On a Wednesday evening, a story surfaced from Israel that reads like one more turn in a long and fraying standoff: the security cabinet, led by a prime minister who no longer commands a parliamentary majority, reportedly told the army to prepare more seriously for a strike on Iran. It arrives as diplomacy, carried by Qatar, struggles to hold back a war that both capitals have already fought once and that neither has yet declared finished. Tehran's reply, promising that any base involved in an attack would be a target from West Asia to Europe, shows how quickly deterrence becomes a language of
Iran Warns of Wider War as Israel Reportedly Readies Possible Strikes
No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity.
Mark
Start with the headline claim. Israel has ordered its military to prepare for strikes on Iran?
Mimi
That's what Israeli media reported Wednesday evening: the security cabinet told the military to step up readiness. KAN said the directives could lead to activities that trigger a war.
Luke
Worth being careful. This is Israeli media reporting, not an official announcement. Readiness orders are not the same as a decision to strike.
Mark
Why did it become public at all?
Mimi
KAN said it came out after Eisenkot, the opposition leader, publicly told Netanyahu not to deploy the military without a direct and immediate threat until a new government forms.
Mark
And Netanyahu is a caretaker?
Mimi
Yes. His coalition lost its majority in October, and Herzog offered Eisenkot the chance to form a government. Netanyahu has said the war continues until Tehran's government collapses.
Luke
Eisenkot's statement is on the record, but the sequence KAN describes, with the directives becoming public because of it, is KAN's account. I wouldn't treat the causal link as established.
Mark
What is Iran saying?
Mimi
Rezaei warned that any base involved in a new US war, from West Asia to Europe, would be a legitimate target. Meanwhile Tehran is reportedly debating making him chief negotiator.
Luke
Reportedly is the key word. Atas described discussions, not a decision. And the talk of pre-emptive action is voices in Tehran, not policy.
Mark
So is Washington heading back to war?
Mimi
Rubio and Trump have signaled they don't see a need for large-scale operations unless Iran crosses red lines, but Trump says he'd return to war if the Qatar track fails.
Luke
And what counts as a red line hasn't been spelled out in this reporting. Nor do we know whether any talks are actually happening, since Iran denies them while Fisher sees movement behind the scenes.
The Pulse
- Israel's security cabinet has reportedly ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible strike on Iran, raising the risk of a war that could start by accident.
- A caretaker prime minister, Netanyahu, faces opposition leader Eisenkot's demand that no forces move without a direct, immediate threat, while Herzog hands Eisenkot the chance to form a government.
- Tehran warns that any US base taking part in another attack will be a legitimate target from West Asia to Europe, and its security chief Rezaei is being weighed as chief negotiator.
- Trump says he will return to war if Qatar's diplomatic track fails, yet Rubio and Trump's own officials suggest economic pressure is working and large-scale fighting is unnecessary.
- Oil prices swing on every signal, with Brent near $92.76 after Iran rejected a US proposal to move its enriched uranium stockpile abroad, leaving the Strait of Hormuz and the naval blockade as the pressure points to watch.
On a Wednesday evening, a story surfaced from Israel that reads like one more turn in a long and fraying standoff: the security cabinet, led by a prime minister who no longer commands a parliamentary majority, reportedly told the army to prepare more seriously for a strike on Iran. It arrives as diplomacy, carried by Qatar, struggles to hold back a war that both capitals have already fought once and that neither has yet declared finished. Tehran's reply, promising that any base involved in an attack would be a target from West Asia to Europe, shows how quickly deterrence becomes a language of threat. The question hanging over the region is whether the patience of negotiation can outlast the fear that waiting itself invites the next blow.
On Wednesday evening, Israeli media reported that the security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible attack on Iran. Public broadcaster KAN warned that these moves could themselves set off a war.
The order surfaced after opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot told Netanyahu, who is serving in a caretaker capacity, not to deploy forces without a direct and immediate threat. President Isaac Herzog has invited Eisenkot to try to form a new government after Netanyahu's coalition lost its majority in October's elections, and Netanyahu, who has vowed the war will continue until Tehran's government falls, may be close to losing power.
Tehran responded in kind. Security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned that any base involved in a new US attack, from West Asia to Europe, would be a legitimate target, adding, "No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity." Inside Iran, some voices argue that waiting in the current status quo could push the country toward pre-emptive action.
Yet the diplomacy has not stopped. Trump says he is ready to return to war if Qatar's track fails, but his officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, argue that economic pressure is working and that large-scale operations are unnecessary. Negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says the Strait of Hormuz will never return to its former state, and that the ball is now in America's court, with mistrust as the central obstacle.
Markets felt the uncertainty. Oil rose after Tehran rejected a US proposal to move its enriched uranium stockpile to a third country, with Brent settling near $92.76. What comes next depends on whether Qatar's diplomacy produces a deal or whether Trump returns to large-scale strikes.
On Wednesday evening, Israeli media reported that the country's security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had ordered the military to step up its preparations for a possible attack on Iran. The public broadcaster KAN said the directives could lead the military to carry out activities that might trigger a war.
According to KAN, the directives became public after opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot issued a statement. He told Netanyahu, who is serving as prime minister in a caretaker capacity, not to deploy the military without a direct and immediate threat until the next government is formed. Israeli President Isaac Herzog offered Eisenkot the chance to form a new government over the weekend, after Netanyahu's coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the October elections. Netanyahu is close to losing power if the opposition succeeds, and he has insisted the war on Iran will continue until the government in Tehran collapses.
Tehran answered with a warning of its own. Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, wrote on social media that if the US launches another war, every military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, would be a legitimate target. "No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity," he added.
The reports arrive during intense diplomatic efforts to head off further fighting. President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to return to war if a diplomatic track offered by Qatar fails to produce a deal between Washington and Tehran. Al Jazeera's Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran, said the Iranian leadership has been discussing whether to appoint the hawkish Rezaei as its chief negotiator. Some voices in Tehran, he said, argue that if the current status quo drags on, Iran may not wait and could take pre-emptive action. The current lead negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has spoken of Iran's determination to move beyond a state of "no war, no peace" through "sustainable deterrence" if negotiations fail.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera published Wednesday, Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz will "never return" to its condition before the US-Israel war on Iran, and that "the ball is now in the American court." He put the obstacle plainly: Iran's lack of trust in the United States.
From Washington, Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher said Trump is still justifying why he went to war and saying it will end soon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the administration's economic pressure on Iran is working so well that resuming large-scale military operations is unnecessary. Fisher said both men have effectively declared large-scale engagement over, unless Iran crosses red lines. The key issue for this White House, he said, is being able to let Trump declare victory, and there is clearly movement behind the scenes toward a settlement.
On the water, US Central Command says its forces continue to work around the clock to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping while strictly enforcing what it calls an ironclad naval blockade of Iran.
Markets reacted to the mixed signals. Oil rose about 1 percent Wednesday after Tehran rejected a US proposal to transfer its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium to a third country. Brent futures settled $1.27, or 1.39 percent, higher at $92.76, and US West Texas Intermediate gained 49 cents, or 0.57 percent, to $86.53. The session before, prices had first dropped by more than $3 a barrel after US officials played down the need for more strikes, then recovered some of the losses when an Iranian official said no talks were under way.
What to watch now is whether the Qatar-backed diplomacy yields a US-Iran deal, or whether Trump resumes large-scale military operations.
Notable Quotes
If the US launches another war against Iran, every military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target.— Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's security chief
The ball is now in the American court; what stands in the way of an agreement is our lack of trust in the United States.— Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian Parliament Speaker
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