Latest news with #IranMissile
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Iran launched DELIBERATE missile blitz on Israeli hospital but patients were moved at the last minute, president reveals
BABIES were among hundreds of hospital patients who cheated death when an Iranian missile blitzed an Israeli hospital, the nation's president told The Sun. Isaac Herzog revealed that the chiefs decided to move critical care units into a basement bunker just hours before the terrorist regime 'deliberately targeted' the hospital. 14 14 14 14 14 And in an exclusive interview with The Sun, the embattled Israeli leader branded his fanatic enemy 'disgusting and horrendous' as the Middle East conflict raged on. Appalled Mr Herzog, 64, vented his outrage at the presidential palace in Jerusalem after visiting shocked patients and staff at Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba. A huge explosion early today sent a mushroom cloud over the complex and set the roof on fire as terrified patients cowered in makeshift basement wards. They had been moved there just hours earlier by hospital chiefs as Iran's Islamist regime fired a barrage of 30 ballistic missiles from more than 1,000 miles away. Mr Herzog told The Sun: 'I was there this morning following the destruction by an Iranian missile - straight on the hospital where people were in treatment. 'The director general of the hospital decided only last night to remove all the units above ground to underground. 'They would have been killed for sure, because you see the building was totally demolished.' Mr Herzog said Soroka tends to two million patients every year, treating Israelis, Palestinians and sick and injured people from nearby Gaza. He paid tribute to the resilience of medics yesterday while revealing his shock at the scale of the damage. Mr Herzog said: 'Glass was strewn all over the place - windows and doors - total devastation, but I went underground and the hospital functions beautifully. Trump 'has APPROVED Iran attack plans & is ready to give orders' as Israel 'strikes reactor' & Tehran hits hospital 'Professor Mahmoud Abu Shakra, a great Israeli Muslim, was leading the emergency care unit underground. 'That's Israel for you. We have immense resilience. And we will recover, we will rebuild, and we will move on. 'It shows how cruel the Iranians are - the emergency care units full of babies were there, and this missile was aimed directly at the hospital. 'It was deliberate - we know it because we have intelligence. 'We know that they are carrying out crimes against humanity and war crimes all the time. 'They decided to harass us. They want to drive us crazy, so they send those missiles, but they get us wrong because we are a very strong nation, and we know how exposed they are. 'They are making a huge mistake.' 14 14 14 14 14 Mr Herzog rejected comparisons to Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza and insisted medical sites in the besieged enclave were targeted because terror bases were hidden beneath them. He said: 'All the aid that went into Gaza from Western countries, from us, by the way, too - all that money went to build a terror infrastructure of the worst kind. 'That was deployed on October 7th - and it's all in tunnels out there, which are full of ammunition and our hostages.' Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz raged that evil Iranian kingpin Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must die after the missile struck the hospital. He said: "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed – he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. 'He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal, 'Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.' 14 14 14 Katz's threat was echoed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Israel was ready to "remove" the nuclear threat from Iran. Asked during a visit to bombed Soroka Hospital if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was a potential target, Netanyahu said: "No one is immune.' "By the end of this operation, there will be no nuclear threat to Israel, nor will there be a ballistic missile threat.' It comes as Iran warned the US will be sparking an "all-out war" in the Middle East if they join Israel in dropping bombs on Iranian nuclear sites. The US president is yet to say if he will directly launch an attack, but is reportedly considering striking Iran's key underground nuclear site in the coming days. Trump has become heavily involved in the conflict over the last 72 hours. When asked about US bombing Iran, he said: "I may do it, I may not do it." It is believed that the US may choose to back Israeli strikes on Iran's Fordow nuclear development area. Will Trump strike Iran? By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter DONALD Trump is all but poised to join Israel's campaign of bombing Iran as they both seek to obliterate Tehran's nuclear program. The White House said on Thursday that Trump will decide on whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks. It comes as Tel Aviv has been carrying out air strikes targeting various nuclear and military facilities in Tehran and other parts of Iran. The goal, as they say, is to thwart the Iranian regime's efforts to produce nuclear weapons. The Trump administration previously said it had no plans to join the conflict. However, winds in Washington began blowing the other way after Trump cut short his G7 visit in Canada and said he needed to focus on the Middle East. And has repeatedly insisted it was not to pursue peace talks with Iran "in any way, shape or form" - a stark shift in his previous policy of striking up a nuclear deal. Don also went on to share a slew of posts on Truth Social suggesting he may be considering strikes against Iran. He wrote: "Our patience is wearing thin," before calling out Tehran for an unconditional surrender. Trump also called for an emergency situation room meeting yesterday with his top Washington aides, though details of those meetings have not yet been revealed. But Trump's statements, coupled with America's military movements, suggest the US forces may soon strike Iran. As Trump rushed back to meet his National Security Council, he vowed he was chasing something "better than a ceasefire", which would force Iran into a "complete give up". He refused to specify the endgame, but ominously warned: "You're going to find out over the next few days." A spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said that a US intervention in the Middle East would be "a recipe for all-out war in the region. This would likely be done by a fearsome 15-ton mega bomb known as a Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb that can penetrate deep inside the ground before blowing up. Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office Trump did say the US is the only nation capable of blitzing the key nuke site. But he added: "That doesn't mean I'm going to do it - at all." Trump also gave a two-word warning to Iran's Supreme Leader after he revealed Tehran was trying to run back to the negotiating table since the conflict broke out. When a White House reporter asked Trump about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's declaration that he will "never surrender", Trump simply responded: "Good luck." Trump even stepped up his rhetoric towards Khamenei as he said the US knows where he is hiding but will not kill him 'for now'. Khamenei responded to the constant threats by saying: "The battle begins." He warned that the US will face hell if it enters the war and drops a single bomb on Tehran. 'This nation will never surrender,' Khamenei said in a speech read on state television. 'America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.'
