Israel says killed over 20 Iranian commanders
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Saturday that its air strikes on Iran had killed more than 20 Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards commanders, including armed forces chief Mohammad Bagheri.
'Since the beginning of the operation (on Friday), over 20 commanders in the Iranian regime's security apparatus have been eliminated,' the military said in a statement, naming several top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the armed forces.
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PM Anwar: Malaysia defends Iran's sovereign rights against Israeli aggression
LUMUT — Malaysia upholds the sovereign rights of all nations, including Iran, which was the victim of a recent Israeli attack, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said Malaysia, as a sovereign nation, must stand with Iran in its act of retaliation against Israel, to defend its rights and national dignity. 'That is why I told my Cabinet colleagues, Malaysia must demonstrate its strength. We are an independent, sovereign nation, and we must stand up for the rights of our friends, including Iran, which has been wronged. We defend Iran's right to retaliate in order to uphold its national dignity,' he said. The Prime Minister said this at the closing ceremony of the Perak MADANI Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025, at Lumut Waterfront, here, today. On Friday, the Israeli military launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting several nuclear and missile facilities, resulting in the deaths of several Iranian military commanders and senior scientists. In retaliation, Iran fired ballistic missiles at multiple locations in Israeli-occupied territory, causing fatalities, injuries, and damage to buildings. According to a report by Iran's Tasnim news agency, cited by Anadolu Ajansi (AA), Israel launched another attack early Sunday morning, targeting the Iran's Defence Ministry headquarters in Tehran. Anwar also commended Iran's resilience in developing its capabilities across various sectors, including the military, despite facing prolonged economic sanctions. 'Iran continues to conduct research and instill discipline among its youth, to pursue knowledge in fields such as artificial intelligence (as several parties) refuse to cooperate… yet Iran has managed to progress,' he said. 'Iran's anti-ballistic missile systems are even capable of reaching Tel Aviv, in retaliation against Israel,' he added. At the same time, Anwar criticised the stance of many European countries, which condemned Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel. 'Many European nations criticised and express outrage against Iran. But when Israel launched its attacks, they remained silent… I do not share that view,' he said. 'Alhamdulillah, the leadership of the MADANI Government continues to uphold the principle of defending the rights and sovereignty of all nations,' he added. — BERNAMA
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Iran does not want conflict with Israel to expand but will defend itself, foreign minister says
DUBAI: Iran does not want its conflict with Israel to expand to neighbouring countries unless the situation is forced, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday, adding its response had been based on self-defence. Araqchi said Tehran had been responding to foreign aggression, and that if this aggression stopped, Iranian reactions would also cease. The foreign minister said the Israeli strikes on the offshore South Pars gas field Iran shares with Qatar were 'a blatant aggression and a very dangerous act'. 'Dragging the conflict to the Persian Gulf is a strategic mistake, and its aim is to drag the war beyond Iranian territory,' he said. The foreign minister accused Israel of seeking to sabotage ongoing Iran-U.S. nuclear talks, which according to him could have opened the way for an agreement. Tehran was set to present a proposal this Sunday during a sixth round of talks, which were cancelled following recent escalations. 'Israel's attack would never have happened without the U.S. green light and support,' Araqchi said, adding Tehran does not believe American statements that Washington had taken no part in recent attacks. 'It is necessary for the United States to condemn Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if they want to prove their goodwill.'
