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Iran gambles with Israel attack after humiliating blows to allies

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A banner proclaiming “The beginning of the end of Zionism" was hung from a building in Tehran shortly after the attack © Wana/Reuters

The commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Maj-Gen Hossein Salami, stood in front of a large banner in a war room as he used a telephone to order the launch of about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday night, according to a video clip published by Iranian media.

The banner featured photos of the three men whose deaths he said Iran was seeking to avenge with the major attack – Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July in an attack that Iran blamed on Israel, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC Quds Force operations commander Brig-Gen Abbas Nilforoushan, who were killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut last week.

The IRGC claimed the barrage included Fattah hypersonic missiles that took 12 minutes to reach Israel and that they successfully hit targets including three Israeli airbases and the headquarters of the Mossad spy agency.

However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said most of the missiles were “intercepted by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the United States”, and that there were a “small number of hits” in central and southern Israel.

Shortly after the attack, a massive banner was raised in Tehran’s Palestine Square, featuring missiles flying towards buildings shaped like a Star of David and the words “The beginning of the end of Zionism”.

Iran had appeared to show restraint after Haniyeh’s assassination – but this inaction became a source of humiliation when Israel dealt a series of devastating blows to Iran’s closest and most longstanding regional ally Hezbollah, culminating in the air strike on Friday that killed Nasrallah and Nilforoushan.

Iranian weapons, training and funding have been pivotal to Hezbollah’s transformation into Lebanon’s most powerful armed force and political actor since the IRGC helped establish the group in the 1980s.

Before this month, Iranian leaders had hoped that a war of attrition with Hezbollah would help wear down the Israeli military, which is still fighting a war against Hamas in Gaza.

They also relied on Hezbollah and its massive arsenal of rockets and missiles to serve as a major deterrent against direct Israeli attacks on their country’s nuclear and missile facilities.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was elected in July, accused Israel of trying to provoke Iran into a regional war that would also draw in the US.

“We also want security and peace. It was Israel that assassinated Haniyeh in Tehran,” he was quoted by Iranian media as saying during a visit to Qatar on Wednesday.

“Europeans and the US said that if we do not act, there will be a peace in Gaza in one week. We waited for them to have peace but they increased their killing.”

Many hardline conservatives in Iran had been growing uneasy about the country’s lack of action against Israel.

Several commentators on state TV – which is controlled by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the IRGC – argued that the decision to hold back from seeking revenge for Haniyeh’s killing had emboldened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran’s interests and allies in Lebanon.

After Tuesday’s missile attack, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Maj Gen Mohammad Baqeri stated that the time for “patience and restraint” was over.

“We targeted military and intelligence sites in Israel and deliberately refrained from hitting economic and industrial locations,” he said. “However, if Israel retaliates, our response will be more forceful.”

The missile attack reflects a growing concern among Iranian leaders that remaining silent after Israel’s attacks would portray them as weak and vulnerable – both domestically and in the eyes of their regional allies in the so-called “Axis of Resistance” which includes Hezbollah and Hamas.

Maj-Gen Hossein Salami (2nd right) was filmed ordering Iran’s missile attack on Israel from a war room
© IRIB

 

Iran and Israel have pursued a shadow war for decades, adhering to a policy of “no war, no peace”. However, it now appears that this status quo is ending.

Israel has vowed to respond severely, with Netanyahu warning that “Iran made a big mistake and it will pay for it”.

There are also indications of a shift in tone and strategy from the US.

In April, President Joe Biden urged restraint after Israeli and US-led forces shot down most of the 300 drones and missiles that Iran launched at Israel in retaliation for an air strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that killed several top IRGC commanders. Israel heeded the US call and responded by launching a missile that hit an Iranian air defence battery in central Iran.

But this time, Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned there would be “severe consequences” for the Iranian attack and that the US will “work with Israel to make that the case”.

Israeli media cited Israeli officials as saying on Wednesday that Israel was preparing for retaliatory strikes on Iran “within days”, and that they would target “strategic sites”, including the country’s vital oil facilities.

