Latest news with #Defrin
Euronews
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
'There is no red line that they have not crossed'
The US attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran "were carried out in coordination with the IDF." according to Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin on Sunday. "These actions mark a crucial step in stopping the Iranian regime's aggression and its ability to pose a threat to the region and the world. The regime's ability to threaten Israel is being dismantled piece by piece," said Defrin. The US military targeted the Iranian sites of Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz early on Sunday. In a televised address from the White House, US President Donald Trump said the sites had been "completely and fully obliterated". Trump also launched dozens of missiles from submarines without congressional approval. Neither Iran nor the UN nuclear watchdog have reported immediate signs of radioactive contamination near to the targeted facilities. It was a risky move meant to weaken a longtime enemy, even as Tehran has warned of revenge attacks that could lead to a wider conflict in the region. Iranian FM says "There is no red line that they have not crossed." Hours after the attacks, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Turkey: 'The warmongering, a lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression.' He added: "They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities". Araghchi condemned the attacks, saying that the time for diplomacy had passed and called on the UN Security Council for an emergency session. He also stated that under the principles of the UN Charter, Iran has the right to self-defence. Iran is a close ally to Russia The Iranian foreign minister plans to travel to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin 'We enjoy a strategic partnership and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions'. Iran and Russia are close allies, and Tehran has kept it no secret that it has been helping Russia in its war on Ukraine, notably supplying it with attack drones. Meanwhile, Israel released footage claiming their attacks struck Iranian soldiers and missile launchers. The IDF said in a statement that 'missile launchers were struck in Isfahan, Bushehr and Ahvaz". It further explained that 'Strikes were also conducted on military sites involved in the production of aerial defence batteries, the 'Third Brigade' UAV command centre, and a UAV storage facility near the command centre,'. The US' decision to join the conflict follows more than a week of Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel says its goal is to destroy the country's air defences and missile systems, while also damaging its nuclear facilities.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'We have other goals': Israeli army vows to continue Iran offensive; reviews aftermath of US strikes on nuclear sites
The Israeli military on Sunday declared it has "other goals" in Iran and will press forward with its military campaign, hours after US air strikes hit key Iranian nuclear facilities. "We have other goals and we will continue to act until we attain them," said Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin during a televised briefing. The statement came amid escalating regional tensions after US President Donald Trump confirmed American forces had carried out a "very successful attack" on three nuclear sites in Iran's Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, ending weeks of speculation about potential US involvement in the conflict. Israel-Iran conflict: Follow live updates Defrin said Israel was still assessing the impact of the US strike on the heavily fortified Fordo enrichment facility. 'It's too soon to determine whether Iran's enriched uranium was destroyed or removed," he said. 'We are constantly checking the situation. It is too soon to determine. I suppose we will know later on." The Israeli army launched its own fresh round of attacks on Sunday morning, including strikes on Iranian missile launchers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 40代以上でPC持ってるなら、このゲームはあなた向け！ Hero Wars ゲームをプレイ Undo 'We are continuing and are determined to achieve the objectives of the operation: eliminating the existential threat to the state of Israel, damaging Iran's nuclear programme and destroying its missile system," Defrin added. Tehran, meanwhile, has accused both the US and Israel of inflaming the crisis. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the attacks marked a serious escalation. 'The US and Israel have crossed a red line by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities,' he said at an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul. Araghchi also stated that Iran was still evaluating the extent of the damage. Despite the strikes, Iran's Red Crescent chief Pir Hossein Kolivand reported that there were no fatalities from the US raids. 'Fortunately, we did not have any martyrs in last night's events of the US aggression against Iran's nuclear facilities," he said on state TV. Israel first launched its large-scale assault on Iran on June 13, targeting what it said were nuclear and military assets. The operation has included hundreds of airstrikes, assassinations of military officials, and the killing of around ten nuclear scientists. Iran has denied ever seeking to develop nuclear weapons. As of Saturday, Iranian authorities said more than 400 people had died and over 3,000 were injured in Israeli attacks, mostly civilians. Israel, in turn, reported 25 deaths caused by Iranian missile and drone strikes.
