Latest news with #IsraeliAuthorities
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel closes Al-Aqsa Mosque, Church of the Holy Sepulchre under ‘emergency' measures
LONDON: Israeli authorities in occupied East Jerusalem have imposed a closure for the fifth consecutive day on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre while barring non-resident visitors from entering the Old City. Israel announced a state of emergency after beginning airstrikes against Iran on Friday. Tehran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at Israeli coastal towns and cities. Israel's emergency measures prevented Palestinians and worshipers from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its courtyards, as well as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem Governorate added on Tuesday that most shops in the Old City had been closed, with only essential stores remaining open since Friday, Wafa news agency reported. Israeli authorities have permitted settlers to visit the area surrounding the Al-Aqsa compound and perform Jewish prayers and rituals, while forces have intensified daily raids on Palestinian towns and suburbs in Jerusalem, including the Mount of Olives, Silwan, Issawiya, Shufaat, Hizma, Eizariya, Bir Nabala and Al-Ram, Wafa added. East Jerusalem is surrounded by 84 checkpoints and barriers, including recently installed earth mounds and gates. Although Jerusalem has been spared so far from the Israel-Iran conflict, Palestinians in the city fear for their safety due to a lack of proper shelters within their towns and neighborhoods, Wafa reported. Israeli authorities in Jerusalem have announced the opening of schools to be used as shelters from Iranian missile attacks. However, some Palestinian experts warned that the facilities may not be large enough to accommodate a significant number of residents, and some are even unsuitable for receiving civilians.
LBCI
3 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Upcoming strike on Iran could surpass pager explosion op, LBCI correspondent Amal Shehadeh says
LBCI correspondent in Haifa, Amal Shehadeh, reported that Israeli authorities are increasingly concerned about the possibility of renewed cyberattacks similar to those that recently caused major disruptions in the national power grid. Shehadeh also noted that a potential upcoming strike against Iran 'would make the pager explosion operation look simple by comparison.'
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Afternoon Update: missile attacks on Israel; Minnesota shootings suspect arrested; and Gold Logie nominees
Good afternoon. Iranian missiles have struck the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week's G7 meeting that the conflict between the two regional enemies could lead to a broader Middle East war. Israel's emergency services said on Monday that four people were pronounced dead after strikes at four sites in central Israel, with 87 injured. The dead were two women and two men, all approximately 70 years old, authorities said. The death toll from Israeli strikes in Iran stands at least 224, with 90% of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said. Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv said that Iranian missiles had hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, blowing out windows and heavily damaging multiple apartments. Follow updates here. Erin Patterson trial hears of 'four calculated deceptions' at heart of mushroom lunch case as closing address begins Tasmanian police officer shot dead at rural property in state's north-west Australia to hold talks aimed at entering defence pact with EU Suspect in shootings of Minnesota lawmakers charged with two counts of murder 'No Kings' demonstrator dies after being shot at Utah protest, police say From the return of the 'Trump baby' to beach races, protests and Brad Pitt, the Guardian's picture editors select the weekend's best photographs from around the world. 'It would not be a great look if I won, so figure out your favourite lady, and get right behind her.' – Hamish Blake The host of Lego Masters Australia was announced this morning as one of seven nominees for the 65th Gold Logie for most popular TV personality – but told reporters that as the only male nominee, he actually didn't want to win. Blake, a two-time winner of the award, said he hopes it ends up with one of the other 'far more worthy' nominees, such as Lisa Millar, Poh Ling Yeow, Ally Langdon, Sonia Kruger and Home and Away legend Lynne McGranger. About 597 First Nations people have died in custody since the 1991 royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. This year alone, 12 Indigenous people have died – 31% of total custodial deaths. As Thalia Anthony and Eddie Cubillo write, the recent deaths in custody of two Indigenous men in the Northern Territory have provoked a deeply confronting question – will it ever end? Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion After almost two decades of regular gym-going, Joel Snape explains why he finally cancelled his membership: The reasons for this are many and varied – I'm trying to save money, gym music is terrible these days, everyone seems to have forgotten how to share the equipment – but the main one is, I think it may actually make me fitter. Here are six ways to ditch your membership and get fit without it. Today's starter word is: BOT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran launches new strikes on Israel as Israeli attack widens
