Israeli Air Force attacks regime assets across Iran with 'unprecedented force'
The Israeli Air Force struck key regime targets across Tehran on Monday, including a headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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The IAF attacks on Iranian 'regime targets and governmental repression bodies' also targeted the headquarters of the Basij militia, the notorious Evin Prison for political prisoners, the clock that counts down to the 'destruction of Israel' in Palestine Square, as well as an 'ideology headquarters,' Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
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'Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate, struck command centres and assets belonging to the Internal Security Forces and the IRGC in Tehran, Iran,' the Israel Defense Forces said.
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'As part of the strike, the headquarters of the Basij was targeted. The Basij is one of the IRGC's central armed bases of power. Alongside its other functions, it is also responsible for enforcing Islamic law and reporting civilians who violate it to the regime authorities,' the military's statement continued.
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The targeted command centres are 'significant, both militarily and politically, and striking them harms the Iranian regime's military capabilities,' it added.
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Israeli officials told Ynet that Jerusalem's security establishment believes that hundreds of IRGC members were killed in the latest wave of strikes.
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Another attack targeted access roads to the Fordow uranium enrichment plant in central Iran, one of the three facilities U.S. President Donald Trump has said were 'completely and totally obliterated' in airstrikes on Saturday.
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Israeli officials said the IDF strikes on Monday also targeted a vehicle and Iranian soldiers seeking to approach one of the entrances to the enrichment plant.
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Earlier on Monday, the IAF targeted six airports across western, eastern and central Iran. The strikes focused on runways, underground hangars, a refuelling aircraft and several Iranian regime warplanes, including F-14 and F-5 fighter jets and AH-1 attack helicopters.
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According to the IDF, the destroyed aircraft were intended for use against Israeli Air Force jets to hinder future strikes within Iranian territory. The attacks significantly disrupted takeoff capabilities at the targeted airports and degraded the Iranian military's ability to operate its air force from those locations.
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Katz said on Monday morning that the IDF was striking Iran with 'unprecedented force,' including regime targets and 'government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.'
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'For every (missile) fired at Israel, the Iranian dictator will be severely punished, and the strikes will proceed with full intensity,' said Katz. 'We will continue to act to defend the home front and defeat the enemy until all war objectives are achieved.'
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CTV News
12 minutes ago
- CTV News
Europe scrambles to revive diplomacy after the U.S. strikes Iran's nuclear sites
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, center, speaks with from left, Malta's Foreign Minister Ian Borg, Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, Slovakia's Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar and Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno during a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) LONDON — European nations worked to keep diplomatic efforts to curb the Israel-Iran war alive as the two countries traded strikes following the United States' weekend attack on Iran's nuclear program, followed by a retaliatory Iranian missile strike Monday on a U.S. base in Qatar. Calls for Tehran to enter talks with Washington appeared to fall on deaf ears as it reached out to ally Russia for support instead. The crisis topped the agenda for European Union foreign ministers meeting Monday in Brussels, where diplomats agonized about the potential for Iranian retaliation to spark a wider war and global economic instability. Iran launched missile attacks Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar. Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base, and said it successfully intercepted the short and medium-range ballistic missiles. Before that attack, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said 'the concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge.' Kallas said any attempt by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global shipping, would be 'extremely dangerous and not good for anybody.' Europe seeks more talks Along with the EU, the 'E3' of Britain, France and Germany have led efforts to find a diplomatic solution, holding a tense seven-hour meeting in Geneva on Friday with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. A day after those talks ended with a vague promise to 'meet again in the future,' U.S. bombers struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites. No further E3 talks with Iran are currently planned, a European diplomatic official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations. Still, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Iran to meet the E3 again, and to open negotiations with the United States. Planned U.S.-Iran talks in Oman were scuttled after Israel began attacking Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13. Iran has since ruled out negotiating while it is under attack. 'Take the off-ramp, dial this thing down and negotiate with the United States immediately and seriously,' said Lammy, who spoke to both Araghchi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Europe had a role to play, but that 'a real precondition for a settlement to the conflict is that Iran be ready to negotiate directly with the U.S.' Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels that he was proposing a meeting between the United States and Iran in Rome. Iran's envoy visits Russia It was Moscow that Iran reached out to Monday, though, sending Araghchi to meet President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Putin condemned the United States' 'unprovoked aggression' against Iran and said Russia would help the Iranian people. Putin said he saw the visit as a chance to explore 'how we can get out of today's situation.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had offered to mediate. European diplomatic efforts were complicated by a lack of foreknowledge of the Trump administration's moves. Some countries had no advance notice of the strikes. Britain was notified, but only shortly before bombs fell. 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Amid alarm at the potential for a wider war and calls for de-escalation, some American allies expressed relief that Iran's nuclear program had been set back. 'We can't pretend that the prevention of Iran getting nuclear weapons isn't a good thing for this country. But we're prioritizing diplomacy as the way forward,' said Tom Wells, a spokesman for British leader Starmer. 'The prime minister's priority is getting parties back around the table to negotiate a lasting settlement.' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country is a particularly staunch ally of Israel, said he saw 'no reason to criticize what Israel began a week ago, and also no reason to criticize what America did last weekend.' He acknowledged 'it is not without risk, but leaving things the way they were was also not an option.' Merz said he was 'somewhat optimistic' that the conflict would not widen. He said Iran's response so far has been far short 'of what we had to fear,' and that Iran's regional proxies had shown 'relatively little' reaction so far. But he cautioned that 'it doesn't have to stay that way.' By Jill Lawless And Ella Joyner. Joyner reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Elise Morton in London, Lorne Cook and Sam McNeil in Brussels, John Leicester in Paris, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed.
