Latest news with #missileattacks
The Independent
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Netanyahu: I understand the true cost of war - my own son had to postpone his wedding
Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked outrage after suggesting he understands the 'personal cost' of Israel 's war with Iran - because his son had to postpone his wedding. The Israeli prime minister made the remarks in a solemn address to TV cameras while standing in front of the ruins of a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, hours after it was hit by Iranian missiles. Officials said at least 40 people were injured in the attack on Thursday. 'There are people who were killed, families who grieved loved ones, I really appreciate that,' Netanyahu said, comparing the attacks on Israel to the blitz in Britain during World War II. 'Each of us bears a personal cost, and my family has not been exempt. This is the second time that my son Avner has cancelled a wedding due to missile threats. It is a personal cost for his fiancee as well, and I must say that my dear wife is a hero, and she bears a personal cost.' Israel and Iran have been exchanging missile attacks for a week after Netanyahu instructed the IDF to target Tehran's nuclear sites and top military officials. The Israeli authorities say 24 Israeli civilians have so far been killed by Iran 's retaliatory strikes, with footage showing Iranian missiles slamming into residential areas. Meanwhile, Washington-based human rights activists estimate 639 people have been killed by Israeli strikes on Iran. Netanyahu's comments angered his political opponents and the relatives of Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza. Anat Angrest, whose son Matan has been held hostage by Hamas since the militant group's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, said in a post on X that the personal cost of the war 'didn't go unnoticed' by her and her family. 'I have been in the hellish dungeons of Gaza for 622 days now,' she wrote. 'I'm waiting for you, Prime Minister, to save him." Gilad Kariv, a Knesset member for the Democrats, described Netanyahu as a 'narcissist'. 'I know many families who were not forced to postpone a wedding, but who will now never celebrate the weddings that were once meant to take place,' Kariv said. Netanyahu, who is currently on trial in Israel for corruption and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, has faced criticism for the ongoing war in Gaza and for being out of touch with everyday civilians. Israeli opposition figures have criticised the prime minister for continuing his war in Gaza, which has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. A total of 53 hostages remain in captivity, of whom Israel believes 30 are dead. Hamas killed around 1,200 people during their cross-border attacks on 7 October, 2023, and took 251 people hostage. Previous ceasefires have seen dozens of hostages released from captivity in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Netanyahu's government says Hamas must be eradicated, but after nearly two years of war, the militant organisation continues to fight in some areas of Gaza. Peace talks between Hamas and Israel, meanwhile, have broken down. Several anti-government organisations previously announced they were planning demonstrations in the area of the wedding of Netanyahu's son, Avner. Iron roadblocks and barbed wire fences had already been erected within a 100-metre radius of the venue, the upscale Ronit's Farm event hall in Kibbutz Yakum, north of Tel Aviv, when the Netanyahu family announced last weekend that the wedding would be postponed. Police had also announced that all airspace within a mile radius of the venue would be closed during the ceremony, except for police helicopters.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli journalist details Iran missile attacks from bomb shelter
(NewsNation) — Israel and Iran have been launching missile attacks at each other for over a week, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths. Rolene Marks, an independent journalist based in Modi'in, Israel, spoke to NewsNation from her bomb shelter Thursday. She detailed what life has been like since the start of the Israel-Iran conflict last Friday, stating that she, 'like everybody in the country,' is 'exhausted' and 'emotionally drained.' Living halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, she said she is only 20 minutes away from the bustling city of Tel Aviv. 'When there are impacts or booms in cities like Tel Aviv, we hear it, we feel it here, coupled with the sirens and interceptions we are having. It is a very, very scary situation,' Marks said. Trump to make Iran decision 'within 2 weeks:' White House The Israeli journalist expressed gratitude to the Israeli Defense Forces Home Front Command for their warnings ahead of anticipated missile attacks that allow Israelis to seek shelter. 'I'm really grateful to the IDF Home Front Command, and all of our first responders for making sure we know exactly what to do when we hear those alerts, where to go, how long to stay in, and of course working night and day with rescue and recovery efforts,' she said. While Marks said Israel is well-prepared for enemy attacks, this particular conflict is 'frightening' and 'unlike anything we've had before; Hamas or Hezbollah, or even the Houthis firing a rocket here, a rocket there or a barrage of rockets and those interceptions.' 'This is very, very different with real impact,' she said. Florida charters evacuation flights for Americans fleeing Israel She described the sounds during an attack. First, the air raid sirens blare ahead of attacks. Marks said, 'If there are impacts close to where we are, it's a bang and the buildings shake, and the windows rattle. It's a very, very scary scenario.' President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is undecided as to whether the United States will strike Iran as the Islamic Republic's attacks on Israel escalate. 'I may do it; I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble,' Trump said. Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said, 'Americans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.' In Iran, at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed and over 1,300 wounded, a Washington-based Iranian human rights group said. In a counterattack, Iran sent over 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, resulting in the deaths of 24 people in Israel. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
