Spiralling air war raises death toll

TEL AVIV: Iran launched missiles at Israeli cities on Monday after Israeli strikes deep inside the Islamic republic, raising Israel's death toll by 11 on day four of an escalating air war. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign targeting sites across Iran, saying the attacks aimed to prevent its arch-foe from acquiring atomic weapons — a charge Tehran denies. Israel's strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities.
In retaliation, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had "successfully" struck Israel with a salvo of missiles and warned of "effective, targeted and more devastating operations" to come. The Iranian attacks hit Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and Haifa — with shattered homes, smouldering wreckage and stunned residents picking through debris. "The entire shelter shook," said Shlomi Biton, who had taken cover with his five children in Haifa. "There were many, many explosions." Ido, a student whose house was hit, recalled scenes of panic. "There were 12 to 13 children there in the shelter screaming."
People check the damage at the site of an Iranian missile strike, in southern Israel. — AFP
The death toll in Israel rose by 11 on Monday, the prime minister's office said, bringing the total since Friday to 24. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the missile barrage also lightly damaged a building used by the American embassy in Tel Aviv. In Iran, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned as a "war crime" an Israeli strike that damaged a hospital in the western city of Kermanshah. A previous report said a nearby workshop had been the target.
Iran's missile attack followed waves of intense Israeli air raids that struck targets across the country — from the western border with Iraq to Tehran and as far east as Mashhad, where the airport was hit. While some people fled Tehran, others vowed to stay. "It is natural that war has its own stress, but I will not leave my city," said Shokouh Razzazi, 31, in the capital, where the Grand Bazaar was closed amid the ongoing Israeli strikes.
The escalation has sparked growing international concern. China urged both sides to "immediately take measures to cool down the tensions" and avoid plunging the region into deeper turmoil. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also called for calm, telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "a negotiated solution is, in the long term, the best solution".
Iran, in turn, urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to condemn Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities. "We expect the (IAEA) Board of Governors and the director general to take a firm position in condemning this act and holding the regime (Israel) accountable," said spokesman Baqaei. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call that Ankara is ready to play a "facilitating role" to end the conflict.
In a televised address, Iranian armed forces spokesman Colonel Reza Sayyad vowed a "devastating response" to Israeli attacks. "Leave the occupied territories (Israel) because they will certainly no longer be habitable in the future," he said, adding shelters would "not guarantee security". Addressing Iran's parliament, President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens to "stand strong against this genocidal criminal aggression with unity and coherence".
US President Donald Trump insisted Washington had "nothing to do" with Israel's military campaign but warned any Iranian attack on American interests would trigger "the full strength and might" of the US military. On Sunday, Trump urged both sides to "make a deal" while expressing doubts about near-term peace prospects. "Sometimes they have to fight it out, but we're going to see what happens," he said. Asked by Fox News whether regime change in Iran was one of Israel's objectives, Netanyahu said: "It certainly could be the result, because the Iran regime is very weak." As hostilities intensified, Iran said it was scrapping planned nuclear talks with the United States, calling dialogue "meaningless" under bombardment. — AFP
A missile launched from Iran towards Israel is seen from Ramallah. — Reuters
G7 confronts Israel-Iran crisis as Trump dominates summit
KANANASKIS: Group of Seven leaders including US President Donald Trump prepared to hold talks on Monday in the Canadian Rockies, tackling issues including whether they can find common ground on an escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
The three-day gathering in the mountain town of Kananaskis marks the return to the international diplomatic calendar for Trump, who has stunned allies by defying norms and slapping sweeping tariffs on friend and foe alike.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had designed an agenda aimed at minimizing disagreements within the club of wealthy industrial democracies -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. But Israel shocked the world two days before the summit with a surprise, massive military campaign against Iran.
Canada is now sounding out countries about making a joint call on Israel and Iran, diplomats said. The statement could call for de-escalation or could simply back Israel, saying that it has a 'right to defend itself' due to Iran's contested nuclear work.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that she spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the summit. 'Of course I think a negotiated solution is, in the long term, the best solution,' she said, stopping short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Japan made a forceful break with allies in the United States and Europe when it denounced Israel's strikes as 'deeply regrettable.' European powers have all steered clear of criticizing Israel on the Iran strikes, despite separate concern about the humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for restraint and urged Iran to re-enter talks with the United States, while also blaming Tehran for escalating tensions over its nuclear programme.
Iran on Monday urged Britain, France and Germany to pressure Israel to stop its deadly attacks on Iran as fighting raged between the two foes for a fourth day.
