The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that a US special forces unit last month seized a ship that left China on its way to Iran. According to the report, it was carrying military equipment intended to help Iran rearm following the US and Israeli strikes in June.
Senior political sources note that the resumption of ballistic missile production in Iran is of great concern to Israel and the US, which are investing significant intelligence efforts in monitoring developments in this area and Iran's ties with China, which is helping it rebuild its war-damaged missile industry. The issue is expected to be the focus of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with US President Donald Trump at the end of the month.
According to the same sources, Israel cannot accept the creation of a new existential threat after destroying the nuclear sites in Iran, and therefore, it may be forced to launch a preemptive strike on the ballistic missile production sites and their storage facilities in Iran in the coming months.
Senior security sources said that if an operation to weaken Hezbollah's power were indeed carried out, it could also serve as a preliminary step to a possible attack on Iran. The goal of such an operation would be to prevent Hezbollah from further strengthening its military presence, remove the threat to northern communities, and neutralize the terrorist organization's ability to assist Iran during the attack on the missile sites.