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Israeli PM brushed Off concerns over Hamas ahead of Gaza War: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
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Hamas

The report said Netanyahu turned down plans to assassinate Yahya Sinwar, the now-killed Hamas leader, and Mohammed Deif, whom Israel claims was killed in August – a claim denied by Hamas.

The investigation found that Netanyahu received detailed intelligence in 2014 about Hamas’ plans to invade Israel but blocked any significant responses to Hamas fighters’ activities and training near the border with the Gaza Strip.

Channel 12 also reported that in 2018, Netanyahu rejected a plan proposed by then-Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the Shin Bet intelligence agency to kill senior Hamas leaders, including Sinwar and Deif. Instead, he opted to send then-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to Qatar to negotiate financial support for Hamas in exchange for maintaining calm in southern Israel.

Netanyahu reportedly opposed a similar plan presented on 1 October 2023, six days before the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 250 taken captive.

On that day, Netanyahu met with the military’s chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, and Shin Bet chief Ronin Bar.

According to the investigation, Halevi believed they had to “prepare for a major campaign against Hamas”, while Bar reportedly said: “Sinwar feels increasingly free to act. He needs to be eliminated”.

Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu dismissed these plans and concerns, believing Hamas was sufficiently deterred.

The outlet also added the Israeli leader prioritised saving his political image after the war began.

“The police investigations that have been made public are just the tip of the iceberg,” a source close to Netanyahu’s office reportedly told the outlet.

“The public does not understand what happened in the prime minister’s office after 7 October. While parents still didn’t know what had happened to their children and as entire families were being taken hostage, they built a plan for how to save Netanyahu.”

The prime minister’s office denied the allegations made by Channel 12, describing them as “a recycling of baseless lies that have been refuted in the past and which are intended to discredit Netanyahu, who is leading Israel to unprecedented achievements on seven fronts”.

The report comes as Netanyahu faces increasing internal scrutiny, with many accusing him of refusing to take accountability for the failures of 7 October.

Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 44,000 Palestinians, the destruction of much of the enclave’s infrastructure and the issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Iran’s Central Bank says to launch digital Rial in near future

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran Central Bank

Farzin highlighted the importance of the digital Rial and the establishment of an intelligent financial system, stating that Iran has entered this domain at the right time.

He added that many countries are already using digital currencies, which can enhance the efficiency of their financial systems. Some countries are still in the research phase or have moved to trial stages, and Iran is currently in the testing phase, with pilot operations taking place in Kish Island, Southern Iran.

According to Farzin, the digital Rial is already being used in Bank Mellat, Bank Tejarat, and Bank Melli, with plans to extend its use to five more Iranian banks in the near future.

Regarding international banking interactions, Farzin pointed out that sanctions pose the greatest challenge for Iran.

However, he emphasized the successful efforts made over recent years to address this issue, including the design of the “ACUMER” system, an alternative to SWIFT, which has been operational since October 1, 2024.

Farzin expressed hope that ACUMER will be further developed, facilitating expanded financial interactions with countries in the Asian Clearing Union.

A symphony of autumn colors: Discover the enchanting Sa’dabad complex in Tehran

By
Fatemeh Askarieh
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Nestled in the Shemiran district, adjacent to Darband and at the foothills of the Alborz Mountain range, Sa’dabad offers a captivating blend of natural forest beauty and cultural heritage.

This fall, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the serene and picturesque atmosphere that the colorful foliage brings to this magnificent site.

Young British mercenary captured in Russia’s Kursk

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia Ukraine War

The Russian forces captured the individual, who identified himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, near the village of Plekhovo, approximately 5 kilometers inside Russian territory, according to reports from RIA Novosti and TASS news agencies. Several videos and photos of his interrogation have been published by Russian Telegram channels.

Anderson stated he served in the British Army as a signalman in the 1st Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron from 2019 to 2023. After leaving the military, he allegedly faced financial difficulties and decided to join Kiev’s International Legion after seeing an advertisement on television.

“It was a stupid idea,” he said, adding, “I had just lost everything – my job, and my dad was away in prison.”

He claimed he applied online to join the Ukrainian foreign mercenary force, then flew from London to Krakow, Poland, before taking a bus to Medyka on the Ukraine border. When asked how he ended up fighting on Russian soil, Anderson claimed in another video that his commanders sent him there against his will.

