The bloody crackdown offers hints about growing tensions inside the country’s ruling system as the cleric’s rule comes under strain.

Several major airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Swiss have canceled their Saturday flights to Middle East destinations including Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, according to flight information published on airport websites, amid fears of a conflict involving Iran.

Is Israel quietly preparing for war? Reports are now circulating that the Israeli military may have canceled Shabbat leave for all IDF soldiers—a move that, if true, could be a major warning sign of escalating conflict in the Middle East.

He dismissed the two-state solution as unrealistic. "It's a non-starter," Barkat said, pointing to near-unanimous opposition in Israel's parliament

General Mohammad Pakpour says Iranians are prepared to execute orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Another general warns that if US attacked, "all US interests, bases and centres of influence" would be considered "legitimate targets.

Israel warns Iran not to test its military readiness amid tensions over ballistic missiles and nuclear capabilities following summer 2025 operations.

The Middle East enters a dangerous phase as questions mount over Iran’s protest death toll, disputed claims of ongoing executions, and fresh military signalling across the region. With Israeli readiness reports unconfirmed and the UK deploying fighter jets to the Gulf,

According to Check Point, while “Iran’s internet has gone dark, Iranian hackers ”are using Starlink. After a week of quiet we are seeing that ‘Handala Hack’ of MOIS is back, operating from Starlink IP ranges and hitting targets across the Middle East."

While no final decision has been made, the scale of the US military build-up, combined with Israel’s heightened readiness and Iran’s warnings, suggests the situation remains highly volatile.

The devastating series of strikes that Israel and America launched against Iran and its nuclear programme seven months ago weakened the Islamic Republic’s rulers, both at home and abroad. As protests spread to more than 100 cities and towns across every province in Iran,

As waves of protests have tested the Iranian regime’s ability to manage dissent, the country with arguably the most to gain has been waiting in the wings, reluctant to intervene even when its regional adversary is at its most vulnerable point in years.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there were signs that Israel was still seeking an opportunity to attack Iran, warning such a move could further destabilise the region.