the Taiwan authorities and Somaliland," ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference on Wednesday.

Notice of the entry ban, sent to airlines, was given so that Somalia complies with a United Nations Resolution passed in 1971 by which the Beijing government took Taipei's place at the global body under the "one China" principle, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Taiwan, along with the US, says the UN resolution makes no mention of Taiwan's status and that China has deliberately misinterpreted it. China says the resolution gives international legal standing to its claims of sovereignty over the democratically governed island.