Latest news with #IsaacHerzog
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Israel's President calls out Starmer for ‘sitting on fence' and says Europe is next in line for Mullahs' missiles
ISRAEL's president last night accused Britain of 'sitting on the fence' as his nation fights for its life against Iran. Embattled Isaac Herzog said it was Sir Keir Starmer's government's moral duty to support his strife-torn country's war on terror. 5 5 And he told The Sun that Iran's missiles of mass destruction could one day be trained on the UK. In an exclusive interview at the presidential palace in Jerusalem, he said: 'There are things Britain cannot turn a blind eye to. It's obvious. 'And I think the British leadership should not only look at demonstrations or comments. We have to show them clear moral clarity. 'We are fighting the war that will protect Britain in the foreseeable future.' Mr Herzog, a moderate political figure on the left of Israeli politics, added: 'You ask yourself, why would Iran have missiles reaching London? "Why? If London is not an enemy, then why? That is the question that needs to be asked.' He spoke out as Donald Trump, who has moved battleships and aircraft towards the Middle East warzone, last night appeared to give Iran a fortnight to agree to axe its nuclear programme. The Israel-backing US President, who yesterday signed off on a plan believed to involve ordering B-2 stealth bombers to wipe out Iran's surviving nuclear plant, said: 'I will make my decision whether or not to 'go' within the next two weeks.' Mr Trump, who has demanded Iran's immediate 'unconditional surrender' said he based his decision on the fact there was a 'substantial chance of negotiations' with Iran in the near future. President Herzog, 64, hit out as Keir Starmer's Labour government continued to fight shy of commitments to back ally Israel's war with the rogue terror state. RAF Typhoon jets have been moved to a UK base in Cyprus but the PM and his Foreign Secretary David Lammy have sought to focus squarely on pleas for de-escalation. Sir Keir yesterday again urged all parties to back off as Britain prepared to enter crisis talks in Geneva with Iran. He said: 'The continuation of the current situation is in no-one's interest. We want to see cool heads and a return to diplomacy because that is the best route forward.' The UK has sanctioned two far-Right Israeli ministers over 'incitements of violence against Palestinian communities' in the occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will be banned from entering the UK and will have any assets in the UK frozen. Mr Herzog spoke of his respect for British values as he poured out his frustration yesterday. The nation's figurehead, a political opponent of strongman PM Benjamin Netanyahu, let rip during a 20-minute defence of Israel's 'existential' war with Iran. And he spoke of his enduring pride in his father, late Israeli president Chaim Herzog, who was an officer in the British Army and battled the Nazis in World War II. He said: 'My father, you know, he was really a war hero in World War Two. 5 5 'He was very proud of the fact that he served in the British Army. He saw the worst of atrocities when he fought the Nazis and liberated the concentration camps. And we always believed, and I always believed, in the uniqueness of the British parliamentary system.' Mr Herzog went on to warn Britain that Iran must be stopped, and that Israel was at a now or never moment when there had never been a better time to end the terror from Iran and its proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. He told The Sun: 'Ask yourself, why would a small tribe of 50,000 Yemenite Houthis receive ballistic missiles and cruise missiles? Ballistic missiles is something only empires have. It's all planned and arranged by Iran. It's a war machine planned against us. 'But, truly, the next ones in line are the Europeans and the 'infidels' as they call them. 'So let's not delude ourselves and let's all join together in identifying the national security risks of all these nations who have to stand up to Iran and say, 'No more'. 'Enough with your terror cells, enough with your jihadist cells, enough with your proxies and enough with your nuclear programme. 'We are defending Europe' 'It's now or never. Iran went on procrastinating for decades and decades and there were all sorts of windows of opportunity. 'Each time they told us, 'OK, let's give it a chance . . . let's have an agreement. Let them do X or Y'. 'But underneath, they had covert operations of lying. Their covert operation threatens Middle East stability and world stability. That's what people don't get. 'They love to criticise Israel automatically. But we are defending the West. We are defending Europe.' Mr Herzog saluted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his recent show of support as he urged Sir Keir Starmer to follow suit. And he called on the people of Iran to rise up against terror stoking Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini in his nation's strongest call yet for regime change. He told The Sun: 'The chancellor of Germany said it beautifully. 'He said Israel is doing the dirty work for us. It's true. 'We are here at the frontier of a clash of civilisational values vis-à-vis jihadists. That's what we are dealing with. The world, for 80 years, has made clear that nuclear capabilities are the most dangerous thing if they are linked with an extreme, cruel, jihadist ideology. Isaac Herzog 'I trust President Trump. I think he sees it lucidly. I don't want to go into bombastic declarations but I think that he sees things correctly and my message to the people of Iran is very clear, 'We do not seek war but this war is your opportunity to uprise and bring change in your country. Totally uprise and change direction'. 'It's not one of our main plans or aims, but it is a major, major side-effect of our campaign. Our prime minister and our executive branch, they're taking care of it.' Referring to Ali Khameini, he said: 'It is clear that the leader of this war machine of terror, of atrocities, he himself is in charge of everything. 'He's taking billions of dollars off his own people from their food to spend on this terrible machine of cruelty. The world has to stand up to him once and for all.' Mr Herzog said he trusted Donald Trump to end Iran's reign of terror across the Middle East but said Israel's military had the power and the guile to win the war solo. Asked if his military could go it alone, he told The Sun: 'Israel can. It has many capabilities. We haven't shown everything yet. 'And we are very cautious in commenting about President Trump's considerations or decision-making process. We respect him immensely and we leave it up to him to take the historic decision. 'What we're doing is strictly in line with national security interests of all these major countries — all the G7 countries. 'We are showing our ingenuity and capabilities. We have a lot in stock. I don't want to brag about it. 'I met pilots yesterday who flew 2,300 kilometres and destroyed armaments that were aimed at us. 'And now they hit the Arak nuclear plantation and other places. That's a huge achievement. 'The world, for 80 years, has made clear that nuclear capabilities are the most dangerous thing if they are linked with an extreme, cruel, jihadist ideology.' The president said he hoped for an historic change, possibly within the next seven days, as Israel's vast military operation continued. He said: 'I sincerely hope that there will be a different balance that will block Iran, make clear that they cannot go on with that nasty, terrible game of theirs all over the world and in the region. 'They cannot threaten Israel's existence and move to the bomb — it's clear — and that is our aim.'
