While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 15, 2025
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 15, 2025
Israel and Iran strike at each other in new wave of attacks
Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other late on June 14, stoking fears of a wider conflict after Israel expanded its surprise campaign against its main rival with a strike on the world's biggest gas field.
Tehran called off nuclear talks that Washington had said were the only way to halt Israel's bombing, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were nothing compared with what Iran would see in the coming days.
Israel's military said on June 14 that more missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel, and it was working to intercept them. It also said it was attacking military targets in Tehran.
Several projectiles were visible in the night sky over Jerusalem late on June 14.
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Suspect hunted in deadly shooting of US lawmakers
A gunman posing as a police officer killed a senior Democratic state assemblywoman and her husband on June 14 in an apparent 'politically motivated assassination,' and wounded a second lawmaker and his spouse, said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and law enforcement officials.
A major search backed by the FBI was under way for the suspect, who fled on foot after firing at police and abandoning a vehicle in which officers found a 'manifesto' and a list of other legislators and officials, law enforcement officials said.
The list had about 70 names, reported CNN law enforcement analyst John Miller, a former head of FBI public affairs and former chief of intelligence and counterterrorism for the New York Police Department, citing law enforcement sources.
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Ukraine warns against drop in aid due to Israel-Iran
Ukraine said on June 14 it hoped the military escalation between Israel and Iran would not lead to a drop in aid to Kyiv, at a time when European support is stalling without US engagement.
Israel unleashed large-scale attacks on Iran on June 13, targeting nuclear and military facilities, high-ranking generals and atomic scientists. Iran, in turn, launched barrages of drones and missiles at Israel.
The escalation sparked international calls for restraint as fears of broader conflict grow. In Kyiv it also sparked anxiety about future supplies of military aid, fearing Washington might relocate more resources to beef up the defence of its close ally Israel.
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Air India plane crash orphans sisters, as father dies
Two young British girls were left orphaned by the Air India plane crash, after their father travelled to the south Asian country to scatter his wife's ashes.
Mr Arjun Patoliya was travelling home to his daughters, aged four and eight, after scattering the ashes of his wife Bharti, who had died just weeks earlier, when the plane crashed on June 12.
'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans,' said Ms Anjana Patel, the mayor of London's Harrow borough, at a multi-faith vigil for those killed in the June 12 plane crash.
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Rory McIlroy on snubbing media: 'I've earned the right'
Rory McIlroy, who has come under fire for avoiding media after six consecutive major championship rounds, ended that silent run on June 14 at the US Open where he said he felt he earned the right to do as he pleases.
PGA Tour players are not obligated to speak to the media after their rounds but for someone like world number two McIlroy, who has been the de facto spokesman of the US-based circuit in recent years, it has come to be expected.
Following a four-over 74 that left well out of contention at Oakmont Country Club, McIlroy spoke to reporters and was asked if his drop in form since winning the Masters was why he decided to avoid the media outside of pre-tournament availabilities.
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Straits Times
10 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader, US officials say
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, on the day of his 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei looks on, in a televised message following the Israeli strikes in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday. "Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," said one of the sources, a senior U.S. administration official. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top U.S. officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program. They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan. The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When asked about Reuters report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel's "Special Report With Bret Baier," said: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that." "But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," Netanyahu said. Trump has been holding out hope for a resumption of U.S.-Iranian negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Talks that had been scheduled for Sunday in Oman were canceled as a result of the strikes. Trump told Reuters on Friday that "we knew everything" about the Israeli strikes. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump tells ABC ‘it's possible' US gets involved in Iran-Israel conflict