The officials also warned that Iran’s nuclear facilities would be hit if it made good on its threat to strike back at Israel.

Senior Iranian officials have asserted that they consider their retaliation for the killing of Haniyeh, Nasrallah and Nilforoushan to be over unless they are provoked further.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said he had conveyed a message to the US through the Swiss embassy in Tehran warning it “not to intervene”.

He cautioned: “Any third country that assists Israel or allows its airspace to be used against Iran will be considered a legitimate target.”

The US has approximately 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East, with many deployed in Iraq and Syria. These troops could be threatened by Iran-backed Shia militias in both countries.

Iran must now brace itself for the Israeli response and hope its gamble pays off.

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Constituency projects fund should go to security – Ex-Defense spokesman, Enenche

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A former Defense spokesman, Maj-Gen John Enenche (rtd) has said that the money given to lawmakers for constituency projects should go to security instead.

General Enenche made this statement in an interview on ‘Sunday Politics’, a program on Channels Television monitored by Ekwutosblog

He was reacting to the wave of insecurity bedeviling the country where people are being kidnapped, including women and schoolchildren.

 

“I want to suggest that money given to lawmakers for constituency projects should go to security instead. If you don’t save the constituency, what project will you do there?

“Let’s adopt indigenous homeland security and recruit our youths even someone living with HIV or hepatitis can join the force.

“What I would suggest is that you don’t need special recruitment. You don’t need special screening. Somebody carrying HIV can be part of that force. Somebody carry hepatitis can be part of that force, but they will not even go into the Army. No, they want to live where God has put them,” he said.

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VIDEO: IT’S ALL FALSE , THERE IS NO SUSPECT IN ANTI-KIDNAPPING UNIT [TIGER BASE] OWERRI THAT HAS STAYED IN CUSTODY FOR MORE THAN 48- HOURS WITHOUT COURT ORDER. — IMO POLICE PPRO RESPONDS TO DETENTION ACCUSATIONS DURING FACILITY INSPECTION BY PRESS MEN.

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By Prince Uwalaka Chimaroke

7- DEC- 2025

 

The Imo State Police Command on Friday, December 5, 2025, opened the doors of its Anti-Kidnapping Unit—widely known as Tiger Base—to an independent inspection team made up of journalists, civil society groups, and human rights advocates, following viral allegations of organ trafficking, torture, unlawful detentions, and the existence of a “slaughterhouse” within the facility.

Acting on the directives of the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, and the Commander of the Unit, ACP Odeyeyiwa Oladimeji, led the fact-finding delegation through all sections of the premises in Owerri. The visit was designed to ensure transparency and address public concerns generated by several sensational online reports.

Throughout the tour, the delegation inspected operational areas, observed procedures, and engaged directly with officers. In one corner of the compound, the team sighted carved wooden images previously misrepresented on social media as ritual objects or a shrine. Police authorities explained that these carvings—made of wood, iron, and cement—were exhibits recovered from hideouts linked to suspected IPOB/ESN operatives and kidnapping gangs across Imo State. According to ACP Oladimeji, the criminals believed the objects held mystical powers, and the police retained them as evidence for ongoing investigations.

The visitors also interacted with several detainees, including individuals suspected of involvement in kidnapping and other violent crimes. Many of them openly admitted to the offences for which they were arrested and confirmed that they were being fed properly while awaiting their scheduled court processes.

Another item inspected was an ash-coloured Highlander Jeep with plate number LSD 413 JJ. The vehicle, stained with blood, belonged to a woman recently shot dead by masked gunmen at Umuekerekpu Ndegwu in Owerri West LGA. A surviving occupant of the vehicle narrated to reporters how their employer was fatally shot in the head, while both he and another passenger sustained gunshot injuries and were currently receiving medical treatment in Owerri.

At the end of the assessment, members of the visiting delegation unanimously stated that none of the frightening claims circulating online—ranging from organ harvesting to the existence of an abattoir—were visible or supported by what they witnessed.