SBS Australia
11 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Filipino, Friday 20 June 2025
Destructive strikes between Israel and Iran intensify, as President Trump considers U-S intervention. Australia orders embassy staff to leave Tehran and moves to repatriate citizens. The Philippine Embassy in Israel reports 7 Filipinos injured from Iran's missile attacks, 67 lost their homes as of 18 June 2025. SBS Filipino 20/06/2025 06:41 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino 📲 Catch up episodes and stories – Visit or stream on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Youtube Podcasts , and SBS Audio app.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mapped: Where Iran and Israel's missiles have struck as Tehran hits major hospital
Iran and Israel are a week into their worst-ever conflict, with hundreds dead and fears growing of a wider regional war in the Middle East. In the latest round of missile attacks, dozens of Israelis were wounded as Iranian missiles struck the main hospital in the south of Israel, causing 'extensive damage'. A high-rise apartment building in Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel were also hit. Israel, meanwhile, carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, its latest attack on Tehran's sprawling nuclear program. Iranian state television said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack. The seventh day of conflict came a day after Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable harm'. Trump responded by flirting with the idea of joining Israel in its attacks on Iran. 'I may do it, I may not,' he said from the White House lawn. The conflict began last Friday after Israel launched missiles at Iran, saying it was targeting its nuclear and military infrastructure in a 'pre-emptive' move to stop the country developing a weapon. Iran launched retaliatory strikes, which saw air sirens wail across the Tel Aviv region on Friday night as smoke rose above the city. They have continued every day since. Iran has fired around 400 missiles at Israel, some 40 of which have pierced air defences, killing 24 people, all of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Iran has reported at least 224 deaths in Israeli attacks, mostly civilians, but has not updated that toll for days. US-based Iranian activist news agency HRANA said 639 people had been killed in the Israeli attacks and 1,329 injured as of 18 June. Operation Rising Lion – the official name for the IDF's offensive in Iran – has mainly targeted nuclear sites, including destroying the above-ground section of the country's main Natanz nuclear base. The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank tracking the war in the Middle East, has recorded 235 air strikes and explosions across Tehran in the past week, 116 of which have been confirmed. More than a dozen military leaders and nuclear scientists have also been killed by Israeli strikes. A military official on Saturday said Israel had caused significant damage to Iran's main nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan, but had not so far damaged another uranium enrichment site, Fordow. The United Nation's nuclear watchdog recently said they were 'seriously concerned' about Iran's enrichment of uranium, much of which is taking place at Fordow, deep underground. Israel has also claimed air superiority over Iran, meaning it has been able to cross into Iranian airspace and launch missiles at targets across the country. Below, you can see an updated list of everywhere there has been reported strikes in Iran. Iran's religious ruler, Ali Khamenei, issued a televised address from an unknown location on Wednesday declaring that Tehran would not be forced into surrendering to Israel. Tehran followed that up with massive strikes on central and southern Israel on Thursday, injuring at least 40 people after missile struck a medical facility. Horrifying footage throughout the week has shown Iranian missiles slamming into residential areas in Israel. Explosions have also been heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Several residential buildings in a densely populated neighbourhood of Tel Aviv were destroyed in a strike that blew out the windows of hotels and other nearby homes just a few hundred meters from the US Embassy branch in the city. Civilians in Arab-majority towns have also been killed. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday they had also targeted central Israel's Jaffa with several ballistic missiles in the past 24 hours, the first time an ally of Iran has joined the fray. On Friday, missiles hit the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion , south of Tel-Aviv, killing two people and injuring dozens more. The map below shows some of the locations where the strikes took place. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was among the senior Iranian figures reportedly killed in Israel's initial overnight strikes, along with the heads of the branch's airspace and intelligence units. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's second in command, was also killed, along with the armed forces' deputy commander Gholamali Rashid, and air defence commander Davood Sheikhian. An Israeli official said it had 'eliminated the highest commanders of their military leadership' and had killed nuclear scientists who 'were main sources of knowledge, main forces driving forward the [nuclear] programme'. But civilians in Iran have also borne the brunt of the attacks. On Saturday, Iran's state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an Israeli attack on a housing complex in Tehran. Both Israel and Iran have vowed to continue their respective attacks on each other. Iran has also warned the US not to get involved as Trump has publicly flirted with the idea. The US has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the US and Iran, hosts 2,500 US troops, although Tehran-backed armed factions are linked to its security forces.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mapped: Where Iran and Israel's missiles have struck as Tehran hits major hospital
