Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a military attack plan targeting Iran as nationwide protests enter their ninth day, according to reports from Israeli news outlets on Monday.
Israeli sources said Netanyahu approved the plan, dubbed “Iron Strike,” following a five-hour security meeting with cabinet ministers to discuss timing and operational phases, according to Kurdish news agency ANHA. The Israeli military has entered a state of maximum alert, conducting exercises simulating war scenarios against Iran.
The developments come as Iran faces its largest wave of protests since 2022. At least 35 people have died in violence surrounding the demonstrations, according to activists, with more than 1,200 people detained across the country.
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Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted a countdown video on X on Sunday evening with the caption “Tik, Tak. Tonight,” sparking widespread speculation about potential Israeli military action. Bennett did not specify what the countdown referenced.
Netanyahu discussed the possibility of renewed strikes on Iran during a December 29 meeting with US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, according to Axios, citing US officials and sources familiar with the discussion.
Trump said after the meeting that the United States would strike Iran again if it attempted to reconstitute its nuclear program. A US official told Axios that Trump would likely support military action if Washington determines Iran takes “real and verifiable” steps to rebuild its nuclear capabilities.
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Speaking at the Knesset on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel will not allow Iran to rebuild its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. “The consequences will be very severe” if Tehran strikes Israel, Netanyahu said, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz.
Iran’s foreign ministry accused the United States and Israel of interfering in its internal affairs. “The Zionist regime is determined to exploit the slightest opportunity to sow division and undermine our national unity,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said Monday at a weekly press conference.
The demonstrations erupted on December 28 after Tehran’s market vendors staged protests over the country’s deepening economic crisis. Iran’s currency has collapsed to historic lows against the dollar, driving inflation that has put essential goods beyond reach for many households.
Demonstrations have reached over 220 locations in 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Monday.
Trump warned Sunday that Iran will “get hit very hard” if Tehran repeats the killing of protesters, according to Fox News. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf responded by saying Trump’s threat makes US bases in the region “legitimate targets,” NBC News reported.
In June 2025, a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran resulted in coordinated US-Israeli strikes that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks killed 32 Israeli civilians and one off-duty soldier, while the initial strikes killed nuclear scientists and hundreds of Iranian military personnel and civilians.
Israeli officials have expressed concern that Iran, believing an Israeli attack is imminent, may miscalculate and strike Israel first, according to The Times of Israel.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and maintains its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said dealing with Trump is beneath the dignity of the Islamic Republic.
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