Sky News AU
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘We will not rest': Israel responds to Iran's press conference in Istanbul
Israel's Brigadier General Effie Defrin responds live to the Iranian Foreign Minister's press conference in Istanbul, Turkey. 'We will not rest until every hostage is home,' Brigadier General Defrin said. 'We will continue to act with resolve and determination to protect the citizens of Israel.'
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israeli Army: We are preparing for escalation against Iran
Shafaq News/ Iran can continue launching attacks against Israel, and the army is working to eliminate these threats, Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said on Friday. 'Iran has military capabilities and will strike us again in the future. We are prepared to confront it,' Defrin stated in a press briefing. He emphasized that 'the security and safety of Israeli citizens remain our top priority,' adding that Israel is facing days filled with challenges. 'The Israeli army is engaged on seven fronts, including Hamas in Gaza, and we are working to remove all threats.' The spokesman noted that military operations will continue and expand until our objectives are achieved. 'We cannot live under the shadow of a nuclear Iran. We will fight until our goal is accomplished,' he concluded. ✈️ The IAF continues its mission to maintain aerial superiority in Iranian airspace. Fighter jets struck several Iranian missile systems and radar installations in the areas of Isfahan and Tehran, which were intended to target IDF aircraft and disrupt their operations. This… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 20, 2025
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Iran strikes Israeli hospital; Trump to decide on U.S. role in conflict within 'two weeks'
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran, on Thursday. By Alexander Cornwell, Parisa Hafezi, Ahmed Elimam and Tala Ramadan Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight, as a week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the United States might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "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," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting a message from the president. As president, Trump has commonly used "two weeks" as a time frame for making decisions, meaning it may not be a firm deadline. "Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon," Leavitt said. Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iran on Friday, calling it a preemptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price" for a strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Netanyahu said. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians in the hospital attack. 'That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law," Defrin told a press briefing. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby. Israel attacked the special forces headquarters of the internal security apparatus in Tehran in the last 24 hours, Defrin said. Earlier, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been instructed to intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate the threat to Israel and destabilise the "regime" of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As darkness fell on Thursday evening, Iranian media reported air defences engaging "hostile targets" in northern Tehran. Israel's airstrikes aim to do more than destroy Iran's nuclear centrifuges and missile capabilities. They seek to shatter the foundations of Khamenei's government and leave it near collapse, Israeli, Western and regional officials said. Netanyahu wants Iran weakened enough to be forced into fundamental concessions on permanently abandoning its nuclear enrichment, its ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups across the region, the sources said. Three diplomats told Reuters that Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since last week. In an apparent reference to the U.S., Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Thursday it would use a different strategy if a "third party" joined Israel in the war. STRIKES ON NUCLEAR SITES Earlier, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. It also targeted the partially built Arak heavy-water research reactor, also known as Khondab, in central Iran. Airbus Defense satellite imagery published by the Open Source Centre, a London-based research group, showed a large, blackened hole in the roof of the Arak reactor and destroyed heavy water distillation towers nearby. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security, said the Israelis hit the facility because of concerns about Iran's declared intention to begin operating the reactor next year. The Iranians "play all these different games so Israel took it out," he said. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Iran has been weighing its wider options in responding to the biggest security challenge since its 1979 revolution. A member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee Presidium, Behnam Saeedi, told the semi-official Mehr news agency Iran could consider closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of daily global oil consumption passes. 'STAY AWAY FROM OUR COUNTRY' Israel, which has the most advanced military in the Middle East, has been fighting on several fronts since the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the Gaza war. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis. The extent of the damage inside Iran has become more difficult to assess in recent days, with the authorities apparently seeking to prevent panic by limiting information. Iran has stopped giving updates on the death toll, and state media have ceased showing widespread images of destruction. The internet has been almost completely shut down, and the public has been banned from filming. Arash, 33, a government employee in Tehran, said a building next to his home in Tehran's Shahrak-e Gharb neighbourhood had been destroyed in the strikes. "I saw at least three dead children and two women in that building. Is this how Netanyahu plans to 'liberate' Iranians? Stay away from our country," he told Reuters by telephone. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
