Israeli warplanes hammer Iran's capital as retaliatory missile barrages diminish
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israeli warplanes pounded Iran's capital overnight and into Wednesday, hitting a facility used to make uranium centrifuges and another that made missile components, the Israeli military said. It said it intercepted 10 missiles overnight as Iran's retaliatory barrages diminish.
Israel is carrying out blistering attacks on Iran's nuclear program and military sites that began with a surprise bombardment on Friday. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded.
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Toronto Star
26 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
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Toronto Star
32 minutes ago
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The Latest: Iran's supreme leader rejects call to surrender as Israel strikes Tehran
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Addresses were given in the notice for the Razi crossing with Turkey, the Nordooz crossing with Armenia, the Astara crossing with Azerbaijan and the Bajgiran crossing with Turkmenistan. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Egypt's FM holds calls with Iranian counterpart and U.S. envoy Egypt's top diplomat has held calls with both Iran's foreign minister and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, Cairo and Tehran say. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held the calls Tuesday with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff. Abdelatty reportedly stressed 'the necessity of working toward de-escalation in the region and resorting to diplomatic and political solutions that contribute to containing the escalating situation and averting the risk of a widespread conflagration in the Middle East.' 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Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country. Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people being killed and 1,277 others being wounded. Israeli strikes hit Tehran Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran's capital early Wednesday after it issued a warning about a new area it could target. One major explosion could be heard around 5 a.m. local time Wednesday morning, with other explosions booming earlier in the predawn darkness. Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since they began on Friday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The Israelis had warned they could strike a neighborhood south of Mehrabad International Airport. That area includes residential neighborhoods, military installations, pharmaceutical companies and industrial firms. Satellite photos show U.S. Navy ships out of Bahrain dock Satellite images analyzed Wednesday by The Associated Press appear to show that there are no longer any vessels anchored off the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain as the strikes between Israel and Iran continue. The images, taken Tuesday, show the main dock there without any ships against it. Dispersing ships is a common safety technique employed by navies around the world in times of trouble. Meanwhile Tuesday, local media reported that Bahrain conducted a test of its air raid sirens. Iran has threatened to target U.S. military installations in the region, though there's not been any attack so far since the Israeli campaign against Iran began on Friday.
Winnipeg Free Press
33 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fans of Irish band Kneecap surround a London court as a band member faces a terror-related charge
LONDON (AP) — Fans of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap mobbed sidewalks outside a London court Wednesday as a member of the trio faced a terror-related charge in what he says is a politically motivated effort to silence the band's support for Palestinians before its appearance at the Glastonbury Festival. Rapper Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was released on unconditional bail after the hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 20. Chara is charged with one count of supporting a banned terrorist organization after he allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag during a Nov. 21 concert in north London. The case was filed after counterterrorism police were alerted to video of the incident posted online, London's Metropolitan Police Service said. Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court that support for the Palestinians and criticism of Israel were not the reasons for the charge filed against Chara. 'He's well within his rights to voice his opinions and solidarity, as is anybody else,'' Bisgrove said. 'The allegation in this case is a wholly different thing and deals with a video recording showing that, in November of last year, Mr. O hAnnaidh wore and displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization, while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah.''' Kneecap, which raps about drugs, working-class life and the reunification of Ireland, has supported the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. The band has been the center of controversy in Britain since last year, when the previous government sought to block an arts grant for the band, citing its anti-British politics. That decision was overturned after the Labour Party won last year's parliamentary election and Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office. The trio is scheduled to perform at Glastonbury on Saturday, alongside performers including Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo. The internationally watched music festival is a five-day event that attracts about 200,000 people to a farm outside the small town in western England every summer. As they entered the courthouse, the members of Kneecap, all of whom hail from Northern Ireland, gave the thumbs up sign to hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside waving signs reading: 'Free Mo Chara' and 'Defend Kneecap.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Before the hearing, the band posted billboards around London bearing the slogan 'More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara.' The message echoes the signs landlords placed in the windows of some London boarding houses in the 1950s, stating 'No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish.' 'British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with 'terrorism' for crimes never committed,' Kneecap said in a statement posted on social media. 'We will fight them. We will win.'
