
Israel makes "preemptive" strikes on Iran nuclear, military targets
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 12:09 | All, World
The Israeli military said Friday it has conducted strikes on "dozens of military targets," including nuclear facilities, in Iran.
"Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the wider world," the Israel Defense Forces said on the X social media platform.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared a state of emergency for the entire country following Israel's "preemptive" attack on Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that the military operation will "continue for as many days as it takes to remove" the threat.
Iranian media reported that an explosion was heard in the central Iran city of Natanz, which hosts a uranium enrichment facility.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was "not involved" in Israel's "unilateral action" against Iran.
Related coverage:
Israel fires warning shots at diplomats in West Bank, Japan protests
Military spending in 2024 rises unprecedented 9.4% to $2.72 trillion
Japan begins accepting Palestinians wounded in Gaza for treatment
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Kyodo News
18 minutes ago
- Kyodo News
Panel to propose Japan weigh defense spending above 2% of GDP
KYODO NEWS - 6 hours ago - 22:01 | All, Japan A Defense Ministry panel is set to propose that the government consider raising defense spending beyond the current goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product, sources close to the matter said Sunday. In a draft proposal to be presented to the government soon, the panel, set up in February 2024, also calls for discussions on deploying submarines equipped with long-range missiles, including nuclear-powered ones, to strengthen the country's deterrence capability, the sources said. It remains unclear how the proposal will be reflected in Japan's defense policy, as questions remain over how to fund a larger budget and whether using nuclear power for defense purposes would conflict with the country's policy of peaceful atomic energy use. The government "should not hesitate to pursue the further strengthening of defense capabilities after the achievement" of the current target to have defense-related spending account for 2 percent of GDP, the panel says in the draft proposal, according to the sources. The panel says submarines that enable Japan to strike from beyond an enemy's missile range would significantly enhance the country's deterrence capability. The government should discuss all possible options for propulsion systems, including nuclear power for the submarines, "without taboos," the panel says. The panel, chaired by Sadayuki Sakakibara, the former chairman of the Japan Business Federation, was set up to discuss how the country's defense capabilities should be bolstered in line with its current defense buildup plan. The plan, known as the Defense Buildup Program, allocates 43 trillion yen ($298 billion) over five years through March 2028, aiming for defense spending to reach 2 percent of GDP in fiscal 2027. Japan's annual defense budget had long been capped at around 1 percent of GDP. The program was adopted in December 2022 as part of three key security documents that marked a major shift in defense policy for a country with a pacifist Constitution, including a plan to acquire strike capabilities that could reach an adversary's territory. "It is necessary to make efforts to achieve the 2 percent target ahead of schedule and compile the next defense strategy and the buildup plan," the panel says in the draft proposal. The panel, made up of experts in security, the economy, and science and technology, also calls for the full-fledged introduction of unmanned defense equipment using cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies, the sources said. The government should consider using unmanned aircraft for continuous day-and-night aerial monitoring, the panel says, following a May incident in which a Chinese military helicopter entered Japanese airspace near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are claimed by Beijing. Related coverage: Philippines, Japan conduct joint exercise in South China Sea Japan draws up 100 bil. yen policy to attract foreign researchers Japan conveys strong concern over China jet flying close to SDF plane


Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Building in North Korea's Yongbyon possibly to house new centrifuges
KYODO NEWS - 13 hours ago - 13:34 | World, All A building currently under construction at the Yongbyon nuclear complex in North Korea's northwest is possibly intended to accommodate an advanced type of centrifuge for uranium enrichment, according to a Japanese expert. Yuki Kobayashi, research fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo who is well-versed in nuclear proliferation, recently told Kyodo News he cannot confirm whether the building is a uranium enrichment facility based on satellite images, but Pyongyang is in "desperate need" of such a building for its nuclear program. In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the introduction of new centrifuges, which were in the final stage of development, to boost the country's production of nuclear weapons. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Monday in Vienna that the nuclear watchdog is monitoring the construction of the new structure, which he said has similar features to an existing uranium enrichment plant in Kangson near Pyongyang. Kobayashi said the new building, which would be the third uranium enrichment facility in North Korea along with existing ones in Yongbyon and Kangson, may only accommodate the updated type of centrifuge. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. think tank, has released several satellite images of the suspected new uranium enrichment facility in Yongbyon. Its analysis showed the construction had started in mid-December. The building was externally completed by early June and internal construction continues, according to the think tank. Kim toured a nuclear material production base and the Nuclear Weapons Institute last September and January, the country's state-run media had said without reporting the location of the sites. In an unusual move, the official Korean Central News Agency published pictures in September and January showing arrays of centrifuges at one or more undeclared facilities visited by Kim. In September 2017, North Korea claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb that can be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile, in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. As a miniaturized hydrogen bomb needs both plutonium and highly enriched uranium for detonation, North Korea may be expanding its capacity for uranium enrichment. Related coverage: North Korea says damaged destroyer repaired, relaunched successfully U.S. expert posts satellite image of suspected North Korea nuke facility South Korea's military halts loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea

Nikkei Asia
4 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Israel and Iran hit each other overnight as conflict continues
JERUSALEM/DUBAI (Reuters) -- Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, killing scores and raising fears of a wider conflict, as U.S. President Donald Trump said it could be ended easily while warning Tehran not to strike any U.S. targets. Israeli rescue teams combed through rubble of residential buildings destroyed by Iranian missiles, using sniffer dogs and heavy excavators to look for survivors after at least 10 people, including children, were killed, raising the two-day toll to 13.