'Germany, France and England should have very clearly condemned the Zionist regime's crimes, especially against the Natanz nuclear facility,' said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, adding that European powers should focus on 'stopping the aggression' and holding Israel 'accountable'.
— AFP
A satellite image shows the Piranshahr facility after strikes in Iran. — Reuters
Tehran residents flee Israeli attacks, sparking huge jams
Paris: Residents of Tehran have fled the Iranian capital in large numbers in the face of Israeli bombardments, creating immense traffic jams on the main road heading north, according to social media content posted on Monday.
Images verified by AFP, shot by a social media user from an overpass, showed near immobile traffic on a Tehran highway heading north with almost no vehicles in the opposite lane.
Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign targeting sites across Iran, saying the attacks aimed to prevent its archfoe from acquiring atomic weapons — a charge Tehran denies.
The Israeli strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists but also civilians, according to Iranian authorities.
Iranian authorities have closed civilian air space until further notice due to the Israel attacks, leaving land routes the only way out of Tehran which has been the main focus of Israeli attacks.
Israel has warned Iranians to stay away from any military infrastructure in a city where the security forces maintain a heavy presence, both overt and covert.
Videos filmed inside Iran and posted by Persian-language TV channels based abroad, such as Iran International and Manoto, as well as widely followed bloggers including Vahid Online, showed long queues of cars barely moving as they tried to leave Tehran. — AFP
Emergency personnel work at an impact site following a missile attack, in Tel Aviv. — Reuters
Judiciary chief vows swift punishment for Israel spies
Tehran: Iran's Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has issued a stern warning to anyone cooperating with Israel, promising swift and harsh punishment.
'Without leniency and with full determination, they will face the harshest punishment in accordance with the applicable laws and with the utmost urgency,' Mohseni-Ejei said on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Cooperation with Israel or foreign intelligence services is often punishable by death in Iran. The judiciary chief said that anyone taken into custody for such connections should be brought to trial immediately, with verdicts issued quickly and punishments carried out swiftly and publicly, especially given the current war situation.
The state-affiliated Mizan news agency reported on Monday that Iran had executed another man convicted of spying for Israel. The man, arrested in 2023, was found guilty under Islamic law of'waging war against God' and 'corruption on Earth.' This marks the third execution linked to espionage charges in recent months.
'Esmaeil Fekri, a Mossad agent convicted of the capital offences of 'corruption on Earth' and 'moharebeh' (waging war against God) was hanged after going through the full process of criminal procedure,' Mizan said. Mizan said the execution was carried out after all legal procedures were completed and the verdict was upheld by the supreme court. — dpa
Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over Haifa. — AFP
France shuts Israeli weapons booths
LE BOURGET: Geopolitical tensions roiled the opening of the Paris Air Show on Monday as French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths amid the conflicts in Iran and Gaza, a move that Israel condemned as 'outrageous'. Black walls were installed around the stands of five Israeli defence firms at the trade fair in Le Bourget, an airfield on the outskirts of Paris.
The booths displayed 'offensive weapons' in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, a French government source said. The companies — Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics — make drones and guided bombs and missiles.
An Israeli exhibitor wrote a message in yellow chalk on one of the walls, saying the hidden defence systems 'are protecting the state of Israel these days. The French government, in the name of discrimination is trying to hide them from you!'
The presence of Israeli firms at Le Bourget, though smaller than in the past, was already a source of tension before the start of the Paris Air Show.
A French court last week rejected a bid by NGOs to ban Israeli companies from Le Bourget over concerns about 'international crimes'. Local lawmakers from the Seine-Saint-Denis department hosting the event were absent during French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's visit to the opening of the air show in protest over the Israeli presence. — AFP
China urges Iran, Israel to cool tensions
BEIJING: China urged Iran and Israel to 'immediately' take steps to reduce tensions on Monday after Tehran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities and Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran showing notable impacts.
'We urge all parties to immediately take measures to cool down the tensions, prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil, and create conditions for returning to the right track of resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
Israel's surprise assault on Iran last week, launched after decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, has touched off the most intense fighting yet and triggered fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
China's top diplomat Wang Yi held phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts, the foreign ministry said, in which he made clear to both Beijing's support for Tehran.
Guo said on Monday 'all relevant parties should immediately take steps to put the brakes on the escalation and to cool down the tensions'.
'Force cannot bring lasting peace,' he said. 'China will continue to maintain communication with the relevant parties, and promote peace and encourage dialogue, to prevent further turbulence in the region,' he said. — AFP

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