Jan. 26 – Israel’s economy minister Nir Barkat said Iran had become a ‘legitimate target’ for missile strikes, in an interview with British newspaper The Telegraph, this week.
The military conflict, which began on Oct. 7 following a surprise attack on Israel by militant group Hamas, has expanded to include military assaults by Iran on Iraq, Pakistan and Syria.
Israel’s government views the Iranian regime as the catalyst for the conflict, which has engaged several armed proxies funded by the Islamic Republic including Hamas and who are also part of the regime’s Axis of Resistance.
Britain’s police force said it had set up a new unit to tackle threats posed by Iran, China and Russia following growing concerns about possible interference with upcoming elections in the UK.
The head of Britain’s counter-terrorism policing, assistant commissioner Matt Jukes said threats posed by hostiles states to the UK were “greater now than since the days of the Cold War.”
Jukes also raised concerns abut the impact of the conflict between Israel and Gaza, telling reporters it was a “radicalization moment” which could push some people towards terrorism.
And videos intended for Muslim students in the UK showing members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps giving anti-semitic speeches have been sent to the Charity Commission, a regulatory body in the country.
The footage, which includes “death to Israel” chants and Holocaust denials, were found on an Islamic charity’s UK premises.
British lawmaker Alicia Kearns said the speeches were a “brazen act of radicalization.”
