Israel Warns of ‘Surprises’ as It Prepares for Another War with Iran  

Two Israeli pilots board a warplane before its departure to carry out strikes on Iran. (Israeli army)
Two Israeli pilots board a warplane before its departure to carry out strikes on Iran. (Israeli army)
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Israel Warns of ‘Surprises’ as It Prepares for Another War with Iran  

Two Israeli pilots board a warplane before its departure to carry out strikes on Iran. (Israeli army)
Two Israeli pilots board a warplane before its departure to carry out strikes on Iran. (Israeli army)

Israel is preparing for further military confrontations with Iran, anticipating surprises that will require advances in defense and combat systems, according to a senior defense official.

Amir Baram, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, said the country should expect additional rounds of conflict with Tehran.

His comments follow Israel’s June airstrikes deep inside Iran, which targeted senior military commanders, nuclear scientists, Revolutionary Guard missile bases, and radar installations. Iran retaliated with a barrage of ballistic missiles against Israel.

Baram stated that the 12-day conflict ended with a decisive Israeli victory, but emphasized that future clashes with Iran are inevitable. He explained that Iran’s leadership remains intact, feels humiliated, and is channeling vast resources into defense and accelerating its military buildup.

To maintain Israel’s military edge, Baram outlined a three-stage strategy: short-term procurement and supply, medium-term readiness for the next decade, and long-term development of weapons systems capable of reshaping future battlefields.

He also revealed plans to establish a Supreme Armament Council, a body designed to accelerate preparations for potential wars with Iran and other distant adversaries.

Baram stressed the need to prepare now for unforeseen challenges and special operations, urging a fundamental change in how Israel develops and acquires critical defense technologies.

Despite recent cancellations of defense deals by some nations, Baram disclosed that Israel had signed $2.5 billion in new arms export contracts last week. He said partner countries recognize the importance of long-term defense investment in an increasingly unstable world.

Yaron Buskila, head of Israel’s Defense and Security Association, reinforced the warning. Speaking on September 8, he noted that the confrontation with Iran is far from over. He argued that while Israel inflicted serious damage on Iran’s nuclear program during the recent conflict, the threat remains.

Meanwhile, new details have emerged about the US role in the June strikes. Colonel Joshua Wiitala told Fox News that 4,000 personnel supported a B-2 bomber mission against Iranian nuclear sites, which lasted 30 hours, the longest such operation in history.

Wiitala explained that 14 pilots carried out precision strikes with bunker-busting bombs, their first use in combat, and all 14 targets were hit successfully, Fox News quoted him as saying.

He described the mission as flawless and credited the thousands of personnel involved, from munitions crews to medical staff. Crews alternated short rest periods during midair refueling and used energy drinks to remain alert.

He reflected that the most significant moment of his 22-year career was ensuring all aircraft returned safely, describing the operation’s complete success as a source of immense pride.



Israel Says Ready to Attack Iran for ‘Third Time if Necessary’

A woman walks past an anti-US mural next to the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran, 09 July 2026. (EPA)
A woman walks past an anti-US mural next to the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran, 09 July 2026. (EPA)
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Israel Says Ready to Attack Iran for ‘Third Time if Necessary’

A woman walks past an anti-US mural next to the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran, 09 July 2026. (EPA)
A woman walks past an anti-US mural next to the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran, 09 July 2026. (EPA)

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said his country was prepared to resume its military campaign against Iran if needed, vowing to do so "with even greater force". 

The latest remarks came as new fighting erupted between the United States and Iran, raising fears of a return to full-scale war after an April ceasefire and a June US-Iran agreement to end hostilities. 

"The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike again... in Iran, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary," Katz said at a military ceremony. 

"If we have to go back, we will go back, with even greater force," he added. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had been weakened by the two previous military campaigns Israel launched against it. 

But he also acknowledged that the conflict was not yet over. 

"The Iranian axis is weaker than ever before, while Israel is stronger than ever before," he said. 

"We proved that the long arm of the Israeli Air Force can reach anywhere, from Yemen to Iran. Yet we must also acknowledge that the campaign is not over." 

The war began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran that killed the country's supreme leader and other senior officials. 

It was Israel's second campaign against Iran, following a 12-day war in June 2025. 


Spain Says Trump Softened Rhetoric After Learning of Madrid’s Contributions to NATO

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives at Ankara Airport ahead of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives at Ankara Airport ahead of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)
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Spain Says Trump Softened Rhetoric After Learning of Madrid’s Contributions to NATO

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives at Ankara Airport ahead of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives at Ankara Airport ahead of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, July 7, 2026. (Reuters)

Madrid said on Thursday US President Donald Trump had softened his rhetoric on Spain, hours after threatening to halt trade with the NATO ally, because he had been made aware of a surge in Madrid's contributions to the alliance in recent years.

