The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had placed Araghchi and Ghalibaf on a target list but temporarily removed them while the United States pursued negotiations with Iran.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

U.S. officials believed Israel could target two senior Iranian negotiators during ceasefire and peace negotiations with Tehran, prompting Washington to seek regional assistance in warning Iran out of concern that such an operation could jeopardize the diplomatic process, The New York Times reported.

The officials said American concerns focused on Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during negotiations that began in April.

While U.S. officials acknowledged the two men could have been considered legitimate military targets during the height of the conflict, they believed any attempt to kill them after negotiations were underway would likely end the talks and reignite fighting.

According to The New York Times, some current and former U.S. officials said Washington asked other countries in the region to warn Iran about the possibility that Israel could target the two officials.

The report said Israel concentrated early in the conflict on senior Iranian leaders, while U.S. military operations focused on Iran’s navy and missile forces.

Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security official, and former Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi were killed in Israeli airstrikes while participating in negotiations with the United States.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported in March that Israel had placed Araghchi and Ghalibaf on a target list but temporarily removed them while the United States pursued negotiations with Iran.

The report said Iran adopted additional security measures during the talks.

Before an April meeting in Islamabad with Vice President JD Vance, Iranian officials sought assurances through Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries that Israel would not target the delegation.

Pakistani fighter jets escorted the Iranian aircraft to and from Islamabad, and on the return journey, the delegation diverted to Mashhad before traveling approximately eight hours overland to Tehran after receiving what Iranian officials described as intelligence of a possible Israeli threat.

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Senior Israeli official tells the country’s national broadcaster that Jerusalem is planning to take down the Islamic republic by the end of President Trump’s second term.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is working to undermine and ultimately topple the Iranian government, a senior Israeli official said, with plans to take down the Islamic republic by the beginning of 2029.

On Monday, Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, published a report citing a senior Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity, claiming that Jerusalem has set for itself the goal of toppling the Iranian regime by the end of President Donald Trump’s second term in January 2029.

The official warned that Iran is working rapidly to rebuild its ballistic missile arsenal, which was reduced significantly during the 12-day war with Israel this June, both by Iran’s missile attacks on Israel and by Israeli airstrikes on Iranian missile depots.

The claim echoed similar comments by the International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez, who told The New York Times recently that Iran hopes to achieve a capacity to “fire 2,000 [ballistic missiles] at once to overwhelm Israeli defenses, not 500 over 12 days.”

“Israel feels the job is unfinished and sees no reason not to resume the conflict, so Iran is doubling down preparedness for the next round.”

An Israeli security official told Channel 13 that should a new round of fighting break out with Iran, Israel’s response this time will be “much more” aggressive, even compared to the June war.

During the 12-day air campaign, Israeli warplanes struck numerous Iranian nuclear facilities and missile sites.

In addition, Israeli jets targeted Iran’s military leadership and even senior regime leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was lightly injured in an Israeli strike.

In retaliation for Iranian strikes on Israeli civilians, the IDF bombed Iranian state media outlets and national infrastructure, in a bid to weaken the Islamic republic.

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Ibrahim El-Sakr a Lebanese Forces Party official called on the US and the international community to strike down Iranian leaders saying, why should Lebanon and others be used as pawns for their war against Israel?

WILD

High ranking Lebanese force official is asking US to target Iranian leaders pic.twitter.com/2RzcM5SG1a

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 3, 2024

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