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.



Leader of Student Protests at Columbia Facing Deportation after Arrest by Immigration Officials

Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Leader of Student Protests at Columbia Facing Deportation after Arrest by Immigration Officials

Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)

A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead protests at Columbia University is facing deportation following his arrest by federal immigration agents over the weekend.

Mahmoud Khalil, who graduated from the university in December, was arrested Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest, saying it was a result of President Donald Trump’s executive orders prohibiting antisemitism. He has not been formally charged with a crime.

Khalil’s lawyer, Amy Greer, said the agents who took him into custody at his university-owned home near Columbia initially claimed to be acting on a State Department order to revoke his student visa. But when Greer informed them that Khalil was a permanent resident with a green card, they said they would revoke that documentation instead.

Federal immigration authorities also visited a second international student at Columbia over the weekend and attempted to take her into custody but were prevented from entering the apartment, according to a union representing the student. The woman has not been identified, and it’s not clear what grounds ICE had for the visit.

According to the Student Workers of Columbia, a graduate student union representing the woman, three ICE agents visited her university-owned residence Friday night and attempted to enter without a warrant.

“The agents were rightfully turned away at the door,” the student union said.

Over the weekend, the university circulated guidance to students about its policies for allowing federal authorities on campus. The guidance states that “in general, ICE agents must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to access non-public areas,” including housing.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a message posted Sunday on X that the administration will be “revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

Khalil’s arrest is the first publicly known deportation effort under Trump’s promised crackdown on students protesting the war in Gaza.

The Republican president has argued that protesters forfeited their rights to remain in the country by supporting the Palestinian group Hamas that controls Gaza.

Khalil and other student leaders of Columbia University Apartheid Divest have rejected claims of antisemitism, saying they are part of a broader anti-war movement that also counts Jewish students and groups among its members. But the divestment group, at times, has also voiced support for leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, another organization designated by the US as a terrorist group.

Khalil is currently being held in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after initially being sent to a facility in New Jersey, according to ICE’s online detainee database, which lists his birthplace as Syria.

It’s unclear when he will have a hearing in immigration court, which is typically the first step in the deportation process. Spokespersons for ICE and DHS did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday.

Columbia University declined to comment on Khalil’s arrest over the weekend. University spokespersons did not immediately respond Monday.

A protest was scheduled for later Monday in front of ICE’s offices in Manhattan.

Khalil was one of the most visible activists in last year’s protests, serving as a negotiator for students who erected a tent encampment on campus. Pro-Israel activists in recent weeks have called on the Trump administration to begin deportation proceedings against him.

Khalil was also among those being investigated by a new Columbia office that has already brought disciplinary charges against dozens of students for their pro-Palestinian activism, according to records shared with The Associated Press.

Khalil received a master’s degree from Columbia’s school of international affairs last semester. His wife, who is an American citizen, is eight months pregnant.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration last week pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia because of what it claimed was the Ivy League school’s failure to reign in antisemitism on campus.