Iranian Commander Threatens to Destroy Haifa, Tel Aviv

Iran's regular army ground forces' commander Kiumars Heydari. Fars
Iran's regular army ground forces' commander Kiumars Heydari. Fars
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Iranian Commander Threatens to Destroy Haifa, Tel Aviv

Iran's regular army ground forces' commander Kiumars Heydari. Fars
Iran's regular army ground forces' commander Kiumars Heydari. Fars

Iran will raze the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa should its enemy Israel make any mistake, Commander of the Iranian army ground forces Kiumars Heydari threatened on Tuesday.

“For any mistake made by the enemy, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground by the order of the Supreme Leader,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the Iranian commander as saying.

Heydari said all units of the army are being equipped with precision-guided, long-range and smart weapons, adding that the range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and that the operational missiles of the army have increased.

He underlined that the military and defense achievements of the Iranian army are a thorn in the enemies' eyes.

“All this equipment is to respond to the stupid aggressions of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution,” Heydari noted.

The Army commander reiterated that the usurper Zionist regime has occupied Muslim lands and these lands will return to Islam in less than 25 years.

However, Heydari failed to refer to any of the security developments that shook Iran lately.

Last May 25, an engineer died and another employee was injured after an accident in a research center at the Parchin military site affiliated with Iran's Defense Ministry.

The next day, Iranian authorities confirmed the death of engineer Ehsan Ghad Beigi in an "industrial accident" at the military site.

The New York Times said that according to three Iranians with knowledge of the attack and to a US official, a drone strike targeted the highly sensitive military site outside Tehran where Iran develops missile, nuclear and drone technology.

The attack came four days after a senior member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, Col. Sayad Khodayee, was assassinated in Tehran outside his home, according to a statement by the Guards.

NYT said Israel told the United States that it was behind his killing, according to one intelligence official.

The Israelis intended it as a warning to Iran to stop targeting Israeli citizens abroad, the official said.

Few days following the Parchin explosion, another commander of IRGC Quds Force died under suspicious circumstances in Karaj. There were conflicting reports concerning the reason for his death, his role at the IRGC and his link to Khodayee.

Later, reports revealed that Ayoob Entezari, a senior Iranian engineer who held a PhD in aerospace engineering and was reported dead under unclear circumstances early this month, had been intentionally poisoned in the city of Yazd.

A letter written by the governor called him a "martyr" and a picture allegedly showed officials paying a condolence visit to his home.

Khodayee’s killing and the Parchin bombing dealt a major blow to Iranian authorities, who tried to reduce Israel’s ability to carry out operations deep inside Iranian territory, especially after hardliner Ibrahim Raisi was elected President.



Netanyahu’s Somalia Map Revives Fears of Partition

From the Somali capital, Mogadishu (Reuters)
From the Somali capital, Mogadishu (Reuters)
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Netanyahu’s Somalia Map Revives Fears of Partition

From the Somali capital, Mogadishu (Reuters)
From the Somali capital, Mogadishu (Reuters)

A map unveiled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked outrage in Somalia, which accused him of undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity by depicting Puntland and Somaliland as separate states.

The map has reignited fears of partition in a country already grappling with deep divisions. Puntland remains at odds with the federal government, while Israel recognized the breakaway region of Somaliland several months ago.

Somalia rejects the map

Somalia's federal government "categorically rejected" what it called a "misleading map" displayed during Netanyahu's news conference on Sunday, saying it portrayed the country as fragmented.

It condemned the move as "a flagrant violation of Somalia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders."

In a statement issued by the Information Ministry on Wednesday evening, the government reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to national sovereignty and the unity of its territory and people.

It stressed that Somaliland and Puntland remain "integral and inseparable parts of the unified, sovereign Somali state."

The government warned that any attempt by foreign officials or outside parties to redraw Somalia's political map, misrepresent its borders or undermine its territorial unity would constitute a direct violation of international law and diplomatic norms.

It urged the international community and its partners to respect Somalia's independence and territorial integrity, pledging to uphold its constitutional duty to defend the country's sovereignty and national unity.

Netanyahu displayed the map, titled "Geopolitical Alliances in the Middle East," during an Israeli national security briefing on Oct. 18. It placed Puntland and Somaliland in geopolitical categories linked to Israel.

For Mogadishu, the controversy goes beyond the map itself.

Abdulwali Jama Barre, an African affairs expert and co-founder of the Somali Academy of Leadership and Global Affairs, said the government's response underscored its determination to preserve Somalia's unity and reject any treatment of its regions as independent states.

But Barre drew a distinction between the map's depiction and formal recognition of independence.

"Showing Somali territories under separate geopolitical classifications does not, in itself, mean the map formally declared them independent states," he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

"However, the Somali government viewed the depiction as fragmenting the country's political map and undermining its internationally recognized borders."

