Iran Warns Israel Will Face 'Formidable Defeat' Against Hezbollah
www.newsweek.com

... Iranian officials have shared with Newsweek a warning to Israel over potential plans to conduct a major offensive against the Lebanese Hezbollah movement amid intensive cross-border clashes taking place on the sidelines of the ongoing war with the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

The comments came a day after Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi told personnel near the northern border on Tuesday that "we are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made" regarding "an offensive in the north." The comment was the latest in a series of remarks by Israel officials hinting at military action in Lebanon since the outbreak of the war in Gaza last October.

In response, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations asserted that Iranian officials "do not lend any credence whatsoever to the rhetoric of certain Israeli regime officials who threaten a ground offensive in southern Lebanon," and argued such an undertaking would only prove a major setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Although Netanyahu might seek to escalate the crisis and expand the geography of the war to maintain his grip on power," the Iranian Mission told Newsweek, "the rulers of the Zionist regime and its supporters are acutely aware that"having already failed against Hamas"they will undoubtedly face a more formidable defeat against Hezbollah, which boasts significantly superior military strength compared to Hamas."

Tehran is a key supporter of Hezbollah, which the IDF estimates has amassed an arsenal of up to 200,000 rockets, as well as other armaments such as drones, mortars, anti-tank weapons and precision-guided missiles that Iranian officials argue precludes the need for direct intervention from the Islamic Republic. ...

UN nuclear agency's board votes to censure Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the watchdog
apnews.com

... The U.N. nuclear watchdog's board on Wednesday censured Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, diplomats said, calling on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation and reverse its decision to bar several experienced U.N. inspectors.

Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a late-night statement in response to the vote, saying it "strongly condemns" the action taken by the IAEA's board of governors and called the move political.

The censure followed a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency a week ago that said Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, the latest in Tehran's attempts to steadily exert pressure on the international community. ...

Why do I seem to be unable to shake the feeling that the MidEast is going to blow up into a major problem for the world?

Blinken to push cease-fire proposal in eighth urgent Mideast trip since war in Gaza erupted
apnews.com

... Secretary of State Antony Blinken will push for a breakthrough on President Joe Biden's cease-fire proposal when he returns to the Middle East next week on his eighth diplomatic mission to the region since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began in October, the State Department said Friday. ...

imo, it is not the the Biden administration is not trying. It seems to me that PM Netyanahu needs to war to be prolonged.

Biden: People have every reason' to think Netanyahu extending war to stay in power
www.timesofisrael.com

... United States President Joe Biden said people have "every reason" to believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dragging out the war in Gaza to remain in power, but also asserted that the Israeli premier is prepared to do almost anything to secure the release of the hostages.

Asked in an interview with Time magazine published Tuesday whether he accepts the allegation made by some that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation, Biden responded, "I'm not going to comment on that."

But he subsequently added, "There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion."

The remark made headlines and sparked follow up questions during White House and State Department briefings later today. Administration spokespeople declined to elaborate further on whether Biden himself shared the views of Netanyahu's critics.

A reporter shouted the question again at Biden after he wrapped up a speech at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, asking again whether Netanyahu has been playing politics with the Gaza war.

"I don't think so, Biden responded, apparently trying to calm tensions that may have been sparked by his remark to Time. "He's trying to work out the serious problem that he has."

Netanyahu has long faced this allegation from critics, but it has intensified in recent days as far-right coalition partners have threatened to collapse his government if the premier sticks with the hostage deal proposal he authorized last week, which would potentially bring about an end to the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu for months held off on holding strategic meetings regarding the post-war governance of Gaza, avoiding having to push back against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have called for permanently occupying Gaza and reestablishing settlements there. However, the Israeli security establishment has argued that failure to advance a viable alternative to Hamas has allowed the terror group to quickly fill vacuums created by the Israel Defense Forces on the battlefields, further extending the war. ...