Latest news with #MohammadHosseinBagheri
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
'I'm so scared': Dubai expats anxiously await return of family stuck in war zones
[Editor's Note: Follow the KT live blog for live updates on the Israel-Iran conflict.] For Iranian expat HM, the past week in her Dubai home has been a nightmare. Her parents, who were supposed to return after a short trip to their hometown of Shiraz, have been stuck there since the start of the conflict between Iran and Israel. 'I am worried,' she told Khaleej Times. 'My parents were supposed to return this week, but flights have been suspended. Thankfully, they're safe and so far, everything is calm in their area.' She said she checks in with her parents daily. 'Although parts of Tehran have been hit, daily life in many other cities, like Shiraz, seems to be continuing with caution but without chaos,' she said. 'Internet connectivity has taken a hit in some regions, making it harder to get real-time updates. Many are relying on phone calls or VPNs to stay in touch with the outside world.' HM is one of the many UAE expats who are worried about their families in war zones as the region has seen an escalation of conflict. On Friday, Israel launched strikes on Iran targeting high-value sites including missile factories, nuclear facilities, and top Iranian military leaders. Main figures of Iran's top military brass were killed in the attack, including the armed forces' chief of staff, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Now in its seventh day, the war continues with US looking set to join Israel in attacking Iran. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. HM added that her parents are trying to book flights or ferry services to return to the UAE, but everything is either fully booked or canceled until early July. 'I am now alone at my home with my cat,' she said. 'I go to work every day and try to maintain my normal routine but inside I feel empty. I am so scared. I hope someone can mediate some talk and end this conflict. No one wants a war. Everyone wants to just live peacefully.' Keeping a close eye Dubai resident Dana, who has her family home in Israel, said she and her friends were 'keeping a close eye' on the developments in the region. 'The situation is tense, but we've been in touch with our families,' she said. 'They're getting into the shelters when needed and are doing their best to stay safe.' On Thursday, Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said that at least 47 people were injured in Iran's latest missile strikes, and 18 more injured 'while running to shelter'. Meanwhile Iranian missiles also hit a hospital in the south of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran would "pay a heavy price" for hitting the Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva. 'I just want her home' For 75-year-old expat Ahmed, the only thing he wants right now is his daughter to come back to Dubai. 'She travels around a lot and was in Tehran when the war broke out,' he said. 'Two days ago, she left Tehran along with her family to move to the north of Iran. All the residents of Tehran have been asked to move north. There are almost 10 million people there. How will they all evacuate?' He added that most families are struggling because there is a rationing of fuel. 'Everyone gets about 15 litres of fuel,' he said. 'How long will they travel with that? It doesn't get you very far.' The Israeli military said it had targeted the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran overnight and struck what it called a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that his country has remained committed to "diplomacy" but will continue to act in "self-defence". Another expat who did not want to reveal any of her details admitted that he has been unable to contact his family, who live in Tehran, for two days and that he was worried about their safety.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Who has been targeted in Israeli strikes on Iran - and what key infrastructure has been hit?
Israel has been targeting specific infrastructure and personnel in Iran since the start of its attacks on 13 June. Israel's president told Sky News that the country's unprecedented attacks, which have killed more than 240 people according to Iranian officials, are necessary because Tehran has been proceeding "dramatically" towards a nuclear bomb. But who and what has been targeted, and what is Israel's strategy? Here is what you need to know. Who has been targeted? High-ranking military leaders Israel hit many of its targets on the first night of the attacks, the most high-profile of them being Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of the armed forces of the Iranian regime. His involvement in the military dated back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel has also killed Hossein Salami, who was the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's primary military force, and Mohammed Kazemi, the intelligence chief of the IRGC. The latter was killed in the Israeli strikes along with his deputy, Hassan Mohaqiq. The strikes also killed Gholam-Ali Rashid, who was head of the IRGC's emergency command headquarters. He was replaced by Ali Shadmani, who was killed days later, with Israel's military claiming a "sudden opportunity" arose to attack him. Nuclear scientists