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Health
- Reuters
Israeli hospital had taken patients underground hours before missile hit
BEERSHEBA, Israel, June 19 (Reuters) - Shattered glass and piles of rubble littered the floors of Soroka Medical Center on Thursday, after an Iranian missile ripped through the hospital in Israel's south, injuring dozens. The major public hospital, which serves around 1 million people living in southern Israel, sustained extensive damage in the strike. Several wards were completely destroyed, with debris scattered across the parking lot and surrounding walkways. "We knew from the noise that it wasn't like anything we were used to, that it wasn't like anything we had seen before," said Nissim Huri, who was working in the kitchen and took refuge in a concrete shelter during the strike. "It was terrifying," Huri said, describing the scenes as she emerged from the shelter as "complete destruction. Israel launched an aerial war against Iran on Friday, calling it a preemptive strike designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Hospital staff said the blast was so powerful it threw them backward. On Thursday afternoon, they sat in the hospital courtyard rewatching videos of towering plumes of smoke. Israel's Health Ministry said 71 people were wounded in the attack, most of them suffering light injuries or panic attacks as they rushed for shelter. Hospital staff evacuated patients and cordoned off damaged areas. The hospital began moving patients out of some buildings in recent days as part of emergency precautions in response to the Iranian strikes. It has since limited admissions to life-threatening cases only. Patients in the damaged building were taken to an underground facility just hours before the strike, a statement from the Israeli Health ministry said. Medical transporter Yogev Vizman, called to the scene just after the blast, said he witnessed "total destruction" when he arrived. "That whole building was on collapsed, Vizman said. "I'm sad, this is like my home, they simply destroyed our home... I never thought there would be a direct hit on a hospital." Soldiers from the Israeli military's search and rescue unit searched the battered buildings to ensure nobody was trapped inside. An Israeli soldier told Reuters all he saw at first was "thick black smoke" and that they inspected every floor to look for casualties. "It's God's will that this place was evacuated from civilians last night," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
A Ukrainian fled to Israel. An Iranian missile shattered her new life
When Tetiana Kurakova fled Ukraine weeks after Russia invaded in 2022, she thought she had left behind buildings with gaping holes, streets lined with rubble, and the fear felt while hiding from airstrikes. In Israel, friends helped the 40-year-old makeup artist relaunch her career, and she slowly built a life in the coastal city of Bat Yam. But early Sunday, an Iranian missile tore through the building next to hers, killing nine people, wounding dozens, and damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, including Kurakova's. It was the deadliest single strike from Iran in seven days of conflict, which began Friday when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites as well as top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran has fired some 450 missiles and hundreds of drones in retaliation. Days later, staying in a hotel in nearby Tel Aviv with 250 other evacuees from Bat Yam, Kurakova cried when she recalled the strike, which sheared the face off of a multistory apartment building and destroyed many buildings around it. 'It felt like a nightmare. I can't even describe how big it was,' she said. 'I had a panic attack. I just sat on the road, leaned on (my friend) Masha, and started to cry, to sob from all the misery that had happened.' Thousands of Ukrainians fled their country for Israel Kurakova is one of around 30,000 Ukrainians who have made Israel their home since Russia's war in Ukraine began, about half of whom have gained citizenship through their Jewish heritage, according to Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. Kurakova, who does not have citizenship, left home via Poland after about a month spent hiding from constant strikes in early 2022. She ended up in Israel, where she had a number of friends and some professional contacts. Five of the victims in the Bat Yam strike were Ukrainians from the same family who had come to Israel to escape the war and receive medical treatment for a 7-year-old girl who had blood cancer, Israeli media reported. The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel would not provide details on individuals, citing privacy concerns. It said it was working to repatriate the bodies, but faced challenges because Israel's airspace is closed due to ongoing attacks. Still fearing bombs and drones Bat Yam has a large population of residents from the former Soviet Union, many of whom emigrated in a wave in the early 1990s, and was a natural place for many newly arrived Ukrainians to settle. The working-class city is centrally located but the cost of living is lower than in Tel Aviv, next door. But older buildings in such cities — and in Arab towns and rural arras — often lack adequate shelters, though anything built since 1993 is required to have reinforced safe rooms. More than a year after Kurakova arrived in Israel, Hamas attacked the country's south, igniting a war in the Gaza Strip. She recalled being frightened in the early days after the militants' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The fighting was just 60 kilometers (37 miles) to the south, and some nights, she could hear the booms from Gaza. But she wasn't prepared for it to hit so close to home. In the fighting between Israel and Iran, 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds injured. Missiles have struck 40 sites, including apartment buildings, offices and a hospital, according to Israeli authorities. Air raid sirens have repeatedly forced Israelis to run for shelter. Meanwhile, panicked residents of Iran's capital have spent restless nights in metro stations and thousands have fled. More than 600 people, including over 200 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Kurakova said the past few days have brought her right back to the early days of Russia's invasion. 