
Israeli military has begun a new ground operation in Gaza
TEL AVIV — Israel's military has sent ground troops back into the Gaza Strip, the spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces announced, just over a day after it broke a two-month long ceasefire with a sprawling bombing campaign that killed hundreds across the enclave.
The 'targeted ground operation' had focused on the central and southern Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the IDF said in a statement.
Ground troops had also retaken the 'Netzarim Axis,' the statement read, referring to the Israeli-built roadway that bisects the enclave and has been used to cut off traffic between the northern and southern parts of Gaza.
The IDF's announcement of its ground incursion came as Israel's defense minister threatened that the military would once again begin evacuating civilians from combat zones.
'The air force attack against Hamas terrorists was only the first step. The rest will be much more difficult and you will pay the full price,' Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. 'If all the Israeli hostages are not released and Hamas is not eliminated from Gaza — Israel will act with forces you have never known before.'

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Leader Live
21 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Israel hits Iranian government targets, including Evin Prison in Tehran
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Glasgow Times
26 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Palestine Action's behaviour ‘totally unacceptable', Chancellor says
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A Number 10 spokesman said Palestine Action has committed 'unacceptable actions that risk our security', adding: 'We keep the list of proscribed organisations under constant review.' On Sunday, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark said he was 'shocked and frustrated' at the protest supporting the 'organised extremist criminal group' as the force imposed an exclusion zone around Westminster. He said that until the group is proscribed, the Met has 'no power in law' to prevent the protest taking place, adding that breaches of the law would be 'dealt with robustly'. In a statement on Sunday, Sir Mark said: 'I'm sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action. 'This is an organised extremist criminal group, whose proscription as terrorists is being actively considered. 'Members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and last week claimed responsibility for breaking into an airbase and damaging aircraft. 'The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest.' Pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire (Palestine Action/PA) Palestine Action posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being investigated by counter-terror police. 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Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. The Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe Palestine Action, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.'


Glasgow Times
27 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Iran launches missiles and drones at Israel in the wake of US strikes
Israel said its defence systems were operating to intercept the threat, which apparently targeted north and central areas, and told people to head to shelters. Iran described the attack as a new wave of its Operation 'True Promise 3', saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. There were no immediate reports of damage. The move came after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites (Iranian Army Press Service via AP) The attack came the day after the United States inserted itself into Israel's war by attacking Iranian nuclear sites, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Meanwhile, a suspected Israeli air strike hit the gate of Iran's notorious Evin prison in Tehran, Iranian state television reported. Iranian media speculated the strike may have come from a drone. The report shared what appeared to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike. The prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Israel did not immediately acknowledge carrying out the strike. Earlier, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said 'very heavy damage' is expected at Iran's underground facility at Fordo after the US air strike this weekend. After the strike using sophisticated bunker-buster bombs, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in Vienna: 'Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred.' IAEA Director General @RafaelMGrossi addressed the Board of Governors this morning at an emergency meeting regarding the situation in Iran. — IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) June 23, 2025 He added that 'at this time, no-one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordo'. Iran said the US had crossed 'a very big red line' with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. On Monday, Iranian Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a 'free hand ' to 'act against US interests and its army'. Gen Mousavi described the American attack as violating Iran's sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. In the wake of the American attacks on Iran, calls came from across the globe for de-escalation and the return to diplomacy to try and resolve the conflict. Foreign ministers remain focused on a diplomatic solution, but concerns about the war escalating are high. Any Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz would be extremely dangerous. My doorstep ahead of today's Foreign Affairs Council ↓ — Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) June 23, 2025 On Monday, the European Union's top diplomat said the bloc remained 'very much focused on the diplomatic solution'. 'The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge,' Kaja Kallas said at the start of a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels where Iran has jumped to the top of the agenda. 'Especially closing of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is something that would be extremely dangerous and not good for anybody,' Ms Kallas said, referring to a maritime route crucial for oil transport. After Sunday's attacks, Iranian officials repeated their longstanding threats of possibly closing the key shipping lane. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of Iran's key allies, in Moscow.