
Israel-Iran live: Trump lashes out at Iran and Israel in X-rated rant
Israeli forces have killed at least 40 people in Gaza since the Iran-Israel ceasefire was agreed, according to local medics and residents.
Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire as thousands of Palestinians amassed near a food distribution centre in Gaza that is supported by Israel and the US.
At least 19 people were killed, according to a local hospital and Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel's military said that a gathering overnight was identified adjacent to forces operating in Gaza's central Netzarim Corridor, and it was reviewing reports of casualties.
The aid centre says there has been no incident near their site, which, they say, is located several kilometres away from the Netzarim Corridor.
10 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, while 11 were killed by Israeli gunfire in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to medics.
Israel says militants use built-up residential areas for operating cover.
Hamas denies this.
Iran won't violate ceasefire - unless Israel does, says president
Iranian leader Masoud Pezeshkian has been quoted by state-run media.
According to Nour News, he's said Tehran is "ready to discuss and defend the rights of the Iranian people" at the negotiating table.
"Iran will not violate the ceasefire unless the Zionist regime does so," he added.
Starmer insists the ceasefire 'must hold'
Sir Keir Starmer says the ceasefire "must hold".
"This is an opportunity to secure much-needed stability in the Middle East," he posted on X, as he attends a two-day NATO summit in the Netherlands.
He reiterated his stance that Iran "must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon" and said the country must now "return to the table and work towards a lasting settlement".
"That's the message that I'm discussing with other leaders at NATO today," he wrote.
Trump says it was an 'honour' to 'destroy' nuclear capability
Donald Trump has again posted on his social media site, Truth Social.
While he's on his way to the NATO summit at The Hague, he's had some more to say on the Iran-Israel conflict.
"Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally," he wrote.
"It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!"
Second British evacuation flight leaves Israel
The Foreign Office says another flight evacuating British citizens from Israel has left Tel Aviv.
It follows the first evacuation flight - an RAF jet to Cyprus - yesterday.
More flights will be considered depending on demand.
The Ministry of Defence also released pictures from the first evacuation flight out of Israel, which left Tel Aviv yesterday.
In pictures: Apparent remains of ballistic missile in northern Israel
Analysis: Considerable fear in Iraq that moves to peace could unravel
By Stuart Ramsay, chief correspondent
Iraqi militia closely allied with Iran are being blamed for a series of drone attacks on military bases in the country overnight.
Amongst the bases targeted was the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq's western Anbar province, where the Americans have a presence, although now a major base for Iraqi military as well.
Ain al-Asad was the second biggest base in Iraq after the second Gulf War, a base I have visited many times with American forces.
It is still home to 1500 US personnel.
An Iraqi military spokesperson confirmed that all the bases attacked were in the control of their military rather than American units, and that the drones caused significant damage to radar systems at the several of the bases.
The potential for Shia Muslim militias to act independently of the Iraqi government has been a cause of concern here throughout this recent crisis.
Militia contacts had been warning Sky News that they would respond if the US joined Israel's war with Iran, and this seems to be their response.
While there was damage to the bases, no Iraqi or US service personnel were injured in the drone attacks.
In a series of press conferences and interviews in the past few days, senior Trump administration officials have made it clear that forces working as proxies for Tehran would be targeted and dealt with in the same way as Iran if American interests and people were attacked.
While overnight developments that saw the announcement of what is looking like an increasingly shaky ceasefire brought some relief here in Iraq, there remains considerable fear here that moves to peace could unravel.
Chinese minister says he supports Iran's commitment to national sovereignty
China's foreign minister has told his Iranian counterpart that he supports Iran's commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty and security.
In a phone call with Iran's Abbas Araqchi, Wang Yi said he hope a "real ceasefire" can be achieved on that basis, according to a statement from the Chinese ministry.
He is also in contact with Israel and has spoken to his counterpart in Turkey as well.
Trump posts screenshot of gushing message from NATO chief
Donald Trump has posted what appears to be a text conversation between himself and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.
"Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action on Iran," reads the effusive screenshot posted by Trump on Truth Social.
"That was truly extraordinary and something no one else dared to do."
The long message, full of praise for the president, says he has "made us all safer" and congratulates him for pushing NATO countries to up their defence commitments to 5% of GDP by 2035.
"Donald, you have driven us to a really really important moment for America and Europe, and the world," reads the screenshot.
"Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win."
