
Russian forces hit Ukrainian troops in Sumy region with Iskander missile, TASS says
MOSCOW, June 18 (Reuters) - Russian forces hit a Ukrainian troop position in the northeast Sumy region with an Iskander missile, state news agency TASS cited the Russian defence ministry as saying on Wednesday.
Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report, or determine exactly when it took place.
The Russian defence ministry did not provide the date of the strike, but said the area around city of Konotop was targeted.
Ukrainian authorities in the region reported an Iskander missile strike on Konotop on Monday. The local administration said on Facebook that it had damaged flats in several multi-storey buildings and that there were no casualties.
Ukraine in recent days has been trying to drive Russian forces from Sumy region, where border areas are gripped by heavy fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the weekend that Russia has amassed 53,000 troops in the region.

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Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
US warns it WILL strike again and world ‘should listen to Trump' as Iran leaders jet to meet Putin after nuke bomb blitz
'WE WILL DEFEND' US warns it WILL strike again and world 'should listen to Trump' as Iran leaders jet to meet Putin after nuke bomb blitz THE US has warned it will strike again and that the world "should listen to Trump" after unleashing an unprecedented blitz on three nuclear facilities. It comes imminently after the Iranian foreign minister revealed he is to meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and warned the West of "unprecedented danger". 5 Iranian worshippers burn the flags of the US and Israel on Friday 5 United States President Donald J Trump addresses the nation Credit: AP 5 Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting at the Kremlin in April Credit: AFP 5 B-2 Spirit drops a GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb (stock image) 5 US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Operation Midnight Hammer was 'an incredible and overwhelming success' that took months and weeks of planning. He added Trump has been clear that "any retaliation by Iran" against the US would be "met with force far greater" than what was seen on Saturday night. Hegseth said: 'Iran would be smart to heed those words. He's said it before, and he means it.' The Defence Secretary went on to praise the US leader, calling it "bold and brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back". He urged: "When this President speaks, the world should listen." Iran's foreign minister Abbas Arghchi has said he is going to Russia today to meet mad leader Putin. He revealed: 'I'm going to Moscow this afternoon, and I have a meeting with President Putin tomorrow morning.' Arghchi called Moscow a 'friend of Iran,' adding 'we always consult with each other'. Fears loom that the conflict could spiral into a world war, with Putin puppet Dmitry Medvedev making a veiled threat to supply Iran with nuclear weapons. He said: "A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their nuclear weapons." After declaring the US strikes as being a success, Trump warned that further action could be taken if Tehran doesn't agree to an adequate peace deal. He said in a nationally televised speech at the White House: "Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier." "There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days." 'Remember there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. 'But if peace does not come quickly we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. 'Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There's no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight." And shortly after speaking on-camera, he posted to Truth Social: "This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. "Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. "But if peace does not come quickly we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill." Meanwhile Iran's foreign minister Abbas Arghchi dubbed the strikes "outrageous and will have everlasting consequences". He also called the military action "a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations". Stay up to date with the latest on Israel vs Iran with The Sun's live blog below...


Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
Why Iran closing this 103-mile stretch of ocean could be catastrophic
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Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside Operation Midnight Hammer: How Trump carried out unprecedented Iran attack using decoys in 37-hour covert mission
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AMERICA'S colossal bomb raid on Iran's key nuclear sites was a masterclass in military might and strategy "months in the making", officials said. Covert tactics and the world's biggest conventional bombs came together in a "spectacular success", according to Trump, which caught the Iranians completely off-guard. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 14 B-2 bombers were joined by more than 100 escort and support aircradr Credit: Reuters 8 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation had been months in the planning Credit: AP 8 Satellite pictures show Iran's Fordow nuclear facility after it was blitzed Credit: AFP 8 Iran has sworn "everlasting consequences" are coming, but Trump warned the US would not be afraid of striking again. While the world now waits to see how Iran and its Axis of Evil will respond, the US has shared details of its daring Operation Midnight Hammer. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said: 'This was a complex and high-risk mission carried out with exceptional skill and discipline by our Joint Force." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: "Our B-2s went in and out and back without the world knowing at all." The mission was simple: to inflict serious damage on Iran's nuclear programme so that it is unable to produce nuclear weapons. Plans were worked for months, and the key groundwork was laid by Trump on Thursday when he announced a two-week delay to his decision about striking Iran. It's now clear that was a ploy to lull the regime into a false sense of security. The full mobilisation began on Friday night when a unit of B-2 bombers took off from the US at midnight. Some of the planes flew west towards the Pacific, leading analysts to suggest they might be heading to the UK's Diego Garcia base - but that was a decoy. Only "an extremely small number of planners and key leaders" knew the truth about the ruse, General Caine said. Trump's shock Iran strikes take us to bring of global conflict and will strengthen Axis of Evil alliance, experts warn The actual fleet comprised of seven B-2 spirit bombers, which quietly set off east over the Atlantic. Each was manned by a crew of two, but the pilots were instructed to stick to minimal communication to avoid detection. It was an 18-hour non-stop journey to reach the target area, so the bombers had to refuel multiple times in the air by linking up with escort and support aircraft. Mid-air synchronisation is difficult enough, but crews had to maintain minimal comms whilst lining up. At half past midnight Iranian time, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles at the Isfahan nuclear site in east Iran. This coincided with the bomber squad entering Iranian airspace - undetected. 8 Trump played a feint by suggesting he would mull the strikes for two weeks Credit: Splash 8 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has refused to surrender and now says diplomacy is off the cards Credit: AP Decoy and scout planes swooped out ahead of the main unit to scan for and distract any awaiting Iranian defence jets - but there were none. The protection group stood ready to launch preemptive fire on any surface-to-air threats, such as air defence systems, but not a single shot was fired at the operatives. Go-time was 2:10am - the midst of the Iranian night. Over a period of just 25 minutes, the bombers released their powerful payload. Officials revealed that about 75 precision-guided weapons were unleashed in total. Amongst these were 14 of the famed "bunker-buster" bombs dropped on the mountain-fortress Fordow plant. Israel had not even attempted to destroy this facility, buried beneath 300ft of rock and steel, because it knew only US's superbombs could do the job. The B-2s were programmed to drop one bomb, followed by another shortly afterwards onto the exact same point of impact. 8 Residential buildings in Tel Avid were damaged by Iranian missiles the morning after the US strikes Credit: Getty 8 A graphic displayed by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demonstrating the operation Credit: Getty It was the first time that the 30,000-pound GBU, 57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) had been deployed in a live combat situation. Caine said: 'Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice. 'We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority. 'This mission demonstrates the unmatched reach, coordination and capability of the United States military. 'In just a matter of weeks, this went from strategic planning to global execution. 'This operation underscores the unmatched capabilities and global reach of the United States military."