Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Say They Are Preparing to Unveil “Father of All Bombs”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Wednesday that it was preparing to unveil a new weapon, which it dubbed the “Father of All Bombs,” in response to US threats to use the most powerful conventional bomb in the American arsenal against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The announcement comes amid rising security tensions between Tehran and Washington and the possibility of renewed US strikes on Iranian territory.
IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohabi told the Iranian Young Journalists Club news agency that “We are in the preparatory stages of unveiling the ‘Father of All Bombs.’ This is something new for the enemy.”
Netanyahu, Katz’s warnings of Iranian strikes could spur regime into attacking first, officials say
Israel has intelligence indicating that Iran and its proxies are considering attacks against Israel ahead of the elections, believing that a major security incident could undermine public confidence and influence the results, senior Israeli officials told Maariv on Thursday.
According to the officials, public warnings by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz about potential attacks during the election period are intended primarily to deter Israel’s enemies and prevent them from carrying out their plans.
Netanyahu and Katz have repeatedly warned of a potential Iranian strike in the days leading up to the elections, with Katz saying that any attack would be the fault of the opposition for ignoring his warnings.
Hezbollah recruiting convicts in Latin America for revenue, relaxing ideological requirements
Hezbollah is increasingly recruiting convicted felons in Latin America, targeting individuals with financial difficulties who harbor resentment toward the courts – while relaxing its requirements for ideological alignment – according to a new Washington Institute assessment. The report was written by Lucas Gualtieri, a Brazilian federal prosecutor who specializes in organized crime and Hezbollah’s use of criminal networks.
Operation Trapiche, a counterterrorism operation launched by Brazil’s Federal Police in November 2023 with support from Israel’s Mossad, has shed light on Hezbollah’s efforts to outsource operatives, as well as on criminal revenue generation and financial services in Latin America, building capabilities the terrorist group can plausibly deny if confronted.
Hezbollah has long outsourced operations in Latin America, as illustrated by the 2021 expulsion of two criminals hired by the Iran-backed group to target an Israeli in Bogotá.
Pentagon grants DHS permission to test directed energy heat ray weapon for potential use at border
The Pentagon has given the Department of Homeland Security permission to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics to potentially use it in operations at the southern US border, according to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month and obtained by CNN.
The heat ray, officially known as the Active Denial System, is a nonlethal weapon that shoots an invisible beam of electromagnetic waves that can reach a little more than half a mile away, according to the US military.
The energy beam causes a burning sensation when it comes into contact with the human skin — which Pentagon officials have previously compared to feeling a blast of heat when opening a hot oven. Military officials have said the resulting “tingling effect” lasts between 10 and 15 minutes but also generates “an instinctive and irresistible urge to run from the effect.”
Saudi Aramco tells staff to evacuate Dhahran as clashes with Yemen’s Houthis continue
Saudi state oil company Aramco has told staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran on the Gulf, six people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday, as fighting between the world’s largest crude exporter and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis intensifies.
Clashes between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition that backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government have raged since the group pushed towards Bab el-Mandeb, a shipping chokepoint at the Red Sea’s mouth.
The instruction to staff to evacuate the building and work remotely follows a wave of Houthi attacks on the kingdom, targeting the company and Saudi airports. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what would be the first evacuation since the start of the Iran war.
Turkey to host regional and European foreign ministers for talks on regional conflicts, source says
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host his counterparts from Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday for talks on regional conflicts, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Thursday.
The seven countries will meet in this format for the first time, at Turkey’s initiative, the source said, as wars involving Iran, Yemen and Ukraine threaten shipping routes and regional security.
The ministers are expected to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the latest situation in the Strait of Hormuz, developments related to Yemen, efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and opportunities for closer cooperation between the regional and European countries, the person added.
Israel denounces Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum
Jerusalem “strongly condemns” the Libyan House of Representatives’ ratification of the Maritime Jurisdiction Memorandum between Turkey and Libya, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
“This agreement infringes upon the sovereign rights of our close allies in the region. Regretfully, once again, we see Turkey working to destabilize the east Mediterranean region,” the ministry tweeted.
Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development (AK) Party on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he “hopes this important decision will be beneficial,” according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
Australia Wants the World to Follow Its Online Censorship Blueprint
Australia’s Communications Minister Anika Wells is working to build a global coalition of governments that would press tech companies such as Meta to “reduce online harm.”
As the model for this, she is offering her country’s new Digital Duty of Care bill – which is not yet in force, but has already attracted criticism from the Trump administration, and is also not guaranteed to pass at home.
Wells has already held talks with her counterparts in Malaysia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Canada, and Sweden, and has more meetings scheduled in the coming weeks.
Wells explained the need to go global in an interview for Bloomberg, published on October 20, saying that tech companies are “the most resourced, powerful companies in the world” and that “It’s going to take a coalition of lawmakers working together across the globe to take them on.”
Ghana, Benin, Rwanda link ID systems for cross-border checks
Ghana, Benin and Rwanda have linked their national identity systems to a shared Smart Africa platform, the secretariat said on 20 October, opening the way for cross-border identity checks.Buy Maps
Under the arrangement, a traveller from one of the three countries could have their identity confirmed directly against official records at home, for example at an automated airport e-gate. No government has to hand over its database. The Smart Africa Secretariat called the connection a technical milestone in a digital identity pilot it coordinates, in a statement issued in Kigali and reported by Xinhua.
For Ghana, the pilot is the first real test of whether a foreign border officer can rely on the Ghana Card in real time. The card has enrolled about 19.4 million people, covering more than 92 per cent of adults, and has been cited as one of the most integrated identity systems in the world.