Israel Escalates Military Threats against Iran

Israeli soldiers stand in front of an Iron Dome defense system battery in the Hula Valley (AFP/Getty Images)
Israeli soldiers stand in front of an Iron Dome defense system battery in the Hula Valley (AFP/Getty Images)
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Israel Escalates Military Threats against Iran

Israeli soldiers stand in front of an Iron Dome defense system battery in the Hula Valley (AFP/Getty Images)
Israeli soldiers stand in front of an Iron Dome defense system battery in the Hula Valley (AFP/Getty Images)

Israel has escalated threats of a "military attack" against Iran if the nuclear agreement negotiations failed.

The commander of the Northern Brigade in the Israeli army, Major General Amir Baram, asserted that Tel Aviv is prepared to confront any terrorist infrastructure, and Air Force commander, Major General Amikam Norkin, said that his forces are preparing to face the threat of Iranian missiles fired at Israeli towns.

The military editor of Maariv newspaper, Tal Lev-Ram, revealed Israel is preparing for a possible attack in Iran by focusing on the readiness of the air force.

Lev-Ram added that the army is working at a high pace to develop its capabilities to launch destructive operations against Iranian targets.

He indicated that the army will not be satisfied with strikes that obstruct the nuclear program, pointing to the expansion of Iran's "bank of targets."

Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel said Israeli officials are currently focusing on the political discourse, stressing that Tel Aviv has the "right to defend itself," leaving the army to direct military threats.

Meanwhile, a top expert in Israeli-US relations told Asharq Al-Awsat that the differences between Tel Aviv and Washington are minor and superficial.

"I do not want to say that Washington and Tel Aviv share roles in the battle against the Iranian project, but I am confident that they complement each other's," said the expert, adding that they share their views on the Iranian threat.

Former Mossad chief, Yossi Cohen, told Ynet news that the option of an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear sites must be seriously considered.

"Independent strikes on nuclear sites, if Iran takes this path that endangers our existence, should and must be on the table — unequivocally," he urged.

He indicated that a good deal could prevent Iran from reaching a nuclear bomb, and a bad agreement like the one signed in 2015 can't do it perfectly.

"The bottom line is that we must take away the capabilities from Iran because we will not be able to take away its motivations."

Cohen stated that Israel should demand a good agreement, hoping the US would understand the meaning of a "bad agreement."

The Israeli security apparatus urges the US to pay attention to the Iranian activity accompanying its nuclear project.

It sent a report to the Pentagon claiming Iran has transferred hundreds of drones to Syria, and dozens to Iraq, Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The report stated that three out of the six Iranian attacks in the Middle East involved drones.

Haaretz daily quoted Israeli sources as estimating that Iran is pushing attacks against targets in the Arab Gulf using drones as a means of pressure aimed at advancing interests related to its nuclear program.



Iranian Students Protest in Tehran and Isfahan, Says Local Media

Shopkeepers and traders walk over a bridge during a protest against the economic conditions and Iran's embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. (Handout / Fars News Agency / AFP)
Shopkeepers and traders walk over a bridge during a protest against the economic conditions and Iran's embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. (Handout / Fars News Agency / AFP)
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Iranian Students Protest in Tehran and Isfahan, Says Local Media

Shopkeepers and traders walk over a bridge during a protest against the economic conditions and Iran's embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. (Handout / Fars News Agency / AFP)
Shopkeepers and traders walk over a bridge during a protest against the economic conditions and Iran's embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. (Handout / Fars News Agency / AFP)

Student protests erupted on Tuesday at universities in the capital Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, decrying declining living standards following demonstrations by shopkeepers, local media reported.

"Demonstrations took place in Tehran at the universities of Beheshti, Khajeh Nasir, Sharif, Amir Kabir, Science and Culture, and Science and Technology, as well as the Isfahan University of Technology," reported Ilna, a news agency affiliated with the labor movement.


Iran Designates Royal Canadian Navy a Terrorist Organization

Iranians drive past a huge banner of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani ahead of the sixth anniversary of his assassination at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 30 December 2025. (EPA)
Iranians drive past a huge banner of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani ahead of the sixth anniversary of his assassination at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 30 December 2025. (EPA)
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Iran Designates Royal Canadian Navy a Terrorist Organization

Iranians drive past a huge banner of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani ahead of the sixth anniversary of his assassination at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 30 December 2025. (EPA)
Iranians drive past a huge banner of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani ahead of the sixth anniversary of his assassination at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, 30 December 2025. (EPA)

The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Canada's 2024 blacklisting of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

In a statement, the ministry said that the move was in reaction to Ottawa declaring the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, a terror group "contrary to the fundamental principles of international law".

Iran "within the framework of reciprocity, identifies and declares the Royal Canadian Navy as a terrorist organization," the statement added, without specifying what ramifications if any the force will face.

On June 19, 2024, Canada declared the IRGC a terror group. This bars its members from entering the country and Canadians from having any dealings with individual members or the group.

Additionally, any assets the Guards or its members hold in Canada could also be seized.
Canada accused the Guards of "having consistently displayed disregard for human rights both inside and outside of Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order."

One of the reasons behind Ottawa's decision to designate the force as a terror group was the Flight PS752 incident.

The flight was show down shortly after takeoff from Tehran in January 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The IRGC admitted its forces downed the jet, but claimed their controllers had mistaken it for a hostile target.

Ottawa broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran in 2012, calling Iran "the most significant threat to global peace".

Iran's archenemy, the United States, listed the Guards as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019 while Australia did the same last month, accusing the force of being behind attacks on Australian soil.


Kyiv: Russia Shows No Proof of Alleged Drone Attack on Putin Home

A satellite image of Vladimir Putin's residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod region, Russia, on August 31, 2023. 2025 Planet Labs PBC, via Reuters (archive)
A satellite image of Vladimir Putin's residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod region, Russia, on August 31, 2023. 2025 Planet Labs PBC, via Reuters (archive)
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Kyiv: Russia Shows No Proof of Alleged Drone Attack on Putin Home

A satellite image of Vladimir Putin's residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod region, Russia, on August 31, 2023. 2025 Planet Labs PBC, via Reuters (archive)
A satellite image of Vladimir Putin's residential complex in Roshchino, Novgorod region, Russia, on August 31, 2023. 2025 Planet Labs PBC, via Reuters (archive)

Russia has given no "plausible evidence" for its claim that Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's homes, Ukraine said Tuesday.

"Almost a day passed and Russia still hasn't provided any plausible evidence to its accusations of Ukraine's alleged 'attack on Putin's residence. And they won't. Because there's none. No such attack happened," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said in a post on X.

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in a call: "I don't think there should be any evidence if such a massive drone attack is being carried out, which, thanks to the well-coordinated work of the air defense system, was shot down”.

Peskov also said Russia would "toughen" its negotiating stance in talks on ending the Ukraine war following the alleged attack, which Kyiv denies.