'I don't even stop seeing dreams that I'm hiding somewhere, running from Shahed drones, bombs, and looking for shelter somewhere,' she said, referring to the Iranian-made drones used against both Israel and Ukraine. A choice between two conflicts In Bat Yam, the force of the blast blew out windows and damaged the walls of Kurakova's second-floor apartment. She was able to salvage a few belongings, but because of structural concerns, it isn't clear if she will be able to return home. Some 5,000 Israelis have been displaced across the country after missiles destroyed or damaged homes, according to the prime minister's office. Kurakova's mother, still living in the part of the Donetsk region of Ukraine under Russian occupation, has urged her daughter to leave Israel and move somewhere, anywhere else. Kurakova still hasn't decided what to do. 'I feel terrified inside and outside. I feel terrified by the hopelessness,' Kurakova said, adding that while she had previously taken comfort in Israel's air defense systems, now she wasn't so sure. 'That was the reason I left Ukraine," she said. "I didn't understand that it was possible here.' ___ Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Israel-Iran latest: Trump suggests US could intervene in conflict
EU foreign ministers will gather on Tuesday for an emergency meeting on the conflict and 'possible next steps' to bring about de-escalation, an official for the bloc's foreign policy chief said. 'In light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East, EU high representative Kaja Kallas has convened a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers via video link for Tuesday,' an official said. By Haroon Janjua Some residents of Tehran are fleeing the capital. Families are heading towards the more rural and less populated north, situated near the Caspian Sea. Reports suggest that traffic is so congested that movement is difficult. In Shiraz, long queues for petrol have been seen throughout the city and residents are stocking up on food, water and nappies. Families can be seen in cars loaded with suitcases and water strapped to the roofs, making their way to the countryside. Israel's military has said several sites have been hit by the latest Iranian missile barrage and firefighters reported that a residential building had been struck on the coast. 'Homefront Command search and rescue teams have been dispatched to several hit sites in Israel, following the latest barrage from Iran,' the military said in a statement shortly after telling the public they could leave protected shelters. The fire services said rescuers were heading to building on the coast that sustained a 'direct hit'. Iran's armed forces told Israeli residents to leave the vicinity of 'vital areas' for their safety in a video statement. It was broadcast by state TV at about the time that Iran sent a new barrage of missiles towards Israel. 'We have a data bank of vital and critical areas in occupied territories (Israel) and call upon you not to let the brutal regime use you as human shields. Do not stay or travel near these critical areas,' an armed forces spokesperson said. Israel's air force has begun striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile targets in western Iran, the military said in a statement. Israel's strikes have killed at least 406 people in Iran and wounded another 654, according to Human Rights Activists, a group based in Washington which checks local reports against a network of sources. Earlier, Iranian media reported that the death toll from Israeli strikes on Friday and Saturday had risen to at least 128. Hundreds more were said to have been wounded. The outbreak of hostilities has stranded 40,000 tourists in Israel, the Ministry of Tourism has calculated. Among them is Karen Tuhrim, from London, visiting her daughter in Tel Aviv. 'Within two days of being here, Israel attacked Iran. So now I'm stuck,' she said. 'For me, at the moment, I feel better being here than in London, watching it all on the news, knowing my daughter is here. So, for now, we're good.' All Israel's museums have closed until further notice, entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem is barred to non-residents and many shops are closed. 'The streets and shops are empty,' said Anwar Abu Lafi, of Jerusalem. 'People are yearning for a break, to find something good in this existing darkness. We are deluding ourselves into thinking that the future will be better.' President Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, according to two US officials. 'Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership,' said a senior official in the Washington administration. The officials told Reuters that top US and Israeli officials had been in constant communication since the conflict started. The Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill Khamenei, but Trump dissuaded them. