Israel’s Chief of Staff: War Against Iran Is Not Over

A photo released by the Israeli army shows Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir at the Glilot intelligence base.
A photo released by the Israeli army shows Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir at the Glilot intelligence base.
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Israel’s Chief of Staff: War Against Iran Is Not Over

A photo released by the Israeli army shows Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir at the Glilot intelligence base.
A photo released by the Israeli army shows Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir at the Glilot intelligence base.

Israel's Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Tuesday that the military operation against Iran is not over.

He instructed the army to be prepared for “a continued wide-scale and comprehensive campaign.”

During a rare “multi-front situational assessment” at the Glilot intelligence base - the first of its kind in nearly two years- Zamir said “Iran and its axis remain in our sights. The campaign against Iran is not over.”

He noted that 2026 would be a year focused on preparedness, restoring capabilities, and seizing operational opportunities.

On Tuesday, Zamir and top generals reviewed the operational, intelligence, and strategic picture across all fronts.

“The Israeli Army must operate offensively across multiple arenas alongside vital defense in each sector and along our borders,” he said. “We will continue preserving air superiority and advancing the intelligence effort.”

On Gaza, he described the war there as “one of the most complex” the army has ever faced.

“We have achieved very significant accomplishments, and the Southern Command continues to lead with standing army and reserve brigades in offense and defense. We are paying a heavy price in the fighting,” he said.

Zamir also underscored the need for continued operations in the West Bank, against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and against Iranian targets in Syria.

Meanwhile, former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said if the Iranian regime does not abandon its nuclear program, then Israel may have to strike again.

According to him, the Iranian government poses a serious threat not only to Israel but also to broader regional stability.

Gantz said Israel cannot allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons. “We made the right decision with our previous strikes,” he said.

The former minister noted that the best solution to guarantee that Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon would be peaceful pressure to compel Tehran to abandon its nuclear activities, but this method does not seem to be working in practice.

Therefore, military measures may return to the agenda, he said.



Several Killed in Ukraine in Latest Russian Strikes

Burnt-out hypermarket following an overnight Ukrainian drone strike, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine, on August 16, 2026. Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
Burnt-out hypermarket following an overnight Ukrainian drone strike, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine, on August 16, 2026. Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
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Several Killed in Ukraine in Latest Russian Strikes

Burnt-out hypermarket following an overnight Ukrainian drone strike, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine, on August 16, 2026. Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
Burnt-out hypermarket following an overnight Ukrainian drone strike, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine, on August 16, 2026. Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters

Four people were killed in a wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday, the government said, as US envoy Steve Witkoff headed to Saint Petersburg for talks.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said two people were killed when a drone hit a 24-storey building in the capital, Kyiv, while two others were killed in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

The head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, Oleg Synegubov, said the victims were an elderly couple, aged 81 and 83. Emergency services found their bodies under the rubble after their house was destroyed.

The latest attacks came as Witkoff on Tuesday wrapped up talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway before heading to Russia on Wednesday to meet President Vladimir Putin.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the talks as "positive", after rising tensions between Kyiv and Washington in recent weeks over the course of the nearly five-year war.

Koretsky wrote on Telegram that Russian forces had struck energy infrastructure, railways, shopping centers and residential buildings "continuously" since Tuesday night.

Further strikes included one on a university building in the central city of Kremenchuk, and attacks on energy facilities in Kyiv, Volyn in the northwest, and Odesa and Mykolaiv in the south.

Koretsky also said a drone attacked a merchant vessel in the Black Sea.

Power company DTEK said emergency power outages were imposed on three parts of Kyiv alongside planned power cuts elsewhere in the city.


North Korea Says ‘New Firepower Units’ in Place After Border Threat

A North Korean guard post (C) and a giant loudspeaker (R) on the North side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, are seen from the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)
A North Korean guard post (C) and a giant loudspeaker (R) on the North side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, are seen from the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)
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North Korea Says ‘New Firepower Units’ in Place After Border Threat

A North Korean guard post (C) and a giant loudspeaker (R) on the North side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, are seen from the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)
A North Korean guard post (C) and a giant loudspeaker (R) on the North side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, are seen from the border city of Paju on October 20, 2026. (AFP)

North Korea has moved new units into "firing positions", the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un said Wednesday, days after Pyongyang warned it was considering deploying additional strike means to its border with South Korea. 

Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang have soared since the South last month blamed an explosion inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two countries on landmines laid by North Korea, an accusation it has rejected. 

"Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions," Kim Yo Jong said, according to state media. 

Her statement came a day after Seoul warned of a "firm" response to further North Korean provocations. 

She added that Kim Jong Un had "issued an order to fortify the border with an enemy state to be eternally impregnable". 

The statement came as the Korea Central News Agency said the armed forces' Marshal Pak Jong Chon had inspected "pivotal positions" on the border, stressing to troops it was "time to organize the firepower strong enough to strike terror into the enemy's heart". 

"If the enemy troops make a provocation actually threatening the safety of our service personnel... The border forces of the DPRK must take very proficient, specialized and overwhelming military action," he said, using the acronym for the North's official name. 

Seoul's military accused Pyongyang on Tuesday of attempting to shift the blame for escalating military tensions, while confirming it had used both loudspeakers and warning shots as "legitimate defensive measures to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the MDL (Military Demarcation Line) and to drive back troops that have crossed it". 

Jin Yong-sung, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, ordered the military to "respond with firm resolve" should North Korea use Seoul's actions as a pretext for aggressive action, while the defense ministry warned they would be met with "resolute" punishment. 

North Korea has separately tested a slew of weapons recently, including a "new-type" precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both of which were said to employ AI technology. 


Israel Accepted as a Pacific Islands Forum Partner, FM Says

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)
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Israel Accepted as a Pacific Islands Forum Partner, FM Says

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a ceremony marking the opening of Colombia's new embassy in Jerusalem, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel, 14 October 2026. (EPA)

Israel has ‌become a Pacific Islands Forum partner, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X, describing the move as part of the country's broader effort to strengthen ties with the region.

Before Israel's inclusion, the Forum had 21 dialogue partners including the United States, China, Japan and the European Union. Dialogue partners are countries and organizations outside the Blue Pacific region with significant interests in the ‌islands and ‌that contribute to discussions and initiatives ‌aimed ⁠at regional development ⁠and security, according to the grouping's website.

Saar said Forum Secretary-General Baron Divavesi Waqa had informed him that Pacific leaders had approved Israel's application as a "Forum Partner" at their meeting in Palau.

Israel submitted its request during Saar's visit ⁠to Fiji in June, he added.

Under the ‌arrangement, Israel will ‌participate in cooperation on water management, desalination, agriculture, climate change, ‌innovation and sustainable development, Saar revealed.

Israel and ‌the Forum will also prepare a joint action plan and establish a mechanism to monitor its implementation, he added.

Earlier this year, Israel opened an embassy ‌in Fiji, which also serves nine other Pacific island countries, Saar said.

Papua ⁠New ⁠Guinea, Fiji and Nauru have opened embassies in Jerusalem since the current Israeli government took office, he remarked.

The move comes as Israel seeks to deepen diplomatic support amid mounting international pressure over its conduct of the war in Gaza. Several Pacific island states have at times voted with Israel or against UN resolutions it opposed.

The Pacific Islands Forum has not publicly confirmed Israel's status and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.