DSP Okoye emphasized that Tiger Base is a legitimate tactical formation of the Nigeria Police Force tasked with confronting kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, terror-related activities, and other serious crimes. He disclosed that the facility is fitted with CCTV cameras linked directly to the office of the Commissioner of Police, enabling round-the-clock monitoring for accountability.

He reiterated that the allegations trending on social media were malicious distortions aimed at misleading the public. The human skulls displayed earlier in 2025, he clarified, were exhibits recovered from criminal hideouts—not evidence of ritual practices, as some had falsely claimed.

ACP Oladimeji further noted that the unit handles only high-profile criminal cases and operates newly commissioned charge rooms and tactical units dedicated to strengthening security across Imo State. The team also observed dozens of seized motorcycles, which the police said were confiscated in compliance with the Imo State Government’s ban on motorcycle operations within the Owerri metropolis under the Shared Prosperity Administration.

The inspection team applauded the Police Command for permitting unrestricted access to Tiger Base and underscored the importance of ongoing cooperation between security institutions, the media, and civic groups to maintain public trust and enhance safety across the state.

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TENSION IN ABIA COMMUNITY AS POLICE PROBE MURDER OF MISSING 25-YEAR OLD YOUTH WHO’S BODY WAS FOUND HEADLESS, SIX ARRESTED.

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By Prince Uwalaka Chimaroke
7- DEC- 2025

A cloud of sorrow and outrage has settled over Amangwo Umuigu in Oboro, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, after the decomposing, headless remains of 25-year-old Solomon Ikoku were discovered weeks after his disappearance. Ikoku, who went missing on September 27, 2025, was reportedly abducted during the community’s New Yam Festival in a violent early-morning raid.

Residents recounted that armed men—believed to be members of a controversial vigilante outfit—stormed the family home at about 5 a.m., assaulting the young man before dragging him away. After weeks of unanswered questions and failed searches, community youths launched a coordinated hunt on October 27, which led to the tragic discovery of Solomon’s remains in a shallow waterway on the outskirts of the village. His leg and other body parts were later found scattered in nearby bushes, deepening the community’s grief.

Members of the search team described the scene as horrifying. One volunteer, who spoke anonymously, said the discovery of Ikoku’s bones and the clothes he wore on the morning of his disappearance left them heartbroken.

The incident has triggered widespread anger, with many residents pointing accusations at the village’s disbanded vigilante group, allegedly loyal to the community’s traditional ruler, Eze Larry Agwu. Critics claim the group operated with impunity and may have been responsible for the abduction and brutal killing.

However, Eze Agwu has firmly rejected the allegations, calling them politically motivated falsehoods linked to an ongoing kingship dispute within the community. According to him, the vigilante group acted independently and had been inaugurated years earlier by village authorities and security agencies. He insisted he neither ordered nor endorsed any attack on the late Ikoku.

The monarch further explained that he was informed by the group that the victim’s sister had allegedly sought their help after the young man threatened their mother—an account strongly disputed by Ikoku’s family. The deceased’s brother, Victor, accused the vigilantes of premeditated violence, alleging that his brother’s body was burnt and mutilated, and insisting that no family member invited the group on the night of the incident.

Adding to the controversy, the community chairman, Munachi Onwuchekwa, accused the king of enabling the vigilante group even after the wider community had dissolved it four years earlier due to misconduct. He stated that the group continued to operate under the monarch’s patronage, despite repeated complaints.

As tensions rise, the Abia State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of six suspects linked to the vigilante group, while others remain at large. Among those implicated are Alozie Eluwa, Stanley Okutuo, Godwin Kanu, Maduabuchi Enyinnaya, Godwin Sampson, Emeka Nwagboso, Ikechi Hope, and several others still being sought by authorities.

Police spokesperson Maureen Chinaka called for calm and urged residents to allow the investigative process to proceed without interference. She emphasized that a meticulous probe was necessary given the gravity of the crime, assuring the community that justice would be pursued diligently.

The investigation continues as the community grapples with shock, fear, and calls for accountability following the gruesome killing.

 

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