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, told Fox News: 'There are so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that. But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.' Iran 'must not develop or possess nuclear weapons', Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, has said as he travelled to the G7 summit in Canada. He defended Israel's decision to launch strikes on Tehran, claiming that 'Iran's progress toward nuclear weapons led to Israel attacking military targets in Iran on Friday'. He said: 'This would be a threat to Israel, the Middle East, and the international community as a whole.' Iran's top intelligence chiefs have been eliminated, Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed. Mohammad Kazemi, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence organisation, and his deputy Hassan Mohaqeq are reportedly buried under rubble following an Israeli airstrike on the corps' intelligence headquarters. Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, told Fox News that they were killed in an IDF attack on the organisation's building in Tehran. President Erdogan has told President Trump in a phone call that Ankara was ready to play a role in resolving the nuclear dispute that led to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Erdogan welcomed Trump's latest statement on a possible peace between Iran and Israel, his office said, and urged his US counterpart to take action immediately to prevent a disaster 'that could set the region on fire'. Israeli intelligence found that Iran had enough uranium to build nine nuclear bombs, Binyamin Netanyahu has said in his first television interview since Israel launched its strikes. 'The intel we got was absolutely clear, Iran was working on a secret plan to weaponise the uranium, a test device in months. We show enough uranium for nine bombs,' the Israeli prime minister told Fox News. 'We had to stop that. That was the intel we shared with the United States and that was something we couldn't ignore. We will not have a second Holocaust, a Jewish Holocaust. Never again is now and we have to act now.' 'They intend to give these nuclear weapons to the Houthis and their proxies. They have plans to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (capable of) reaching the eastern seaboard of the United States. 'We had to act. It was the 12th hour. We acted to save ourselves but by doing so we're protecting many others.' Israel's military says it has bombed an Iranian refuelling plane at Mashhad airport in northeast Iran. The airport is 2,300km from Israel, which the Israel Defence Forces said would make this the 'most distant strike since the beginning of the operation'. By Josie Ensor, US Correspondent Top Pentagon officials have been divided over the extent of American military support for Israel, US media reports suggest. General Michael Kurilla, chief of US Central Command, is among those requesting more resources to support and defend Israel, including a second aircraft carrier strike group, according to Semafor. Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defence for policy, has resisted their requests. He has long opposed moving US military assets from Asia to the Middle East. There are wider rifts in President Trump's circle, roughly along the lines of hawks versus doves. While JD Vance, vice-president, and Steve Witkoff, Middle East envoy, have pushed for detente with Iran through a new nuclear deal, cabinet figures including Mike Waltz, the former national security adviser, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, have called for a maximalist approach. President Macron, who is visiting Greenland, has called for a return to negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme. 'I hope that the coming hours will bring calm and a road forward for discussion, to avoid any escalation of nuclear capabilities, acquisition of nuclear capacities in Iran, and to prevent any unrest in the region,' he said. 'Yesterday (Saturday) I was able to speak with the president of Iran, and I called for a discussion among us as soon as possible. This is also what I conveyed in my conversation with President Trump, who shares this vision. 'We will have the opportunity, in a few hours, to revisit this matter with G7 leaders' who are meeting in Canada until Tuesday, he added. President Trump has said it was possible that the US 'could get involved' in the conflict between Israel and Iran. America was 'not at this moment involved', he told ABC News. Trump also said that he would be open to President Putin mediating between Israel and Iran. 'He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it, ' Trump said. Five car bombs detonated in Tehran this afternoon, according to Iran's IRNA news agency. Each went off at a different location and some reports said that all were close to government buildings. An Israeli official, speaking to the public broadcaster KAN, denied any Israeli involvement. The ballistic missile attack on Israel is the first launched by Tehran in daylight since the conflict began. Another airline has cancelled flights in the region because of escalating risks to flying in the region. Etihad Airways has cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv until June 22. Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's envoy for investment and economic co-operation, said in a post on X that Moscow could play 'a key role' in mediating between Israel and Iran. Dmitriev was responding to a post from President Trump in which he said he had spoken about the conflict to President Putin. Israel's military says there have been no reports of missile impacts within the country. Tehran claimed to have fired 50 ballistic missiles, but Israel said the attack comprised just 'several'. At least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in Israeli attacks since Friday, including in car bombs, according to sources in the Gulf. President Trump has just posted the following on Truth Social: 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP! Also, during my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades, and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR. I stopped it (Biden has hurt the longer term prospects with some very stupid decisions, but I will fix it, again!). Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River. There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way! Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!' Explosions have been heard in Tel Aviv. The IDF said: 'A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. 'Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat. Upon receiving an alert, the public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.' Iranian state media is reporting the launch of a fresh wave of ballistic missiles towards Israel. In Israel, air raid sirens are reported to have been sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Gaza's civil defence agency said 16 people were killed today in Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory, most of them while waiting for aid. At least three were killed and many injured when Israeli forces 'targeted a gathering of hundreds of citizens near the aid distribution point' in central Gaza. Mahmud Bassal, civil defence spokesman, claimed that seven were killed while heading towards an area northwest of Gaza City where aid was being distributed from lorries. In southern Gaza, two more died and 50 were injured 'when (Israeli) forces opened fire on citizens near an aid distribution point,' Bassal said. The Israeli army said it was 'not aware of gunshots near Netzarim or Rafah' and that it was investigating events in northern Gaza. The death toll in Iran from Israeli strikes on Friday and Saturday has risen to at least 128, Iranian media says. Hundreds more were said to have been wounded. At least '128 people were martyred in these military attacks, and around 900 injured individuals were admitted' to hospitals, said Etemaad Daily, quoting numbers from the health ministry. At least 40 women were among the dead and the 'number of martyred children is significant', the report claimed. Continuing the war of words, Iran's President Pezeshkian said that any further attacks on Israel will be 'more decisive and severe'. Pezeshkian added that Iran's military has so far responded 'strongly and appropriately', state media in Tehran reported. The hardline national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also visited Bat Yam on Sunday and said Israel was 'at peace' with the price paid by Iran's attacks. 'We are at peace with this … and God willing, the State of Israel will win,' he said, and claimed Israel was 'obligated' to attack Iran. 'We worked on the campaign against Iran for a very long time. It was clear to all of us that an Iranian nuclear weapon is the most serious thing that could happen and therefore we took into account what could happen if there were an Iranian nuclear weapon,' he added. Last week, Ben-Gvir was sanctioned by the British government for 'repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities'. A social media star from north London has been in central Tel Aviv since June 4 for a holiday and work trip and said the escalating attacks from Iran were 'really frightening'. Zach Margolin, 31, has booked himself three flights on June 18, 19 and 20 to give himself the best chance of getting home for his sister's wedding next weekend. 'It's really frightening. Last night was the most I've seen or felt,' he said. 'We could hear enormous explosions, we could hear the Iron Dome flying up and then the building is shaking. It's proper explosions.' On Friday night, he rushed from his central Tel Aviv Airbnb at 10pm, 1am and 5am as sirens signalled missiles were headed towards the city. 'You'd be crazy not to be afraid. I've been to Israel many times during sirens, and usual protocol is you go in the shelter, wait ten minutes and then go out, but this is a different beast,' he said. 'It's not one missile from Yemen, or rockets from Gaza — it's hundreds of ballistic missiles coming from Iran.' He added: 'Ideally the UK government should be putting on a repatriation flight. The only update [from the Foreign Office] is don't go to Israel.' Binyamin Netanyahu has said that Iran will pay 'a very heavy price' for killing Israeli civilians, in the first reported remarks during his visit to Bat Yam. 'Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children,' Netanyahu said during his visit. At least six people were killed during the Iranian attack, including a child. Israeli media said another three people were missing. A British grandfather stranded in Jerusalem said he is weighing up a bus escape through the Negev desert to flee Iranian missile fire. James Eden, 72, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, flew to Israel last Monday for a six-day Christian pilgrimage. But now he is trapped in a near-deserted city with missiles flying overhead and outbound flights suspended. Eden said that although the Foreign Office had called him, he was told 'there wasn't a lot they could do'. He said: 'They can't put on any planes because the airspace is shut — all they can do is send out alerts and keep track of us.' When he asked about crossing the border, officials told him he could travel to Egypt at his own risk, 'but they're not going to help me get out of Egypt either'. A FCDO spokesperson said: 'We're in contact with a British man in Israel.' Lord Hogan-Howe, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner, said a 'strict eye' must be kept on the Iranian threat to the UK. The Times Radio presenter Adam Boulton asked him if Britons should fear Iranian terrorist activity in this country. He replied: 'I think there's certainly evidence that this country (already) has been targeted. 