EconoTicker

Washington—CBS reports the FBI, at the urging of Kash Patel, has stepped up surveillance on suspected Iran-backed agents and possible domestic sleeper cells linked to Hezbollah. The order was issued immediately after Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Washington—Former Congressman Matt Gaetz said the United States should force both Iran and Israel to renounce nuclear weapons and accept international inspections, accusing Israel of blocking access. Gaetz, who narrowly missed being nominated as Trump’s attorney general, argued that all countries must meet the same standards for nuclear transparency.

Tel Aviv—The Israel Defense Forces released a video titled “What It Means to Live Under the Iranian Regime,” claiming that Iranians have endured over four decades of repression and accusing Tehran of exporting terror beyond its borders.

Tel Aviv—The Israel Defense Forces said it has shot down hundreds of drones launched by Iran, releasing video footage showing gunfire and missile strikes intercepting the unmanned aerial vehicles over Israeli territory.

Kyiv—President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to meet President Vladimir Putin “even though he’s overstayed his term limit,” noting that Putin has violated no limits while his own term ended over a year ago. Zelensky added he “counts heavily” on former President Donald Trump’s assistance to bring the conflict to an end during Trump’s remaining time in office.

Washington—U.S. Representative Tim Burchett said that if Israel or the United States were to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he would become a martyr and the conflict would turn into a religious war. He added, “We don’t have a good record with regime change. We put someone in and it doesn’t seem to always work out for us.”

Washington—The White House denied that any options are off the table in dealing with Iran, including the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, Fox News’ White House reporter said. He added that the U.S. Army has “no doubts” about the efficacy of bunker-buster munitions in destroying Iran’s Fordow nuclear site.

Tel Aviv—An explosion struck the home of Norway’s ambassador in Tel Aviv early Thursday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said no embassy staff were injured. There has been no official explanation for the blast, though Israeli media report—unverified—that a grenade may have been thrown at the residence.

Major General Mohsen Rezaei said Iran reached the conclusion in March that war was inevitable and has since increased its missile and cyber capabilities by five to six times. He added that Tehran evacuated its nuclear sites and moved sensitive materials to secure locations before the recent Israeli strikes, with scientists and production facilities continuing to operate. Rezaei insisted Israel must surrender for the conflict to end, warning that without enemy repentance and capitulation, the war will continue with unacceptable losses. He also cautioned that Iran is “gradually” escalating the situation, retains both land and sea power, and can close the Strait of Hormuz as leverage, declaring that “we will act on our own.”

Tehran—Iran’s state television reported that its regular broadcasts were briefly interrupted by a cyberattack attributed to Israel, during which an anti-government video urging people into the streets was aired. When normal programming resumed, a message on screen read, “If you see an irrelevant message on the screen, it’s due to a cyber attack by the Zionist regime.”

By Matthew V. Lee

Washington/Tel Aviv—Two U.S. officials said that on Wednesday a government plane evacuated several diplomats and family members who had requested to leave Israel. The move came shortly before Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced on X that the embassy was planning evacuation flights and ships for private American citizens. The officials, speaking anonymously to describe sensitive diplomatic movements, did not disclose how many individuals were on the flight.

By Emma Burrows

A senior British official, speaking anonymously, said the U.S. is deploying the USS Nimitz carrier and stationing refueling tankers in Spain and Greece, with fighter jets and B-52 bombers already at Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The official added that Washington may request to basing jets at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, though no formal ask has arrived; U.S. doctrine requires notifying the U.K. before conducting offensive operations from either Akrotiri or the joint U.S.–U.K. base at Diego Garcia.