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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel-Iran conflict: List of key events, June 21, 2025
Here's where things stand on Saturday, June 21: Fighting Israeli air strikes hit a key nuclear site in Iran's Isfahan province. An Israeli army spokesperson said the air force 'struck the central facility along with buildings used to produce centrifuges'. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop at the site was hit, adding that there was no nuclear material at the site and therefore no radiological consequences. The deputy governor of Isfahan said the cities of Lanjan, Mobarakeh, Shahreza and Isfahan were targeted. Iranian media reported a drone attack on Isfahan later. Israeli forces also hit a military installation in Shiraz. Fars news agency reported attacks on two cities in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan, saying 'frightening explosions' were heard in the provincial capital of Ahvaz and a large column of smoke had risen above the port city of Mahshahr. In other Israeli attacks, defence systems were activated over Najafabad, while explosions were reported in Malard. There were also reports of attacks on Tehran. The Israeli military's chief spokesperson said the army had been told to be prepared for a 'prolonged campaign' to destroy Iranian targets. The Iranian army said that the seventh and eighth stages of launching dozens of 'destructive' drones towards Israel had been carried out, with a report saying 'most of the drones hit the intended targets'. Iran's armed forces threatened to strike shipments of military aid to Israel, warning that 'any military or radar equipment by boat or aircraft from any country to assist the Zionist regime' would be considered a 'legitimate target'. The Israeli army said it had shot down approximately 40 drones launched from Iran. German newspaper Bild reported that Israel's foreign minister claimed that attacks on Iran had delayed the country's prospects of creating a nuclear bomb by 'at least two or three years'. Explosions were heard above Tel Aviv, where buildings were seen on fire. In central Israel, the emergency services released images showing fire on the roof of a multistorey residential building. A spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi group, in a video statement, threatened to attack US 'ships and warships' in the Red Sea should Washington get involved in Israel's campaign against Iran. Casualties and disruptions Israel's defence minister said that Israeli forces killed three senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC said five of its members had died in Israeli attacks. At least five people were killed in Israeli attacks in the Iranian city of Khorramabad. An Israeli aircraft struck a residential building in Qom, killing a 16-year-old and injuring two people. Hussein Khalil, a former bodyguard for Hezbollah's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in an Israeli strike on Tehran. Iran's Fars news agency quoted Health Minister Mohammadreza Zafarghandi as saying Israel had struck six ambulances and three hospitals, killing two health workers and a child in the attacks. Iran's deputy health minister said the department was preparing to treat any victims suffering from the effects of Israel's continued targeting of the country's nuclear capability, 'in the event that nuclear reactors are targeted'. Tasnim News Agency reported Iran's information minister as saying that access to 'international' internet should be fully restored across the country by 8pm on Saturday. Iran's health ministry said that Israeli strikes over the past nine days had killed at least 430 people and wounded approximately 3,500. In Israel, Iran's strikes have killed at least 25 people. The head of Qom province's intelligence police said the force had arrested 22 people 'on charges of being connected to the Zionist regime's spy services' since Israel's assault on the country began on June 12. Protests In Berlin, more than 10,000 people gathered in the centre of the city in support of Gaza. More than 1,000 protesters joined a rally in front of Berlin's Reichstag, seat of the German Bundestag, to call for the leadership in Iran to be deposed. In London, pro-Palestine demonstrators marched through the city centre waving Iranian flags and calling for the UK government to stop allowing arms exports and military cooperation with Israel. A pro-Palestine march also took place in Stockholm. A mass rally took place in Baghdad's Shia district of Kadhimiya, under the slogan 'Iran is not alone'. Politics and diplomacy Iran's president spoke with his French counterpart, warning of a 'more devastating' retaliation should Israel's bombing campaign continue, saying that Iran would not halt its nuclear programme 'under any circumstances'. Macron said that the pair had agreed to 'accelerate' nuclear negotiations between European powers and Iran. Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to it to provide every assurance that its intentions are peaceful,' he said. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said no country has violated international human rights more than Israel, which 'has always felt complete immunity from punishment for its crimes'. Attending a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Iran's foreign minister said the United States had been involved in Israel's 'aggression' from 'day one', despite denials from Washington. Addressing the OIC summit, Turkiye's president said Netanyahu was the 'biggest obstacle to regional peace' and that Israel's attacks on Iran aimed to sabotage nuclear talks with the US. Qatar's state news agency reported that Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors expressed concerns to UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi about the 'dangerous repercussions' of Israel targeting Iran's nuclear facilities close to their countries. A German Foreign Ministry official said the country had temporarily relocated the staff of its embassy in Tehran abroad. India's embassy in Iran said it was 'evacuating all Indian Nationals in Iran'. Hundreds of US citizens have departed Iran using land routes over the past week.