Winnipeg Free Press
15 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
As Trump floats regime change in Iran, past US attempts to remake the Middle East may offer warnings
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Iran launches missile attacks on U.S. base in Qatar in retaliation for American bombing
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A Defence Department official is confirming a missile attack from Iran on a U.S. military base in Qatar but says no casualties have been reported. The official said Monday that Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. The U.S. is continuing to monitor the situation, said the official. The confirmation came soon after Iran acknowledged the missile attacks, saying the attack in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites over the weekend, signaling its likely desire to de-escalate. Iran launched attacks Monday, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites and escalating tensions in the volatile region. Shortly after the attack, the Gulf nation of Bahrain that is home to the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters temporarily suspended flights in its airspace, which is similar to what Qatar did shortly before it was hit. Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base attack, but said it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported. It said its airspace is now safe. Iran said the attack in Qatar matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites over the weekend, signalling its likely desire to de-escalate. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas. Iran announced the attack on state television as martial music played. A caption on screen called it 'a mighty and successful response' to 'America's aggression.' The Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq was also targeted, an Iraqi security official who was not authorized to comment publicly told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. But Iran did not claim credit for that attack, which could have been carried out by militias. It was not immediately clear if there was damage to the Iraq base or any injuries. Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the attack by Iran's Revolutionary Guards was 'a flagrant violation of Qatar's sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.' Al Udeid is also home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest expeditionary wing in the world. The retaliation came a day after the U.S. launched a surprise attack Sunday morning on three of Iran's nuclear sites. Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: 'We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.' Israel expands war to include symbolic targets Earlier in the day, Israel expanded its war against Iran to include targets associated with the country's struggling theocracy, striking the gate of a Tehran prison notorious for holding political activists and hitting the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests. As plumes of thick smoke rose over Tehran, Israel was attacked with yet another barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The persistent fire has become a reality for civilians in both countries since Israel started the war to target Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. On the 11th day of the conflict, Israel said it attacked 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,' but Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Israeli military warned Iranians that it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran over 'the coming days' as its focuses has shifted to symbolic targets as well. The military issued the warning on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world as an internet shutdown has crippled the country. The latest strikes unfolded only hours after U.S. President Donald Trump openly raised the possibility himself after just a day earlier inserting America into the war with its unprecedented stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. 'If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as 'simply raising a question.' However, suggestions of overthrowing the Iranian government drew new anger from Tehran, which insists it will not negotiate at this time and is threatening to retaliate directly against either American troops or interests in a Mideast already inflamed by the still-raging Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Tehran strikes open new chapter of war In the Tehran strikes, Israel blew open a gate at Evin prison. Iranian state television shared black-and-white surveillance footage of the strike at the facility known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners run by the paramilitary, all-volunteer Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Iran or significant damage, though the semiofficial Tasnim news agency said there had been a power cut reported outside of Tehran following the Israeli strikes. Iranian state television also aired footage it described as being shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control inside the facility. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran expressed worry about the condition of prisoners there. 'Many families of current detainees have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones held inside the prison,' it said. Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington that its strikes had given Iranian forces a 'free hand ' to 'act against U.S. interests and its army.' Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran's Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday's attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate. 'The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,' Israel's Defence Ministry said. According to an Israeli official familiar with the government's strategy, Israel is targeting these sites to put pressure on the Iranian administration but is not actively seeking to topple it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations. Nuclear fears mount after U.S. strikes In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. With the strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel's war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed 'a very big red line' with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the agency's board of governors Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed him on June 13 that Iran would 'adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.' 'I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,' Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded. Iran presses on attacking Israel Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as a new wave of its 'Operation True Promise 3,' saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defence systems in action, and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Masha Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel. Calls for de-escalation The U.S. described its attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear site, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear program, but Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates. Mousavi described the American attacks as violating Iran's sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Russia is one of Iran's closest allies and on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said after meeting in Moscow with Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, that they had explored 'how we can get out of today's situation.' Putin called the Israeli and American attacks on Iran an 'absolutely unprovoked aggression.' Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent - a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent - and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. By David Rising, Jon Gambrell And Melanie Lidman Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Elise Morton in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
