Latest news with #AvichayAdraee
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israel kills three within 24 hours in Southern Lebanon
Shafaq News/ A Lebanese citizen was killed on Thursday in an Israeli drone strike targeting a Rapid vehicle in the border town of Houla, the Lebanese Health Ministry announced. Earlier, two individuals were killed in a separate Israeli strike that hit a motorcycle in the town of Kfarjouz in the Nabatieh region, southern Lebanon. Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated that the military targeted what he described as the commander of Hezbollah's anti-tank missile unit in the Shebaa area. #عاجل 🔸جيش الدفاع قضى على قائد وحدة الصواريخ المضادة للدروع في مجمع شبعا في حزب الله الارهابي🔸خلال ساعات الليلة الماضية هاجم جيش الدفاع في منطقة النبطية في جنوب لبنان وقضى على الارهابي المدعو محمد احمد خريس قائد وحدة الصواريخ المضادة للدروع في مجمع شبعا في حزب الله الارهابي.… — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 19, 2025 Despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement on November 26, tensions remain elevated along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier. The agreement outlined a phased Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory within 60 days. That deadline was later extended to February 18, 2025, but implementation has seen minimal progress. Lebanese authorities reported that Israel has carried out nearly 3,000 violations of the ceasefire since it took effect. At least 215 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded during this period, according to official figures.
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Israel sows panic with Tehran eviction orders that echo Gaza and Lebanon
On Tuesday, around 2am local time in Iran, the Israeli military issued an order for residents of Tehran's District 18, one of the capital's most densely populated and poorest neighbourhoods, to leave. 'In the coming hours, the Israeli army will operate in this area against military targets belonging to the Iranian regime,' army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X. 'Your presence in this area exposes your lives to danger.' Hundreds of thousands of people live in this sprawling area of Tehran. It was the middle of the night, and Iranian authorities have restricted internet access since Israel launched its attacks on Friday. The X platform is officially banned in Iran, and not accessible without a VPN. Around 30 minutes later, the Israeli army said they were carrying out a series of strikes on Tehran. Civilians have borne the brunt of the aerial war that began on Friday when Israel started bombing Iran. Israel described it as an operation to prevent its archenemy from acquiring nuclear weapons. Since then, the two countries have engaged in their most intense exchange of attacks. In Iran, the Health Ministry said at least 224 people were killed and 1,277 admitted to hospital as a result of Israel's bombardment, and 90 per cent of the casualties were civilians. Iranian strikes on Israel have killed at least 24 civilians, according to Israeliauthorities. Human rights groups and Iranian activists have denounced Israeli bombing warnings as unlawful, ineffective and terror-inducing for the civilian population. In a press release on Wednesday calling for the protection of civilians amid the rising hostilities, Amnesty International criticised the 'alarming threats and overly broad, ineffective evacuation warnings' issued by Israel. 'Evacuation warnings, even if detailed and effective, do not release Israel from its other obligations under international humanitarian law,' the rights group said. "They must not treat as open-fire zones areas for which they have issued warnings." US President Donald Trump, who is reportedly considering military intervention to support Israel, Washington's long-time ally, added to the alarm on Monday when he said, 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' in a post on his Truth Social platform. 'Making an entire city panic over a warning that is not even accurate – when people have nowhere to go and no logistical means to evacuate is a violation of international law,' said Bahar Ghandehari, from the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, a US-based organisation. 'Tehran has a population of nearly 10 million. Where would they even go?' she added. The Israeli bombing threat has also raised concern for political prisoners. On Monday, Israel warned residents of Tehran's District 3 to leave. Evin Prison, which holds scores of political activists, including many arrested during the 2022-23 Women, Life, Freedom protests, stands on the edge of the district. 'It is dangerously close to whatever Israel is planning to do there,' Ms Ghandehari said. The centre has been monitoring prison conditions closely, she said. 'So far, we haven't heard anything alarming happening inside the prisons. But prisoners are very panicked and stressed.' The prisoners' families also feel helpless. 'My dad is in prison, how is he supposed to evacuate?' said Mehraveh Khadan, daughter of Iranian rights activist Reza Khadan who is being held in Evin. Unlike Israel, Tehran has no public bomb shelters or air raid warning system, and its air defences are limited. 