'I think the question now is, are there going to be state-backed plans to attack this country rather than just people in this country? 'So I think… all the security services and the police are going to have to be aware of that. 'If there's not a negotiated end [to the conflict] and this runs on for years, as we've already had problems in the Middle East, you're going to have to keep a very strict eye on what the Iranian state might be thinking about in the UK.' Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, has toured areas of Bat Yam that were destroyed in overnight strikes by Iranian missiles. Although there was no statement from the Israeli leader, footage showed him inspecting the ruins of an apartment building in the city. Six residents of the building died in the attack. Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, was also present, according to The Times of Israel website. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. 'Dozens of homes in this area were completely damaged by a single missile launched from Iran in a cruel and terrible missile attack that was launched across the entire country,' Herzog said. He added: 'This is a very significant moment in the history of Israel. We must show the emotional and mental resilience that we always have.' Israel's military has said its air force targeted 'more than 80' positions in Iran's capital Tehran overnight. The strikes were conducted 'throughout the night', the military said in a statement, and 'targeted more than 80 objectives, including the headquarters of the Iranian Ministry of Defence, the headquarters of the nuclear project (SPND), and additional targets where the Iranian regime hid the nuclear archive'. Iranians will be able seek shelter in mosques and schools during any Israeli attacks, as well as subway systems, which will be open at all times from tonight, a government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, told state TV . 'There is no problem with the provision of food, medicine, fuel,' she added. Iran's nuclear programme is a threat to the security of Israel and Europe, France's foreign minister has claimed, saying diplomacy was the only way to avoid an escalation in the conflict. 'The Iranian nuclear programme is an existential threat for the security of Israel and beyond the security of Europe. We always said the best way to prevent that threat, to contain it, remains diplomacy,' Jean-Noel Barrot told RTL radio. Germany, France and Britain are ready to hold immediate talks with Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme in an effort to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, Johann Wadephul, the German foreign minister, said. On Sunday morning Israel's ambassador to Britain, Tzipi Hotovely, told the BBC that Europe 'owes a huge thank you' to Israel for the strikes. Fresh explosions have been heard in Tehran, the AFP news agency is reporting. At the same time, the Iranian news outlets Khabar Online and Ham Mihan reported that air defence systems over the west and northwest of the Iranian capital had been activated 'to counter new attacks', while Shargh daily shared a video of columns of smoke in the city's east. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has updated its guidance to advise against all travel to Israel amid the conflict with Iran. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Iran has asked Cyprus to convey 'some messages' to Israel, President Christodoulides has said, adding that he expected to speak to Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, later in the day. Christodoulides said he was not happy with what he described as a slow reaction by the European Union to the unfolding crisis in the Middle East. Cyprus is the closest EU member state to the growing conflict and has asked for an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, has not ruled out repatriation flights from Israel. The Times Radio presenter Adam Boulton asked Rachel Reeves's number two whether there would be repatriation flights, and whether the government would change its advice on travel to Israel. Jones replied: 'It's for the Foreign Office to confirm the travel advice in the normal way. 'It's not appropriate for us to speculate about Foreign Office travel advice, because it has real-world implications for people who may or may not be travelling in terms of their tickets with airlines and hotel bookings.' Boulton asked him: 'Would you organise flights to get people out? Because obviously there's problems with the airspace.' Jones responded: 'Again, that would be something for the Foreign Office to answer in due course.' By Tom Witherow The Foreign Office advice for Britons not to travel to Israel will be significant for many people. Britain was in the top three nations to visit Israel last year with 80,000 tourists, meaning the UK was behind only France and the USA. Last month, when Jews celebrated Passover, the number of Britons heading to Israel more than doubled to 14,700 compared with the same month in 2024. But any hope that tourist numbers from the UK were recovering will now be dashed. Israel's tourism industry has already been decimated by the war, with the number of tourists falling from a pre-Covid high of 4.9 million in 2019 to 1 million in 2024. Israelis living in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv spoke of their shock after their homes were destroyed in an Iranian missile strike. 'There's nothing left. No house. That's it,' Yivgenya Dudka told the AFP news agency. Shahar Ben Zion said he had been reluctant to go down into the bomb shelter but was persuaded by his mother. 