Iran on Monday continued its threat of a “nightmare” attack on Israel following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in late July, as international concerns remain high over Tehran’s nuclear development program which has run unchecked for more than three years. 

Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami said “the nightmare of Iran’s inevitable response is shaking Israel day and night,” reported the Jerusalem Post, citing Saudi-owned news outlet Al-Arabiya.

The commander reportedly claimed that Israeli leaders are anxious over the ambiguous threat of what will be a “painful and different” attack than “what you expec[t].”

HEZBOLLAH RELIES ON ‘SOPHISTICATED’ TUNNEL SYSTEM BACKED BY IRAN, NORTH KOREA IN FIGHT AGAINST ISRAEL

Despite the ominous tone set by Salami, Iran has been levying similar threats for over a month at the Jewish state following the killing of Haniyeh during a visit to Tehran on July 31.

Iran has laid the blame squarely on Israel for the assassination, in which it claimed a precision strike missile was used, though Jerusalem has not taken credit for the killing.

The U.S., along with other Middle Eastern nations, have warned Tehran against attacking Israel amid fears that a broader regional war could break out, though concerns remain that Iran could look to launch retaliatory strikes through Hezbollah – the Lebanon-based terrorist organization it has backed for decades. 

A member of Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset, Nissim Vaturi, echoed these concerns on Monday and said he believes it is just “a matter of days” before war between Israel and Hezbollah breaks out in Lebanon. 

Vaturi said Israel needs to take a provocative approach and pre-emptively strike Hezbollah’s strong holds in Lebanon through a series of airstrikes followed by ground invasion – a scenario experts have warned will cause casualty rates that could be higher than those that have incurred during the nearly one-year-long war in Gaza.

“I think it’s time to deal with the north,” he said, according to The Times of Israel. “Our patience has run out.

“There’s no other way,” he continued, adding that Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb — a major stronghold for Hezbollah outside the capital city — “will look like Gaza.”

Iran has yet to specify how it intends to launch this long-awaited retaliatory strike against Israel, though its reported supply of ballistic missiles to the terrorist organization has kept security experts on heightened alert. 

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024. The Israeli military announced that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for “large-scale” attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. (JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

HEZBOLLAH IS THE ‘X-FACTOR’ IN LOOMING ISRAEL, IRAN WAR WITH ‘NATION STATE CAPABILITIES’

Iran is not believed to possess nuclear grade weaponry at this time, but a warning issued by the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday once again brought renewed attention to the fact that Tehran’s nuclear program has run unchecked for the last three and half years. 

“It has been more than three and a half years since Iran stopped implementing its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA,” Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi told the agency’s board of directors. “Therefore, it is also over three and a half years since the Agency was able to conduct complementary access in Iran. 

“Consequently, the Agency has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate,” he added. 

Grossi said that Iran is known to have increased its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium metals of not only 20% purity levels, but 60% – which is just shy of the steps needed to reach weapons grade uranium which is enriched to 90% purity.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei alongside a look inside a uranium plant. (Getty Images)

“There has been no progress in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues,” he said, pointing to Iran’s false claims that it has declared all nuclear activities, materials and locations.  “I call upon Iran to implement the Joint Statement through serious engagement with the Agency’s concrete proposals.”

Rossi said he called on new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to abide by agreements made under a March 4, 2023 joint statement and urged the president to meet with him in the “not too distant future” so the pair could “establish a constructive dialogue that leads swiftly to real results.”

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari poses next to an Iranian ballistic missile, which fell in Israel on the weekend, during a media tour at the Julis military base near the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Malachi on April 16, 2024. (Getty Images)

The European Union (EU) on Monday further accused Iran of providing short range ballistic missiles to Russia to aid its war effort against Ukraine, citing “credible” information provided by allied nations, reported Radio Free Europe. 

The EU is reported to still be investigating the information, but EU spokesman Peter Stano said if Iran is discovered to have provided the escalatory arms to Moscow, the response would be “swift” and would include “new and significant restrictive measures against Iran.”

The Kremlin on Monday did not directly deny having been sent the missiles which are capable of carrying nuclear, chemical and conventional warheads. 

The British royal underwent major abdominal surgery in January that revealed the presence of cancer.

Catherine, the princess of Wales, has said that she has finished her course of preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

On Monday, she expressed that the treatment had given her a new perspective and made her grateful for “simply loving and being loved”.

Kate, 42, wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, underwent major abdominal surgery in January that revealed the presence of cancer. She has been undergoing treatment since then.

On Monday, the British royal said: “As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment.”

“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown,” she added.

In the video, which was filmed in Norfolk, eastern England last month, the princess looked well and healthy.

The film showed the family walking through woods, carrying a cricket bat and ball, and Kate lying on a beach next to William. In other footage, she was shown pushing Louis on a swing and being joined by her parents as they played a board game.

She and William were also grateful for the global messages of support, she said, adding she was looking forward to returning to public duties when she was able, although her programme for the remainder of the year will remain light.

“Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” said the princess, often referred to by her maiden name Kate Middleton.

“Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life … To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright.”

Princess Kate’s condition was first publicly disclosed in a video message in March after weeks of speculation on social media about her whereabouts and health since she was admitted to hospital in January for unspecified abdominal surgery.

“The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you,” Kate noted on Monday.

“With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything.

“This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.”