Israel says six top nuclear scientists were among those killed in the initial strikes last week. One of the most high-profile of them was Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who was head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation from 2011 to 2013 and a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. Another was Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was also a theoretical physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. Four other scientists killed in the strikes were Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi and Motalibizadeh. What infrastructure has been targeted? Israel has hit military, nuclear, government, oil and gas infrastructure and civilian areas across Iran, including in Tehran, Iran's capital, and other major cities. The nuclear sites targeted so far are Natanz, the country's main uranium enrichment facility located 135 miles southeast of Tehran, the nearby Isfahan nuclear facility and the Fordow uranium enrichment plant near the city of Qom. It has been speculated that Fordow will require a 'bunker busting' bomb to cause significant damage. A missile airbase in the western province of Kermanshah operated by the IRGC has also been hit. The attacks also targeted the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran. Many of the high-profile targets were killed in their homes or in meetings. What is Israel's strategy? According to Sky's experts, Israel's intentions appear to be to thwart Iran's nuclear efforts, but also to significantly weaken the regime, in the hope of triggering a regime change in the country. International affairs editor Dominic Waghorn says Israel's destruction of Iran's air defences has left the country's skies vulnerable, and that it has allowed Israeli jets to "destroy target after target with pinpoint accuracy". 3:12 He suggests that in order for the attack to be successful long-term, Israel "must destroy both Iran's ability to develop the bomb, but more importantly, its will to do so" - hence its targeting of both nuclear sites and key personnel. He explains that the Iranian nuclear programme is too far developed to be completely destroyed, and that experts and students there have too much knowledge to rule out the country's ability to build a bomb in the future. "Toppling the regime will be the surest way of achieving Israel's aims if it ushers in a replacement not determined to go nuclear," he says. Israel has also been attacking energy infrastructure, which Waghorn says will be aimed at raising energy prices to spark social unrest and dissent. Defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke says Israel's strategy appears to be similar to the one it used against the Shia political and military faction Hezbollah in Lebanon last year. The Israeli military carried out several cross-border attacks, killing top senior leaders including the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah. 3:47 Comparing that scenario to Israel's attacks on Iran, Prof Clarke said: "In terms of the Israeli attacks, they very much follow what we might call the Hezbollah playbook. "They've attacked fairly specific targets, coupled with a series of assassinations against senior leaders. "They're trying to decapitate the command structure while they attack air defence to open up Iranian air defence and then attack Iran." Trump calls supreme leader 'easy target' as he considers US strike Israeli intelligence correspondent Ronen Bergman has reported that Israel has developed the ability to monitor Iran's top officials "in real time", allowing them to eliminate many of Iran's military and intelligence commanders quickly. But Iran's long-time supreme leader Khamenei is not among the officials killed. In a Truth Social post on 17 June, US president Donald Trump called the 86-year-old an "easy target" but said the US would not kill him - "at least not for now". "But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers," he added. "Our patience is wearing thin." 2:56 The comments came days after reports that Mr Trump rejected a plan proposed by Israel to kill Khamenei, who has led the regime since 1989. Mr Trump has called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' but it is thought that his administration is keen to keep Israel's operation aimed at targeting the nuclear programme rather than at the regime, with fears over further escalation in the conflict. Before Israel's attack began, the US had been negotiating with Iran over a nuclear deal. Mr Trump is now considering a US strike on Iran, according to multiple current and former administration officials. The president is considering a range of options, including a possible strike, following a meeting with his national security team inside the Situation Room, the officials told Sky's US partner network NBC News. How has Tehran responded? Iran, which has always denied it is planning to make a nuclear bomb, has launched sustained retaliatory strikes against Israel since 13 June. In recent days Iran has shot some 370 missiles and hundreds of drones, with the majority being intercepted by the country's defence systems. The attacks have mainly focused on areas around the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, which are densely populated by civilians. At least 24 people are reported to have been killed in Israel and some 500 people injured.
