Iran fires cluster bombs at Israel as conflict enters 8th day: Death toll mounts, no diplomatic breakthrough
Iran launched a missile carrying cluster submunitions into central Israel on Thursday, in what Israeli officials say marks the first use of such weapons in the eight-days at war. The Iranian missile reportedly scattered dozens of bomblets over civilian areas to maximise the chance of damage inflicted on the enemy side.
"Today, the Iranian Armed Forces fired a missile that contained cluster submunitions at a densely populated civilian area in Israel," the Israeli embassy in Washington said in a statement to Reuters.
The attack came amid a fresh wave of missile exchanges between Iran and Israel on Friday. According to Israeli media reports, the missile's warhead detonated at an altitude of around 7 kilometers, releasing approximately 20 submunitions over a radius of 8 kilometers in central Israel. Iranian officials have not commented on the allegations. Follow Israel Iran war live.
Israeli authorities said on Thursday that the body of a woman was recovered from a building hit by an Iranian missile four days earlier, raising Israel's death toll to 25 since the war began, according to AFP.
Iran, meanwhile, has reported at least 224 deaths from Israeli strikes as of Sunday. The killed individuals include top military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians. However, Tehran has not given an updates figure since.
European diplomats convened in Geneva with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday in a last-ditch effort to prevent further escalation. Foreign ministers from France, Germany, the UK, and the EU urged restraint and diplomacy.
British foreign secretary David Lammy emphasised the urgency, saying the coming two weeks represent 'a window... to achieve a diplomatic solution.'
The UN Security Council is also expected to hold a second emergency session on the conflict, following a request from Iran backed by Russia, China, and Pakistan, diplomats confirmed.
Back in Washington, President Donald Trump, said he would decide 'within the next two weeks' whether to back Israeli military action.
'There is still a substantial chance of a negotiated end to this,' Trump was quoted by AFP, as saying. The Wall Street Journal reported that while he has approved strike plans, he is waiting to see whether Iran shows willingness to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Meanwhile, Russia warned that any American involvement 'would be an extremely dangerous step.' Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq also threatened retaliation.
Satellite imagery on Thursday revealed that several US military aircraft had been relocated from a base in Qatar.
Iran, still reeling from last week's loss of senior officials, has appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards' intelligence division, the state-run IRNA reported on Thursday.
He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike that also claimed the lives of commanders Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay a 'heavy price' after Iran's missile barrage hit Soroka Hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
The 1000-bed hospital's director Shlomi Codish said 40 people were injured, and the facility was left in flames.
However, Tehran claimed the hospital was not the intended target; instead, it said the nearby military and intelligence base was the primary objective.
This came as the Israeli military announced overnight strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, including an 'inactive nuclear reactor' in Arak and the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. A military spokesperson said the operation aimed to 'prevent the reactor from being restored.'
(With AFP, Reuters, AP inputs)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Israel-Iran conflict: Day after Israeli attack, nuclear watchdog confirms damages to key under-construction reactor near Tehran
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IEAE) has confirmed that Israel's strikes on Friday resulted in damages to key buildings at the partially constructed Khondab (formerly known as Arak) Heavy Water Production Plant including its distillation unit. The nuclear watchdog's statement comes a day after the global body said no damages were 'initially visible'. 'While damage to the nearby Heavy Water Production Plant was initially not visible, it is now assessed that key buildings at the facility were damaged, including the distillation unit,' the IEAE's latest statement on 'Updates on developments in Iran' said. No damage has been observed at Iran's other nuclear sites so far, it added. No radiological consequence was expected, IEAE's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. This has been attributed to the reactor not being operational and not containing any nuclear material. 'There is a lot of nuclear material in Iran in different places, which means that the potential for a radiological accident with the dispersion in the atmosphere of radioactive materials and particles does exist,' he added, stressing on the possible nuclear safety risks. IAEA, in its statement, also sought to receive timely and regular technical information about the nuclear facilities and their respective sites in the country. 'This information is needed to promptly inform the international community and ensure an effective response and assistance to any emergency situation in Iran,' Director General Grossi said. He added that the agency was also in constant contact with other countries in the region amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The Khondab reactor was hit on Thursday (June 19) as the both Israel and Iran continued to trade strikes on the seventh day of the conflict. The Israeli strikea also damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water. Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make an atom bomb. So far, Israel has announced that its attacks have hit prominent Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. With AP inputs
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
UP has become land of expressways from bimaru state: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
UP has become land of expressways from bimaru state: UP CM Yogi Adityanath (Image: ANI) AZAMGARH: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the state government on Friday and said that it is working towards fulfilling the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' by the year 2046. CM yogi asserted that Uttar Pradesh has changed its reputation and has become a state of "expressways" from a "bimaru" state. CM Yogi inaugurated the 91.35 km long Gorakhpur Link Expressway in Azamgarh on Friday, connecting several districts to Gorakhpur including Azamgarh He recalled the time when people were afraid of the name of Azamgarh but expressed his happiness that it has joined the path of "development" "The double engine government of the BJP is working to fulfil the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047... Uttar Pradesh has now made its reputation as a state with expressways from a 'bimaru' state.. Eight years ago, people were afraid to take the name of Azamgarh, UP.. Azamgarh has now joined the path of development... Purvanchal Expressway was inaugurated by PM Modi in 2021", CM Yogi said Critising the previous state government, CM Yogi Adityanath said that the work of the