Barre said the dispute carried particular weight given Somaliland's contested political status, its ties with Israel and fears in Mogadishu that foreign involvement could weaken Somalia's unity.

The deeper concern, he said, is that foreign powers could increasingly treat Somali regions as entities separate from the federal state.

That risk would grow if symbolic gestures were followed by concrete steps or new formal arrangements amid the country's existing political disputes, he added.

Deep divisions

Somaliland's strategic location adds another dimension to the dispute.

The breakaway region stretches along 740 kilometers of the Gulf of Aden coastline, occupying a key position at the junction of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa. It is also home to the strategically important Port of Berbera.

Since breaking away from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland had failed to secure international recognition until Israel recognized it, a decision Mogadishu firmly rejects, with Arab countries backing its position.

The map controversy comes as tensions between Somalia's federal government and Puntland remain unresolved.

In May, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni declared that he no longer recognized Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as Somalia's legitimate president, accusing him of illegally abusing his presidential powers.

Deni called for an urgent gathering of Somalia's political parties to agree on an inclusive electoral process.

The dispute is part of a broader rift between Puntland and Mogadishu. Over the past year, the regional administration has repeatedly challenged Mohamud's positions and refused dialogue with him.

Deni has also joined the opposition Somali Future Council, which is demanding the government's departure.

At the time, Somalia's federal Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali, known as Hosh, sharply criticized Deni, calling him "an obstacle to the state, the country's unity and its development."

Barre warned that such internal divisions must be addressed through constitutional and political dialogue to prevent disputes between Mogadishu and regional administrations, particularly Puntland, from becoming an arena for foreign competition.

He urged Mogadishu to pursue diplomatic action on several fronts, beginning with a formal protest to Israel and a request for clarification about the map and the circumstances in which it was presented.

Somalia should also raise the matter with the United Nations, African Union, Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation, seeking assurances of respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.

At home, Barre stressed the need for renewed dialogue between the federal government and regional administrations, especially Puntland, to resolve their differences within an agreed constitutional framework.


Trump: Iran is Trying to Drive Up Oil Prices Before Midterm Elections

21 October 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House before departing for South Carolina. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
21 October 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House before departing for South Carolina. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Trump: Iran is Trying to Drive Up Oil Prices Before Midterm Elections

21 October 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House before departing for South Carolina. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
21 October 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House before departing for South Carolina. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran was doing all it could ⁠to drive up ⁠the price of oil before ⁠the US midterm elections.

"They are even making up fake hits, mines, and everything else," he said ⁠in ⁠a Truth Social post.

Iran's state television reported on Thursday that seven oil tankers were either struck by attacks or hit naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, possibly the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the Iran war started on Feb. 28.

Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard's navy, the Iranian report said four of the tankers were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire. Three more were damaged and immobilized after hitting naval mines. The report didn't provide details about possible casualties or the tankers' flags.

Oil prices climbed about 2% to a five-month high on Thursday.

Brent futures rose $2.42, or 2.2%, to $111.24 a barrel at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.14, or 1.2%, to $98.29.

That drove Brent into technically overbought territory for a third time in a week and set for its highest close since May 18.


French Justice Minister: 217 People Jailed Over Riots

France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin leaves after attending the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on October 22, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin leaves after attending the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on October 22, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
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French Justice Minister: 217 People Jailed Over Riots

France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin leaves after attending the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on October 22, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin leaves after attending the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on October 22, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

French courts have jailed 217 people after convicting them in fast-track trials linked to last weekend's rioting, the justice minister said Thursday, hailing the judiciary's "extremely firm" response.

Speaking outside the Fleury-Merogis prison on the outskirts of Paris, Gerald Darmanin said 2,700 people had been detained since Saturday.

More than 1,000 of them had appeared in court, he said, of whom "217 people have been imprisoned... and this figure is continuing to rise a lot."

Darmanin told reporters that of the 217 sent to jail "half had no criminal record", adding that "in general these are men aged between 18 to 25."

"This shows that prosecutors and judges are imprisoning people who, until now, were not known to the judiciary and are first offenders. It shows that the decisions of the judiciary are being applied in an extremely firm way," AFP quoted him as saying.

Darmanin has vowed to oversee expedited trials to rapidly clear the backlog of cases and to serve as a deterrent. New protests over grievances including the rising cost of living are planned this weekend.

But he has faced criticism from some lawyers who have accused the judiciary of lurching into repression.

France, like many European countries, faces problems with prison overcrowding but Darmanin said the solution was not "to imprison fewer people, but to create more space in prison."

As of September 1, there were 90,020 inmates in French prisons, well above the capacity of 63,348 places and a new record, according to ministry statistics.