'There are no alarms, no shelters, and all the information is coming from social media, which many people can't even access due to internet restrictions,' said Ms Ghandehari. Iranian authorities have said that metro stations, schools and mosques would be used as shelters, but it is not clear whether these structures above ground can offer meaningful protection. Familiar tactics The Israel military's warnings to civilians, with maps shaded in red to show the areas under threat, are the same as those used in its wars in Gaza and Lebanon. In Lebanon and Gaza, human rights groups have already denounced these maps as inadequate and misleading, saying they do not provide safe or effective evacuation options for civilians. Israel first used disproportionate force against civilians as a military strategy during the 2006 war in Lebanon. This became known as the Dahieh doctrine, named after the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital. The doctrine legitimises the use of maximum force against civilians and civilian infrastructure, erasing the line between military and civilian targets in a violation of international humanitarian law, as means of collective punishment to pressure the local population to distance itself from the enemy force. 'They're targeting entire residential areas, putting civilians at risk and making them collateral damage for a single military target,' Ms Ghandehari said. Amnesty noted a recent warning issued by the Israeli army told people across Iran to 'immediately leave areas … [housing] military weapons manufacturing facilities and their support institutions', spreading panic within the population. 'The locations of military facilities are not known to the general public and no clear guidance was provided on where civilians should or should not go to ensure their safety,' the rights group said. While the tactics may be similar to those used in Lebanon and Gaza, the scale is different in Iran – a much larger country with a population of more than 85 million. The panic sparked by Israel's warnings and bombings in Tehran led to massive traffic jams across the city as people tried to leave. 'People were stuck in traffic for hours, and some even ended up turning back and going home,' Ms Ghandehari said. 'Others couldn't leave at all because of fuel shortages.' The current momentum seems to favour escalation. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said his country would not surrender and warned that any US military intervention would have serious consequences. 'That's the most terrifying thing: the uncertainty,' Ms Ghandehari said.
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israel hits Iran's nuclear sites as Trump predicts regime collapse
Shafaq News/ The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that it has struck more than 20 military sites across Iran, including facilities tied to the country's nuclear weapons ambitions and anti-tank missile production lines reportedly linked to Hezbollah. According to Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, the latest wave of airstrikes focused on key infrastructure within Tehran, targeting centrifuge production centers, research and development labs, and weapons manufacturing facilities. Adraee claimed these sites were instrumental in enabling Iran to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. #عاجل اليوم السادس لعملية الاسد الصاعد تواصل عشرات الطائرات مهاجمة سلسلة اهداف وقدرات عسكرية للنظام الإيراني في انحاء ايران. ❌استهداف موقع لانتاج اجهزة طرد مركزي كان جزء من محاولة النظام تخصيب اليورانيوم في اطار البرنامج النووي. ❌استهداف موقع بالقرب من طهران استخدم لانتاج… — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 18, 2025 One of the airstrikes reportedly hit a facility producing anti-tank missiles intended for transfer to Hezbollah via third-party countries. Adraee accused Iran of arming regional proxies—such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis—for years, calling them 'terrorist organizations' bent on attacking Israel. #عاجل جيش الدفاع هاجم في ايران موقعًا لانتاج صواريخ مضادة للدروع تم تحويلها إلى حزب الله⭕️خلال ساعات الليلة الماضية هاجمت طائرات حربية لسلاح الجو بتوجيه هيئة الاستخبارات موقعًا لانتاج صواريخ مضادة للدروع تم إنتاجها في ايران ومن ثم نقلها من قبل النظام الإيراني إلى وكلائه عبر دول… — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 18, 2025 The Israeli military described the campaign as part of a broader strategy to degrade Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, which it alleges are being used to destabilize the region and directly threaten Israeli national security. #عاجل مهاجمة أكثر من 20 هدفًا عسكريًا من خلال 60 طائرة مقاتلة: جيش الدفاع أنهى موجة إضافية من الغارات في منطقة طهران استهدفت مواقع مرتبطة بمشروع السلاح النووي ومواقع إنتاج صواريخ تابعة للنظام الإيراني⭕️أتمّت 60 طائرة مقاتلة تابعة لسلاح الجو خلال الساعات الأخيرة موجة غارات… — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 18, 2025 Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump suggested that the ongoing war with Israel could result in the collapse of Iran's ruling regime. Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said that the US has contingency plans for 'everything.' The president insisted the US does not seek war with Iran, but reaffirmed that preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons remains a non-negotiable priority. 'We're not looking for a ceasefire—we're looking for total victory,' he declared. Trump noted that he had just discussed the situation with the Pakistani Chief of Staff and said he believes Iran was 'weeks away' from acquiring a nuclear weapon before the strikes.
