Israel Receives 14 US Military Cargo Planes Amid Rising Iran Tensions
H-Tayea
The Israeli Ministry of Defense confirmed the arrival of 14 US military cargo planes carrying defense equipment, as part of an ongoing American airlift aimed at reinforcing Israel's military capabilities.
The ministry stated that the air bridge remains active, with additional American military aircraft expected to land in the coming days. The shipments come amid heightened regional tensions and fears of a potential Iranian response.
According to CNN, US officials described the moves as precautionary, taken in anticipation of possible Iranian attacks on American interests should Washington participate in any military operation against Tehran. The network reported that the US military has taken multiple steps to protect its assets and personnel across the Middle East.
Sources told CNN that US Central Command (CENTCOM) has stockpiled supplies at key bases across the region and relocated all unprotected aircraft from a base in Qatar. Additionally, US naval vessels have been repositioned from their base in Bahrain.
The report also cited sources saying that US President Donald Trump was briefed on the potential risks and benefits of targeting Iran's highly fortified Fordow nuclear facility
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Al-Ahram Weekly
9 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Russia actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to resolve Iran-Israel conflict: Foreign Ministry spokesperson - Region
Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, said that her country is actively engaged in political and diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Zakharova's remarks came during a news briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2025, which saw media representatives from different countries attend the event in Saint Petersburg. "We would like to especially warn Washington against military intervention in the situation, which would be a perilous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences," she said. "The priority today is to halt the escalation of violence, achieve a ceasefire, and restore peace." "These steps are crucial for creating the conditions to bring the situation back to the negotiating table," she added. "Russia is committed to facilitating this process in every possible way," concluded Zakharova. Russian President Vladimir Putin has engaged in telephone discussions with both the Prime Minister of Israel and the President of Iran immediately after the outbreak of the conflict on 13 June and offered to mediate a resolution between the two sides. He also spoke with his US counterpart and subsequently held conversations with the leaders of Turkey and the UAE. "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also been active, communicating with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Iran, Turkey, and Oman. The current crisis in the Middle East was a topic of discussion in Lavrov's conversations with the Azerbaijani foreign minister, as well as during negotiations with Indonesia's foreign minister. These dialogues are ongoing," highlighted Zakharova. "We hope that all parties recognize that there is no viable alternative to seeking mutually acceptable negotiated solutions to the problems at hand. Our support for a resolution concerning the Iranian nuclear program will always be grounded in international law, the principle of equal and indivisible security, and a balanced consideration of mutual interests." Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
9 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Downbeat prospects for the Suez Canal - Economy - Al-Ahram Weekly
Losses in revenue from the Suez Canal are likely to grow this year with the escalating tensions in the region in the wake of the Israel-Iran war. In the year and a half after Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, the Suez Canal lost around $8 billion in revenues. Houthi group attacks in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians against the Israeli war on Gaza also caused major shipping lines to divert their route through the Suez Canal to the longer one around the Cape of Good Hope. Egypt has lost 'approximately $800 million in monthly revenues from the Suez Canal, with a total aggregate amount of $8 billion, since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza,' wrote Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in an article in the British maritime publication Lloyd's List in May. The canal brought in an unprecedented $9.4 billion in revenues in fiscal year 2022-23. It is one of Egypt's main sources of foreign currency, and a decline in its revenues will put pressure on the country's foreign-exchange reserves, likely causing the dollar to strengthen against the Egyptian pound, Karim Adel, head of the Al-Adl Centre for Economic and Strategic Studies, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Mohamed Anis, an economic expert, told the Weekly that the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean cannot support additional tensions that negatively affect the global shipping companies' passage through the strait. This Israel-Iran war adds to the pressure on Suez Canal revenues and therefore the Egyptian economy. The Bab Al-Mandeb is a vital trade route between the Mediterranean and Asia. Vessels carrying goods between Europe and Asia, as well as oil from the Middle East to Europe and North America, pass through it when navigating the Suez Canal. Anis added that lower maritime traffic through the canal is expected to have a significant impact on revenues, forecasting that they will shrink to $2.5 billion in 2025. In 2024, revenues stood at $3.9 billion, he said. Moreover, with the flare-up of further conflict in the region, reducing Suez Canal transit fees may no longer be effective in attracting shipping companies back to the route, as many have shifted to the Cape of Good Hope, he explained. In May, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced a 90-day 15 per cent discount on transit fees for container ships with a net tonnage of 130,000 tons or more, whether loaded or empty. The discount was meant to encourage the shipping companies to gradually return to the Suez Canal following a brief ceasefire in Gaza and a truce between the US and the Houthis. Another worrying factor is the possibility of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This is the primary export route for Gulf oil, which accounts for about 20 per cent of global oil supplies. It is also critical for natural gas exports, with Qatar controlling a large portion of the Gulf's 30 per cent share, Anis said. He warned that any consequences of the Israel-Iran war affecting the Strait of Hormuz could severely disrupt the global oil trade, creating a sharp supply shortfall and driving up prices from the cost of crude itself to shipping and operational expenses. Oil prices could reach $120 per barrel should the US intervene militarily against Iran and the strait be completely closed, removing approximately four million barrels per day from the global market, Anis said. Trade volumes through the strait exceed $1 trillion annually, with over 2.5 billion tons of cargo passing through each year, Adel said. Raw materials such as grain, iron ore, and cement account for 22 per cent, while the container trade carrying finished goods to the Gulf countries makes up about 20 per cent. * A version of this article appears in print in the 19 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
9 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
🔴 LIVE UPDATES: Trump will decide whether to attack Iran within a fortnight - White House - Region
Ahram Online provides live coverage of the unfolding military confrontation between Israel and Iran as the two sides wage deadly strikes against one another for a seventh day in a row. Related UN Security Council meets Friday to discuss Israel-Iran war, as Tel Aviv, Tehran conflict escalates - as it happened The US role in the Iran-Israel confrontation US intelligence disputes Israeli claims on Iran nuclear threat: CNN report Israel escalated its attack, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion', on Tehran six days after bombing residential and military areas in Iran, killing over 600 people and wounding over 1,200. As US President Donald Trump urged residents to evacuate—echoing Israeli calls for 330,000 people to leave central Tehran—the capital began to empty, with shops shuttered and traffic clogging westbound roads. In retaliation, Iran intensified its 'Operation True Promise III,' launching multiple waves of missiles into Israel causing extensive damage. Earlier Iranian strikes forced the shutdown of the Haifa oil refinery, other industrial facilities, and the local power plant. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel, with dozens more wounded. Israel has imposed a ban on live TV feed streaming, preventing networks from broadcasting images of incoming Iranian missiles and the damage caused by the strikes. As Trump weighs US involvement in the war, Iran says the Iranian nation 'is not one to surrender." 21:00 Abu Ali al-Askari, the spokesperson of the Iran-allied group Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, says if the US joins Israel in its assault, it will suffer severe consequences and lose the investments it was promised from Gulf states, Al Jazeera reported. 'There is no doubt that US bases in the region will resemble fields for hunting ducks, the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb will be closed and the oil ports in the Red Sea will stop, not to mention what will happen to its aircraft in the sky,' he said in a statement. 20:45 US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will decide whether to attack Iran within a fortnight, as Israel and its regional rival continued to trade fire for a seventh day. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in a statement read out by his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. "There is a great chance of negotiations that may or may not be held with Iran soon," said Leavitt. "No one should be surprised by President Trump's position on Iran. President Trump has given a lot of space and made a lot of effort to reach a diplomatic solution with Iran. The entire world agrees with Trump that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon," added Leavitt. 19:40 Donald Trump has denied a report in the Wall Street Journal that he has approved US plans to attack Iran, saying that the news outlet has 'no idea' what his thinking is concerning the Israel-Iran conflict. The Wall Street Journal reported late on Wednesday that Trump told senior aides a day earlier that he had approved attack plans but was delaying giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program. The report cited three anonymous officials. On Thursday, Trump responded to the report, posting on Truth Social: 'The Wall Street Journal has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!' 18:30 Citing sources, Reuters reported that US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has spoken on the phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi several times since the start of the Israel-Iran conflict on 13 June to find a diplomatic solution between the two sides. The sources said Araghchi told Witkoff that Iran would not return to the nuclear negotiations with the US until the Israeli attack on his country stops. Iran is ready to show flexibility in any nuclear talks if the US pressures Israel to halt its attack, Araghchi said, according to the sources. 18:15 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to act with restraint" in the military campaign against Iran. According to a source familiar with the details who spoke with Reuters news agency, the remarks were made during a phone call between the two yesterday. The Chancellor expressed his "principled support" for Israel's actions against Iran's nuclear program, but emphasized the importance of seeking diplomatic paths to resolve the conflict. 