The Israel Defense Force has been on extremely high alert in recent days for possible escalation with Iran, according to Israeli officials who spoke with Axios.

Interesting…

Al-Arabiya reports that military aircraft, believed to likely be Israeli, are currently flying over Southern Syria.

Israeli sources are reporting that fighter aircraft can be heard tonight over Northern and Central Israel, believed to likely be departing from airbases and heading northeast towards Syria.

U.S. Republican Senator Tom Cotton said in a post earlier that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed today that Iran is working towards a nuclear weapons, adding “this cannot be allowed to happen.” Senator Cotton was likely referencing a statement made by Hegseth while testifying today in front of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, in which he stated, “There are plenty of indications that Iran has been moving their way towards something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”

The U.S. ordered all embassies in striking distance of Iran, including those in the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe and North Africa, to convene emergency action committees and send cables back to D.C. about what measures they are taking to mitigate risks, which is what led to today’s departures from Iraq, according to the Washington Post.

According to the Washington Post, U.S. officials have stated that the sixth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, scheduled to take place this weekend in Muscat, are looking less and less likely to happen, due to rising tension in the Middle East.

The U.S. is on high alert in anticipation of a potential Israeli strike on Iran, with intelligence officials having grown increasingly concerned that Israel may choose to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without the consent of the United States. Such concerns about a potential conflict between Israel and Iran led the State Department on Thursday to order the evacuation of diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and General Consulate in Erbil, Iraq. “We are watching and worried,” said one senior diplomat in the Middle East. “We think it’s more serious than any other time in the past.” -WaPo

U.S. President Trump was asked earlier while leaving the White House on the way to the Kennedy Center, why military dependents and diplomats were being evacuated from the Middle East, to which he shrugged and responded, “You'll have to see, thank you.”

Footage of the exchange:

Adding to his statement earlier while leaving the White House, President Trump stated regarding today’s announced evacuation of diplomats and the departure of military dependents from the Middle East, “Well, they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens. Iran can't have a nuclear weapon, very simple.”

Footage once again of the statement by President Trump:

Footage reported to show an Israeli “Iron Dome” Surface-to-Air Missile Battery on the move tonight near Silwad in the West Bank, with several Israeli sources reporting the increased movement of air-defense systems near strategic sites throughout Israel.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has released a statement tonight announcing that roughly two-dozen of its members, Palestinians working with the United States to deliver humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, were attacked last night by Hamas. When the attack occurred, the group were on their way to an aid site near Khan Yunis. At least five are believed to have been killed, while fears are that others have been taken hostage, with the attack following days of threats by Hamas.

According to CBS News, U.S. officials have been told Israel is now “fully ready” to launch an operation into Iran, with this being a primary reason for the announced evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and General Consulate in Erbil, as well as the departure of military dependents from the Middle East. U.S. officials are concerned that Iran could launch attacks against U.S. bases and assets in the region in response to a strike against its nuclear facilities by Israel.

Sources familiar with U.S. assessments and intelligence said that there was some evidence that Iranian-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq, who were recently provided ballistic missiles and additional precision-munitions by Iran, as well as other militia groups in the region, were preparing to attack U.S. bases and interests in the Middle East, according to Al Arabiya.

It is currently 4:15am in Tehran, with the sun set to rise in about 30 minutes at around 4:45am. Just because Israel is now ready to strike Iran doesn’t mean it will happen tonight. I expect we have at least 24–48 hours until any kind of military action, which will allow enough time for diplomats and military dependents alike to depart from certain areas in the region, while also allowing the U.S. to bring additional defensive and offensive assets into the Middle East.

According to the New York Times, Iranian military and government officials have already met to discuss their response to a potential strike by Israel, with plans involving an immediate counterstrike on Israel utilizing hundreds of long-range ballistic missiles, similar to their attack against Israel in October 2024.

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have announced they are at a heightened state of readiness in preparation for any attack from Israel or the United States against themselves or Iran, stating, “We are in a state of constant readiness and are working to escalate our operations against the usurping entity [Israel], against the backdrop of the escalating massacres in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian situation there,” adding that, “Any escalation against the Islamic Republic of Iran is also dangerous and will drag the entire region into the abyss of war.”