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Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Israeli and Iranian People Deserve Better
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. On January 8, 2020, 176 people boarded Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, departing Tehran for Kyiv. Minutes after takeoff, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired two surface-to-air missiles at the civilian airliner, killing everyone aboard. The IRGC's aerospace chief at the time, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who also oversaw the regime's missile development programme, did not apologize or resign. Nor was he dismissed. He remained in charge of a rapidly expanding arsenal of missiles and drones used by Iran and shipped to proxy forces in Yemen and Lebanon to terrorize the region. Last week, Hajizadeh was among those killed by Israel in Operation Rising Lion — a series of pre-emptive strikes targeting Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure and military command. Israelis can be grateful. So can Iranians. Israel's operation was not impetuous. It marked the culmination of years of intelligence gathering pointing to Tehran's leadership approaching imminent nuclear capability as part of a mass extermination plan for the State of Israel. While larger nations hesitated, dithered and opted for futile dialogue, Israel acted. Because it had to. Delay could have been existential. Israel could not afford to wait for a mushroom cloud to form over Tel Aviv or Jerusalem before responding. Operation Rising Lion has disrupted and significantly scaled back Iran's nuclear weapons development plans, crippled its missile production infrastructure, and eliminated senior military and intelligence officials, as well as nuclear scientists, who were responsible for the regime's plans for nuclear annihilation. While Israel's targets have been carefully planned on targets of military value, Tehran's strikes have been aimed at communities, schools, synagogues and hospitals across the country. Among them was Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba on Thursday, the largest hospital in southern Israel. A member of the Israeli security forces checks the destruction at site of an Iranian missile attack in a residential area in Beersheba in southern Israel, on June 20, 2025. A member of the Israeli security forces checks the destruction at site of an Iranian missile attack in a residential area in Beersheba in southern Israel, on June 20, 2025. Photo by MAYA LEVIN/AFP via Getty Images Israelis have not been the only victims of the Islamic Republic's priorities. Ordinary Iranians have been left without clean water, heating, job security or freedom of expression as Tehran has poured inordinate sums of money into assembling murderous proxies across the Middle East. It bankrolls groups such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas—whose October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians bore Tehran's fingerprints. The kidnapping of more than 250 Israeli and foreign nationals came straight from the playbook of a regime that held 50 Americans hostage for 444 days in 1979 and which has continued to engage in hostage diplomacy — as with the case of Iranian-British national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, held on spurious charges from 2016 to 2022. Inside Iran, the people have made their suffering — and their opposition to their callous government — clear. Over the past 46 years, they have risen time and again, and at great cost, to resist their rulers. Millions protested during the 2009 Green Movement against what appeared to be a rigged presidential election. Millions more took to the streets during the 2017 and 2018 economic protests. Women and girls ripped off their hijabs in open defiance of the country's clerical rulers following the death in police custody of Jina Mahsa Amini in late 2022. And, in the past month, truck drivers staged massive strikes to protest against abysmally low salaries and debilitating fuel hikes. All of these acts of insurrection reveal a nation unbowed in the face of violent oppression. They are acts of national defiance against a government that values uranium enrichment and foreign militias over bread and basic human rights. As a British Jew of Persian descent living in New York, I yearn for the day when the people of Israel and Iran can rekindle the friendship they once had. Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, they did. Regular direct flights once shuttled passengers from Tehran to Tel Aviv. In 1950, Iran was even the second Muslim-majority country to recognize the State of Israel. That relationship was ruptured not by the Iranian people, but stolen by a nascent theocracy that villainised Israel and the United States as the "Little" and "Great Satan." Today, Israel defends itself not with any animosity toward Iranians but in solidarity with them. Operation Rising Lion is a strike not only on nuclear facilities buried deep underground and military command centers. It is also a strike against a regime that has hijacked a great nation's future. The Iranian people deserve better. And the world, if it values peace, stability, and human life, should thank Israel for doing what must be done. Jonathan Harounoff is Israel's international spokesperson to the United Nations and is the British author of "Unveiled: Inside Iran's #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt," out this September. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Iran did not anticipate Israeli attack before nuclear talks with US: Report
Iran's top leadership had been preparing for a potential Israeli attack if nuclear talks with the US failed, but made a key misjudgment – they did not expect Israel to strike before the next round of talks, scheduled for Sunday in Oman, The New York Times report said citing officials close to Iran's leadership. They believed Israeli warnings of imminent strikes were propaganda aimed at pressuring Iran into nuclear concessions. As a result, planned safety measures were reportedly ignored. On the night of the strikes, senior commanders, including Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aerospace unit, stayed in their homes instead of seeking shelter. Hajizadeh and top aides were killed during an emergency war meeting at a Tehran base hit by Israel, The NYT report added. With Israeli PM Netanyahu warning that the offensive may last weeks and calling on Iranians to rise against their clerical rulers, fears of a wider regional conflict are mounting. Israel sees Iran's nuclear programme as an existential threat, claiming the strikes were necessary to prevent Iran from reaching the final stage of building a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its programme is peaceful, though the UN nuclear watchdog recently reported that Tehran had violated non-proliferation obligations. Israel's strikes severely damaged Iran's defence systems, dismantling key radars and air defenses, crippling its ballistic missile access, and killing senior military leaders. Private messages obtained by The New York Times revealed Iranian officials expressing frustration over the failure to detect or stop the assault. 'Where is our air defense?' and 'How can Israel come and attack anything it wants, kill our top commanders, and we are incapable of stopping it?' some wrote. The NYT further quoted Hamid Hosseini, a government-aligned member of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, as saying that the attacks exposed critical weaknesses. 'Israel's attack completely caught the leadership by surprise, especially the killing of top military figures and nuclear scientists. It also exposed our lack of proper air defense and their ability to bombard our critical sites and military bases with no resistance,' he said. Hosseini added that Israel's ability to smuggle missile parts and drones into Iran hinted at a deep infiltration of Iran's security apparatus. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been moved to a secure location, declared in a televised address: 'They should not think they attacked and it is over. No, they started it. They started the war. We will not allow them to escape from this crime unharmed.' In response, Iran launched multiple missile waves targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Earlier, Khamenei told Iran's Supreme National Security Council that he wanted revenge but urged caution, saying he 'did not want to act hastily,' according to officials familiar with the meeting, as quoted in the report.