Agra-Lucknow Expressway was half done but during his tenure projects related to six expressways in the state have been completed. "The work on the Agra Lucknow expressway was half done. Today I am happy to tell you that we have completed six projects. You are witnessing the journey of the Purvanchal Expressway. We are continuously building it 300 km long. The 340km long Purvanchal Expressway has already been completed and its connectivity to Patna is about to be completed. Now remember how easy the connectivity from Patna to Lucknow and Lucknow to Delhi will become" CM Yogi said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo He stated that the 340 km- long Purvanchal Expressway is about to extend its connectivity to Patna. He called freedom fighters Veer Kumar Singh and said that if the Purvanchal Expressway had been built in 1857, India would have become independent at that time. "When Veer Kunwar Singh, the hero of the first war of independence in 1857, fought the British till Azamgarh to defeat them, there was no connectivity. If this Purvanchal expressway had been there at that time, the people of Azamgarh would have beaten the British along with Veer Kunwar Singh and then this country would have become independent in 1857 itself. There was no connectivity at that time", he added Hailing Dinesh lal Yadav Nirahua, during his tenure as the MP of Azamgarh, CM Yogi stated that when he was sent to the parliament, a music college in Hariharpur was approved. He attacked the opposition and asserted that people who made Azamgarh a "stronghold" of terror didn't have enough time to honour the black pottery, sarees and music of the district. "He was sent to the country's parliament, and as soon as Dinesh Lal Yadav became an MP, a gharana of this music college in Hariharpur. Just think, in Hariharpur a gharana of this music needed recognition. the Kayan Badal dance was performed by all the MLAs here together, but those who had made Azamgarh a stronghold of terror could not find them. They did not have enough time to honour black pottery, to honour the sarees of Azamgarh, to honour the music department of Hariharpur village, to give a university to Azamgarh, to connect Azamgarh with air connectivity", CM Yogi added.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Europe's lithium quest hampered by China and lack of cash
Europe's ambition to be a world player in decarbonised transportation arguably depends on sourcing lithium abroad, especially in South America. Even the bloc's broader energy security and climate goals could depend on securing a steady supply of the key mineral, used in batteries and other clean energy supply chains. But Europe has run into a trio of obstacles: lack of money, double-edged regulations and competition from China, analysts told AFP. China has a major head start. It currently produces more than three-quarters of batteries sold worldwide, refines 70 percent of raw lithium and is the world's third-largest extractor behind Australia and Chile, according to 2024 data from the United States Geological Survey. To gain a foothold, Europe has developed a regulatory framework that emphasises environmental preservation, quality job creation and cooperation with local communities. It has also signed bilateral agreements with about 15 countries, including Chile and Argentina, the world's fifth-largest lithium producer. But too often it fails to deliver when it comes to investment, say experts. "I see a lot of memoranda of understanding, but there is a lack of action," Julia Poliscanova, director of electric vehicles at the Transport and Environment (T&E) think tank, told AFP. "More than once, on the day that we signed another MoU, the Chinese were buying an entire mine in the same country." The investment gap is huge: China spent $6 billion on lithium projects abroad from 2020 to 2023, while Europe barely coughed up a billion dollars over the same period, according to data compiled by T&E. Lagging investment At the same time, the bottleneck in supply has tightened: last year saw a 30 percent increase in global demand for lithium, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). "To secure the supply of raw materials, China is actively investing in mines abroad through state-owned companies with political support from the government," the IEA noted. China's Belt and Road Initiative funnelled $21.4 billion into mining beyond its shores in 2024, according to the report. Europe, meanwhile, is "lagging behind in investment levels in these areas", said Sebastian Galarza, founder of the Centre for Sustainable Mobility in Santiago, Chile. "The lack of a clear path for developing Europe's battery and mining industries means that gap will be filled by other actors." In Africa, for example, Chinese demand has propelled Zimbabwe to become the fourth-largest lithium producer in the world. "The Chinese let their money do the talking," said Theo Acheampong, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. By 2035, all new cars and vans sold in the European Union must produce zero carbon emissions, and EU leaders and industry would like as much as possible of that market share to be sourced locally. Last year, just over 20 percent of new vehicles sold in the bloc were electric. "Currently, only four percent of Chile's lithium goes to Europe," noted Stefan Debruyne, director of external affairs at Chilean private mining company SQM. "The EU has every opportunity to increase its share of the battery industry." Shifting supply chains But Europe's plans to build dozens of battery factories have been hampered by fluctuating consumer demand and competition from Japan (Panasonic), South Korea (LG Energy Solution, Samsung) and, above all, China (CATL, BYD). The key to locking down long-term lithium supply is closer ties in the so-called "lithium triangle" formed by Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, which account for nearly half of the world's reserves, analysts say. To encourage cooperation with these countries, European actors have proposed development pathways that would help establish electric battery production in Latin America. Draft EU regulations would allow Latin America to "reconcile local development with the export of these raw materials, and not fall into a purely extractive cycle", said Juan Vazquez, deputy head for Latin America and the Caribbean at the OECD Development Centre. But it is still unclear whether helping exporting countries develop complete supply chains makes economic sense, or will ultimately tilt in Europe's favour. "What interest do you have as a company in setting up in Chile to produce cathodes, batteries or more sophisticated materials if you don't have a local or regional market to supply?" said Galarza. "Why not just take the lithium, refine it and do everything in China and send the battery back to us?" Pointing to the automotive tradition in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, Galarza suggested an answer. "We must push quickly towards the electrification of transport in the region so we can share in the benefits of the energy transition," he argued. But the road ahead looks long. Electric vehicles were only two percent of new car sales in Mexico and Chile last year, six percent in Brazil and seven percent in Colombia, according to the IEA. The small nation of Costa Rica stood out as the only nation in the region where EVs hit double digits, at 15 percent of new car sales.