Iran and Israel are a week into their worst-ever conflict, with hundreds dead and fears growing of a wider regional war in the Middle East. In the latest round of missile attacks, dozens of Israelis were wounded as Iranian missiles struck the main hospital in the south of Israel, causing 'extensive damage'. A high-rise apartment building in Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel were also hit. Israel, meanwhile, carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, its latest attack on Tehran's sprawling nuclear program. Iranian state television said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack. The seventh day of conflict came a day after Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable harm'. Trump responded by flirting with the idea of joining Israel in its attacks on Iran. 'I may do it, I may not,' he said from the White House lawn. The conflict began last Friday after Israel launched missiles at Iran, saying it was targeting its nuclear and military infrastructure in a 'pre-emptive' move to stop the country developing a weapon. Iran launched retaliatory strikes, which saw air sirens wail across the Tel Aviv region on Friday night as smoke rose above the city. They have continued every day since. Iran has fired around 400 missiles at Israel, some 40 of which have pierced air defences, killing 24 people, all of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Iran has reported at least 224 deaths in Israeli attacks, mostly civilians, but has not updated that toll for days. US-based Iranian activist news agency HRANA said 639 people had been killed in the Israeli attacks and 1,329 injured as of 18 June. Operation Rising Lion – the official name for the IDF's offensive in Iran – has mainly targeted nuclear sites, including destroying the above-ground section of the country's main Natanz nuclear base. The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank tracking the war in the Middle East, has recorded 235 air strikes and explosions across Tehran in the past week, 116 of which have been confirmed. More than a dozen military leaders and nuclear scientists have also been killed by Israeli strikes. A military official on Saturday said Israel had caused significant damage to Iran's main nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan, but had not so far damaged another uranium enrichment site, Fordow. The United Nation's nuclear watchdog recently said they were 'seriously concerned' about Iran's enrichment of uranium, much of which is taking place at Fordow, deep underground. Israel has also claimed air superiority over Iran, meaning it has been able to cross into Iranian airspace and launch missiles at targets across the country. Below, you can see an updated list of everywhere there has been reported strikes in Iran. Iran's religious ruler, Ali Khamenei, issued a televised address from an unknown location on Wednesday declaring that Tehran would not be forced into surrendering to Israel. Tehran followed that up with massive strikes on central and southern Israel on Thursday, injuring at least 40 people after missile struck a medical facility. Horrifying footage throughout the week has shown Iranian missiles slamming into residential areas in Israel. Explosions have also been heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Several residential buildings in a densely populated neighbourhood of Tel Aviv were destroyed in a strike that blew out the windows of hotels and other nearby homes just a few hundred meters from the US Embassy branch in the city. Civilians in Arab-majority towns have also been killed. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday they had also targeted central Israel's Jaffa with several ballistic missiles in the past 24 hours, the first time an ally of Iran has joined the fray. On Friday, missiles hit the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion , south of Tel-Aviv, killing two people and injuring dozens more. The map below shows some of the locations where the strikes took place. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was among the senior Iranian figures reportedly killed in Israel's initial overnight strikes, along with the heads of the branch's airspace and intelligence units. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's second in command, was also killed, along with the armed forces' deputy commander Gholamali Rashid, and air defence commander Davood Sheikhian. An Israeli official said it had 'eliminated the highest commanders of their military leadership' and had killed nuclear scientists who 'were main sources of knowledge, main forces driving forward the [nuclear] programme'. But civilians in Iran have also borne the brunt of the attacks. On Saturday, Iran's state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an Israeli attack on a housing complex in Tehran. Both Israel and Iran have vowed to continue their respective attacks on each other. Iran has also warned the US not to get involved as Trump has publicly flirted with the idea. The US has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the US and Iran, hosts 2,500 US troops, although Tehran-backed armed factions are linked to its security forces.
