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Edited by: Fern Sidman
Iran has once again escalated its verbal confrontation with Israel, with a senior military figure issuing threats of an impending and “nightmarish” retaliation against the Jewish state. According to a report on Tuesday on the World Israel News web site, this development comes amidst continued tensions between the two countries, with the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July serving as the catalyst for Iran’s renewed calls for revenge. Although Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the high-profile assassination, Iranian officials have pointed the finger directly at Jerusalem, and now appear intent on delivering retribution.
The assassination of Haniyeh within a heavily fortified compound in Tehran was a significant blow to the Islamic Republic. A key figure in Hamas and a longtime adversary of Israel, Haniyeh’s sudden death inside his bedroom, reportedly caused by an explosive device, humiliated the Iranian regime. As per the information provided in the WIN report, despite its well-publicized security apparatus, Tehran was unable to protect a crucial ally from being eliminated on its home turf. For Iran, this event represents not just the loss of an important ally, but also a symbolic defeat—one that highlighted vulnerabilities in its own backyard.
Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been vocal about Iran’s intention to exact vengeance on Israel. In a recent address in Yasuj, he amplified the rhetoric, declaring that Israel is gripped by fear as it awaits Iran’s inevitable retaliation. “The nightmare of Iran’s inevitable response is shaking Israel day and night,” Salami said, according to the WIN report, describing the looming reprisal as “painful and different” from what Israel might expect. His words leave no doubt that Iran is planning a significant military response, one aimed at inflicting both physical and psychological damage on Israel.
While Iran’s leadership has repeatedly vowed vengeance for the assassination, it has been careful to state that any response would occur on its own timetable. As was reported by WIN, this calculated approach is typical of Iran’s strategic posture, particularly when dealing with Israel. Iran has made it clear that it prefers to retaliate in ways that maximize the element of surprise and allow it to strike in a manner that imposes the highest possible cost on its adversaries.
Salami’s warning to Israel—that it “will be struck and will not be able to run away”—mirrors past Iranian declarations of retaliation. One such instance occurred in April when Iran attempted to avenge the deaths of several high-ranking IRGC officers killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus. Less than two weeks later, Iran launched over 300 missiles at Israel, aiming to deliver a decisive blow. However, the WIN report indicated that due to Israel’s sophisticated aerial defense systems, bolstered by cooperation from U.S., British, French, and Jordanian military forces, the vast majority of those missiles were intercepted, causing minimal damage. Only a few missiles managed to land, resulting in the injury of a young girl who later recovered after hospitalization.
Iran’s missile barrage was intended to send a powerful message to Israel, but the actual results were less than effective. The failure of that operation to cause significant damage serves as a reminder of the challenges Iran faces in confronting Israel’s advanced military capabilities. Nevertheless, Tehran’s leaders appear undeterred and seem poised to pursue further avenues of retaliation. The threats issued by Salami signal Iran’s intent to strike in a manner that circumvents Israel’s formidable defenses, possibly through asymmetric means such as cyberattacks, proxy forces, or covert operations.
While Iran has yet to deliver on its threats of retaliation, the situation remains highly volatile. According to the information contained in the WIN report, Salami’s speech points to the possibility of a more sophisticated and unexpected response—one that may not come in the form of direct missile attacks but rather through unconventional or hybrid warfare methods. Iran has previously demonstrated its capacity to launch cyberattacks and sabotage operations, both of which could be used to undermine Israeli security and infrastructure. In addition, Iran’s proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and various militias in Syria, could be mobilized to strike Israeli targets.
Hezbollah, based in southern Lebanon and armed with an immense stockpile of rockets, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has already played a significant role in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the WIN report said. With Hezbollah’s extensive capabilities and deep ties to Iran, its involvement could drastically alter the trajectory of the war, posing a direct challenge to Israel’s security.
Since the beginning of the war between Hamas and Israel, Hezbollah has acted in support of Hamas by launching over 7,000 rockets, missiles, and UAVs across the Israeli-Lebanese border. This barrage has forced the evacuation of approximately 60,000 Israelis from northern border communities, creating a humanitarian and security crisis in the region. Noted in the WIN report was that although Hezbollah’s attacks have not yet reached their full potential, they have significantly disrupted life in northern Israel, demonstrating the terrorist group’s capacity to inflict considerable damage.
What makes Hezbollah such a formidable threat is not only the quantity of its arsenal but the sophistication and sheer number of rockets and missiles it possesses. Current estimates suggest that Hezbollah has an arsenal of roughly 140,000 rockets, far surpassing the capabilities of Hamas. The WIN report revealed that Hezbollah also boasts a well-trained and battle-hardened fighting force, many of whom gained combat experience during the Syrian civil war. This makes Hezbollah’s threat to Israel far more complex than that posed by Hamas, with the group having the capacity to overwhelm Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system with a massive, coordinated barrage of rockets.
Two weeks ago, Hezbollah was reportedly preparing to launch over a thousand rockets at Israel in what many analysts saw as a likely Iranian-ordered revenge attack, possibly linked to Israel’s covert operations against key Iranian and Hezbollah figures, according to the WIN report. However, Israel’s military intelligence and air force managed to pre-empt this attack by targeting and destroying all of Hezbollah’s rocket launchers before the missiles could be fired.
This pre-emptive strike highlights Israel’s readiness to prevent Hezbollah from unleashing its full firepower. Nevertheless, despite this success, Hezbollah’s vast arsenal remains intact, and the group still has the capacity to launch a much larger attack at any moment. This has kept the IDF on high alert along the northern front, where a substantial number of troops and resources have been deployed to counter the growing threat.