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after walking off Air Force One on June 10, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. PHOTO: AFP Trump tells ABC 'it's possible' US gets involved in Iran-Israel conflict WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump told a news network June 15 the United States could become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict, and that he would be 'open' to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator. The Republican president, according to ABC News, also said talks over Iran's nuclear programme were continuing and that Tehran would 'like to make a deal,' perhaps more quickly now that the Islamic republic is trading massive strikes with Israel. 'It's possible we could get involved' in the ongoing battle between the Middle East arch-foes, Mr Trump said in an off-camera interview with ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott that was not previously publicised. He stressed that the United States is 'not at this moment' involved in the military action. As for Mr Putin being a potential mediator in the conflict: 'He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,' Mr Trump said. Israel and Iran traded heavy aerial assaults for a third straight day June 15, with casualties mounting following Israel's large-scale attacks aimed at crippling Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure, sparking retaliation. Oman, which has acted as a mediator on the nuclear issue, has said a sixth round of talks between Iran and the United States planned for this weekend had been cancelled. But Mr Trump said the two sides were continuing discussions. 'No, there's no deadline' on negotiations, he told ABC when asked whether there was a time limit for Tehran to come to the table. 'But they are talking. They'd like to make a deal. They're talking. They continue to talk,' Mr Trump said, according to Ms Scott. Mr Trump suggested that something like the clash between Israel and Iran 'had' to happen to spur talks on a nuclear agreement. It 'may have forced a deal to go quicker, actually,' Mr Trump said. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Israel's strikes on Iran were years in the making: Analysts
Fire of Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot is seen following the Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, on June 15. PHOTO: REUTERS Israel's strikes on Iran were years in the making: Analysts PARIS - Israel's unprecedented strikes on Iran, which have killed top military leaders and nuclear scientists, required years of meticulous intelligence gathering and infiltration, experts say. Israel said it hit hundreds of targets on June 13 alone, and has since continued its attacks, striking a defence facility and fuel depots on June 15 . The fiercest-ever exchange of fire between the arch foes came in the midst of ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington seeking to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear programme. 'Israel has been following the nuclear programme for 15 years,' Israeli analyst Michael Horowitz told AFP. 'The strikes we see are the result of years of intelligence gathering and infiltration of the Islamic republic.' Israel has previously carried out more limited attacks against Iranian military sites, including in October 2024. 'It seems that this week's operation had been in preparation for months, with an acceleration after the operation last year significantly weakened Iranian air defences,' Mr Horowitz said. The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon. Tehran denies that, but has gradually broken away from its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers, which the United States withdrew from during President Donald Trump's first term. The landmark accord had provided Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme. 'Impressive' precision Israel is long believed to have carried out sabotage operations inside Iran through its Mossad espionage agency, but the attacks that started on June 13 are by far the broadest in scope. The campaign has shown Israel to be capable of precisely locating and taking out high-ranking Iranian officials and nuclear scientists. A European security source said the strikes showed 'an impressive degree of precision and mastery'. Israel says it has killed 20 military and security targets, including the armed forces' chief of staff and the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as well as nine nuclear scientists. Mr Danny Citrinowicz, of the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said the ability to take out high-ranking officials showed 'intelligence, but also operational superiority of Israel over Iran'. 'It's highly connected to the ability to collect information, intelligence in Iran for years, excellent intelligence that actually allows you to detect where they're living, the seniors, also the nuclear scientists,' he told AFP. The latest targeted strikes come after Israel killed Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, in a Tehran guesthouse in July 2024 . Haniyeh had been in town for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and was reportedly killed by an explosive device that Israeli operatives had placed in the guesthouse weeks before. Analysts at the time saw the attack as a major intelligence failure by Iran. But 'still Iran didn't learn and didn't have the ability to lock the holes in their system', said Mr Citrinowicz. Smuggled drone News site Axios reported that Mossad agents inside Iran helped prepare the J une 13 strikes, pre-positioning weapon systems near air defence targets, including by hiding them inside vehicles, and launching them when the attack started. An Israeli intelligence official told Axios that Mossad had 'established an attack drone base inside Iran with drones that were smuggled in long before the operation'. A former Israeli intelligence official told The Atlantic that 'Iranians opposed to the regime make for a ready recruiting pool', and that 'Iranians working for Israel were involved in efforts to build a drone base inside the country'. Mr Alain Chouet, the former number three in the French intelligence, said he was convinced Israel had 'half a dozen cells capable of acting at any moment' inside Iran. Iran regularly executes people it accuses of spying for Israel. It is unclear what role, if any, Israel's key military and diplomatic ally the United States had in the latest strikes. Before the attack early on June 13 , Mr Trump publicly urged Israel to allow time for diplomacy, as a sixth round of US-Iranian nuclear talks were set to be held in Oman at the weekend. The US president on June 15 said Washington 'had nothing to do' with ally Israel's campaign. But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on June 15 said Tehran had 'solid proof of the support of the American forces and American bases in the region' for the attacks. And Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 14 his country was acting with 'the clear support of the president of the United States'. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
