Israel ‘controlling the airspace' of Iran
Israel National Security Council Former director Dr Shany Mor says Iran sending missile strikes into Israeli cities is 'crazy'.
Mr Mor said the attacks will be 'very costly' for Iran.
'Right now, Israel, a tiny country, is essentially controlling the airspace of a country 75 times its size and more than 1000km away.'
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7NEWS
4 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Trump gives deadline on US joining Israel's military campaign against Iran
Israel's defense minister threatened Iran's supreme leader on Thursday after Iranian missiles crashed into a major hospital in southern Israel and hit residential buildings near Tel Aviv, wounding at least 240 people. As rescuers wheeled patients out of the smoldering hospital, Israeli warplanes launched their latest attack on Iran's nuclear program. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz blamed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for Thursday's barrage 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.' In Washington, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether to join Israel's campaign against Iran's military and nuclear program, signaling that Trump still sees a window for diplomacy to address Israeli and US concerns about Iran's nuclear program. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, told reporters, reading out Trump's statement. Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would 'do what's best for America.' 'I can tell you that they're already helping a lot,' Netanyahu said from the rubble and shattered glass around the Soroka Medical Center in Israel's southern city of Beersheba. The open conflict between Israel and Iran erupted last Friday with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Iran has retaliated by firing hundreds of missiles and drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. More than 200 wounded, including dozens in the hospital strike At least 240 people were wounded by the latest Iranian attack on Israel, including 80 patients and medical workers wounded in the strike on the Soroka Medical Center. The vast majority were lightly wounded, as much of the hospital building had been evacuated in recent days. Israel's Home Front Command said that one of the Iranian ballistic missiles fired Thursday morning had been rigged with fragmenting cluster munitions. Rather than a conventional warhead, a cluster munition warhead carries dozens of submunitions that can explode on impact, showering small bomblets around a large area and posing major safety risks on the ground. The Israeli military did not say where that missile had been fired. Iranian officials insisted that they had not sought to strike the hospital and claimed the attack hit a facility belonging to the Israeli military's elite technological unit, called C4i. The website for the Gav-Yam Negev advanced technologies park, some three kilometers from the hospital, said C4i had a branch campus in the area. The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, acknowledged that there was no specific intelligence that Iran had planned to target the hospital. Many hospitals in Israel, including Soroka, had activated emergency plans in the past week. They converted parking garages to wards and transferred vulnerable patients underground. Israel also has a fortified, subterranean blood bank that kicked into action after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Doctors at Soroka said that the Iranian missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room. The strike inflicted the greatest damage on an old surgery building and affected key infrastructure, including gas, water and air-conditioning systems, the medical center said. The hospital, which provides services to around 1 million residents of Israel's south, had been caring for 700 patients at the time of the attack. After the strike, the hospital closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases. Iran has fired 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel since the conflict began, according to Israeli army estimates, though most have been shot down by Israel's multitiered air defenses. Iran rejects calls to surrender or end its nuclear program Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. But it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Israel is widely believed to be the only country with a nuclear weapons program in the Middle East, but has never acknowledged the existence of its arsenal. In the last few days the Israeli air campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran, a nuclear site in Isfahan and what the army assesses to be most of Iran's ballistic missile launchers. The destruction of those launchers has contributed to the steady decline in Iranian attacks since the start of the conflict. On Thursday, anti-aircraft artillery was clearly audible across Tehran and witnesses in the central city of Isfahan reported seeing anti-aircraft fire after nightfall. In announcing that he would take up to two more weeks to decide whether to strike Iran, President Trump opened up diplomatic options with the apparent hope Iran would make concessions after suffering major military losses. Already, a new diplomatic initiative seemed to be underway as Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepared to travel Friday to Geneva for meetings with the European Union's top diplomat, and with his counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. But at least publicly, Iran has struck a hard line. Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any American military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them.' Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on Thursday criticized Trump for using military pressure to gain an advantage in nuclear negotiations. 'The delusional American president knows that he cannot impose peace on us by imposing war and threatening us,' he said. Iran agreed to redesign Arak to address nuclear concerns Israel's military said Thursday its fighter jets targeted the Arak heavy water reactor, some 250 kilometers southwest of Tehran, in order to prevent it from being used to produce plutonium. Iranian state TV said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' around the Arak site, which it said had been evacuated ahead of the strike. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon. Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to alleviate proliferation concerns. That work was never completed. The reactor became a point of contention after Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. Ali Akbar Salehi, a high-ranking nuclear official in Iran, said in 2019 that Tehran bought extra parts to replace a portion of the reactor that it had poured concrete into under the deal. Israel said strikes were carried out 'in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development.' The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that due to restrictions imposed by Iran on inspectors, the U.N. nuclear watchdog has lost 'continuity of knowledge' about Iran's heavy water production — meaning it could not absolutely verify Tehran's production and stockpile.