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
'Where's Our Air Defence?': How Iran's Miscalculation Let Israel Assert Military Dominance
Last Updated: Israel launched massive air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities on Friday and also eliminated top military officials and nuclear scientists. Israel-Iran conflict: Iran did not expect Israel to launch strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities before the sixth round of US-Iran talks, which was earlier scheduled for Sunday in Oman, The New York Times reported, citing officials close to the country's leadership. The NYT report revealed private text messages between senior Iranian officials, in which they asked one another, 'Where is our air defense?" and 'How can Israel come and attack anything it wants, kill our top commanders, and we are incapable of stopping it?" Iran Miscalculated Israel's Offensive: Report Though Iran was well aware of the preparations being carried out by Israel for a possible attack on Tehran's nuclear facilities, it did not expect Jerusalem to strike while the negotiations with the US regarding the nuclear programme were still underway. This allowed for the exceptional success of the Israeli operation launched on early Friday morning, the report said. 🚨Millions of Israelis are currently running for shelter as sirens sound in the following cities and communities around Israel:Jerusalem, Ashdod, Kfar Ruppin, Maoz Haim, Neve Eitan, Ganey Hugg', Beit She'an, Hamadia, Ein HaNatziv, Kfar Ruppin, Maoz Haim, Neve Eitan, Sdeh… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 14, 2025 The Iran-US talks hang in limbo as Tehran has indicated that it is likely to cancel the negotiations amid full-blown military action against Israel. NYT report said. The officials told the newspaper that the complacency of the leadership may have stopped them from taking any preemptive precautions against an Israeli attack. The instance of this was that the senior Iranian military commanders stayed in their private residences on the night when Israeli forces conducted the strikes, instead of taking shelter in the safe shelters. This allowed Israel to take down senior Iranian officials, including Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami and Armed Forces chief Mohammad Hossein Bagheri. Several scientists involved in Iran's nuclear programme were also killed in the strikes. In another instance of oversight by Iran, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Forces, convened an emergency war meeting of senior officials, prompting Israel to eliminate all of them at once in a single bombing. 'Israel's Attack Caught Leadership By Surprise': Official The top officials were also questioned about what failures in the intelligence and defence systems led Iran not to foresee the Israeli offensive. 'Israel's attack completely caught the leadership by surprise, especially the killing of the top military figures and nuclear scientists," said Hamid Hosseini, a member of Iran's Chamber of Commerce's energy committee, in a phone call with the NYT from Iran. 'It also exposed our lack of proper air defense and their ability to bombard our critical sites and military bases with no resistance," he added. Hosseini confessed that the Iranian officials were shocked by Israel's ability to infiltrate Iran's military and security apparatus. What Did Khamenei Say On Attack? The report also mentioned two Iranian officials who were aware of the discussions that took place after the attacks, led by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In those talks, Khamenei said he wanted revenge against Israel but didn't want to rush into action. According to the officials, there were disagreements among Iran's leadership about how to respond. Some were concerned about whether Iran could handle a long war with Israel, especially if the US got involved and given the damage Israel had already done to Iran's missile systems and defense capabilities. An official at the meeting reportedly said that if Israel launched an attack on Iran's energy or water infrastructure, it may lead to riots in the country. An IRGC member who was informed about the meeting told The NYT that the officials realised Ayatollah Khamenei was facing a tough choice: either go for an all-out war, which could put his decades-long rule at risk, or pull back, which would be seen as a sign of defeat both inside Iran and on the global stage. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : iran israel Location : Israel First Published: June 15, 2025, 09:57 IST News world 'Where's Our Air Defence?': How Iran's Miscalculation Let Israel Assert Military Dominance
Sky News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: UK 'moving jets' to Middle East, says Starmer - after Iran issues threat to Britain if it helps stop strikes on Israel
More than 20 Iranian commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes on Iran, the IDF has said in its latest update. The military claimed that Israeli fighter jets killed both the head of the Intelligence Directorate in the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's (IRGC) surface-to-surface missile array. It added: "Since the beginning of the operation, over 20 commanders in the Iranian regime's security apparatus have been eliminated." According to the IDF, the head of the Intelligence Directorate in the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff, Gholam-Reza Marhabi, was responsible for intelligence situational assessments for the Iranian Armed Forces and was considered Iran's most senior intelligence officer. The statement added: "Marhabi played a key role in intelligence evaluations, operational planning, and combat preparations against Israel in the past year and before." The commander of the IRGC's surface-to-surface missile array, General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, oversaw most of Iran's long-range surface-to-surface and cruise missile capabilities, according to the IDF. "These capabilities serve as the regime's primary offensive tools against the State of Israel. "Bagheri managed Iran's firepower systems and played an active role in the decision-making processes behind Iran's attacks on Israel in April and October 2024."
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli military says it eliminated more than 20 Iranian commanders
The Israeli military has killed more than 20 military commanders in attacks on Iran, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday as the conflict between the two nations raged on. Among those killed was the head of the intelligence department in the Iranian armed forces' general staff, Gholamreza Mehrabi, the IDF said. Iranian state radio had previously reported his death and described him as deputy head of the intelligence department. Iran says almost 100 people were killed in the Israeli attacks. Most of the victims were civilians, according to Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani. At least three people were killed by missiles fired from Iran in the densely populated Tel Aviv metropolitan area in Israel. The IDF said Mehrabi was "responsible for intelligence situational assessments for the Iranian Armed Forces and was considered Iran's most senior intelligence officer." "He was also a highly respected senior figure within the regime's security organization and a close associate of the Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, who was also eliminated in the opening strike," the IDF said. Bagheri was commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Surface-To-Surface Missile Array, the IDF said, and "oversaw most of Iran's long-range surface-to-surface and cruise missile capabilities." "He was eliminated alongside IRGC's Air Force Commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and several other senior officials in an underground headquarters in Tehran," the IDF said.