Read the message posted by Trump in full below:
Revealed: Israeli jets hovered ominously over Iran until Trump intervened
Exclusive by lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim
Dozens of Israeli warplanes hovered ominously over Iranian airspace this morning, poised to retaliate against multiple salvos of Iranian ballistic missiles launched against Israel in the early hours of the morning.
Those missiles violated the just-established ceasefire in the eyes of Israeli officials and they were ready to respond.
This show of military force was abruptly stopped by a phone call from US President Donald Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to sources, Trump demanded Netanyahu halt the operation, fearing that it would unravel the ceasefire and pitch the Middle East back into conflict.
Following the call between the two leaders, the Israeli aircraft were ordered to return to base.
A single fighter jet executed a solitary airstrike, dropping a bomb on a site deemed symbolic rather than strategic.
This act was interpreted as a final calibrated demonstration of Israel's military readiness without reigniting the war.
As tensions simmer, the world watches closely, aware that the precarious situation could still change in the blink of an eye.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Trump who famously evaded the draft during Vietnam describes himself as a war hero: ‘‘I guess I am too'
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Throughout the interview, Trump complained he had not received sufficient credit for ordering those air strikes or other recent actions he has taken aimed at easing global conflict. For his part, Netanyahu has previously called Trump 'the greatest friend Israel has ever had,' and in July presented him with a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Shortly after the interview aired, CNN host Erin Burnett played the clip to former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Trump nemesis who served on the January 6 House Select Committee. Kinzinger, a former Air National Guard officer who flew missions over Iraq and Afghanistan, commented: 'I mean, look, this is just nuts. This is nuts. And they're going to find, his people are going to find, a way to justify this.' He continued: 'Listen, when they were putting out something honoring the Army's 250th anniversary, they put out a picture of Donald Trump in his military academy uniform, which has nothing to do with the military except they drill you. This is nuts. He's not a war hero.' Kinzinger added, referencing the president's role in nascent peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine: 'You can like what he's done. That's fine. I hope he gets a resolution in Ukraine. But to put himself on the same level of people that have actually gone out and served this country, not claimed bone spurs, is an offense to anybody who served.' The former congressman also noted that it would be inappropriate for anyone who had actually served to call themself a war hero. Burnett, agreeing that the administration will likely find a way to justify the comment, also noted: 'You're also right about something really important, which is the humility that defines a war hero, right? The humility of the fact that someone who's a war hero would never call themselves that.' Trump's most infamous comments about war heroes in the past included denying that the late Senator John McCain was a war hero because he had been captured and held as a prisoner of war. The president made those remarks while campaigning for the Republican nomination in 2015, caused a storm of protest at the time. During an interview in Iowa, the presenter said McCain was a 'war hero,' to which Trump replied: 'He's not a hero... He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you that.' McCain, a former Navy pilot, spent five and a half years in a notorious Vietnamese prison known as the 'Hanoi Hilton,' where he was repeatedly tortured and spent years in solitary confinement. Trump avoided serving in Vietnam with four college deferrals and one for having 'bone spurs,' a foot problem. 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Trump has repeatedly denied ever making the statement, calling the alleged comments 'disinformation' reported by the 'fake news.' During his second administration's radical attempts to downsize the federal government, the Department of Veterans Affairs was forced into backing down from its plans to cut 83,000 jobs after a public outcry. The department has moved to reassure veterans that it has 'multiple safeguards in place to ensure these staff reductions do not impact veteran care or benefits.' While VA Secretary Doug Collins had insisted the much bigger reduction in the workforce was tough but necessary, veterans' advocacy groups warned that it would have devastating long-term consequences for former members of the armed forces, who deserved better after serving their country. 'Gutting VA will result in delayed appointments and substandard care, leading directly to more veteran deaths,' said Kayla Williams, an Iraq War veteran and senior policy adviser at VoteVets. Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, also slammed the plan as 'a gut punch' and 'breathtaking in its potential significance and its malevolence and cruelty.' The Gaza War, for which Netanyahu's arrest warrant was issued, was triggered by an attack inside Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 Israelis were killed, while another 251 people were taken hostage. The ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also issued a warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who Israel said it had killed in an airstrike, accusing him of war crimes over the attack on Israel. While the decision makes Netanyahu an internationally wanted suspect, the extent of the warrant's practical implications is unclear, given that Israel and its major ally, the U.S., are not members of the court.