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Israel continues to weigh options, timing on Iran strike following Biden-Netanyahu call

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Israel continues to weigh options, timing on Iran strike following Biden-Netanyahu call

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Details of the phone call between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, in which Jerusalem’s pending response to Iran’s attack last week was discussed, remain limited. 

A readout of the call noted Biden’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” adding that Biden “condemned unequivocally Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st.” 

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Prior to the readout, when asked about the details of the discussion, Vice President Kamala Harris – who sat in on the call – said she could not discuss “private diplomatic conversations,” telling CNN it was “an important call.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also short on any details, saying that the pair “continued their discussion on a response to Iran’s attack” and that it was a “straightforward, honest conversation.”

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes notes during his telephone call with President Biden on Wednesday. (Israeli Prime Minister’s Office)

Following the attack by Tehran, in which the U.S. helped defend Israel against the more than 180 missiles fired at it, Netanyahu vowed to make Iran “pay,” prompting immediate speculation over what the counterattack would look like.

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No casualties were reported in Israel, though one Palestinian was killed in the West Bank, and Biden has urged Netanyahu to issue nothing more than a “proportionate” counterstrike. 

However, speculation has mounted over the type of attack Israel could hit Iran with, and security analysts have begun reviewing strike options that range from hitting military sites, infrastructure important to the Iranian regime like oil refineries and ports, to even an attack on Iran’s expanding nuclear program.

According to an assessment by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), Iran has more than a dozen nuclear installations across the country, including uranium mines, fuel enrichment plants, a reactor and heavy water production plant, as well as several weaponization facilities – all of which could be in Israel’s crosshairs.  

President Biden, right, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House on July 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

However, the U.S. has warned the Israeli prime minister against attacking Iranian nuclear or oil facilities over concerns it could prompt a regional war. 

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Following Iran’s attack in April, during which it levied some 300 missiles and drones at Israel, Jerusalem responded to Western calls for restraint by hitting Iran’s air defenses and destroying part of an S-300 long-range air defense system.

Many rockets, fired from Iran, are seen over Jerusalem from Hebron, West Bank on Oct. 1, 2024. The Israeli army announced that missiles were fired from Iran toward Israel, and sirens were heard across the country, especially in Tel Aviv. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

However, the precision strike, seemingly muted compared to the missile launch levied by Iran, likely sent a loud message to Tehran after Israel successfully hit one of Iran’s most coveted defense systems, strategically placed in between its nuclear sites.

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The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has analyzed where Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is located as Israel mulls a retaliatory attack. (Image provided by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

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The S-300 system was permanently deployed at the Isfahan Air Base, just 60 miles south of the Natanz enrichment plant and less than 10 miles north of the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, two sites supposedly at the core of Iran’s nuclear program, according a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

However, even given the significance of the previous hit, one expert suspects Jerusalem’s response this time will be more “public,” even as Israel continues to butt heads with its biggest ally, the U.S.

“It is unknown what target, or in what order, or with what exact political verse military goal in mind, Israel may choose to strike back at the Islamic Republic,” expert on Iran-Israel security matters and senior fellow with the FDD, Behnam Ben Taleblu, told Fox News Digital. 

“What seems certain, however, is that Israel is intent on returning fire and likely in a larger and more public fashion than it did in April,” he said, adding it remains likely that Israel again goes after Iran’s air and missile defense capabilities. 

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The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has analyzed where Iran’s military targets are located as Israel mulls a retaliatory attack. (Image provided by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

Tension between the U.S. and Israel has been brewing for months over mounting concerns about the number of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, and reports suggested last month the U.S. was kept in the dark over Israel’s alleged pager operation against Hezbollah in late September in which some three dozen terrorists were killed and 3,000 others were injured.

Additionally, Washington fervently warned Israel against any ground incursion into Lebanon, though Jerusalem ignored the international calls to ease fighting and argued its operations against Hezbollah were required to ensure the safe return of 60,000 citizens forced to evacuate from their homes near the border. 

Despite U.S. objections over the ground incursion in Lebanon, the U.S. reinforced its troops in the region to better defend Israel ahead of the Iranian attack.  

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a press conference in Tehran, Iran, September 16, 2024. (WANA/Majid Asgaripour via REUTERS)

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Questions over how the U.S. will support or respond to an Israeli attack on Iran remains as unclear as the type of retaliatory strike Jerusalem will throw at Iran. 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday issued an ominous warning to Iran and said, “Our strike will be powerful, precise, and above all – surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened.”

Ben Taleblu said Israel’s forthcoming decision on what it decides to strike will “tell analysts a great deal if Israel envisions this to be an operation verses a campaign,” as well as serve as an indicator as to how involved the Biden administration was in the counterattack. 

“Israeli military planners, in my estimation, are likely to be exploring options that enable them to do as much damage while keeping the U.S. on board,” he said. “But Israel’s ability to signal the vulnerability of Tehran’s nuclear weapons enterprise through other and more creative means ought not to be minimized.”

