Israel’s newly appointed Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday (Nov 11) issued a stark warning to Iran. Katz, in a social media post, asserted that Iran’s nuclear sites are now “more exposed than ever” to potential strikes by Israel.

Middle East crisis: Israeli defence minister warns Iran nuclear sites 'more exposed than ever' to strikes

Iran's government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday (Oct 29), as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes.

Iran plans to triple military budget amid rising tensions with Israel

US President Joe Biden on Saturday (Oct 26) expressed hope that Israel's recent strikes on Iran could mark "the end" of the months-long period of escalations. He said to reporters, "It looks like they didn't hit anything other than military targets.

West Asia crisis: Biden optimistic Israel's latest Iran strike is 'the end' to months of escalations

As Iran braces for a retaliatory strike from Israel, it has ordered its military to be ready for war but also try to avoid it. This development comes as Tehran sees the decimation of its allies (Hezbollah and Hamas) in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, a report by The New York Times (NYT) on Thursday (Oct 24) said.

West Asia crisis: Iran orders troops to be ready for war with Israel 'but also avoid it if...,' says report