Iran Israel Updates Tues Oct 20

- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s political leadership believe military action against Iran should be taken as soon as possible, while senior security officials are urging a more cautious approach, according to an exclusive report by i24NEWS. The report comes following Monday’s meeting with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Ovda Airbase

- IDF kills Hamas terrorist involved in October 7 abduction of Shani Louk. In the aftermath of October 7, 2023, Tamer Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Zabaq advanced terrorist attacks against Israeli troops and attempted to rebuild Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.

- Netanyahu Says He Discussed Overthrowing Iran’s Regime with Trump: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with US President Donald Trump, including the day before yesterday, about the need to overthrow Iran’s regime. He argued this was the only way to prevent renewed nuclear weapons development and reconstruction of Iran’s regional axis, alongside eliminating Hezbollah

- US Accepts Iranian Proposal to Resume Negotiations: Qatari sources said Qatar and Pakistan presented a mediation proposal addressing US and Iranian demands, aimed at preventing escalation and returning both sides to negotiations. The plan reportedly received US and Iranian approval and partially addresses Iran’s demand to release frozen funds.

- Two tankers were set ablaze and brought to a halt south of the Strait of Hormuz after hitting Iranian mines, the Revolutionary Guards' Navy said in a statement shared by state media on Tuesday.

- Iranian security source told Tasnim that a major obstacle in negotiations is Tehran’s distrust of whether American interlocutors have the authority to make final decisions. The source claimed it remains unclear whether Vance, Witkoff, Rubio, or Kushner holds ultimate responsibility for significant decisions. According to the source, that uncertainty—combined with alleged political rivalries and internal disputes ahead of U.S. elections—has complicated indirect talks and exchanges of messages.

- Senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran is deliberately prolonging negotiations with Washington to politically weaken President Trump ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. According to the officials, Iran is withholding concessions to deny Trump a diplomatic achievement before the vote. Tehran also believes he is prepared to launch another wave of strikes to break the deadlock in the war.

- US oil price soars over 5% on Mideast conflict

- Three Hamas weapons depots were destroyed in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip last week, the military and Shin Bet announce. The IDF says the sites struck on Thursday had been used by Hamas to store dozens of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, rocket launchers and rockets, RPGs, and other equipment.