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israel strikes deep in Tehran: +50 fighter jets target nuclear and missile sites
Shafaq News/ More than 50 Israeli fighter jets launched a series of overnight strikes targeting military and nuclear-related sites in Tehran, the Israeli army announced on Wednesday, as its campaign against Iran entered its sixth day. According to the Israeli military, the strikes focused on a centrifuge production site and multiple facilities linked to Iran's missile manufacturing program. It described the operation as part of efforts to degrade Iran's capacity to enrich uranium to high levels and produce advanced weaponry. #عاجل جيش الدفاع اغار الليلة الماضية على موقع لانتاج أجهزة طرد مركزي وعلى عدة مواقع انتاج وسائل قتالية تابعة للنظام الايراني⭕️شنت اكثر من 50 طائرة حربية تابعة لسلاح الجو خلال الساعات الماضية سلسلة غارات استهدفت أهدافًا عسكرية في منطقة إيران. ⭕️في اطار الجهود الواسعة الهادفة… — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 18, 2025 The targeted locations—allegedly used in recent attacks against Israel—included a facility for producing surface-to-surface missile components and another for surface-to-air missile systems. Iranian media reported heavy explosions in eastern Tehran, including damage to the Khojir missile production complex and Imam Hussein University. Additional blasts were heard in Abhar, in Zanjan Province. The governor of Varamin, southeast of Tehran, announced that an Israeli drone was intercepted and destroyed in the vicinity of the city. Iranian media also raised the overall death toll from Israeli airstrikes to 585, with 1,326 people wounded since the campaign began. In response, Iran launched a series of missile attacks early Wednesday targeting several Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashdod, and Beersheba. Israeli estimates indicated that approximately 25 missiles were fired in two waves. Maariv newspaper reported that thousands of Israelis were evacuated from affected areas following the strikes. The Tel Aviv municipality began inspecting damaged buildings to determine whether any require demolition.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tehran residents warned to evacuate ahead of Israeli strikes
Israeli officials urged hundreds of thousands of people in Tehran, Iran, to immediately evacuate Monday ahead of new strikes in its escalating military campaign against Iran. 'In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in the area, as it has done in recent days around Tehran, to attack military structures belonging to the Iranian regime,' Israeli military spokesperson for Arab media Avichay Adraee wrote in a post on the social platform X. 'Citizens of Iran, for your safety and security, please evacuate the area.' The warning, written in Farsi, included a map of a targeted central area of Tehran deemed 'District 3,' where Iranian state media and law enforcement are headquartered. Israel on Monday declared it had eliminated defensive threats to its strikes in the area, essentially seizing control of the airspace over Tehran. 'The IAF controls the skies of Tehran; that changes the entire campaign,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday referring to Israel's air force. 'With God's help, we will succeed and continue until victory.' According to The Associated Press, the Monday warning affected about 330,000 people. Netanyahu, speaking at an air force base near Tel Aviv, Israel, told soldiers that Iran doesn't warn Israeli civilians before it attacks, but Israel would continue to issue alerts to residents of Tehran. 'When we control the skies of Tehran, we hit these targets, the enemy's targets — in contrast to the criminal Iranian regime, which targets our civilians and comes to kill our children and women — we tell the civilians in Tehran: 'Evacuate' and we are taking action,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