“I don’t want to be here,” he told the interrogators, insisting that his commanders took his “s**t”, including his passport and smartphone, and told him to “get into the car”.

The UK Ministry of Defence has declined to comment on the capture of the former serviceman, while the Foreign Office stated it is “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention”.

Earlier this month, a British man from Gunnislake, Cornwall, was killed while fighting for Kiev at an “undisclosed location” less than two months after turning 22, his family reported.

Kiev deployed some of its best-armed and most experienced troops across the northern border in August, hoping to slow down Russian advancement elsewhere on the front line and gain an important bargaining chip. However, since then, Kiev has not only been losing ground in Donbass at an increasing pace but has also suffered more than 34,500 casualties and lost hundreds of tanks in Kursk, according to the Russian military.

Kiev is struggling to replenish the troops lost in the conflict, as the flow of volunteer fighters has long dwindled, yet it has repeatedly rejected any compromise with Moscow. Russia says Ukrainians are being used as ‘cannon fodder’ in a Western proxy war and that the country’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky is complicit in the slaughter, as he seeks to preserve his personal power.

Moscow has described the Ukrainian incursion as a significant turning point in the armed conflict, stating that no peace talks can occur until all of Kiev’s troops are pushed out of the Kursk Region.

Meanwhile, the UK remains committed to supporting Kiev “for as long as it takes” to prevail, British Defense Secretary John Healey said in a recent post on X. London has also followed the US lead in allowing Kiev to fire Western-supplied missiles deeper into Russian territory, marking another escalation in the conflict.

US envoy threatens to withdraw from mediation between Israel, Lebanon

By
IFP Media Wire
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Amos Hochstein

Hochstein informed Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, that if Tel Aviv fails to respond positively to the US cease-fire proposal with Lebanon, the US will pull out of the mediation process it is leading between the two sides, according to the broadcaster.

Last Tuesday, Hochstein visited Beirut for a two-day trip, during which he met with Lebanese officials before traveling to Israel for a visit lasting until Friday.

The US is reportedly seeking a cease-fire between the Lebanese Hezbollah group and Israel, which has the full backing of Washington in its aggression on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded as a condition for agreeing to a cease-fire the freedom to conduct military operations in southern Lebanon. This condition, presented a week ago, has already been rejected by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who previously reviewed the US proposal.

On Wednesday evening, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah had submitted its comments on the US proposal. He emphasized that the matter now hinges on Netanyahu’s seriousness in reaching an agreement.

Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s principles in negotiations.

“We are negotiating under two conditions: first, the complete and comprehensive cessation of Israeli aggression, and second, the preservation of Lebanese sovereignty,” he said.

In a related development, Israel’s Channel 14 cited an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying that “Israel is on the verge of ending the war in Lebanon, which is expected to happen in the coming days”.

The official added that “the agreement will be signed in the presence of the Americans and will be temporary before transitioning to a permanent agreement with Lebanon.”

The report also indicated that Israeli forces will be redirected toward operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli official further noted that halting the fighting in northern Israel would restore economic stability and reopen airspace for aviation.

Israel has escalated its airstrikes in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets as part of year-long warfare with the Lebanese group since the start of the Gaza war last year.

More than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli raids in Lebanon, with more than 15,300 injured and over a 1 million displaced since October last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 this year.

Iran’s former atomic chief calls for higher enrichment

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran nuclear program

In an interview with ISNA news agency, Fereydoun Abbasi said the Board of Governors’ ‘politically-charged resolution’ was issued despite Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA beyond its obligations over the past 20 years.

He noted that the Board has been consistently influenced by the European troika, the UK, France, Germany, plus the US, explaining that since 2003, numerous resolutions have been drafted against Iran by these countries, which have vested interests aligned with Western nations.

The current member of Iran’s parliament expressed skepticism about whether granting greater access to IAEA inspectors would influence their decisions, citing the international atomic agency’s record of “playing into the hands of Western countries.”

Stressing Iran’s right to build new nuclear reactors for research purposes, he noted that specific regions have been identified for potential new reactors designed for research and radioisotope production.

Abbasi also revealed plans to construct two to three light-water research reactors similar to the Tehran reactor, which is nearing the end of its operational life.

Nearly 12k Palestinians detained in West Bank since start of Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israeli Forces

“Of those detained, 11,000 people are held in administrative detention without trial or charge,” the groups said, adding, “At least 775 children and 435 women have been detained.”