Israel and Iran have launched strikes against each other for a third day, with both countries vowing to continue responding to attacks. On Sunday evening, there were explosions in the sky above Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as Israel's Iron Dome shot down missiles fired from Iran. In overnight strikes on Saturday, ten people, including two children, were killed and more than 100 injured in Israel, authorities said. Israel said its strikes had hit dozens of targets in Tehran. Iranian media, quoting the health ministry, said 128 Iranians had been killed and around 900 injured as of midday on Saturday. Israel initially launched an attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure and other targets on Friday. BBC journalists are unable to report from inside Iran due to restrictions by Iran's government, making it difficult to assess the damage caused by Israel's offensive. In Israel, sirens blared on Sunday evening, causing people to take shelter as the Iron Dome intercepted incoming missiles. Iran's state TV said the country attacked Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities with "tens of Iranian missiles and drones". Israeli police confirmed a weapon hit "one of the settlements" in the northern coastal port city of Haifa, where footage showed thick columns of smoke rising into the night sky. "At this stage, no reports of casualties have been received, but property damage has occurred," officials said. Follow live coverage The evening attack came after overnight strikes into Sunday morning hit homes in northern and central Israel. A 10-storey block of flats in Bat Yam was struck in the early hours, killing six people, including a 10-year-old-boy and a eight-year-old girl. Others were trapped underneath rubble. Four people were also killed in Iranian attacks on the northern Arab town of Tamra, according to emergency services and the local hospital. Rescue paramedic Ori Lazarovich, who was working at the scene in Bat Yam, told BBC News: "We started triaging people, while the building was still on fire on one side. "Some were crying and some were holding their family members, I saw fear in their eyes." "People came out all grey, covered in soot and ash and debris and suffering from smoke inhalation," he added. A woman who lived in a building next to the blast zone in Bat Yam sat surrounded by suitcases. "We've been here 24 years and now we have to start over. I'm holding myself back from crying," she told the BBC. Visiting the scene of the attack, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would pay a "very heavy price" for "the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children". Meanwhile in Iran, Tehran's oil ministry said the Shahran oil depot in the capital was hit by Israeli strikes overnight. Israel's military said fighter jets struck more than 80 targets in Tehran overnight, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense and "additional targets where the Iranian regime hid the nuclear archive". An aerial refuelling aircraft was also struck at an airport in the north-east city Mashhad. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a warning on social media to the Iranian people, telling them to stay away from all weapons manufacturing facilities. Writing in Farsi, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said: "For your own safety, we ask you to evacuate these facilities immediately and not to return until further notice." Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday that he thinks Israel has set Iran "back quite a bit" in its nuclear capacity. "I think they were completely surprised," he said. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a Washington-based human rights organisation that has long tracked Iran, said the total number of civilian or military casualties in the country over the past two days - as of 22:00 GMT on Saturday - reached at least 863. Both countries have promised further retaliation. If [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country had the right to defend itself from aggression - and that Israel must stop its attacks. But the Iranian former crown prince Reza Pahlavi - the son of Iran's former Shah who was overthrown in the country's 1979 Islamic revolution - has told the BBC people who oppose the country's government have been "re-energised" by Israel's attacks, which killed senior Iranian military leaders. "The ultimate solution is regime change, and now we have an opportunity because this regime is at its weakest point," he said, speaking from exile on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show. On Sunday, President Donald Trump told ABC News that "it's possible [the US] could get involved" after reaffirming the country is not involved in the conflict "at this moment". He added he is "open" to Russia's Vladimir Putin becoming a mediator between the two sides. Additional reporting by Gabriela Pomeroy What we know about Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear sites and military commanders Israel-Iran strikes: What are the worst-case scenarios? 'It's heavy on the heart': Israelis survey damage in city hit by Iranian missile In Iran, grief for civilian casualties but little pity for commanders
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Which Iranian oil and gas fields has Israel hit, and why do they matter?