Globe and Mail
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Ukraine halts Russian troop advance in Sumy region, Zelensky says
Ukrainian forces have stopped Russian troops advancing in the northeastern Sumy region and are now battling to regain control along the border with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. In remarks released for publication by his office on Saturday, Zelensky said that Moscow has amassed about 53,000 troops in the direction of Sumy. 'We are leveling the position. The fighting there is along the border. You should understand that the enemy has been stopped there. And the maximum depth at which the fighting takes place is 7 km (4.35 miles) from the border,' Zelensky said. Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports. Russia's troops have been focusing their assaults in the eastern Donetsk region. But since the start of the month, they have intensified their attacks in the northeast, announcing plans to create a so-called 'buffer zone' in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. The Russian war in Ukraine is in its fourth year, but it has intensified in recent weeks. Ukraine conducted an audacious drone attack this month that took out multiple aircraft inside Russia and also hit the bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula using underwater explosives. Moscow ramped up its air assaults after the attack. Opinion: In Ukraine, the bold drone attacks against Russia are a rare chance for celebration Zelensky said that Ukrainian troops had maintained their defensive lines along more than 1,000 kilometres of the frontline. He also dismissed Moscow's claims that Russian troops had crossed the administrative border into the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk. Zelensky said that Russia was sending small assault groups 'to get one foot on the administrative border' and make a picture or a video, but these attacks were repelled. Dnipropetrovsk borders three regions that are partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia now controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine was unable to regain all of its territory by military force and reiterated his pleas for stronger sanctions on Russia to force Moscow into negotiations to end the war. Two rounds of peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul produced few results that could lead to a ceasefire and a broader peace deal. The two sides agreed only to exchange prisoners of war. Several swaps have already been conducted this month, and Zelensky said he expected them to continue until June 20 or 21. In separate remarks made on communications platform Telegram on Saturday, he said that a new group of Ukrainian prisoners of war had come home as part of another swap with Russia. 'We continue to take our people out of Russian captivity. This is the fourth exchange in a week,' Zelensky wrote on his personal account. Ukrainian officials responsible for exchanging prisoners said the vast majority of the soldiers released in the exchange had been held captive since 2022 with many captured during the defence of Mariupol. The officials said Kyiv had, meanwhile, received the bodies of 1,200 of its soldiers killed in the war with Russia. The bodies were handed over to Ukraine on Friday. 'The agreement is that the exchanges will be completed, and the sides will discuss the next step,' Zelensky said.
South China Morning Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Ukraine halts Russian troops' advance in Sumy region, Zelensky says
Ukrainian forces have stopped Russian troops advancing in the northeastern Sumy region and are now battling along the border to regain control, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. In remarks released for publication by his office on Saturday, Zelensky said that Moscow has amassed about 53,000 troops in the direction of Sumy. 'We are levelling the position. The fighting there is along the border. You should understand that the enemy has been stopped there. And the maximum depth at which the fighting takes place is 7km from the border,' Zelensky said. Battlefield reports could not be verified. Russia's troops have been focusing their assaults in the eastern Donetsk region, but since the start of the month they have intensified their attacks in the north-east, announcing plans to create a so-called 'buffer zone' in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. The Russian war in Ukraine is in its fourth year, but it has intensified in recent weeks. Ukraine conducted an audacious drone attack that took out multiple aircraft inside Russia and also hit the bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula using underwater explosives.
Arab News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli strike kills one in Lebanon's south
BEIRUT: One person was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli strike on a village in southern Lebanon, the health ministry reported, the latest deadly attack despite a November ceasefire. 'The raid carried out by an enemy Israeli drone on the town of Beit Lif, in the Bint Jbeil district, resulted in one martyr and three people injured,' read a statement from the ministry. The official National News Agency said the strike targeted a house's courtyard in the town, adding that a missile hit the homeowner's car. Israel has regularly bombed its northern neighbor since the November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with militant group Hezbollah including two months of full-blown war. The agreement required Hezbollah fighters to withdraw north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, and dismantle all military infrastructure to its south. It also required Israel to withdraw all of its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems 'strategic.'
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nato jets scrambled as Russia launches 'biggest drone bombardment' of Ukraine
Poland scrambled fighter jets early on Monday in response to a wave of Russian airstrikes on western Ukraine. The Operational Command of the Polish armed forces confirmed allied aircraft had been activated to ensure the safety of the country's airspace. "The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the areas at risk," the Command said on X. All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts as of 3am BST on Monday after the Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian missile and drone attacks. Ukraine's air force said 479 Russian drones were launched in the war's biggest overnight drone bombardment. Apart from drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas of Ukraine. Ukraine's air defences destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles in mid-flight, an air force statement said, claiming that only 10 drones or missiles hit their target. Officials said one person was injured. It comes as Moscow launched what officials have described as one of the largest assaults on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, over the weekend — killing four people, injuring nearly 60, and marking a significant escalation in the conflict Kharkiv's Mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said 48 drones — two missiles and four glide bombs — had been used against the city on Friday night, while more glide bombs were reportedly dropped on Saturday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has urged allies to increase pressure on Moscow and to take "more steps to strengthen Ukraine" in response to Russia's latest attacks. Poland—a Nato member and one of Ukraine's staunchest allies—plays a key role in coordinating and channeling Western military aid to Kyiv. Its heightened alert status underscores the escalating regional security risks as the war enters its third year. On Monday, a Ukrainian drone strike, among the deepest into Russia in more than three years of the war, forced a temporary suspension of production at an electronics company in the Volga river region of Chuvashia, the head of the region said. The strike, some 1,300 km (800 miles) from the border with Ukraine, caused no casualties, Chuvashia Governor Oleg Nikolayev said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. But "the responsible decision was made to temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees" of the VNIIR enterprise where the drones fell, Nikolayev said. It was not immediately clear whether the drones caused any damage. Nikolayev said that another drone fell onto some fields in the area of the capital of the region, Cheboksary. Ukraine's military said in a Telegram statement on Monday that "at least two drones" hit the VNIIR facility that specialises in manufacturing navigation equipment used in attack drones, guided aerial bombs and high-precision weapons. The Ukrainian military said the drone attack sparked a large-scale fire at the VNIIR plant, although reports could not independently verified. The Russian defence ministry - which reports only how many drones were destroyed not how many Ukraine launched - said on Telegram that its units downed two drones over Chuvashia. In total, it said, air defence systems destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia. Kyiv has often said that its attacks inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's war efforts and are in response to the continued Russian strikes on Ukraine.
