Three advisers to President Trump told Axios that they “believe using military force against Iran now would be the wrong decision. One said that many in Trump’s inner circle are skeptical, while another said that an attack now would only undermine much of the president’s agenda in the Middle East and globally.”
According to Reuters: “Iran requested a change of venue to prevent the talks from extending to other issues (ballistic missiles and proxy weapons), according to a regional source familiar with the details.” “Iran says talks on missile program will not take place.” Arab foreign ministers have been invited to the talks, but Iran has said it is only interested in negotiations with the United States, without the participation of other countries. Iran wants to continue negotiations from where they left off before the 12-day war. Only the nuclear issue will be discussed.
The Iranian president has not received the green light from Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for concessions on the nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia expects Iran to strike only US targets in the Gulf, according to a Saudi source speaking to Israel’s Channel 12. The same source adds that if Iran strikes only American military targets in the Gulf, Riyadh will remain neutral and will not take action against Tehran.
Donald Trump was very irritated by Iran’s aggressive approach and a series of provocations at sea. After the shooting down of an Iranian drone approaching the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and the attempted seizure of an American oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, another Iranian drone appeared near the aircraft carrier, but this time it kept its distance and did not pose a threat. Meanwhile, a US source reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps canceled live-fire exercises planned for Sunday and Monday in the Strait of Hormuz following a warning from the US military.
“The Netanyahu-Witkoff meeting discussed only the Iranian dossier, contrary to what was stated in Netanyahu’s office statement. The ballistic and proxy network dossiers were not raised,” reports Israel Hayom. An assessment by the IDF Northern Command states: “If the US attacks Iran, Hezbollah will not stand idly by this time.”
Iranian Information Minister Ismail Khatib: “We have made good progress in the fight against enemy mercenaries. Thanks to the synergy and cooperation between various government agencies, we have made good progress in the fight against foreign ringleaders, leaders, and mercenaries.” The reference is to the rioters in Iran.
Israel has reportedly asked the United States for “operational freedom” to conduct unilateral military action against Iran, while President Donald Trump favors diplomacy regarding attacks against the Islamic Republic, according to the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation.
Israel is also facing internal problems due to protests by Israeli farmers, with retail chains limiting milk purchases to two units per customer. Israeli Defense Minister Katz said, “If Hamas does not disarm in accordance with the agreed framework, we will destroy it with all its capabilities.”
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 3:30 p.m. on February 4. A US official told Reuters that the US Navy shot down an Iranian drone that approached the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and its strike group this morning in the Arabian Sea.
Authorities reported that the Iranian drone shot down over the Arabian Sea was a Shahed-139 reconnaissance aircraft, destroyed by an F-35C Lightning II fighter from Marine Fighter Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) after it approached the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). Despite “de-escalation efforts,” the Iranian drone continued to fly toward the Lincoln ‘aggressively’ and with “unclear intentions,” prompting it to be shot down by an F-35C, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) officials told CBS News.
The Iranians continued to send their drones against the American air strike group. On February 4, General Daqiqi said: “Israel will be Iran’s first target if the United States attacks. Iran has no desire for war, and if it does happen, it will be a regional war. Our response will be so intense that it will be incalculable for the enemy.”
The new role of IDF General Ghassan Alian was announced: coordinator of Israeli and IDF actions with the Druze in Syria and the north. On February 4, the IDF withdrew from the village of Saida al-Jolan, in the Quneitra countryside, where it had infiltrated and set up a checkpoint.
An Israeli convoy launched a sound bomb on the outskirts of the town of Al-Adeesa, in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon. Israeli artillery bombardments hit the outskirts of the town of Blida.
An Israeli reserve officer was wounded by gunfire in the northern Gaza Strip, inside the Yellow Line area, in the Israeli-controlled Gaza Strip. The shots came from near the same cemetery where the body of the last Israeli hostage was found. The IDF news agency, Galei Tzahal, reports that the Israeli Southern Command is preparing a “harsh” response, which includes attacks on several areas of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian sources report that there has never been peace in Khan Yunis. “The IDF bombed tents housing displaced persons on the outskirts of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. Two people were killed and 10 wounded.” IDF bombing of a group of Palestinians in the Al-Balakhiyah area of the Al-Shati camp, west of Gaza City, killed one person and wounded several others. Named by the IDF as a Hamas commander.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen cuts off water supply to an UNRWA building in the city of Jerusalem.
Jewish settlers attacked a child and kidnapped an elderly man during a raid on Palestinian farmland in the Hawara area of Masafer Yatta, al-Khalil.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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