Israel has struck some of Iran's most vital oil and gas facilities, the first such attacks despite decades of rivalry between the Middle Eastern nations, raising fears of a widening conflict and threatening turmoil for the markets. Late on Saturday, Iran's Ministry of Petroleum said Israel struck a key fuel depot, while another oil refinery in the capital city of Tehran was also in flames, as emergency crews scrambled to douse the fires at separate sites. Iran has also partially suspended production at the world's biggest gasfield, the South Pars, which it shares with neighbour Qatar, after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday. The latest round of exchange of projectiles began on Friday after Israel launched attacks on Iran's military and nuclear sites and assassinated several top military officials and nuclear scientists. Tehran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles and drones at multiple cities in Israel amid global calls for de-escalation. According to Iranian state media, Israeli attacks have killed at least 80 people, including 20 children, and wounded 800 others over the past two days. Israeli authorities said that 10 people had been killed in Iranian strikes, with over 180 injured. Israel's unprecedented and sudden attacks on Iran's energy facilities are poised to disrupt the oil supplies from the Middle East, and could shake up global fuel prices, even as both countries threaten each other with even more intense attacks. So, what are the key energy sites in Iran hit in Israeli attacks? And why do they matter?Iran holds the world's second-largest proven natural gas reserves and the third-largest crude oil reserves, according to the United States government's Energy Information Administration (EIA), and its energy infrastructure has long been a potential target for Israel. Before the current spiral in their conflict, Israel had largely avoided targeting Iranian energy facilities, amid pressure from its allies, including the US, over the risks to global oil and gas prices from any such attack. That has now changed. On Friday, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that if Iran retaliated to its attacks, 'Tehran will burn'. Late on Saturday, major fires broke out at two opposing ends of the Iranian capital — the Shahran fuel and gas depot, northwest of central Tehran, and one of Iran's biggest oil refineries in Shahr Rey, to the city's south. While Iran's Student News Network subsequently denied that the Shahr Rey refinery had been struck by Israel, and claimed it was still operating, it conceded that a fuel tank outside the refinery had caught fire. It did not explain what sparked the fire. But Iran's Petroleum Ministry confirmed that Israel had struck the Shahran depot, where firefighters are still trying to bring flames under control. The Israeli aerial attacks also targeted the South Pars field, offshore Iran's southern Bushehr province. The world's largest gasfield is the source of two-thirds of Iran's gas production, which is consumed nationally. Iran shares the South Pars with its neighbour Qatar, where it is called the North Field. The strikes triggered significant damage and fire at the Phase 14 natural gas processing facility and halted an offshore production platform that generates 12 million cubic metres per day, reported the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. In a separate Israeli attack, fire reportedly broke out at the Fajr Jam gas plant, one of Iran's largest processing facilities, also in the Bushehr province, which processes fuel from South Pars. The Iranian Petroleum Ministry confirmed that the facility was hit. The Shahran oil depot is one of Tehran's largest fuel storage and distribution hubs. It has nearly 260 million litres of storage capacity across 11 tanks. It is a vital node in the capital's urban fuel grid, distributing petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel to several terminals across northern Tehran. The Tehran Refinery, located just south of Tehran, in the Shahr-e Rey district, operated by the state-owned Tehran Oil Refining Company, is one of the country's oldest refineries, with a refining capacity of nearly 225,000 barrels per day. Experts warn that any disruption to this site — whatever the cause of the fire — could strain fuel logistics in Iran's most populous and economically significant region. Down south, the offshore South Pars gasfield in the Gulf contains an estimated 1,260 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas, accounting for nearly 20 percent of known global reserves. Meanwhile, the hit on the Fajr-e Jam Gas Refinery, in Bushehr province, threatens to disrupt Iran's domestic electricity and fuel supplies, particularly for the southern and central provinces, which are already under huge stress. In Iran, blackouts cost the economy about $250m a day, according to the government's estimates. Adding to the uncertainty in global markets, Iran has noted that it is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz amid the intensifying conflict with Israel – a move that would send oil prices soaring. The Strait of Hormuz, which splits Iran on one side and Oman and the United Arab Emirates on the other, is the only marine entryway into the Gulf, with nearly 20 percent of global oil consumption flowing through it. The EIA describes it as the 'world's most important oil transit chokepoint'. The Israeli attacks on Friday, which spared Iran's oil and gas facilities on the first day of the fighting, had already pushed oil prices up 9 percent, before they calmed just a bit. Analysts expect prices to rise sharply when oil markets open again on Monday. Alan Eyre, a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera that Israel was trying to push the US into participating in its attacks on Iran. 'Ultimately, Israel's best case scenario is to encourage, if not regime change, then the toppling of this regime,' he said. 'Iran's options are very limited; they have to respond militarily to save face domestically [but] it is very unlikely that Iran can cause enough damage to Israel internally or put enough pressure to stop bombing,' Eyre said. 'Iran does not have many allies in the international community – and even if it did, Israel has shown that it is spectacularly unwilling to listen to international opinion,' added Eyre.
