Iran Conceals Drills Amid Speculation it Might Reconsider Attack on Israel

Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a message reading in Persian 'Smile for a while as you will cry very much soon' at Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a message reading in Persian 'Smile for a while as you will cry very much soon' at Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Iran Conceals Drills Amid Speculation it Might Reconsider Attack on Israel

Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a message reading in Persian 'Smile for a while as you will cry very much soon' at Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a message reading in Persian 'Smile for a while as you will cry very much soon' at Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 05 August 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran carried out secretive military exercises in the western part of the country early Thursday, as US sources suggested that Tehran might rethink launching a multi-front attack on Israel.

US officials observed “less readiness than expected” among Iranian forces.

Iran, along with its allies Hamas and Hezbollah, accuses Israel of assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31. The killing was part of a series of targeted attacks on senior Hamas figures during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.

News channels linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirmed the start of military drills in western Iran on Telegram. They reported a notice warning civilian aircraft to avoid the area.

The exercises, which include long-range missile tests, are expected to continue into Friday. The warnings highlighted potential dangers in certain areas up to 12,000 feet, but details about the drills were scarce.

Iranian media, including the Tasnim and Fars news agencies, did not report the drills. Earlier reports suggested that Iran had moved missiles to western regions, possibly in preparation for a strike on Israel.

Saeed Chalandari, head of Iran’s International Airport in Tehran, denied reports of a warning against entering the airspace of western Iran, but it was not clear if that applied to the entire country.

On Wednesday, Egyptian civil aviation authorities instructed national carriers to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours on Thursday morning, following Tehran's notice about the military drills.

A similar warning was issued on Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Iranian President Masoud Bezeshkian on Wednesday to avoid escalating military tensions in the region and to discourage Iran’s allies from taking destabilizing actions.

Politico reported that the Biden administration pressured Tehran through diplomatic channels, urging Iran to reconsider its plans for a military attack on Israel, especially if Haniyeh’s death was the result of an Israeli operation that did not harm Iranian citizens.

While officials still expect an Iranian response to Haniyeh’s killing, it appears Tehran is rethinking its strategy, and the US no longer expects an imminent attack on Israel.

CNN reported that Iran is still considering its response. A US official noted that while Iran has made some preparations for a possible attack on Israel, not all expected steps have been taken.

Two sources told CNN that Lebanon’s Hezbollah might act independently of Iran in attacking Israel.

Last week, Israel killed the top military commander for Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, in Lebanon.

One source said the group, which is backed by Iran, is advancing its plans to strike Israel in the coming days without prior warning, moving faster than Iran.

It is unclear whether or how Iran and Hezbollah are coordinating a potential attack. Some officials believe the two sides may not be fully aligned.

White House officials, however, said that while they still expect a response from Iran to Haniyeh’s assassination, intense diplomatic efforts and regional communications may have caused Tehran to reconsider its stance.



Seoul: 'At Least 100 North Koreans Killed' Fighting for Russia

South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
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Seoul: 'At Least 100 North Koreans Killed' Fighting for Russia

South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP

At least 100 North Koreans deployed to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters Thursday.
Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce the Russian military, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.
"In December, they (North Korean troops) engaged in actual combat, during which at least 100 fatalities occurred," Lee said, speaking after a briefing by South Korea's spy agency.
"The National Intelligence Service also reported that the number of injured is expected to reach nearly 1,000."
Despite those losses, the agency also said it had detected signs North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was preparing to train a new special operations force to ship westward, AFP reported.
Lee noted that the North's elite Storm Corps -- from which the initial deployment was drawn -- had "the capacity to send reinforcements".
The NIS also predicted "that Russia might offer reciprocal benefits" for a new deployment, Lee said, including "modernizing North Korea's conventional weaponry".
The lawmaker added that "several North Korean casualties" had already been attributed to Ukrainian missile and drone attacks and training accidents, with the highest ranking "at least at the level of a general".
The NIS said the high number of casualties could be attributed to the "unfamiliar battlefield environment, where North Korean forces are being utilized as expendable frontline assault units, and their lack of capability to counter drone attacks," said Lee.
Burden or asset?
"Within the Russian military, complaints have reportedly surfaced that the North Korean troops, due to their lack of knowledge about drones, are more of a burden than an asset," Lee said.
His comments follow a senior US military official on Tuesday saying North Korean forces had suffered "several hundred" casualties fighting Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region.
Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky previously said North Korean troops had been at the heart of an "intensive offensive" in Kursk.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A landmark defense pact between Pyongyang and Moscow signed in June came into force earlier this month.
Experts say North Korea's Kim is keen to acquire advanced technology from Russia and battle experience for his troops.
Pyongyang on Thursday lashed out at what it called "reckless provocation" by the United States and its allies for a joint statement criticizing North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, including the deployment of troops.
A foreign ministry spokesman said the 10 nations and the European Union (EU) were "distorting and slandering" Pyongyang's "normal cooperative" ties with Moscow, according to state media.