Also on Tuesday, WIN reported that Israel’s struggle to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages held by Hamas has entered a complex and uncertain phase, as Gal Hirsch, the nation’s chief negotiator for hostages and missing persons, has reportedly put forward a controversial offer. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Hirsch suggested that Israel is considering providing safe passage to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his family in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages, as per the report on WIN.
Hirsch’s proposal reflects the immense pressure Israel faces as the fate of the hostages becomes increasingly urgent. “I’m ready to provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, whoever wants to join him,” Hirsch stated during the interview, as was revealed in the WIN report. The central goal is clear: to bring the 101 hostages back to Israel, safely and swiftly. In exchange, Israel would offer Sinwar and his close associates a way out, sparing them from the intensifying Israeli military operations targeting Hamas in Gaza. However, the WIN report also indicated that Hirsch emphasized that the broader aim includes the demilitarization and de-radicalization of Gaza, as well as the creation of a new governing system for the Palestinian territory.
This proposal, if accepted, would represent a significant departure from the hardline approach that Israel has traditionally taken in its dealings with Hamas. While Israel has engaged in prisoner exchanges in the past, offering safe passage to a key leader such as Sinwar—responsible for numerous attacks on Israel and a figure central to Hamas’ control of Gaza—is an extraordinary gamble. WIN reported that the urgency driving this offer is evident in Hirsch’s remarks: “The clock is ticking; the hostages do not have time.”
Despite the urgency of Hirsch’s proposal, it remains unclear how Hamas has responded. The report suggests that the offer has been on the table for several days, yet there has been no public indication of whether Hamas is considering the deal, as per the information contained in the WIN report. Given the delicate nature of the negotiations and Hamas’ previous behavior, it is possible that the group may see this offer as an opportunity to extract more concessions from Israel.
At the same time, Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, has issued stark warnings regarding the fate of the hostages. According to the WIN report, in a Telegram post, their spokesperson, Abu Obaida, responded to the ongoing Israeli pressure by threatening that if Israel continues its military operations instead of agreeing to a deal, the hostages would return “in coffins.” This chilling statement speaks volumes about the high stakes of the negotiations and the deadly risks facing the captives.
Abu Obaida also referenced the IDF’s rescue operation in Nuseirat, which successfully freed four hostages in June. According to him, that operation has led to new, more stringent instructions being issued to Hamas fighters tasked with guarding the prisoners, suggesting that future rescue attempts could face even greater obstacles.
An investigation by the IDF into the death of the six hostages in Gaza has revealed the horrific conditions under which they were held before their captors brutally murdered them. The WIN report indicated that the remains of the six captives, recovered from a tunnel in Gaza ten days ago, have provided investigators with valuable, though deeply troubling, insights into their final days. New evidence uncovered by the IDF suggests that the hostages may have been murdered just hours before the rescue forces arrived, with indications that some may have fought back against their captors in a desperate struggle for survival.
The discovery of the six hostages in the tunnel highlights the stark realities of captivity in Gaza’s underground labyrinth of terror tunnels. The investigation points to the likelihood that the hostages were killed shortly before the IDF reached them, suggesting that their captors had no intention of releasing them alive. There is also growing evidence that some of the hostages, despite their dire conditions, attempted to resist their captors. Also pointed out in the WIN report was that while specific details of how the hostages fought back are still under investigation, the possibility of a confrontation between the captives and their captors has emerged as a critical point in understanding the final moments before their execution.
The conditions inside the tunnel where the hostages were kept were nothing short of appalling. According to the IDF report, the tunnel was so narrow that the hostages could barely stand upright. At most, only two people could lie down at any given time, forcing the others to endure long periods of discomfort in a cramped, oppressive environment, as was revealed in the WIN report, The tunnel’s poor ventilation made breathing difficult, and many of the hostages likely suffered from oxygen deprivation during their captivity.
With no toilets or showers available, the captives were forced to use makeshift methods for hygiene. Water bottles were used not only for bathing but also as their sole source of drinking water, compounding the unsanitary and degrading conditions. The report also said that the scarcity of fresh air, coupled with the stifling heat and lack of space, created an unbearable atmosphere for the hostages, whose physical and mental health rapidly deteriorated.
One of the most distressing revelations from the investigation is the extreme malnourishment the hostages endured. Eden Yerushalmi, one of the six hostages, weighed only 36 kg (79 pounds) at the time of her death. This shocking weight indicates that she and the other hostages were given barely enough food to survive. WIN reported that the deprivation of basic nutrition severely weakened the captives, leaving them in a fragile state during their captivity.
The investigation also points to the psychological torment the hostages experienced. The combination of starvation, isolation, and physical confinement in such an inhospitable environment would have had devastating effects on their mental well-being. The lack of sunlight, fresh air, and adequate food over an extended period likely pushed the hostages to the brink of exhaustion, both physically and mentally.
The conditions uncovered in the tunnel are not unique to this group of hostages but rather reflect the broader tactics employed by terrorist groups such as Hamas, which use Gaza’s extensive network of tunnels for illicit activities, including holding captives, the WIN report explained. The use of tunnels as prisons is part of a larger strategy to evade detection and maximize the suffering of captives, who are kept in the dark—both literally and figuratively—about their fate. These tunnels, often equipped with minimal resources for survival, serve as tools of psychological and physical torture, designed to weaken and demoralize hostages while ensuring that they remain hidden from the outside world.
The IDF’s findings not only highlight the suffering of these six hostages but also raise urgent questions about the fate of other hostages still held in Gaza. With over 100 Israelis still believed to be in captivity, the conditions they may be enduring are of grave concern. The tunnels are a critical part of Hamas’ military strategy, and their use in holding hostages complicates any potential rescue operations. The narrow, claustrophobic tunnels make it difficult for rescuers to locate and extract hostages without triggering violent responses from captors, as seen in this case.
