Israeli Newspaper Reveals the US Target Bank for Striking Iran

Sada News - The Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom reported that US President Donald Trump has given orders to his team to prepare a "decisive military plan" to strike Iran, while intentionally keeping his threats ambiguous, coinciding with the US buildup of forces in the Middle East. Washington has increased the pace of its military movements in the region, as President Trump announced on Thursday that a "large force is heading towards Iran," while circles in Israel speak of the possibility of a preemptive Iranian attack before a potential US military strike against Tehran. The Israeli newspaper stated in a report by its correspondent on Arab affairs, Shahar Kleinman, that the Trump administration has moved beyond phrases like "changing behavior" and is finalizing a "target bank" that includes the ruling elite in Iran and sensitive strategic facilities there. It clarified that the target bank includes a list of influential figures at the top of the power hierarchy, primarily Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on nuclear armament programs and support for militias in the region. According to the newspaper, information suggests that the assassination of Khamenei would represent a seismic shift that could dismantle the structures of the regime, despite the existence of secret lists of those who would succeed him. With increasing reports of his hiding in fortified shelters, attention is turning to his likely successor, who experts suggest would be a military general from the Revolutionary Guard rather than a cleric. The scope of targeting is expanding - according to Yisrael Hayom’s report - to include the new commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Pakpour, and loyal chiefs of staff. Kleinman sees in his report that targeting these military heads aims primarily to create a tactical paralysis that prevents Tehran from responding immediately or in an organized manner. The "elimination list" also includes names responsible for internal repression, such as Gholam Reza Soleimani, commander of the Basij forces, and Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, in addition to Ali Shamkhani, one of the Supreme Leader's main advisors responsible for the nuclear file, in an attempt to undermine the regime's tools used to suppress popular protests. The newspaper notes that the American plan does not stop at assassinations, but also includes a list of "hard targets" including sovereign targets in the capital Tehran, such as offices affiliated with the Supreme National Security Council, Basij forces, police, intelligence, and the National Iranian Oil Company, in addition to oil reserves in the Khuzestan region that targeting could exacerbate the Iranian economic crisis. In parallel, nuclear sites - specifically the "Parchin" base, which satellite images show "suspicious" engineering activity in - remain the most pressing target in the Pentagon's calculations presented to Trump's office, signaling a strike that could be the largest and most comprehensive in the history of the confrontation between the two countries. Militarily, the Israeli newspaper indicated that Iran has been working in recent months to develop its ballistic missile system and has sought to rehabilitate nuclear sites. It added that the Institute for Science and International Security, based in Washington, has published satellite images showing engineering work at the Parchin military base, located about 32 kilometers southeast of Tehran, which has historically been associated with the development of mechanisms for detonating a nuclear bomb. The institute mentioned that Tehran has conducted varying maintenance and repair work, but it faces difficulties in regaining its capabilities. In this context, correspondent Kleinman reported in his report for the New York Times that the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) has presented Trump with an option for a wide-ranging strike on Iranian nuclear sites and ballistic missile sites. Israeli sources have previously spoken about the possibility of a preemptive Iranian attack before a potential US military strike against Tehran, while fears in the region are increasing against the backdrop of heightened tensions and escalation, especially with the rising level of US military mobilization in the region. Source: Yisrael Hayom