“The highest number of arrests were carried out in Hebron and Jerusalem,” the report noted.

The numbers do not include detentions of Gaza residents, which the groups estimate are in the thousands.

The groups also announced that 45 detainees have died in Israeli prisons and military camps.

“Detentions have been accompanied by escalated crimes and violations such as humiliation, brutal beatings, threats against detainees and their families, vandalism and confiscation of property, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure especially in the refugee camps of Tulkarem and Jenin,” the groups said.

Israel has conducted near-daily violent raids across the occupied West Bank since June 2021. The attacks have increased further in scale and intensity since Israel launched its war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

Since October last year, nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials, and nearly 6,500 others have been wounded.

A majority of people were killed by the Israeli military, while a dozen were killed by Israeli settlers, according to the United Nations.

The attacks in the West Bank have been taking place in tandem with Israel’s continuing deadly attacks on the besieged enclave, which has so far killed more than 44,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Russia says France wants to ‘finish off’ Ukraine

By
IFP Media Wire
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Maria Zakharova

Her remarks followed a statement by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. In an interview with the BBC, Barrot said that Paris does “not set and express red lines” on its support for Kiev, and that long-range strikes on Russian soil may be carried out by Ukraine “in the logics of self-defense”.

“This is not support for Ukraine, but rather it is a way to finish it off,” Zakharova told TASS, referring to Barrot’s statements.

The French minister did not confirm whether missiles from his country had already been used by Kiev for long-range strikes on Russia. When asked by the BBC whether his “no red lines” comment meant Paris could send French troops to fight alongside Ukrainians, he said he “does not discard any option”.

Barrot’s comments came mere days after Ukraine struck Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk regions with US-made ATACMS and British Storm Shadows. The attacks followed a reported decision by outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration to greenlight Kiev’s use of long-range US-supplied weaponry to hit areas Washington recognizes as Russia.

The Kremlin slammed the reported decision as a deliberate escalation of the conflict and as making the US and NATO direct participants. Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin said that the “regional” Ukraine conflict has now “assumed elements of a global nature”, and warned that further attacks with Western weapons would result in retaliatory strikes on targets of Moscow’s choosing.

In response, the Russian military on Thursday test-fired a new cutting-edge hypersonic ballistic missile, targeting a military industrial facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk (called Dnipro in Ukraine). The nuclear-capable missile, called the Oreshnik, cannot be intercepted by existing Western missile defense systems, and is capable of reaching targets across Europe within minutes, Sergey Karakayev, commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces, told TASS earlier this week. The new weapon will be mass produced and incorporated into Russia’s arsenal in the coming months.

Hezbollah fires ‘340 missiles’ at Israel, casualties reported

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Hezbollah Attack Israel

The Israeli military reported air raid sirens in central and northern areas, including the Tel Aviv suburbs. The military said it intercepted a number of the projectiles fired at northern Israel, and added that 250 projectiles had been fired from Lebanon.

Later on, Israeli army radio reported that ‘340 missiles’ had launched from Lebanon.

The attacks wounded at least 11 people, including a man in a “moderate to serious” condition, according to medical agencies.

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned Israeli raids on his country as an assault on US-led ceasefire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.

“(Israel is) again writing in Lebanese blood a brazen rejection of the solution that is being discussed,” a statement from his office read.

After nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire, in which Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it was acting in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel escalated airstrikes on Lebanon on September 23, sending ground troops to southern Lebanon a week later. Hezbollah announced it would stop its attacks if Israel ceased fire in Gaza, which has been turned into a wasteland after 13 months of nonstop Israeli bombardment.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to the ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population.

On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardments in northern Israel and in battle following Israel’s ground invasion in early October. About 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the north part of the occupied territories since October 7, 2023.

Iran denies involvement in rabbi’s murder in UAE

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The statement comes in response to allegations from some Western and Israeli media outlets accusing Iran of being behind the assassination.

In response to a question by Reuters, the Iranian Embassy in Abu Dhabi categorically rejected the claims, stating, “We strongly deny the allegations of Iran’s involvement in this individual’s murder.”

The UAE’s Interior Ministry announced on Sunday night that three suspects involved in Kogan’s murder have been arrested.

The UAE authorities stated that after Kogan’s family reported him missing, an investigation team was formed, leading to the discovery of his body and the identification and arrest of the suspected perpetrators.

Details of the incident will be disclosed after the investigation is completed, they said.

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