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.



Macron Says France ‘Never Envisaged’ Sending Warships into Strait of Hormuz

This US Navy handout photo released on May 8, 2026 by US Central Command Public Affairs, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Herby while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 24, 2026. (US Navy / AFP)
This US Navy handout photo released on May 8, 2026 by US Central Command Public Affairs, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Herby while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 24, 2026. (US Navy / AFP)
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Macron Says France ‘Never Envisaged’ Sending Warships into Strait of Hormuz

This US Navy handout photo released on May 8, 2026 by US Central Command Public Affairs, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Herby while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 24, 2026. (US Navy / AFP)
This US Navy handout photo released on May 8, 2026 by US Central Command Public Affairs, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Herby while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 24, 2026. (US Navy / AFP)

President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said that France had "never envisaged" a naval deployment in the Strait of Hormuz but rather a security mission that would be "coordinated with Iran".

At a news conference in Nairobi, Macron said he was sticking to his position opposing a blockade from either side, and to "reject any toll" to ensure ships are able to pass through the strategic waterway.

Iran on Sunday warned of a "decisive and immediate response" to any French or British deployments in the strait, after both announced they would send military vessels to the region.

"There was never any question of a deployment but we are ready," said Macron.

"We have put together an ad hoc mission, co-led with the British, which has brought together 50 countries and international organisations to enable, in a coordinated way with Iran and by deconflicting the situation with all the countries of the region and the United States, the resumption of maritime traffic as soon as conditions allow," he added.

Macron, in Africa for a summit in Nairobi, said the whole continent was "victim of the blockade" of the strait, through which normally passes most of the oil exported from the Middle East.

France last week announced that its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, had passed through the Suez Canal in preparation for such a mission.


Israeli Attorney General Opposes Appointment of Next Mossad Chief

Israeli left-wing activists demonstrate in Tel Aviv's HaBima Square against the ongoing war with Iran and against the Israeli government on May 9, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli left-wing activists demonstrate in Tel Aviv's HaBima Square against the ongoing war with Iran and against the Israeli government on May 9, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Attorney General Opposes Appointment of Next Mossad Chief

Israeli left-wing activists demonstrate in Tel Aviv's HaBima Square against the ongoing war with Iran and against the Israeli government on May 9, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli left-wing activists demonstrate in Tel Aviv's HaBima Square against the ongoing war with Iran and against the Israeli government on May 9, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's attorney general on Sunday opposed the appointment of the next head of the Mossad spy agency, due to take office in June, in a letter to the Supreme Court shared with the Israeli media.

The court is due to hear multiple petitions against the appointment of Major General Roman Gofman in the coming days.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara's opposition centers on a case dating back to 2022, in which she says Gofman did nothing to exonerate a teenager arrested for espionage who had in fact been secretly recruited by the military at Gofman's request.

Gofman was a military commander on Israel's northern border at the time.

According to the attorney general's letter, army officers acting "at Gofman's request" recruited 17-year-old Uri Elmakiyes outside any legal framework to conduct "information gathering and influence" operations online with citizens of enemy countries, mainly Syria.

Unaware that the teenager was acting on behalf of the military, the Shin Bet internal security agency arrested and detained him in isolation for nearly two months before moving him to house arrest for over a year.

Prosecutors eventually dropped all charges against Elmakiyes, following an investigation. He is among those petitioning the Supreme Court against the appointment.

Baharav-Miara accused Gofman of doing nothing to exonerate the young man after his arrest. Gofman initially denied any knowledge of the affair.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu selected Gofman, who currently serves as his military secretary, for the post of Mossad director in December 2025.

An advisory committee for senior appointments was tasked with issuing an opinion on the appointment.

The committee's chairman, a former Supreme Court judge, opposed the nomination, saying Gofman had lied about the affair during his hearing, raising concerns about his "moral integrity".

But he was outvoted by the committee's three other members, who are all known to be supporters of the prime minister.

Netanyahu wrote to the court requesting that the petitions be dismissed, arguing that "responsibility for the security of the state and its citizens rests with the prime minister, and with him alone".

Netanyahu has refused to assume responsibility for the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel that sparked the two-year war in Gaza, placing the blame on the security establishment.


Iran War ‘Not Over,’ Uranium Must Be Removed, Says Netanyahu

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iran War ‘Not Over,’ Uranium Must Be Removed, Says Netanyahu

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium must be "taken out" before the US-Israeli war against Iran can be considered over, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview Sunday.

"It's not over, because there's still nuclear material -- enriched uranium -- that has to be taken out of Iran. There's still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled," Netanyahu said in an excerpt of an interview due to air later Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes" program.

"You go in and you take it out," the Israeli leader said when asked how the uranium could be removed.

Netanyahu said that US President Donald Trump had a similar position.

"I'm not going to talk about military means, but the president, what President Trump has said to me -- 'I want to go in there.'"

However, Netanyahu's statement was in contrast to Trump's public position.

The 79-year-old Republican is under increasing domestic pressure to end the Iran war and he insists that Tehran's nuclear program has been contained.

In an interview aired Sunday but apparently recorded earlier, Trump said Iran was "militarily defeated" and he insisted that the uranium could be removed "whenever we want."

"We'll get that at some point, whenever we want. We'll have it surveilled," he told independent television journalist Sharyl Attkisson.

"We have that very well surveilled. If anybody got near the place we will know about it and we'll blow them up."

Asked by CBS how the uranium stockpiles could be taken out from Iran, Netanyahu said he would prefer an agreement.

"I think it can be done physically. That's not the problem. If you have an agreement and you go in and you take it out, why not? That's the best way."

Pressed on whether there are military options to seize the hidden uranium, Netanyahu said, "I'm not going to talk about our military possibilities, plans, or anything of the kind."

"I'm not going to give a timetable to it, but I am going to say that's a terrifically important mission."

In addition to the unresolved uranium stockpile issue, Netanyahu said there were several other war aims that had yet to be accomplished.

"There's still proxies that Iran supports, their ballistic missiles that they still want to produce. Now, we've degraded a lot of it, but all that is still there and there's work to be done."

Netanyahu's interview with "60 Minutes" was due to air at 7:00 pm (2300 GMT).