Sky News
14 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News
Why Iranian strike that damaged Israeli hospital could have big impact on the war
As I approached Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel, I could still see the smoke rising in the heart of the city after an Iranian missile strike. At the gates, stunned-looking patients were still emerging. Among them, Jummah Abu Kush, who was inside the building when it was hit. "Suddenly we heard an enormous explosion," he told me. "We knew it was close. All sorts of things fell from the roof. The doctor was injured and others in the room were hit by the debris too. "The building opposite was on fire. It was very dangerous, very worrying and very scary." Shai Nunu, a doctor at the hospital, said he felt a huge force after the warning sound rang out. "The siren stopped and then we heard a huge explosion. We were thrown backwards from the blast," he said. Around the back of the hospital, I saw the roof of one building had collapsed. In another, windows were blown out - bits of metal and plastic hanging precariously from rooms. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said they hit a military site nearby and the Soroka Medical Centre was not a direct target. Despite the extent of the blast, there were only minor injuries reported. But the impact on this war could be great. The Israeli leadership was quick to attend the site. First came President Isaac Herzog, then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who declared, "We love Donald Trump", as he called for the annihilation of Iran. The Israeli government is framing what happened at the medical centre as a "war crime", vowing Iran would "pay a heavy price" and saying they were in the "process of achieving a tremendous victory". What that victory could look like is very uncertain and Iran shows no sign of backing down. Three days ago, Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah in Iran was also damaged by the shockwaves of a missile strike. The Israel Defence Forces claimed it wasn't a target. Whether intentional or not, healthcare facilities are once again at the centre of the story. The civilian number of fatalities remains far higher in Iran than Israel. More than 600 people have died so far, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. But an internet blackout has made it very difficult to get images or information out of the country. The last 24 hours have felt like a sea change in rhetoric and potential action. The drumbeat of war is sounding louder, with Israel using the attack on the medical centre to frame the argument for more intense attacks to come. The question is whether America will buy that argument enough to join the fight.
Middle East Eye
14 hours ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Bombing hospitals is a red line - unless Israel is doing it
On Thursday morning, Iranian missiles struck Soroka hospital in Beersheba, triggering expressions of outrage from Israeli officials. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir likened the Iranian regime to 'Nazis who fire missiles at hospitals, the elderly and children'. President Isaac Herzog evoked imagery of a baby in intensive care and a doctor rushing between beds. Culture Minister Miki Zohar declared on social media that 'only the scum of the earth fires missiles at hospitalized children and elderly people in their sick beds'. The chair of Israel's medical association, Zion Hagay, decried the strike as a war crime and urged the international medical community to condemn it. This swift and unified condemnation by Israeli political and medical leadership underscores a striking contradiction: these same actors not only ignored but openly justified the destruction of Gaza's hospitals over the past two years. Since 7 October 2023, Israeli air strikes and ground invasions have decimated Gaza's healthcare infrastructure. The World Health Organisation has recorded around 700 attacks on healthcare facilities. Major hospitals - al-Shifa, Nasser and the Indonesian hospital, among others - have been besieged, bombed and dismantled. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Israeli officials frame these hospitals as military targets and Hamas 'shields'. Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, was placed under siege and then invaded, with the attack hailed by Israeli media as a victory. Meanwhile, the Israeli Medical Association remained silent. In one of its rare statements after a year and a half of Israel's repeated and targeted attacks on hospitals and civilian infrastructure, the association echoed the state's narrative, stating that health facilities and personnel must not be targeted 'unless these are being used as a base for terrorist activities'. Selective moral outrage What is especially striking about this moment is the selective moral outrage from Israeli officials. The same ministers who justified the systematic dismantling of Gaza's healthcare system now describe an attack on an Israeli hospital as a red line, a war crime. Herzog's sentimental imagery of doctors rushing between beds evokes the stark reality in Gaza, where health workers have been shot and shelled in operating rooms, imprisoned, or forced to abandon their patients under fire. International medical voices have played along. While many doctors and health workers have spoken out, many others have remained silent, with no real actions taken to hold Israel accountable. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war It would be a mistake to treat these official statements as being detached from the public mood in Israel. Most Israelis have defended the destruction of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure. Public discourse has normalised the idea that Palestinian hospitals are legitimate military targets, even celebrating their destruction in some cases. This normalisation is not incidental. It is part of a broader dehumanisation of Palestinians, where even a child under anaesthesia in a Gaza operating room is not seen as a victim, but as collateral damage or a 'shield'. The outrage over Soroka thus reveals a deeper truth: in the eyes of many institutions and audiences, some lives are inherently more valuable than others. When Israeli hospitals are struck, the world responds with empathy and urgency. When Palestinian hospitals are dismantled - patients killed in their beds, doctors arrested mid-surgery - the world hesitates, rationalises or remains silent. How can Palestinian medics 'cooperate' with Israeli health bodies during a genocide? Read More » This is not simply a double standard; it reflects an entrenched hierarchy of whose suffering matters. Israeli leaders speak today of moral lines, of civilians and children, of hospitals as sanctuaries. Yet for nearly two years, those very values have been systematically violated in Gaza, with hardly a whisper of regret. This situation reveals not only hypocrisy but also the cynical confidence that comes with impunity. It reflects how the boundaries of Israeli grief and outrage are drawn narrowly around Jewish Israeli lives, grounded in the certainty that Israel will face no consequences. This moment puts the international system to the test. While some medical and humanitarian groups have expressed concern, most international stakeholders have remained silent in the face of the destruction of Gaza's entire health system. Will medical journals, international associations and UN bodies respond to the attack on an Israeli hospital with the kind of swift condemnation and concrete actions they failed to take when hospitals in Gaza were bombed? The world should have acted when the first operating room was hit in Gaza. It should not take an Israeli facility being targeted for them to remember that hospitals are meant to be protected spaces. If an attack on a hospital is a red line, this must be true for all hospitals, not just those serving Israelis. If international law is to mean anything, it must protect everyone, with the same standards applied to every violation. Anything less is not only hypocrisy; it is complicity. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Iran launched DELIBERATE missile blitz on Israeli hospital but patients were moved at the last minute, president reveals
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 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. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 14 Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel Credit: Reuters 14 The hospital was damaged following a missile strike from Iran Credit: Reuters 14 Firefighters work in a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel Credit: AP 14 A view of the damage is seen from the inside Credit: Getty 14 Sun Foreign Editor Nick Parker speaks to Israeli President Herzog at the Presidential Palace in Jerusalem Credit: Doug Seeburg 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. Tensions rise Middle East REACTOR BLAST Iran's nuke reactor destroyed as shock satellite pic shows gaping hole 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 Herzog vented his outrage at the presidential palace in Jerusalem after visiting shocked patients and staff at Soroka Hospital Credit: Doug Seeburg 14 A view of the damage is seen at Soroka Medical Centre after it was hit by a missile launched from Iran during retaliatory strikes in Beersheba Credit: Getty 14 A view of the Soroka Medical Centre after the strike Credit: AP 14 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid debris outside the Soroka Hospital Credit: AFP 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 Smoke billows from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel Credit: AFP 14 BEERSHEBA, ISRAEL – JUNE 19: A view of the destruction after an Iranian missile hits Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel on June 19, 2025. (Photo by Tsafrir Abayov/Anadolu via Getty Images) Credit: Getty 14 Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz raged that evil Iranian kingpin Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must die Credit: AFP 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. 14 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.'
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- Health
- The Irish 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 Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel Credit: Reuters 14 The hospital was damaged following a missile strike from Iran Credit: Reuters 14 Firefighters work in a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel Credit: AP 14 A view of the damage is seen from the inside Credit: Getty 14 Sun Foreign Editor Nick Parker speaks to Israeli President Herzog at the Presidential Palace in Jerusalem Credit: Doug Seeburg And in an exclusive interview with The Sun, the embattled Israeli leader 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 Tensions rise Middle East 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. Most read in The US Sun 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 Herzog vented his outrage at the presidential palace in Jerusalem after visiting shocked patients and staff at Soroka Hospital Credit: Doug Seeburg 14 A view of the damage is seen at Soroka Medical Centre after it was hit by a missile launched from Iran during retaliatory strikes in Beersheba Credit: Getty 14 A view of the Soroka Medical Centre after the strike Credit: AP 14 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid debris outside the Soroka Hospital Credit: AFP 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 Smoke billows from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel Credit: AFP 14 BEERSHEBA, ISRAEL – JUNE 19: A view of the destruction after an Iranian missile hits Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel on June 19, 2025. (Photo by Tsafrir Abayov/Anadolu via Getty Images) Credit: Getty 14 Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz raged that evil Iranian kingpin Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must die Credit: AFP 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 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 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. 14 When a 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.'
