Latest news with #LeoCorrea
The Standard
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Standard
Chinese flee Iran overland by bus to safety of neighbouring countries
Chinese flee Iran overland by bus to safety of neighbouring countries An explosion is seen during a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Iran denies targeting hospital in southern Israel
Smokes raises from a building of the Soroka hospital complexin Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) ISTANBUL (BERNAMA-ANADOLU): Iran denied on Thursday (June 19) Israeli accusations of intentionally striking Soroka Hospital in southern Israel, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. "Our powerful Armed Forces accurately eliminated an Israeli Military Command, Control and Intelligence headquarters and another vital target," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement on his X account. He said the blast wave caused superficial damage to a small section of the nearby, and largely evacuated Soroka Military Hospital. "The facility is mainly used to treat Israeli soldiers engaged in the genocide in Gaza 25 miles away, where Israel has destroyed or damaged 94% of Palestinian hospitals," he added. Iran's state news agency IRNA claimed the missiles targeted the headquarters of the Israeli army and intelligence service near Soroka Hospital. Hostilities began on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes. In Iran, 585 people have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to Iranian media reports. - Bernama-Anadolu
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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
What is the Sejjil missile that Iran launched in its latest attack on Israel?
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday launched the Sejjil medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) in an attack on Israel – the first time it has used this weapon during the conflict. But what do we know about it? Could this mark a turning point? read more A Sejjil missile is being moved along the reviewing stand during a military parade to commemorate the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, in Tehran September 22, 2009. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN POLITICS MILITARY) Iran on Thursday fired a Sejjil missile at Israel. This marks the first time Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched this medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) in an attack on Israel. 'The twelfth wave of Operation 'True Promise 3' has begun with the launch of ultra-heavy, long-range, two-stage Sejjil missiles," the IRGC said in a statement. 'Sejjil missiles, powered by solid fuel and with long-range capabilities, are among Iran's most accurate and powerful strategic weapons. They possess the ability to penetrate and destroy critical enemy targets.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Iran launched 'Operation True Promise 3' to counter Israel's 'Operation Rising Lion'. But what do we know about the Sejjil missile? Let's take a closer look: What do we know? The Sejjil is an indigenously-designed and developed two-stage, solid-propellant ballistic missile. It is also known as the Sajjil, Ashoura, and Ashura missile. Read Israel Iran conflict live updates Work on designing the Sejjil missile began in the early 1990s. It built off the previous work on the Zelzal short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) – with assistance from China. The Sejjil missile is around 18 meters long and 1.25 metres wide It weighs 23,600 kilos and carried a 700 kilo warhead. It can carry both normal explosives and nuclear warheads. It has a range of around 2,000 kilometers – which puts the entirety of West Asia in its range. Though its technical specifications are similar to Iran's Shahab 3 variants, those missiles were liquid-fuelled. The Sejjil missile can be launched much quicker than the Shahab 3, which needs to be fuelled before being launched. The solid fuel also allows the muscle to be easily transported by road. However, these missiles can be more difficult to navigate. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The missile was first tested in 2008 and then again in 2009. Iran has tested the missile at least four times since then – the last one being in 2012 when the missile went into the Indian Ocean. Iran then inducted the missile into service. The missile is said to have multiple variants. A Sejjil 3.0 missile is said to be in the works. It is said to have a range of 4000 kilometers, weigh around 38,000 kilos and be a three-stage missile. Iran in 2021 claimed it had added 'enhanced inertial navigation and jet vane control' to the missile to make it more accurate. Could it be a turning point in the war? It depends on whether the Sejjil managed to penetrate Israel's air defences – which remains unconfirmed. The IRGC's claim comes on a day when Iran hit a number of targets in Israel including the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba city, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and residential buildings. However, Israel claims it has intercepted this missile, whose fragments caused only minor damage to a vehicle. Israel, meanwhile, struck a heavy water reactor linked to Iran's nuclear program. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz blamed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military 'has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.' US officials said earlier this week that President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei. Trump later said there were no plans to kill him, 'at least not for now.' With inputs from agencies
The Standard
a day ago
- Health
- The Standard
Israel attacks Iranian nuclear sites, missile damages Israeli hospital
Smokes raises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Be'er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Photo: AP/Leo Correa)
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Israel threatens Iran's top leader after missiles damage hospital and wound 200
Meanwhile, Israel struck a heavy water reactor that is part of Iran's nuclear programme. At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missiles, four of them seriously, according to Israel's health ministry. The vast majority were lightly wounded, including more than 70 people from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba, where smoke rose as emergency teams evacuated patients. In the aftermath of the strikes, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military 'has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist'. US officials said this week that US president Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Mr Khamenei. Mr Trump later said there were no plans to kill him 'at least not for now'. Israel carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, in its latest attack on the country's sprawling nuclear programme, on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. The Israeli air defence system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv (Leo Correa/AP) Meanwhile, an Israeli military official said that Iran used a missile with multiple warheads in an attack on Thursday, posing a new challenge to its defences. There was no immediate independent analysis that could be made of the claim, but Iran has hinted in the past that it was pursuing such weaponry. Instead of having to track one warhead, missiles with multiple warheads can pose a more difficult challenge for air defence systems, such as Israel's Iron Dome. Two doctors told The Associated Press that the missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room. The hospital said the main impact was on an old surgery building that had been evacuated in recent days. After the strike, the medical facility was closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases, it said. Soroka has more than 1,000 beds and provides services to around one million residents in the south of Israel. A firefighter walks past a damaged area at the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran (Leo Correa/AP) Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the strike on the hospital and vowed a response, saying: 'We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.' Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, although most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences, which detect incoming fire and shoot down missiles heading towards population centres and critical infrastructure. Israeli officials acknowledge it is imperfect. Haim Bublil, a local police commander, told reporters that several people were lightly wounded in the strike. Many hospitals in Israel activated emergency plans in the past week, converting underground parking to hospital floors and moving patients underground, especially those who are on ventilators or are difficult to move quickly. Israel also boasts a fortified, subterranean blood bank that kicked into action after Hamas's October 7 2023 attack ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium. Patients rest outdoors after the attack on the Soroka hospital complex (Leo Correa/AP) 'The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,' the military said. Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran's nuclear programme. Iranian state TV said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' from the attack on the Arak site. An Iranian state television reporter, speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor. Israel had warned earlier on Thursday morning that it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. Iran has long maintained its programme is for peaceful purposes. But it also enriches uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich at that level. Israel is the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but does not acknowledge having such weapons. Israeli security forces inspect a destroyed building in Holon, near Tel Aviv, that was hit by a missile (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) The strikes came a day after Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them'. Israel had lifted some restrictions on daily life on Wednesday, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing. Already, Israel's campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Geneva for meetings with his European counterparts on Friday, indicating that a new diplomatic initiative might be taking shape. Iran's official IRNA news agency said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany and the European Union's top diplomat. Mr Trump has said he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire and has not ruled out the US joining Israel's campaign. Iran has warned of dire consequences if the US deepens its involvement, without elaborating.