The Star
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Iran does not want conflict with Israel to expand but will defend itself, foreign minister says
DUBAI (Reuters): Iran does not want its conflict with Israel to expand to neighbouring countries unless the situation is forced, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday (June 15), adding its response had been based on self-defence. Araqchi said Tehran had been responding to foreign aggression and that if this aggression stopped, Iranian reactions would also cease. The foreign minister said the Israeli strikes on the offshore South Pars gas field Iran shares with Qatar were "a blatant aggression and a very dangerous act". "Dragging the conflict to the Persian Gulf is a strategic mistake, and its aim is to drag the war beyond Iranian territory," he said. The foreign minister accused Israel of seeking to sabotage ongoing Iran-United States nuclear talks, which according to him could have opened the way for an agreement. Tehran was set to present a proposal this Sunday during a sixth round of talks, which were cancelled following recent escalations. "Israel's attack would never have happened without the US green light and support," Araqchi said, adding Tehran does not believe American statements that Washington had taken no part in recent attacks. "It is necessary for the United States to condemn Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if they want to prove their goodwill." Meanwhile, Israel issued an evacuation warning to Iranians residing near weapons facilities in Iran, an Israeli military spokesperson said in a post on X in Arabic and Farsi. The spokesperson said the evacuation warning includes all weapons factories and supporting facilities. Trump weighs in US President Donald Trump said the conflict could be easily ended while warning Tehran not to strike any US targets. Israeli rescue teams combed through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed in strikes, using flashlights and sniffer dogs to look for survivors after at least 10 people, including children, were killed, authorities said. The Israeli military warned Iranians living near nuclear reactors to evacuate, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks by Israel so far were nothing compared with what Iran would see in the coming days. "If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before," Trump said in a message on Truth Social. "However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict." Trump gave no details of any possible deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Israel's attacks, which began on Friday, were aimed at sabotaging the nuclear talks with the United States. that were to resume in Oman on Sunday. He said Israel's attacks had the support of the United States and that Iran was acting only in self-defence. Israel has said the campaign's goal is to stop Iran from developing atomic weapons and taking out its ballistic missile capabilities. Officials have acknowledged the military strikes were unlikely to fully halt Iran's nuclear programme and voiced hopes they would lead to a comprehensive US-Iran deal. Araqchi has previously said the Oman talks could not take place while Iran was being subjected to Israel's "barbarous" attacks. Iran has said 78 people were killed there on the first day of Israel's campaign, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. The Shahran oil depot in Tehran was targeted in an Israeli attack, Iran said, but added the situation was under control. A fire had erupted after an Israeli attack on an oil refinery near the capital while Israeli strikes also targeted Iran's defence ministry building, causing minor damage, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Sunday. In Israel, the latest wave of Iranian attacks began shortly after 11pm on Saturday (2000 GMT), when air raid sirens blared in Jerusalem and Haifa, sending around a million people into bomb shelters. Around 2.30am local time (2330 GMT Saturday), the Israeli military warned of another incoming missile barrage and urged residents to seek shelter. Explosions echoed through Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as missiles streaked across the skies as interceptor rockets were launched in response. The military lifted its shelter-in-place advisory nearly an hour after issuing the warning. Houthis attack Israel Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday they targeted central Israel's Jaffa with several ballistic missiles in the last 24 hours, the first time an ally of Iran has joined the fray. Tehran has warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Israeli authorities said at least 10 people were killed overnight, including three children, and more than 140 injured by missiles that had hit homes in northern and central Israel. Israeli media said at least 35 people were missing after a strike hit Bat Yam, a city south of Tel Aviv. A spokesperson for the emergency services said a missile hit an 8-storey building there and while many people were rescued, there were fatalities. So far, at least 13 people in Israel have been killed and over 300 others injured since Iran launched its retaliatory attacks on Friday. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, Tasnim news agency said Iran partially suspended production at South Pars, the world's biggest gas field, after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday. The South Pars field, offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province, is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran. Fears about potential disruption to the region's oil exports had already driven up oil prices 9% on Friday even though Israel spared Iran's oil and gas on the first day of its attacks. Share markets in the region opened for the first time since the Israeli strikes, with Tel Aviv stocks down more than 1% and Saudi shares falling 3.6% in early trade. With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and Netanyahu urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. Israel sees Iran's nuclear programme as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists the programme is entirely civilian and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. The UN nuclear watchdog, however, reported Iran this week as violating obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. – Reuters
