Reports from Tel Aviv: Trump Formulated Plans to Topple Tehran Regime

US President-elect Donald Trump during his meeting with Republicans in the House of Representatives on November 13, 2024 (Reuters)
US President-elect Donald Trump during his meeting with Republicans in the House of Representatives on November 13, 2024 (Reuters)
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Reports from Tel Aviv: Trump Formulated Plans to Topple Tehran Regime

US President-elect Donald Trump during his meeting with Republicans in the House of Representatives on November 13, 2024 (Reuters)
US President-elect Donald Trump during his meeting with Republicans in the House of Representatives on November 13, 2024 (Reuters)

As the world prepares for the US President-elect to be sworn in to office on January 20, reports in Tel Aviv said the inner circle of Donald Trump is formulating strategic plans to topple Iran's current regime.
The far-right Israel Hayom newspaper affirmed that Israeli-American strategic cooperation would focus specifically on challenging Iran’s current leadership structure and that Trump's pick of his next team is only evidence of such plans.
The newspaper also said Iran was aware of such a trend and is suspending Operation True Promise 3, its planned response to Israel’s October 26 attack on Iranian soil.
Also, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted US sources as saying that there is a growing cautious debate in the Iranian leadership about whether to back down or try to forge a new nuclear deal with the new US administration.
Not Encouraging News
On Friday, Haaretz’ Zvi Bar’el wrote in an analysis that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian marked his 100th day in office this week, and the news isn't encouraging.
“The Iranian rial has plunged by about 20% since he took office. Prices of staple goods, electricity, water and transportation have jumped by 25 to 70%. And more than 440 people have been executed, almost double the number under former President Ebrahim Raisi,” he wrote.
Bar’el said that as the Iranian economy flounders and amid concern about new US economic sanctions against Tehran, Iran intends to use its nuclear program and the war in Lebanon to advance negotiations that will provide it with relief.
And as Trump prepares to take office armed with an anti-Iran team, Tehran is trying to build its own political, regional and international defense system.
Media sources in Israel have confirmed channels of communications were held between Tehran and the current US administration, via Baghdad.
The sources said Trump's team was briefed on the content of those contacts.
According to the same sources, the two sides spoke about preliminary understandings in several areas, including Iran's pledge not to threaten US-affiliated Shiite militias in Iraq, and to discontinue strikes on US and Israeli targets. In return, Iraq will disarm Iranian Kurdish anti-regime groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Bar’el wrote at Haaretz, “It will be interesting to see which Trump now awaits Iran – the one who quit the nuclear deal or the one who seeks a 'fair deal.”
He said, “It will also be interesting to see whether the (former US Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo document gets revived despite Pompeo himself being kept out of the new administration and whether Trump will make do with some more modest achievement in the nuclear realm.”
In any case, he said, the assumption that Israel will get an American green light to attack Iran's nuclear facilities still requires proof.
“And judging by his policy during his first term, all-out war in the Middle East that could force America into direct military involvement would be Trump’s worst nightmare-as well as Iran’s,” Bar'el wrote.

 



Ukraine Receives F-16s from Netherlands, 1st Mirage Jets from France

A serviceman of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, carries a Shark reconnaissance drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
A serviceman of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, carries a Shark reconnaissance drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
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Ukraine Receives F-16s from Netherlands, 1st Mirage Jets from France

A serviceman of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, carries a Shark reconnaissance drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
A serviceman of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, carries a Shark reconnaissance drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko

Ukraine said on Thursday it had received a first batch of French Mirage 2000 fighter jets as well as US-made F-16 fighters from the Netherlands as European allies seek to strengthen Kyiv's hand in its war with Russia.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion three years ago, Ukraine had only a largely outdated air force inherited from the Soviet Union when it broke up in 1991.

Now facing Russian advances in the east and long-range air strikes, Ukraine has repeatedly pressed Western allies to supply it with increasingly advanced arms and ammunition including armoured vehicles, tanks, long-range missiles and F-16 fighters.

Mirage 2000s are the latest sophisticated jets Ukraine has received from allies after the first F-16s arrived last summer, marking a military milestone for the country.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised France and the Netherlands for their commitment to helping modernise Ukraine's air force.

"These modern combat aircraft have already arrived in Ukraine and will soon begin carrying out combat missions, strengthening our defense and enhancing our ability to effectively counter Russian aggression," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.

The exact number of F-16 and Mirage jets delivered was not revealed.
The Dutch defense ministry said that for security reasons it would not comment on the timing of deliveries, nor on the amount supplied at any given time.

The Netherlands has promised to deliver Ukraine a total of 24 F-16s, next to the fighter jets it supplies to a training center for Ukrainian pilots and crew in Romania.

French officials also cited security reasons in declining to specify how many warplanes had been supplied, although they did say the jets had been adapted to enable air-to-ground strikes, Reuters reported.

The Mirage 2000 is a multi-role, single-engine jet fighter. Last June, President Emmanuel Macron promised that France would train Ukrainian pilots to fly the Dassault-made jets, crossing a new line in military support for Kyiv.

The Mirage, which has been replaced by the Rafale fighter in the French air force, was initially conceived for aerial dogfights.
A French parliamentary report at the end of 2024 said that of the 26 Mirage 2000s in the French air force, six would be given to Ukraine.
France will on February 12 host a meeting with Ukraine, its main European allies, Britain and the United States to discuss how to strengthen support for Kyiv.