The Advertiser
7 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Iranians in Australia feel powerless as conflict rages
Rozita Hassaniserkani is worried her father in Iran will forget her before she can see him again. It was several days after Israel's initial strikes on Iran before she could make contact with her family in Tehran. "I didn't have anything from them and it was so stressful," she told AAP. "They are OK but there are so many people, so many innocent people, killed in the last few days and it's really sad. "When you know your loved one or your country is in danger ... and you can't do anything, I think it's the worst feeling anyone can experience." Ms Hassaniserkani - who came to Australia in 2012 - planned to visit Iran in July to see her father, who has Alzheimer's disease. "He might forget me if I don't see him soon," she said. "I was crying like a child and saying ,'Why (should) these kind of things happen in this world, when everybody can live in peace?'" Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1329 others, the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists says. Israel says at least 24 civilians have been killed by retaliatory strikes. Australians in Iran have been advised to shelter in place if they can't leave safely, while the government has already evacuated some citizens from Israel via Jordan. Iranian refugee Nazanin Jebeli said the past week had been difficult. "I'm worried for my people, but at the same time, Iranian women, they're looking for peace, and that's what matters," she told AAP. "Iranian people, no matter what, history has always showed that they had each other's back in difficult times and we support each other." US President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Iran to resume negotiations to discontinue any nuclear program following Israel's attempts to wipe out the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Ms Hassaniserkani and Ms Jebeli are among the group of people featured in Archibald Packing Room Prize-winning artist Kathrin Longhurst's exhibition Collective Threads: A Public Presence, which opened at Sydney's Cato Gallery on Thursday. Ms Longhurst - born in East Germany during the Cold War - related to living in an oppressive regime and said working with the Iranian women had proved inspiring and empowering. The project stemmed from protests in 2022 over the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, but has taken on additional significance in recent days. "I know there's a lot of anxiety in the Iranian community but this whole body of work has been about people supporting each other, women supporting women," Ms Longhurst said. Rozita Hassaniserkani is worried her father in Iran will forget her before she can see him again. It was several days after Israel's initial strikes on Iran before she could make contact with her family in Tehran. "I didn't have anything from them and it was so stressful," she told AAP. "They are OK but there are so many people, so many innocent people, killed in the last few days and it's really sad. "When you know your loved one or your country is in danger ... and you can't do anything, I think it's the worst feeling anyone can experience." Ms Hassaniserkani - who came to Australia in 2012 - planned to visit Iran in July to see her father, who has Alzheimer's disease. "He might forget me if I don't see him soon," she said. "I was crying like a child and saying ,'Why (should) these kind of things happen in this world, when everybody can live in peace?'" Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1329 others, the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists says. Israel says at least 24 civilians have been killed by retaliatory strikes. Australians in Iran have been advised to shelter in place if they can't leave safely, while the government has already evacuated some citizens from Israel via Jordan. Iranian refugee Nazanin Jebeli said the past week had been difficult. "I'm worried for my people, but at the same time, Iranian women, they're looking for peace, and that's what matters," she told AAP. "Iranian people, no matter what, history has always showed that they had each other's back in difficult times and we support each other." US President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Iran to resume negotiations to discontinue any nuclear program following Israel's attempts to wipe out the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Ms Hassaniserkani and Ms Jebeli are among the group of people featured in Archibald Packing Room Prize-winning artist Kathrin Longhurst's exhibition Collective Threads: A Public Presence, which opened at Sydney's Cato Gallery on Thursday. Ms Longhurst - born in East Germany during the Cold War - related to living in an oppressive regime and said working with the Iranian women had proved inspiring and empowering. The project stemmed from protests in 2022 over the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, but has taken on additional significance in recent days. "I know there's a lot of anxiety in the Iranian community but this whole body of work has been about people supporting each other, women supporting women," Ms Longhurst said. Rozita Hassaniserkani is worried her father in Iran will forget her before she can see him again. It was several days after Israel's initial strikes on Iran before she could make contact with her family in Tehran. "I didn't have anything from them and it was so stressful," she told AAP. "They are OK but there are so many people, so many innocent people, killed in the last few days and it's really sad. "When you know your loved one or your country is in danger ... and you can't do anything, I think it's the worst feeling anyone can experience." Ms Hassaniserkani - who came to Australia in 2012 - planned to visit Iran in July to see her father, who has Alzheimer's disease. "He might forget me if I don't see him soon," she said. "I was crying like a child and saying ,'Why (should) these kind of things happen in this world, when everybody can live in peace?'" Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1329 others, the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists says. Israel says at least 24 civilians have been killed by retaliatory strikes. Australians in Iran have been advised to shelter in place if they can't leave safely, while the government has already evacuated some citizens from Israel via Jordan. Iranian refugee Nazanin Jebeli said the past week had been difficult. "I'm worried for my people, but at the same time, Iranian women, they're looking for peace, and that's what matters," she told AAP. "Iranian people, no matter what, history has always showed that they had each other's back in difficult times and we support each other." US President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Iran to resume negotiations to discontinue any nuclear program following Israel's attempts to wipe out the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Ms Hassaniserkani and Ms Jebeli are among the group of people featured in Archibald Packing Room Prize-winning artist Kathrin Longhurst's exhibition Collective Threads: A Public Presence, which opened at Sydney's Cato Gallery on Thursday. Ms Longhurst - born in East Germany during the Cold War - related to living in an oppressive regime and said working with the Iranian women had proved inspiring and empowering. The project stemmed from protests in 2022 over the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, but has taken on additional significance in recent days. "I know there's a lot of anxiety in the Iranian community but this whole body of work has been about people supporting each other, women supporting women," Ms Longhurst said. Rozita Hassaniserkani is worried her father in Iran will forget her before she can see him again. It was several days after Israel's initial strikes on Iran before she could make contact with her family in Tehran. "I didn't have anything from them and it was so stressful," she told AAP. "They are OK but there are so many people, so many innocent people, killed in the last few days and it's really sad. "When you know your loved one or your country is in danger ... and you can't do anything, I think it's the worst feeling anyone can experience." Ms Hassaniserkani - who came to Australia in 2012 - planned to visit Iran in July to see her father, who has Alzheimer's disease. "He might forget me if I don't see him soon," she said. "I was crying like a child and saying ,'Why (should) these kind of things happen in this world, when everybody can live in peace?'" Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1329 others, the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists says. Israel says at least 24 civilians have been killed by retaliatory strikes. Australians in Iran have been advised to shelter in place if they can't leave safely, while the government has already evacuated some citizens from Israel via Jordan. Iranian refugee Nazanin Jebeli said the past week had been difficult. "I'm worried for my people, but at the same time, Iranian women, they're looking for peace, and that's what matters," she told AAP. "Iranian people, no matter what, history has always showed that they had each other's back in difficult times and we support each other." US President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Iran to resume negotiations to discontinue any nuclear program following Israel's attempts to wipe out the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Ms Hassaniserkani and Ms Jebeli are among the group of people featured in Archibald Packing Room Prize-winning artist Kathrin Longhurst's exhibition Collective Threads: A Public Presence, which opened at Sydney's Cato Gallery on Thursday. Ms Longhurst - born in East Germany during the Cold War - related to living in an oppressive regime and said working with the Iranian women had proved inspiring and empowering. The project stemmed from protests in 2022 over the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, but has taken on additional significance in recent days. "I know there's a lot of anxiety in the Iranian community but this whole body of work has been about people supporting each other, women supporting women," Ms Longhurst said.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Gina Rinehart spends thousands evacuating media chief from Israel
Having friends (or rather bosses) in high places has never been more helpful for well-connected PR and government relations guy James Radford, who was stuck in Israel over the weekend as Iranian missiles rained down. But not stuck for long. Radford, who runs his own Radford Consulting and is external affairs manager for Hancock Prospecting, was able to call upon his boss, mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, to get him out of Israel pronto. Others, who were part of an official delegation, were not so lucky. It seems when Rinehart isn't keeping the Australian swim team afloat and giving out $100,000 cheques to her staff, she is saving them from war zones. Benevolent capitalism at work. And obviously, billionaire-tier travel insurance is many rungs above Budget Direct. One estimate put the cost of the extraction at $60,000, but Radford said it could be even higher. 'Gina Rinehart was incredible – she worked day and night to try and get us out of there by whatever means possible and safe,' Radford told CBD from Melbourne. 'We definitely tried to get the entire group out, multiple Australians out – however there was no capacity in the system as this was the first day,' he said. 'My first evacuation was cancelled.' Radford spent part of his time in the country on an official Israeli government-organised Australian Pride Mission to Israel, a two-week culture tour which was to culminate in Tel Aviv Pride. He also caught up the Australian-Israel Chamber of Commerce group, visited a kibbutz that was a site of an October 7 massacre and spent time with former Labor senator Nova Peris and media personality Erin Molan.
