Everything restarts today in Muscat, Oman, despite Marco Rubio’s statements: “We will not make any agreement with Iran that does not include limiting the range of their ballistic missiles, so they can no longer threaten Israel.” “The intensity of the protests in Iran may have subsided, but they will flare up again in the future.”
Iran, on the other hand, has stated clearly on several occasions that the missile issue is not part of the negotiations. Therefore, nuclear issues will be discussed. The Sultanate of Oman told Lebanese media: “The Iranian delegation is ready for direct negotiations if it perceives seriousness from the American side.”
On February 5, according to Chanel 14: “The government is now meeting to discuss the Iranian dossier.” In the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “If Iran attacks us, we will respond with force.”
Netanyahu also brought 10-year-old protocols to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee to demonstrate that the October 7 attack had not been anticipated, and claimed that the attack was caused by a serious lack of intelligence.
Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot retorted to Netanyahu: “It seems your memory is selective: on October 7, you were prime minister, and I finished my term as Chief of Staff five years ago. You are avoiding the formation of an official commission of inquiry that would reveal the complete protocols, not just your selected parts, and I will fight for the formation of such a commission and will be the first to appear before it.”
Finally, Israeli Army Radio reported a significant expansion of a General Staff unit tasked with protecting senior officials and delegations abroad, fearing retaliation from Iran and its allies.
Iran confirmed that Friday’s nuclear talks in Oman will be held according to the final round format. An Iranian source stated: “We will not accept negotiations on any issue other than nuclear issues.”
Representatives of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps told Al-Arabiya that “if the United States were to attack, its soldiers would be legitimate targets.” Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Shura Council’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said:
“The missile dossier and the issue of uranium enrichment are Iran’s red lines.” “If the Americans pursue the same policies as before in the upcoming negotiations, the negotiations will fail, so the other side will have to act rationally and logically. We will not accept the imposition of conditions such as halting enrichment, and we will not negotiate on the missile or regional issues. We will not back down and will not allow the Europeans to interfere.”
The Iranian Ambassador to Cairo: “Washington has understood that a diplomatic solution is the right path. Negotiations with Washington in Muscat will be indirect and will only concern the nuclear issue.”
A Russian military delegation arrives in Damascus. And the next day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in Damascus to meet with Foreign Minister Esad Hassan Sheibani. After his visit to Damascus, it was announced that he would also visit Baghdad and Erbil.
The US military continues to transport ISIS militants from Syrian prisons to Iraq, with the risk of their escape given Iraq’s unpreparedness to receive so many prisoners at once. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein: “The region is under the hammer of war and peace, we support the negotiations planned in Oman between Iran and the US.”
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 4:00 PM on February 5. According to the Israeli Kan Channel: “Preparations are underway in Israel for the possibility that the Houthis will resume launching missiles and drones from Yemen towards Israel, should the Americans launch an attack on Iran.” In recent days, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir held discussions on the Houthi threat and instructed the Israeli Army’s Depth Command to prepare and review the reserve of targets in Yemen, in coordination with the Military Intelligence Directorate and the Air Force.
A U.S. drone struck an al-Qaeda-linked target in the Wadi Abidah area of Yemen’s eastern Marib province. The attack killed a leader linked to the organization and several of his associates. According to local sources, the target of the attack was the son of an al-Qaeda security operative. The operation was reportedly carried out on Wednesday, after approximately 48 hours of intensive US drone strikes in the area. The name of the slain al-Qaeda leader is unknown.
“Special units of the Iranian Anti-Terrorism Police (NOPO) raided the hideout of Mossad-backed insurgents involved in the recent violent unrest. Fifty-six key figures of the December uprisings in North Khorasan province were arrested,” according to the North Khorasan Intelligence Department. It also stated: “Intelligence agents identified and arrested these individuals, who had deprived the population of safety and tranquility and destroyed public property, with the help of complaints and a judicial order.”
A 14-ton shipment of equipment intended for the uprisings was identified and seized upon entry into Iran by Iranian intelligence in West Azerbaijan. The cargo included stun guns, telescopic batons, daggers, special knives, and laser accessories (used for precision shooting in terrorist attacks), hidden in approximately 300 packages. Some items were disguised as everyday items, such as flashlights and cosmetics. One of the detainees is a foreign national.
China has reportedly transferred to Iran several YLC-8B 3D strategic radars with a detection range of up to 700 kilometers. In normal mode, this radar can simultaneously detect and track a large number of different targets from a distance of up to 700 kilometers. The system can detect ballistic missiles at a range of up to 550 kilometers and aerial targets such as fighter jets at approximately 350 kilometers. Once a target enters the coverage area of the air defense network, it can be destroyed with high speed and precision. The radar is highly mobile. After each attack wave, it can rapidly change position and move to a safe location, significantly reducing the risk of destruction.
Iranian television broadcast images of the new Khorramshahr 4 missile, confirming its entry into the operational maturity phase from inside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s new missile cities, inaugurated yesterday evening. The Khorramshahr 4 missile’s speed outside the atmosphere reaches approximately Mach 16, while its speed inside the atmosphere reaches approximately Mach 8.
The Iranians have been called upon to immediately abandon all countries hosting US bases in the Persian Gulf region. The Iranian Chief of Staff stated ahead of the meetings: “We are fully prepared for any action by the enemy.”
According to local Syrian sources, an IDF patrol infiltrated the village of Ein Zivan, in the central Quneitra countryside, setting up a checkpoint and closing shops. An IDF patrol, consisting of seven vehicles, entered near the Abu Qubeis intersection, in the Quneitra countryside.
On February 4, a US Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon spy plane was spotted taking off from Sigonella Air Base in Italy. It is likely headed for the Lebanese coast to begin gathering intelligence. During the night between February 4 and 5, IDF artillery targeted the outskirts of the town of Yaroun with artillery fire. Drones continued to fly low and incessantly in the western Beqaa.
Shelters were also reported in Gaza between February 4 and 5: At least 23 Palestinians, including 14 in Gaza City, were killed today outside their residences in the Gaza Strip; Israeli fighter jets targeted the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza. Israeli artillery shelling west of the town of Rafah; IDF vehicles fired fire toward areas east of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. According to Israel’s Channel 12, the army has only managed to clear about half of the tunnels in the Gaza Strip: “We have launched a fierce campaign against the network of secret tunnels, and clearing all the tunnels could take another two years.” The IDF spokesperson: “Shooting a Palestinian under the pretext of approaching the yellow line south of the Gaza Strip poses a threat to the armed forces.”
Hamas launches a global appeal: “May the coming days be one of continuous and escalating global action against the occupation, aggression, and extermination of our people in the Gaza Strip.”
On the night of February 4, a car bomb exploded in Haifa. One person was killed and two were injured. Israeli media are speaking of a possible targeted assassination. Iran has denied its involvement in the car bombing in Haifa and in other explosions that have occurred in the previous days.
Tensions are high in the West Bank: an Israeli plane overturned near the Nur Shams camp in Tulkarem. The Israeli army distributed notices blocking the construction of several homes in the town of Na’lin, west of Ramallah. Clashes broke out between youths and IDF troops in the town of Beita, south of Nablus. Israeli forces fired tear gas at homes east of the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah. Violent clashes erupted between youths and settlers near tents in the Khiam settlement, between the towns of Qusra and Jalud, southeast of Nablus. Israeli forces stationed “caravans” on city land in the Wadi Samsem area of Al-Zahiriya, south of Hebron.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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