ISRAEL is beating the drums of war as it readies itself for a possible direct Iranian attack that could drag the world to the edge of global catastrophe.
GPS has been blocked, soldiers’ leave cancelled and reservists called up after Iran vowed revenge for a suspected Israeli air strike that killed its senior officials.
Iran has promised retribution for the bombing of its consulate building in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Monday, which killed 13 including a top general.
Yet, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu returned the threat last night, stating that Israel “will harm those who harm us”.
The embattled leader fumed: “Iran has been acting against us for years..We will know how to defend ourselves.
“And we will act according to the simple principle: that those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm.”
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The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has now announced it has cancelled all leave for soldiers serving in combat units.
It comes a day after the military said it was beefing up its air defences, readying missiles, and calling up reservists in preparation for the Iranian response.
Israeli media outlets also reported that the country’s embassies around the world had been placed on alert or evacuated due to security threats.
Late on Wednesday, Netanyahu signalled he was preparing for an “imminent” Iranian attack as he convened a war cabinet to prepare for the threat.
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On Thursday, GPS units across large swaths of central Israel were disabled to disrupt incoming missiles and drones, even in cities far from active combat zones.
GPS is already disabled in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon which has seen Israel engaged in near-daily clashes with Iran;s proxy, Hezbollah.
The IDF has also warned its citizens against panic buying as fear of an attack spreads across the population.
Rear Adm Hagari said on X: “There is no need to buy generators, store food and withdraw money from ATMs.
“As we have done until today, we will immediately update any change if it is in an official and orderly manner.”
Israel has not yet commented on the targeting of the consular building next to Iran’s embassy in Syria.
The building was reduced to rubble in the strikes which Iran says were carried out by Israeli F-35 fighter jets.
It killed seven senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officials, including Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
Zahedi led the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria and was sanctioned by the US and UK and was killed alongside his deputy Gen. Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.
Iranian President Ebrahim Rasi immediately pointed the finger of blame at Israel, labelling the hit a “cowardly crime” and fumed that the deadly strike “will not go unanswered”.
Iran’s trigger-happy proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, also warned: “This crime will certainly not pass without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge.”
Late on Monday, Tehran insisted it had begun plotting a retaliation after its Supreme National Security Council met.
And on Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei chimed in to vow they would retaliate and “defeat the Zionist regime”.
But Iran’s promise of revenge has left the Middle East on a knife-edge.
Iran has a record of using its terror proxies to carry out its dirty work on a global scale to avoid a direct confrontation between its enemies of Israel and the US.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza nearly six months ago, Iranian proxies have been unleashing hell on the sidelines.
Hezbollah have stepped up attacks, leading to near-daily cross-border exchanges with Israel, while Yemen’s Houthi rebels have virtually shut down one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
However, Israel is said to be fearful that Iran could respond directly this time by launching missiles from its own territory, rather than through its proxies.
Such an attack would likely prompt Israel’s military to respond with a significant reprisal – which could spark a global war.
Former IDF Intelligence head Amos Yadlin told Channel 12: “I won’t be surprised if Iran fires directly at Israel.”
In the wake of the deadly strike, a defence expert warned The Sun that Iran is poised to launch an October 7-style revenge attack on Israel.
Dr Alan Mendoza, director of the Henry Jackson Society think-tank, said that the world must “take the Iranian warning seriously”.
He added: “They’ve laid down their marker so we can only assume they’re going to do it…
“It could be a series of global targets. It could be an attempt to strike Israel again in an October 7-style war.
The history of Israel and Iran’s relationship
THERE’S been an ongoing conflict between Israel (left) and Iran (right).
In 1947, Iran was among 13 countries that voted against the United Nations Partition Plan for the British Mandate of Palestine.
Two years later, Iran also voted against Israel’s admission to the United Nations.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel, and its theocratic government does not recognise the legitimacy of Israel as a state.
The turn from cold peace to open hostility began in the early 1990s, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the defeat of Iraq in the Gulf War, after which relative power in the Middle East shifted to Iran and Israel.
CONFLICT ‘HEATS UP’
The conflict escalated in the early 1990s, as Yitzhak Rabin’s government adopted a more aggressive posture on Iran.
Rhetorical conflict heated up during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who made inflammatory statements against Israel.
Other factors that have contributed to the escalation of bilateral tensions include Iran’s development of nuclear technology relative to Israel’s long-stated Begin Doctrine, Iran’s funding of Islamist groups such as Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, as well as alleged involvement in terrorist attacks such as the 1992 attack on Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 AMIA bombing, and Israel’s alleged support for militant groups such as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran and Jundallah as well as alleged covert Israeli operations in Iran including multiple assassinations and bombings.
‘COMPLEX AND ONGOING’
Since 1985, Iran and Israel have been engaged in an ongoing proxy conflict that has greatly affected the geopolitics of the Middle East, and has included direct military confrontations between Iranian and Israeli organisations, such as in the 2006 Lebanon War.
The conflict has played out in various ways, including through support for opposing factions in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
Iran has provided support to the Syrian government, while Israel has supported opposition groups.
In Yemen, Iran has provided support to the Houthi rebels, while Israel has provided support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels.
The conflict has also involved cyber attacks and sabotage against each other’s infrastructure, including attacks on nuclear facilities and oil tankers.
Overall, the Iran-Israel proxy conflict is a complex and ongoing conflict that has had a significant impact on the political and security dynamics of the Middle East.
INSIDE THE WAR
In the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Iran has supported Lebanese Shia militias, most notably Hezbollah. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran has backed Palestinian groups such as Hamas.
Israel has supported Iranian rebels, such as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, conducted airstrikes against Iranian allies in Syria and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists. In 2018 Israeli forces directly attacked Iranian forces in Syria.
Iranian Islamists have long championed the Palestinian people, whom they perceive as “oppressed”.
Scholars believe that by supporting the Palestinians, Iran seeks greater acceptance among Sunnis and Arabs, both of whom dominate the Middle East.
Ideologically, Iran seeks to replace Israel with a one-state solution and has predicted Israel’s demise. Israel sees Iran as an existential threat, and accuses its regime of harbouring genocidal intentions.
Consequently, Israel has sought sanctions and military action against Iran to stop it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Israel is still facing down a global backlash in the wake of its deadly strike on an aid convoy.
On Monday night, an IDF unit called in multiple drone strikes on a convoy of three aid vehicles, belonging to World Central Kitchen (WCK), travelling along Gaza’s coast road.
The three pinpoint hits killed seven charity workers who were delivering food aid to starving Gazans.
The British victims included a former SBS special forces hero John Chapman, 57, ex-Royal Marine James Henderson, 33, and former Rifleman James Kirby, 47.
Also killed were an Australian, a Pole, an American-Palestinian and a Canadian-Palestinian.
Israel has insisted the deadly strike on the aid convoy was a “grave mistake” and a result of “misidentification”.
However, WCK said there vehicles were clearly marked with the charity’s logo and that their route was pre-approved by the IDF.
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Retired British Army officer, Maj. Lincoln-Jones, told The Times that Israel used “absolutely accurate” bunker-busting Spike missiles in the attack.
He argued an Israeli Air Force Squadron called “Black Snake” blitzed the aid convoy in quick succession – and claimed the drone that launched the missiles would have had a clear picture of the WCK logo.
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Iona Cleave