'There was an explosion and I thought the whole house had collapsed,' he said. 'Thank God, it was a miracle we survived.' Julia Zilbergoltz told AFP she was woken by the explosion having slept through the warning siren early on Sunday morning. ''I'm stressed and in shock. I've been through hard times in my life but I've never been in a situation like this,' she said as she left with her belongings. Iran says it has arrested two people over alleged links to Israel's Mossad spy agency, claiming they were preparing explosives and electronic devices. 'Two members of the Mossad terrorist team who were making bombs, explosives, booby traps and electronic equipment were arrested' in Alborz province, west of Tehran, the Tasnim news agency reported. Rachel Reeves has warned that the conflict between Israel and Iran could lead to higher levels of inflation. The chancellor said that 'what happens in the Middle East affects us here at home' as she pointed to the fact that oil prices had risen by 10 per cent. She also highlighted concerns that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping routes. She said: 'We are very concerned about the developments in the Middle East because of the implications here at home but also in the Middle East.' By Steven Swinford, Political Editor Britain is poised to advise against all travel to Israel amid concerns about the escalating conflict with Iran. The government will update its travel guidance from 'amber' to 'red', putting Israel on the same footing as Iran. On Friday the UK advised against all but 'essential' travel to Israel. It is now going a step further and advising against all travel entirely. There are thousands of British citizens in Israel and ministers are drawing up contingency plans to evacuate them. However, they are unlikely to be carried out quickly because Israeli airspace is closed and there are no land routes out of the country. By Gabrielle Weiniger, reporting from the city You can tell that people are seeking a semblance of normality by the number of coffee shops that are open, more than in the past two days. Some adventurers are even playing volleyball or swimming in the sea — but there is no doubt that Tel Aviv is quieter and more sombre than in recent memory. Israelis are horrified by the climbing toll from an Iranian strike in Bat Yam, an outer suburb of the city. The extent of the destruction is not something people are used to here. Some locals have turned off the news — a background hum for many homes in the country — because they could not bear to witness the carnage as rescue workers try to recover people stuck beneath the rubble. The mayor of Bat Yam said at least 20 people were unaccounted for after Saturday night's strike, which is confirmed to have killed six people and injured 180 more. Flights to and from Israel have been grounded for a third consecutive day during the exchange of strikes with Iran. The effect of the airspace closure on Friday was mapped by the tracking site Flightradar24. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Iran was posing an 'imminent threat' before the strikes on its nuclear weapons program, Israel's ambassador to Britain has said. Tzipi Hotovely told Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC: 'They were racing fast to get nuclear bombs with the combination of enrichment and weaponisation. We had to move fast to operate against Iran's nuclear ambitions.' She said Europe 'owes a huge thank you' to Israel for the strikes. 'Our region would have been a place that is not safe for anyone if Iran had accomplished their plan,' Hotovely said. 'There was an imminent threat … Our enemies are saying clearly they want to eliminate Israel … We should believe them.' An Israeli oil-refining company has reported damage to pipelines in Haifa, northern Israel, from Iran's overnight missile salvo. Bazan said its refining facilities were still running, with no injuries, but that some parts of the complex had been shut down. In a statement to the stock exchange this morning quoted by Globes, the company said that it is 'examining the impact on its operations' including the financial implications for the energy sector as well as an assessment on the damage and repairs needed. Attacks on Israeli energy production are rare. The UK government is calling for 'calm heads' and de-escalation, Rachel Reeves has said. The chancellor told Sky News on Sunday that it was right for Britain to send combat jets to the Middle East to protect its assets in the region. 'It does not mean that we are at war. It does not mean that we have been involved in these strikes and this conflict. It's a precautionary move.' However, Reeves did not rule out British assets being used to defend Israel. 'The prime minister and our allies are urging for de-escalation, that is what is really critical now, calm heads and a de-escalation of the conflict,' she said. Doubts remain about how effectively Israel can hit Tehran's nuclear programme but there is room for escalation — and danger of catastrophic miscalculation, Mark Urban writes Israel's military has told Iranians to evacuate 'military production factories', suggesting further strikes are likely. Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces, issued an 'urgent warning to all Iranian citizens'. It reads: 'All individuals who are currently or will soon be inside or near military weapons production factories and their supporting institutions must immediately evacuate these areas and not return until further notice.' Earlier on Sunday Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Iran would cease fire if Israel did the same. He also claimed that Israel had 'crossed a new red line' by targeting nuclear facilities. Britain, France and Germany are ready to hold 'immediate negotiations' with Iran about its nuclear programme, according to the German foreign minister. Johann Wadephul said he hoped talks were still possible despite the cancellation of a US-Iran meeting due to be held in Oman on Sunday. 