The British newspaper “Financial Times” said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to resume large-scale strikes against Iran, and he instructed the army earlier this month to draw up plans for a new and major attack. These are moves that risk plunging the region once again into an all-out war.
According to three informed sources, the Israeli army had prepared for a multi-day bombing campaign - which was scheduled to be carried out on the weekend of October 10 - targeting civilian infrastructure, such as power plants, as well as nuclear facilities and targets belonging to the Iranian regime.
Ultimately, the operation was not carried out; The same sources indicated that US President Donald Trump opposed resuming the conflict before the midterm elections scheduled for November 3.
However, both Trump and Netanyahu - who is in turn preparing for a difficult electoral battle next week - continued to threaten a new attack against Iran, stressing that the United States and Israel must “accomplish the mission” against the Iranian regime.
The sources told the newspaper that this bombing campaign was aimed at overcoming the severity of the joint attack launched by the United States and Israel against Iran last February.
While it is still unclear whether the United States will participate directly in the operation, one of the informed sources indicated that the possibility of Israel and Washington resuming strikes in the coming weeks “is not an unlikely scenario.”
The source said: “Either reaching an agreement or launching an attack,” explaining that the American goal is to force Iran to accept Washington’s conditions within an agreement related to the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear program, thus ending the war completely.
According to an Israeli official, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Israel on Monday, where he held talks with Netanyahu and other senior officials.
One source stated, according to the Financial Times, that Israeli officials presented an updated list of targets inside Iran, based on new intelligence information, which included civilian infrastructure that was not among the targets that were struck earlier this year.
Another person indicated that the operation proposed by the Israeli army earlier this month may have been part of an effort to “pressure Iran” in negotiations, stressing that the decision to proceed with any renewed attack ultimately remains with the US President.
Axios reported last week that Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump discussed the possibility of resuming large-scale combat operations against Iran before the elections in both the United States and Israel.
On the other hand, an American official denied that such a discussion took place.
Current and former Israeli security officials fear that launching a war so close to the elections could seriously affect the democratic process, even if it happens after polling day.
The process of forming a new government is expected to take weeks of arduous negotiations. During this period, Netanyahu will remain prime minister in a transitional government, giving him - albeit tenuously - the legal authority to wage war, even if he loses the election.
But a move like this has hardly any precedent in Israeli history, and it is unclear how the current security leaders will react if they are asked to resume large-scale operations against Iran in the coming weeks.
Netanyahu loyalists have been appointed to head the Shin Bet and Mossad, while the general standing of the Israeli Army General Staff has declined, due to the failures surrounding the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, as well as the continuing attacks launched by right-wing media figures.
At the government level, a person familiar with the plans to attack Iran says: “All options are on the table, and nothing would surprise me.”
Two sources told Reuters news agency at the Iraqi Al-Shayb border crossing with Iran, today (Wednesday), that Iraq closed the crossing to travelers, commercial vehicles and trucks until further notice.
Another source said that the decision came to reconsider the security arrangements at the port.
The Iraqi border official told Reuters that the current security measures at the Al-Shayb crossing are weak and insufficient.
Iraq and Iran share a border of more than 1,400 kilometers, through which hundreds of merchants, travelers, and visitors to Shiite religious shrines pass daily. The eight crossings between the two countries are often closed for technical or security reasons, and for short periods, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Mizan Online website, affiliated with the judiciary in Iran, confirmed the closure of the crossing, noting that this came “based on a decision from the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister,” Ali al-Zaidi.
Two political sources reported to Agence France-Presse that the United States is pressuring the Iraqi government to close all border crossings with Iran, in order to tighten the noose on Tehran.
One of the sources said that “the US Treasury presented this to Al-Zaidi when he was in New York” last month to participate in the work of the United Nations General Assembly.
He pointed out that in light of this, “all ports will be closed except for one port in the federal lands, and one port in the Kurdistan region.”
The second source pointed out that “the United States asked all countries surrounding Iran to do the same.”
Of the seven countries with which Iran shares land borders, Pakistan has at least three crossings and a border strip with the Islamic Republic of more than 900 kilometers.
Referring to Pakistan, Iranian Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Zainivand said on Wednesday: “There have been disturbances in border exchanges with some neighboring countries.”
He stressed that “some of these disturbances are natural and occur at different periods, even in the absence of wars or sanctions.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said on Tuesday: “We were told that there are some technical problems that they (in Pakistan) are trying to solve.”
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday that Israel has joined the Pacific Islands Forum as a “partner” offering its expertise in several fields, including climate change and water management.
Israel strengthened its relations with many of these island countries. The small Republic of Nauru opened an embassy in Jerusalem last month, joining a few other countries that have recognized Israeli sovereignty over the city.
Papua New Guinea and Fiji are also among only 7 UN member states that have opened embassies in Jerusalem, along with the United States. Samoa is expected to join later this year, according to Agence France-Presse.
The 18-member Pacific Islands Forum found itself at the heart of a geopolitical competition for influence. Its list of “development partners” includes 30 partners, including the United States, China, France, and Britain.
As major powers seek to strengthen their military and economic ties in the region, leaders of Pacific countries last month made reforms and agreed that partnerships with countries outside the region would become strategic.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, in a statement published on the “X” platform, “Israel has been accepted as a partner in the forum, following a decision taken by the leaders of the member states during their meeting in Palau.”
The decision coincided with a visit by Einat Shlein, head of the Israeli International Development and Development Agency (MASHAV), to Fiji and Samoa.
The statement added that cooperation will focus on Israeli expertise in “water resources management, water desalination, agriculture, confronting climate change, innovation and sustainable development.”
The forum did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited the forum's headquarters in Suva, the capital of Fiji, last June. Saar stressed in the ministry’s statement that “strengthening relations with Pacific island countries is one of my goals.” He added: “Earlier this year, I opened the Israeli embassy in Fiji, which also provides its services to 9 other countries in the Pacific, all of which are friendly to Israel.”