17:30 The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that Iran launched the 15th wave of missile attacks against military targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa. First responders walk outside a heavily-damaged building at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Ramat Gan in central Israel near Tel Aviv, on June 19, 2025. AFP "Our drone attack continues with more than 100 attack and suicide drones," said the Revolutionary Guard. "The effective and focused missile attacks on military targets will continue and gradually increase." 17:15 The Israeli army confirmed that "Iran used a multi-warhead missile" in its most recent attacks on Israel, "posing a new challenge to our defenses." This handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on June 19, 2025 , shows the funeral procession of two Iranian Red Crescent members who were killed the previous day during an Israeli strike in Tehran. 16:00 Iranian police announced the arrest of 24 people accused of spying for Israel, according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency. "Twenty-four individuals who were spying for the Zionist enemy offline and online, and who were... trying to disturb public opinion, and to tarnish and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were arrested," said police commander for west Tehran Kiumars Azizi. 15:32 Russia has warned the US again against entering the Israel-Iran conflict. US military interference would be 'a perilous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. Doctors wheel a patient to safety after a building at Soroka Hospital was struck by an Iranian missile in Beersheba in southern Israel on June 19, 2025. AFP 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far primarily held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. 13:21 Israel's defence minister said that Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, 'can no longer be allowed to exist', following Iran's latest retaliatory attacks on Israeli territory. "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed," Israel Katz claimed. "He personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist", Katz told journalists. Katz's remarks also follow reports that Israel considered a targeted assassination of Khamenei just days earlier. According to major US news outlets, Israel had a brief window of opportunity to assassinate the Iranian Supreme Leader. Still, it was blocked from acting after the US President Donald Trump vetoed the move. During an interview with ABC News on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm the plan's existence, stating that targeting Khamenei would have 'ended the fight, not escalated it.' He described the Iranian leader as the principal force behind Tehran's military campaign against Israel. Israel has a long-established history of political assassinations in the region. Over the past decades, it has carried out targeted assassinations of political leaders in Palestine, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. 14:27 Dust and debris covered the floor of Iran's state-run broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), after an Israeli airstrike targeted its building in Tehran earlier this week. The broadcaster allowed reporters on Thursday to film the aftermath of an Israeli strike against its building in Tehran this week. Associated Press journalists saw the dust and debris filling an Iranian state television studio. The blast blew out its windows. Chairs sat singed. Israel conducted the strike against the building during a live broadcast there, an hour after it issued a public warning for the broader area of Tehran in which the building is located. Iranian officials have said three employees of the broadcaster were killed in the attack. The damaged headquarters of Iranian state television, struck by Israel, 19 June 2025. AP 13:00 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call, the Kremlin said, adding that both leaders called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. "Both sides adhere to identical approaches, strongly condemn Israel's actions," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, adding that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means. 12:45 The state-run IRNA news agency reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva on Friday for the meetings. IRNA said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union's top diplomat. 12:31 Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the US again to avoid getting directly involved in the conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel, saying in a statement that 'direct' role by the Americans would 'expand the conflict to the region.' 'We warn the criminal United States: any direct involvement in this war would lead to its expansion across the region and will result in severe and irreparable blows,' the paramilitary guard said in a statement carried by Iranian state TV. The warning echoes recent statements by other Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It comes as Trump has said he's not looking for a fight with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary. 12:22 Iran accused the UN nuclear watchdog of acting as a "partner" in what it described as Israel's "war of aggression". The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran of a lack of cooperation before the start of the Iran-Israel war. The IAEA's board of governors then adopted a resolution censuring Iran for "non-compliance" with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "You betrayed the non-proliferation regime; You've made IAEA a partner to this unjust war of aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on X, in a post addressed to the head of the agency, Rafael Grossi. Speaking to CNN, Grossi had said, "We did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' DG @rafaelmgrossi:'We did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' This is too late, Mr. Grossi: you obscured this truth in your absolutely biased report that was instrumentalize by E3/U.S. to craft a resolution with baseless… — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) June 19, 2025 12:00 IAEA confirms Iran's Arak heavy water research reactor was hit in a strike 'It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects,' said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. The IAEA said there was no information on whether the heavy water plant next to the reactor had been hit. This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Arak heavy water reactor in Iran on 15 February 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) 11:35 European diplomats said foreign ministers from key European powers, France, Germany, Britain, and the EU's top diplomat, aim to meet their Iranian counterparts for nuclear talks in Geneva on Friday. The three countries were involved in talks that led to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The deal curbed Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sanctions. The meeting being planned comes as European countries, supporting Israeli aggression against Iran, now call for de-escalation. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday praised Israel for being "courageous enough" to attack Iran's nuclear site, calling it the "dirty work" done for the West. The Iranian foreign ministry has summoned the German ambassador to Tehran following Merz's remarks. France is planning, along with European partners, to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said Wednesday. Macron ordered Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to draw up "an initiative with close European partners that would propose a demanding negotiated settlement to put an end to the conflict" in the coming days, it said, without giving details on the plan's nature. The UK government will have to sign off on the US using its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran. The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, chaired an emergency ministers' meeting to discuss the UK's response to the crisis, which No 10 says is prioritizing regional security and 'ongoing diplomatic efforts.' Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said the Tories would support the UK joining the fight against Iran if necessary. Still, the attorney general has warned Starmer that Britain's involvement in US attacks on Iran could be illegal. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Washington, DC for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 11:25 Iran said the main target of a missile attack that hit a hospital in southern Israel was an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility. "The main target of the attack was the Israeli Army Command and Intelligence Base (IDF C4I) and the Army Intelligence Camp in Gav-Yam Technology Park, located in the vicinity of the Soroka Hospital," state news agency IRNA said. It said the hospital was "exposed only to the blast wave" and that the military facility was the "direct and precise target." "In this operation, the regime's command and intelligence centre near a hospital was targeted with highly accurate and guided missiles," the force said in its statement, which was carried by state television. It also said that the corps had "previously warned" that Israel's airspace "was defenceless and there would be no safe place". Smoke rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Be'er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, 19 June 2025. AP 11:15 Iran's official news agency, IRNA, says Iran has reported the Israeli attack to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing Israel of "continuing its aggression and actions contrary to international laws that prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities". Nuclear sites, including the Arak heavy water reactor and the Natanz facility, were attacked by Israel overnight. This handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on 19 June 2025 shows members of their rescue teams clearing debris at a building destroyed during an Israeli attack in Tehran. The Iranian Red Crescent. AFP 11:20 A senior Kenyan official said foreign diplomatic missions must be protected by Iran and Israel after a strike on Tel Aviv's Ramat Gan area hit within several hundred metres of the East African country's embassy, Reuters reports. Korir Sing'Oei, the principal secretary at Kenya's foreign affairs ministry, said, "Foreign missions are inviolable under international law and must be excluded and protected from armed conflict at all times". 11:00 China said it opposed the "use of force" in response to a question about US President Donald Trump warning he was weighing a US military attack on Iran to help Israel. Beijing "opposes any act that... infringes upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations", foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing. 10:35 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 65 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency services. 10:30 Iran fired approximately 30 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday morning, Israeli media reported, according to the army assessments. Included in the targets were the military Soroka Hospital in southern Israel, as well as Holon in central Israel. Iranian missiles also struck the Israeli stock exchange building in Ramat Gan. The strike follows Israeli-linked cyberattacks that crippled Iran's banking system and destroyed tens of millions in digital assets. 🚨Iranian missile struck the Holon area of the Tel Aviv district. Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services announced that one person has been seriously injured in the attack, while more than two dozen others have been lightly — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 19, 2025 10:19 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a deal to end the fighting between Israel and Iran was possible, and that Israel's strikes on Iran had led to a "consolidation" of Iranian society around its leadership. "We see that today in Iran there is a consolidation of society around the country's political leadership," Putin told foreign journalists. "This is a delicate issue, and of course, we need to be very careful here, but in my opinion, a solution can be found," he added. Putin said such an agreement could guarantee both Israel's security and Iran's desire for a civilian nuclear programme. He added that he did "not even wish to discuss" the idea Israel might assassinate Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Putin said more than 200 Russian employees worked at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, which Russia's Rosatom built. "We agreed with the leadership of Israel that their security would be ensured," he said. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to rebuff Putin's earlier offer to mediate in the conflict, saying the Russian president should end his conflict in Ukraine first. Putin said at his press event that Iran hadn't asked for military help since Israel's assault. 10:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran would "pay a heavy price" after a missile hit a military hospital in Israel's south. Israel's army said that people were permitted to leave shelters in several parts of the country where they had been told to take cover after Iran launched a new barrage of missiles towards Israel. "Following the situational assessment, the Home Front Command published that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in several areas across the country," the military said. A military official added that "dozens of ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the last barrage from Iran". Massive destruction in Tel Aviv following Iran's launch of a wave of missiles on Israeli targets in central occupied Palestine. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 19, 2025 9:55 Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has said the army has been instructed to intensify strikes on strategically related targets in Tehran to eliminate what he claimed as a "threat" to Israel and destabilise the 'ayatollah regime', according to Reuters. 09:54 Israel's rescue service said that at least 47 people were injured in Iran's latest missile strikes, updating an earlier toll and reporting 18 more injured "while running to shelter". 09:50 Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, warned against targeting Iran's leadership and said that the Iran-Israel war could plunge the whole region into chaos. Any targeting of Iran's top leadership might spark "widespread chaos that would exacerbate the suffering of its people and severely harm everyone's interests." 09:41 A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said Israel killed at least 639 people in Iran, including 263 civilians. More than 1,300 have been wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, where at least 24 people died. Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile retaliation. AFP 09:31 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 32 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency service. 09:30 The Israeli army said it had struck Iran's Natanz nuclear site again, as well as an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak during overnight raids. Iranian state TV reported the attack on the Arak site, saying there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever.' Speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, an Iranian state television reporter said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor. Additionally, the Israeli air force "struck a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz", its army said, saying that around 40 Israeli air force jets had taken part in the overnight raids that saw "dozens" of sites hit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israeli forces had destroyed the principal uranium enrichment facility at the Natanz site. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Tuesday that there appeared to have been "direct impacts" on the underground part of the facility. Work on the Arak heavy-water research reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of a now-abandoned 2015 nuclear deal struck between Iran and world powers. Iran informed the IAEA of its plans to commission the reactor by 2026. The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research, and the site includes a heavy water production plant. 09:25 A ballistic Iranian missile has hit Soroka military hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, as Iran launched its latest wave of retaliatory airstrikes on the country. Unverified footage on social media showed people running through corridors filled with dust and debris, and doctors standing outside amid the building's wreckage. A spokesperson for the army hospital reported 'damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time.' The facility serves as the primary medical hub for the Negev region and treats Israeli civilians and mainly military personnel, including soldiers wounded during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Sirens sounded across the country earlier, and Israeli media reported that several loud blasts were also heard in central Israel, with several other direct hits reported. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 09:21 Donald Trump has approved attack plans for Iran but withheld the final order, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal reports Trump told senior aids he was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme first. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard that controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far primarily heavily damaged held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