'Germany, together with France and Britain are ready,' he told the German broadcaster ARD. 'We're offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear programme. I hope it is accepted. 'This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict, that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the state of Israel or to Europe.' The Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have attacked Israel in co-ordination with the Iranian army. Several ballistic missiles were fired towards the port of Jaffa near Tel Aviv, a spokesman said. He described the strikes as 'triumphing for the oppressed Palestinian and Iranian peoples'. It followed reports from Israeli media that Israel targeted a meeting of senior Houthi leadership in Yemen on Saturday night. Israel's military said it had hit Iran's defence ministry headquarters and other military targets linked to the country's 'nuclear weapons project'. Explosions were heard in Tehran at about 2.30am on Sunday. Fuel depots were also hit during the 'larege-scale wave of attacks' by fighter jets, the IDF added. 'These targets advance the effort to obtain nuclear weapons,' the military said in a post on social media. Iranian authorities have so far not issued any updates on damage or casualties. The first wave of Israeli strikes from Friday night into Saturday morning killed 78 people and wounded 320, according to Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran's UN ambassador. President Trump has threatened Iran with 'the full strength and might of the US armed forces' if it targets the United States. It follows reports in Iranian media that Tehran had warned the US, the UK and France that it would strike their military bases and naval vessels in the region if they chose to defend Israel. Trump insisted that the US had 'nothing to do with' Israel's latest attack on Iran overnight. He added: 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.' Trump also claimed that the conflict could be ended 'easily' with a deal between Israel and Iran. Iran launched a new wave of missile strikes on Israel overnight, killing at least ten people including a ten-year-old boy. Residents rushed to bomb shelters after air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa shortly after 11pm local time. Strikes were reported in Rehovot and Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, in western Galilee and in the Haifa region. Six people were killed in Bat Yam, where at least 35 people were said to be missing after an eight-storey building was hit, according to officials. More than 140 were injured in the attacks, according to Israel's ambulance service. Four other women were said to have been killed in strikes elsewhere. Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, has toured areas of Bat Yam that were destroyed in overnight strikes by Iranian missiles. Although there was no statement from the Israeli leader, footage showed him inspecting the ruins of an apartment building in the city. Six residents of the building died in the attack. The Israeli president Isaac Herzog was also present, according to The Times of Israel website. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. 'Dozens of homes in this area were completely damaged by a single missile launched from Iran in a cruel and terrible missile attack that was launched across the entire country,' Herzog said. He added: 'This is a very significant moment in the history of Israel. We must show the emotional and mental resilience that we always have.'
Arab News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
MP calls out lack of bomb shelters in Arab-Israeli communities
JERUSALEM: Ayman Odeh, an Israeli member of parliament of Palestinian descent, accused the government on Sunday of failing to provide Arab-Israeli communities with enough shelters after an Iranian missile killed four people in the city of Tamra.'The state, unfortunately, still distinguishes between blood and blood,' Odeh lamented on X, after touring the city of 37,000 predominantly Arab residents.A house there was destroyed by a missile launched by Iran overnight in response to Israel's unprecedented attacks on the Islamic republic's military and nuclear sites.'Four civilians were killed yesterday: Manar Al-Qassem Abu Al-Hija Khatib (39), her two daughters Hala (13) and Shada (20), and their relative Manar Diab Khatib (41),' Odeh said, adding that 'dozens more' were and buildings were also damaged by the strike on the community in the Israeli region of Galilee, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.'Tamra is not a village. It is a city without public shelters,' Odeh said, adding that this was the case for 60 percent of 'local authorities' — the Israeli term for communities not officially registered as cities, many of which are are Palestinians who remained in what is now Israel after its creation in 1948, and represent about 20 percent of the country's community frequently professes to face discrimination from Israel's Jewish Israel and Iran engaged in their most intense confrontation ever, Odeh, a communist MP for over 10 years, warned of 'a threat of unprecedented destruction (that) will not distinguish' between Arabs and also accused the government of 'neglect' toward citizens of Palestinian descent.A video shared on social media Sunday night caused outrage after showing families apparently rejoicing in Hebrew as missiles fell on some Arab neighborhoods, missiles launched toward Israel have also been welcomed with joy, AFP journalists reported.