Hans India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Iran confirms Israeli strike killed head of missile prog
Dubai: Iran has confirmed that Israel killed Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's missile programme. Iranian state television made the acknowledgment Friday afternoon. Israel a short time earlier said it killed Hajizadeh. Hajizadeh was a major commander within the Guard, overseeing its ballistic missile arsenal.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iranian commander killed in Israeli airstrike oversaw Shahed drone supply to Russia
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed on June 13 that its aerospace commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, was killed in an Israeli air strike on a command facility, according to the Times of Israel. Hajizadeh was sanctioned by the European Union in 2022 for overseeing Tehran's supply of Shahed-type drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. He played a key role in advancing Iran's drone and missile capabilities, meeting with then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in 2023 to showcase Iranian weapons. The Israeli operation, described as "preemptive," involved 200 aircraft and the dropping of 330 munitions, targeting the country's nuclear program and killing top military officials. The full scale of the damage remains unclear. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on June 13 expressing concern over the fallout from the Israeli operation but underscored that "the Iranian regime supports Russia in its illegal war of aggression" and supplies Moscow with "weapons to kill Ukrainians." Along with North Korea, Iran has been a key ally to Russia during its full-scale war against Ukraine, providing thousands of Shahed strike drones and short-range ballistic missiles. The drones, cheap and packed with explosives, have become a central weapon in Russia's aerial assaults on Ukraine since their introduction in late 2022. Known for flying long distances before slamming into targets, they are now mass-produced by Russia and launched in near-nightly waves to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. The Israeli strike took place amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, as well as U.S. negotiations with Tehran regarding its nuclear program. The Trump administration has acknowledged it knew about the operation in advance but denied any involvement. Kyiv warned of the potential global repercussions of the strike, noting that regional instability could severely impact international security and financial markets, particularly oil. Crude prices surged more than 10% following the attack, boosting revenues for Moscow, whose economy is heavily reliant on energy exports. Russia has condemned Israel's attacks as "unprovoked aggression" and a violation of the U.N. Charter. Read also: After Israel's strikes, Ukraine says Iran 'source of problems' but warns against destabilization We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who were the Iranian commanders killed in Israel's attack?
Israel struck dozens of targets, including nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences, across Iran on Friday, killing a number of senior military commanders in what it called "Operation Rising Lion". The Israeli attacks also targeted a number of other influential figures linked to Iran's nuclear programmes, including six nuclear scientists, IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim reported. Dozens of civilians, including children, have also been reported killed. Here's what we know so far about the high-profile individuals among the dead. Bagheri was the highest ranking military officer in Iran, being the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces - which includes both the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Iranian army. Bagheri joined the IRGC in 1980 aged 20 and, alongside his brother, helped establish the IRGC's intelligence unit during the Iran-Iraq war. He was considered less hardline than other commanders. He had come under criticism recently for a speech he made in April in front of the ancient ruins of Persepolis in which he called for peace and urged for the avoidance of war. Abdolrahim Mousavi has been appointed the new chief of staff of the armed forces, Iranian state news agency Irna said. He does not come from within the ranks of the IRGC, being an army general. Hossein Salami was the commander-in-chief of the IRGC. Salami joined the IRGC in 1980 during the Iran-Iraq war, and went on to become a deputy commander in 2009, before progressing to commander in 2019. Known for his ability as an orator, he took a hard-line stance towards Israel and as recently as last month said Tehran would "open the gates of hell" if attacked by either Israel or the US. Mohammad Pakpour has been appointed as the new commander of the IRGC, Iranian state media report. Gholamali Rashid was the head of the IRGC's Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates joint Iranian military operations. Rashid fought in the 1980s war with Iraq and was formerly the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. Since Rashid's death, Ali Shadmani has been appointed the emergency command's new leader, according to Iranian state media. The commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, Hajizadeh was a prominent figure in charge of the country's missiles programme. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hajizadeh had gathered in an underground command centre along with the majority of the IRGC's air force commanders to prepare for an attack on Israel. The IDF said the group was then killed in a strike targeting the building. It said Hajizadeh commanded Iran's missile attacks on Israel in October and April last year. Hajizadeh was regarded less favourably by members of Iran's general public after he took responsibility for downing a Ukrainian passenger plane flying out of Tehran in 2020, which killed all 176 people on board. Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, served as the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation between 2011 and 2013. He went on to be a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. He promoted hardline positions to do with Iran's nuclear activities. In May, he spoke on Iranian TV channel about potentially building a nuclear weapon, and said he would willingly carry out orders to do so if he received them. A number of other nuclear scientists are also reported by Iranian state media to have been killed. They are: Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was also the head of Azad University in Tehran Abdulhamid Minouchehr, head of nuclear engineering at Iran's Shahid Beheshti University Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti University Amirhossein Feqhi, another nuclear professor at Shahid Beheshti University Live: Latest updates as Israel targets Iran's nuclear sites Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief, killed by Israel Why Israel has decided to inflict damage on Iran's elite now What we know about Israel's attacks on Iran BBC Verify Live: Tracking Israel's strikes on Iran using verified video