At a NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump called Spain a "terrible partner" and ordered an immediate halt to all trade with the country after disputes over defense spending and the Iran war.

On his way back to the United States after the summit, he told reporters aboard Air Force One: "I did have issues, and I still do. But Spain, they came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today."

Asked what Spain had done, ‌he said: "They honored ‌a request for lots of payments, and if they didn't, we ‌wouldn't ⁠have even talked to ⁠them."

A spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said this was understood to be a reference to Madrid complying with NATO's former defense spending target of 2% of GDP.

At the summit, Sanchez highlighted that Spain would reach that goal this year after more than doubling nominal defense spending from 0.98% of GDP in 2017 to nearly €33 billion ($37.7 billion).

He played down the rift and said he had a "very cordial" conversation with Trump during the summit.

But Trump has repeatedly criticized Spain for not agreeing to a new objective ⁠for NATO member states to spend 5% of GDP on defense by ‌2035. Spain's left-wing government says it wants to respond to ‌real threats rather than increasing spending for the sake of it, as that would imply cuts to ‌social benefits.

It was not immediately clear what the softening of Trump's rhetoric might mean for his ‌threat to halt trade.

Asked about the next steps following Trump's directive, a US official in Washington told Reuters the relevant federal agencies would present Trump with a "menu" of Spanish products that may be embargoed.

Trade lawyers say Trump could invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose a full or partial embargo on Spanish imports. ‌Trump's first administration imposed a 30% anti-dumping tariff on Spanish black olives in 2018.

OPPOSITION CRITICISM

According to the Spanish government's agenda, Defense Minister Margarita Robles ⁠was set to meet ⁠with US Ambassador Benjamin Leon later on Thursday for a "working meeting", without providing further details.

Sources in the Spanish delegation to Ankara cited by El Mundo said Madrid likened the dispute to a staged fight lacking actual conflict and that Spanish officials had not detected any economic consequences or a decline in investment in Spain in recent years despite Trump's criticisms.

Some figures in the main opposition People's Party (PP) blamed Sanchez for the spat but said they stood with their country.

A senior PP official highlighted the interdependence between Spanish and US firms, which meant "economic reality takes precedence over the grandiloquent statements (Trump) seeks to make in order to attack Spain".

In the PP-run region of Aragon - where big US tech firms including Amazon and Microsoft have invested billions of dollars in data centers - officials said it was business as usual.

Santiago Abascal - a Trump ally who leads far-right party Vox - said the tensions with Washington were "absolutely dramatic" and accused Sanchez of "destroying Spain's credibility on the world stage".


Fire at a Shoe Factory Kills 28 in One of China’s Deadliest Blazes in Recent Years

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters at the scene of a footwear factory fire in Jiangtou village, Chendai township of Jinjiang city, southeastern China's Fujian province, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (Zheng Liang/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters at the scene of a footwear factory fire in Jiangtou village, Chendai township of Jinjiang city, southeastern China's Fujian province, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (Zheng Liang/Xinhua via AP)
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Fire at a Shoe Factory Kills 28 in One of China’s Deadliest Blazes in Recent Years

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters at the scene of a footwear factory fire in Jiangtou village, Chendai township of Jinjiang city, southeastern China's Fujian province, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (Zheng Liang/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters at the scene of a footwear factory fire in Jiangtou village, Chendai township of Jinjiang city, southeastern China's Fujian province, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (Zheng Liang/Xinhua via AP)

A fire broke out at a shoe factory in the eastern Chinese province of Fujian on Thursday, killing 28 people, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded “an all-out search and rescue effort," urging a swift investigation of the incident and “strictly hold those responsible accountable.”

The blaze started at a factory in Huiteng shoe company in the city of Jinjiang, the city’s fire department said in a statement. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

There were 237 factory workers and two visitors in the building when the fire broke out. Authorities evacuated or rescued 213 people. Of the 28 people who died, two were pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Xinhua said the factory’s owner and others in charge have been arrested and the company’s accounts have been frozen.

Video by CCTV shows the facade of a building of several floors charred black and covered in white smoke. Earlier footage shows fires were burning on multiple floors and the building shrouded in thick, black smoke.

Jinjiang, the city where the fire happened is known as China’s shoe capital.