U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee advised U.S. citizens who are seeking to evacuate from Israel on Wednesday. He directed Americans to a program that guides those who wish to depart toward evacuation flights as well as cruse ships. “Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel–The U.S. Embassy in Israel is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures. You must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) You will be alerted w/ updates,” he wrote, providing a link to the program.

A short while ago, YWN reported on our live blog that three Iranian government aircraft were being tracked heading from Iran to Oman. One had already landed in Oman, and the other two were a short while from landing. YWN notes that previous negotiations between U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff  and Iranian officials took place in Oman. Trump said on Monday that he might send U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet Iranian officials. This morning President Trump was asked by a reporter “if it’s too late” for negotiations, to which he responded “nothing is too late”. Are Iran’s genocidal leaders fleeing the country, or are they rushing there in a last-ditch attempt to revive negotiations with the US? Time will tell. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Dramatic details are now being revealed behind the scenes of the preparations for Israel’s war against Iran, with Ynet reporting that only a few months ago, Israel’s preparations for a conflict with Iran were partial—and in fact almost nonexistent. Sources in the IDF said that until February, “the target bank was almost empty,” and the assumption in the defense establishment was that the operation would be carried out mainly in covert missions and not through a large-scale military campaign. Serious preparations began in October—amid the war with Hezbollah. The IDF then decided to launch operational preparations for a campaign against Iran.

As Israeli jets carved through Iranian airspace, reducing strategic targets to smoking craters, Iran’s “Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei was wide awake—tucked under reinforced blankets and rage-tweeting in three languages from what we can only assume is a very well-insulated bunker. At 4:30 a.m. local time, Khamenei took to X with his latest outburst—this time in Hebrew: “We must act with force against the terrorist Zionist entity… We will not be merciful toward the Zionists.” This marked his third multilingual salvo in under 24 hours—first in Farsi, then in English, now Hebrew. The only medium left is Morse code tapped on a bunker wall flashlight.

Israeli military officials say they are nearing completion of their objectives in their sweeping operation targeting Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure and ballistic missile systems, with a full conclusion expected within the next one to two weeks. The IDF launched the offensive with the stated goal of eliminating what it called the “existential threat” posed by Iran’s nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities. According to briefings by senior military officials, Israel has so far delivered devastating blows to key nuclear and military targets across Iran, significantly weakening the Islamic Republic’s ability to wage war or develop nuclear weapons.

President Trump shared a message Tuesday from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who told the president “I will not abandon this post” and “our flag will NOT come down!” “The decisions on your shoulders I would not want to be made by anyone else,” Huckabee said in a text message to Trump as the president is weighing how the U.S. should respond to the Israel-Iran conflict. “I am your appointed servant in this land and am available for you but I do not try to get in your presence often because I trust your instincts,” Huckabee said. “You sent me to Israel to be your eyes, ears and voice and to make sure our flag flies above our embassy. My job will be the last one to leave. “It is my honor to serve you!” Huckabee also said.

The IDF announced on Tuesday the elimination of Ali Shadmani, Iran’s War-Time Chief of Staff and the regime’s top military commander. According to the IDF, the strike was carried out by the Israeli Air Force overnight in the heart of Tehran, targeting a staffed command center following precise intelligence provided by the IDF Intelligence Directorate. Shadmani, widely regarded as one of the most powerful figures in Iran’s military hierarchy and a close confidant of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the strike. Shadmani headed the Iranian Armed Forces’ emergency war command and simultaneously commanded both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian army.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced he will introduce a bipartisan resolution to prohibit the U.S. government’s involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, a proposal Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Jew-hater Rashida Tlaib, D-MI, said they were signing onto. “This is not our war,” Massie wrote on X. “But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.” “I’m introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow to prohibit our involvement,” he continued. “I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution.” Ocasio-Cortez replied: “Signing on.” “I look forward to supporting this War Powers Resolution,” Tlaib responded to Massie. “The American people aren’t falling for it again.

“Within 48 hours of starting its war on Iran, Israel said it gained air superiority over the western part of the country, including Tehran,” the Wall Street Journal reported. “Israeli warplanes began dropping bombs from within Iranian skies instead of relying on expensive long-range missiles.” The report continued by noting that this is an accomplishment that the giant Russian air force hasn’t achieved in Ukraine in 3½ years of war, resulting in a “grinding trench warfare” and staggering losses. Of course, the two wars are very different because Israel had not launched a ground offensive in Iran. Nevertheless, according to the report, the two conflicts reinforce what war planners have known for decades: Control over air is everything, if you can get it.

President Trump is expected to present Iran with a “last chance” offer, American and European officials told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. Trump said that Tehran reached out to his administration in an attempt to stop the barrage of Israeli strikes that have decimated Iran’s nuclear facilities and military sites. “It looks like Iran isn’t winning this war. They need to talk before it’s too late,” Trump said in Canada, where he is attending the G7 Summit. One official told the newspaper that Trump’s new offer may be slightly better than the previous proposal the administration submitted to the Iranians earlier this month. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)