Israel, Iran trade strikes as Trump weighs US military involvement
Israel and Iran traded strikes on Friday as President Trump weighs the possibility of U.S. involvement and European officials seek to revive nuclear negotiations with Tehran.
Israel said it hit 60 Iranian aircrafts early Friday morning along with the headquarters of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, which carries out nuclear weapons research, according to the Associated Press. Iranian media said Israel's strikes also hit the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early Friday.
Reuters reported that at least one Iranian missile struck Beersheba, Israel's largest southern city, early Friday, ripping off the facade of at least one apartment complex and leaving a crater in a residential area. CNN reported it struck close to a tech park that houses a Microsoft office.
Iran also struck near civilian sites in Haifa, injuring more than a dozen people and sending residents running for cover in a shopping mall, CNN reported.
That followed an Iranian strike on Thursday that struck a hospital in Beersheba, wounding at least 80 patients and medical workers, according to Israeli officials. Israel's defense chief accused Iran of war crimes and said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be held accountable for the attack.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched overnight bombings in the heart of Tehran, along with the cities of Tabriz and Kermanshah, hitting 'missile storage and launch infrastructure components,' according to the AP.
'We are strengthening our air control in the region and advancing our air offensive,' Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters, according to the AP.
'We have more sites to strike in Tehran, western Iran and other places.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, met with Britain's foreign secretary on Thursday to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is slated to meet with European leaders in Geneva to discuss a new nuclear deal. Iran earlier this month rejected U.S. proposals to effectively end its nuclear program, and move enrichment facilities outside the country.
The White House on Thursday released a statement from President Trump saying he would decide within two weeks on whether to join Israel's war. Israel is pressuring the U.S. to deploy it's 'bunker buster' bombs on Iran's Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is key to its nuclear program and buried deep inside a mountain.
While Trump has been publicly non-committal on resuming talks with Tehran, Araghci said Thursday the U.S. is pushing for diplomacy behind the scenes.
'It is the Americans who want talks,' he said, according to AP. 'They've sent messages several times — very serious ones — but we made it explicitly clear to them that as long as this aggression and invasion continue, there is absolutely no room for talk or diplomacy. We are engaged in legitimate self-defense, and this defense will not stop under any circumstances.'
Earlier this week, Trump urged civilians to evacuate Tehran immediately, as the U.S. ordered a third U.S. Navy destroyer to the eastern portion of the Mediterranean Sea.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking near the damaged Beersheba hospital, said he trusted that Trump would 'do what's best for America.'
'I can tell you that they're already helping a lot,' he added.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
34 minutes ago
- Fox News
ISIS behind deadly church suicide bombing near Damascus, Syrian interior minister says
The Islamic State is believed to be behind a deadly suicide bombing that happened at a Greek Orthodox church in Syria on Sunday. At least 22 people were killed, and 63 others were injured in the attack that took place at the Mar Elias Church in Dweil'a – on the outskirts of Damascus. It reportedly began while people were praying. The perpetrator first opened fire on the worshipers, before detonating himself. While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the mass-casualty attack, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba suggested ISIS as a likely culprit following a preliminary investigation. "The security of places of worship is a red line," Al-Baba said further, castigating ISIS and what remains of the former government of Ba'athist dictator Bashar al-Assad as actors trying to destabilize Syria. The country's foreign ministry echoed Al-Baba, describing the attack as "a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilize the country." The attack comes amid a time of heightened political unrest in the notoriously volatile Middle East – less than 24 hours after the U.S. launched airstrikes on three of Iran's top nuclear facilities. Israel launched a series of similar attacks, including attacks on the Iranian capital, Tehran, in the weeks prior.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oil hits five-month high after US hits key Iranian nuclear sites
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices jumped on Monday to their highest since January as Washington's weekend move to join Israel in attacking Iran's nuclear facilities stoked supply worries. Brent crude futures rose $1.88 or 2.44% at $78.89 a barrel as of 1122 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude advanced $1.87 or 2.53% at $75.71. Both contracts jumped by more than 3% earlier in the session to $81.40 and $78.40, respectively, five-month highs, before giving up some gains. The rise in prices came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes over the weekend, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself. Iran is OPEC's third-largest crude producer. Market participants expect further price gains amid mounting fears that an Iranian retaliation may include a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global crude supply flows. Iran's Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the strait. Iran has in the past threatened to close the strait but has never followed through on the move. "The risks of damage to oil infrastructure ... have multiplied," said Sparta Commodities senior analyst June Goh. Although there are alternative pipeline routes out of the region, there will still be crude volumes that cannot be fully exported out if the Strait of Hormuz becomes inaccessible. Shippers will increasingly stay out of the region, she added. Brent has risen 13% since the conflict began on June 13, while WTI has gained around 10%. The current geopolitical risk premium is unlikely to last without tangible supply disruptions, analysts said. Meanwhile, the unwinding of some of the long positions accumulated following a recent price rally could cap an upside to oil prices, Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, wrote in a market commentary on Sunday.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Australia backs US strike on Iran to prevent nukes
Australia has supported US strikes on Iran to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, as Anthony Albanese calls an urgent national security meeting. After days of escalation, the US launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday (AEST) as President Donald Trump declared "there will be peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran". The prime minister convened the National Security Committee on Monday morning, with public comments likely to follow. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged all parties to prioritise diplomacy and dialogue to prevent a "full-scale war" in the Middle East. "We support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, and that is what this is," she told Nine's Today show on Monday. "It's what happens next is what the world is focused on." The foreign minister said Washington had not made any requests of Australia. But she would not say if the joint US intelligence surveillance base, Pine Gap, in the Northern Territory had played a role in the operation. Senator Wong also said the number of Australians who had registered for help to leave the region had jumped to about 2900 in Iran and 1300 in Israel. Acting opposition foreign spokesman Andrew Hastie said the coalition had wanted to see Iran come to the negotiating table and submit to a full inspection by the International Atomic and Energy Agency. "We support those strikes, and now we want to see dialogue and diplomacy," he told ABC's RN. "We want to see a peaceful settlement from here, and I'm just not going to speculate on what steps might be taken next." Department of Foreign Affairs staff were evacuated from the embassy in Tehran last week and are helping Australian citizens and residents who make it through Iran's border with Azerbaijan. Senator Wong has previously said that while Australia has deployed Australian Defence Force personnel to assist with evacuation efforts, they aren't there for combat purposes. Iran's parliament voted to close the Strait of Hormuz, where about a quarter of the world's oil transits through, prompting fear prices will be sent skyrocketing. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce said it "goes without saying that Iran was up to no good". "This could go south in the most tremendous way for Australia and I did see a sense of gloating and hubris from the United States," he told Seven's Sunrise show on Monday. "That is alright if it is the end of the game, but if this takes the next step we are all going to be involved." Despite questions over whether Australia should do more to support its major ally, former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos said combat troops weren't the way forward. "There's no way we would put troops on the ground," he told AAP. "I don't think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do." Australia has previously provided some resources around shipping lanes, but during the recent outbreak of violence, the government has refused to entertain the possibility of military involvement. However, the American strikes have also been labelled as a "terrifying and catastrophic escalation" with the Greens warning further violence from Israel or the US would impact ordinary Iranian civilians.