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Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane Present Ravi Muppa’s ‘Incognito’ as New YouTube Shorts Channel Launches (EXCLUSIVE)

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Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane Present Ravi Muppa’s ‘Incognito’ as New YouTube Shorts Channel Launches (EXCLUSIVE)

Indian auteurs Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane have joined forces again to spotlight writer-director Ravi Muppa’s short film “Incognito,” the debut release on shorts-only YouTube channel titled Oh Flip Shorts that is launching July 15.

The channel arrives courtesy of producer Ranjan Singh, with Kashyap serving as curator. The plan calls for a fresh short to premiere on the platform each month, with the goal of building an audience and community around independent short-form work.

“Incognito” stars Vikram Singh, Ayushi Nema and Dev Chauhan. The story follows a motel receptionist short on money who makes extra income selling hidden-camera footage of guests, then finds himself torn between self-preservation and intervening after filming a woman who appears to be a trafficking victim.

The short has already made the festival rounds, screening at more than 20 international events, among them the Oscar-qualifying Palm Springs International ShortFest.

“I’ve always loved short films as they are the first stepping stone for a director to test their storytelling style and give an actual practice to them of shooting a story,” Kashyap said. “Continuing the same, this is our effort to showcase some excellent short films, curated by me and presented by filmmakers whose work I look up to. We’re glad to begin with ‘Incognito’ by Ravi Muppa, and very hopefully that it’ll be liked by the audience.”

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“‘Incognito’ is gripping and beautifully atmospheric, a true blue genre short with an out of the box ending. Congratulations to Ravi and his team and I’m so happy that we can present this to the audience,” Motwane added.

As revealed by Variety, plans for a feature-length version of “Incognito” are already underway, with Invention Studios joining Flip Films and Campfire Studios as co-producers. Kashyap, Nicholas Weinstock, Divya Souza and Singh are attached to produce.

Muppa, whose earlier development credits include “Stree” (2018), “Bala” (2019) and “The Family Man” (2019), said: “The film has been an incredibly special journey, and I’m deeply grateful to the producers, collaborators, and champions who believed in it and helped carry it forward. I’m especially excited that this is just the beginning, as we now look ahead to expanding ‘Incognito’ into a feature,” Muppa said.

Singh, who produced the short through his Flip Films banner, added: “We are thankful to Anurag for the curation, and Vikram and other directors to lend their support to the same. Every month we’ll be premiering one new short on the channel and hope that we’ll be able to make a community very soon.”

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Four Americans caught in horrific Mexico highway pileup that killed at least 10

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Four Americans caught in horrific Mexico highway pileup that killed at least 10

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Four Americans were reportedly caught in a fiery multi-vehicle crash in Mexico that left at least 10 people dead and about 10 others injured. 

The massive pileup happened Sunday after a tractor-trailer crashed into multiple vehicles on a highway in the western state of Jalisco, according to the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Nayarit. 

While the agency reported 10 deaths, Mexico’s Army, Air Force and National Guard said nine people were killed.

Jalisco Civil Protection told Reuters that four Americans suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital.

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A vehicle was left charred and mangled following a massive multi-vehicle pileup in Jalisco, Mexico, on Sunday. (Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Nayarit)

“Four patients in minor condition, all U.S. citizens, were transferred to the Arboledas Hospital in Guadalajara by a private ambulance from the highway,” Jalisco Civil Protection said.

Reuters reported that two of those killed were minors.

Another two of the injured were identified as National Guard members who suffered serious injuries and were taken to a hospital in Guadalajara, according to Reuters. 

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Videos circulating on social media appeared to show several vehicles engulfed in flames along the highway connecting Guadalajara and Tepic, sending multiple plumes of black smoke into the air. 

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A firefighter works to douse the smoking engine of a destroyed vehicle after a devastating highway collision in Jalisco, Mexico, on Sunday. (Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Nayarit)

According to Mexican officials, the crash happened when a tractor-trailer apparently suffered a brake failure and slammed into a line of vehicles that had stopped because of an earlier accident. 

“According to initial reports, a trailer reportedly suffered a failure in its braking system and ended up crashing into several vehicles that were stopped due to a prior incident,” Mexico’s Army, Air Force and National Guard said in a post on X. 

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The initial accident reportedly involved a rear-end collision between two tractor-trailers. As emergency crews responded, a third tractor-trailer crashed into the scene, according to the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Nayarit. 

“As a result of this second impact, three private vehicles and two tractor-trailer trucks were completely destroyed by the fire,” the authorities said. “Additionally, two other private vehicles and an official Dodge Charger unit belonging to the National Guard sustained material damage. “

Mexican authorities inspect the incinerated frame of a tractor-trailer on a highway connecting Guadalajara and Tepic in Jalisco, Mexico, on Sunday. (Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Nayarit)

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Firefighters later extinguished the blaze, officials said. 

Local outlet El Financiero reported that the driver of the tractor-trailer was detained by the National Guard. 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

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At least 27 dead as fire engulfs popular Bangkok pub near Chatuchak market

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At least 27 dead as fire engulfs popular Bangkok pub near Chatuchak market
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At least 27 people were killed and 63 injured, many critically, after a fire ripped through a popular pub in Bangkok. Authorities are investigating whether the pub, located near the iconic Chatuchak Weekend Market, had adequate escape routes.

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