Trump leaves G7 summit early warning Tehran to evacuate
NewsFeed Trump leaves G7 summit early warning Tehran to evacuate
US President Donald Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early, warning people in Tehran they should evacuate immediately. His departure fuelled speculation about US involvement in the Israel-Iran war. Al Jazeera's Phil Lavelle unpacks what may lie ahead.
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Al Jazeera
31 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel and Iran trade strikes as hostilities extend into fifth day
Israel has carried out strikes across Iran while Tehran returned fire with missiles as the foes traded attacks for a fifth straight day. The ongoing violence on Tuesday came after United States President Donald Trump struck an ominous note, calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran. Concerns that the US could spark a wider regional war should it enter direct conflict with Iran continue to build. The Israeli military reported early on Tuesday that it carried out 'several extensive strikes' on what it said were missile sites and other military targets in western Iran, striking dozens of missile and drone facilities. Iranian media reported that loud explosions were heard in the northwestern city of Tabriz, home to an air force base that Israel has repeatedly targeted since it launched a surprise assault on Iran's military and nuclear facilities on Friday. Three people were killed and four injured in strikes on the central city of Kashan, Iran's state-run Nour News reported. A residential building was struck in Tehran, and three people were rescued from the rubble, the reports added. Israel's military said Iran had also fired more missiles, reporting that its forces were working to intercept them. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem among other areas. Images showed plumes of dark smoke rising from the site of a strike in Herzliya as emergency services were deployed at the scene. Israel's national emergency service said 10 people were injured while running to shelters after air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv. Amid the strikes, the Israeli military claimed that it had assassinated another senior Iranian military official. General Ali Shadmani was killed in a strike by the Israeli air force in central Tehran through the use of precise intelligence, the military said, describing him as Iran's wartime chief of staff, 'senior-most military official' and the closest military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Shadmani was reportedly appointed to his new post after Israel assassinated the former commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Gholam Ali Rashid, on Friday. Iran did not immediately comment on the claim, which came days after Israel assassinated a slew of Iran's top generals as well as nuclear scientists. The attacks unfolded in the face of growing calls internationally for the bitter foes to de-escalate. However, Trump, who left the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday, one day early, due to the situation in the Middle East, appears to be increasingly backing Israel, issuing ominous messages. In a post on social media overnight, he warned that 'everyone should evacuate Tehran immediately,' lamenting the 'waste of human life' in the conflict and reiterating that Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. He denied his exit from the G7 was to arrange a ceasefire. 'Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a 'cease fire' between Israel and Iran,' he wrote. 'Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that.' Macron had said, in light of Trump's early departure from the summit, that talks were under way and stated that an offer for a ceasefire had been made, but he did not specify by whom. In a statement agreed at the summit before Trump's departure, G7 leaders described Iran as 'the principal source of regional instability and terror', adding that Israel 'has a right to defend itself'. Israel said its attacks are necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building a nuclear weapon. Iran has retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel.
Al Jazeera
34 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Only the US can get Israel to 'stop the attacks' on Iran
Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, analyses Israel's stated goal of destroying Iran's nuclear programme and says it won't be possible without US help.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
How will Russia respond to the Israel-Iran conflict?
After Israel launched what it described as 'preventive' attacks on Iranian military and nuclear targets last week, Russia's position appeared clear. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow condemned what it called 'unprovoked military strikes against a sovereign UN member state', referring to Iran. The Kremlin, whose partnership with Iran dates back many years, has urged a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Since the hostilities began on Friday, more than 220 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Iran while 24 people have been killed in Iranian counterstrikes. Both Iran and Russia shared an ally in former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and intervened on his behalf in the Syrian war until his eventual defeat late last year. Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed kamikaze drones to be used on Ukrainian targets, and last year, there were reports that Russia received hundreds of Fath-360 ballistic missiles from Iran, which are known to be accurate at short range. 'Of course, Russia should be friends with Iran because, in politics and in life, everything is very simple,' hawkish Russian TV personality Sergey Mardan commented after the latest Middle East crisis escalated. 'If you have an enemy and your enemy has partners and allies, his partners and allies are automatically your enemies. 'There are no illusions about this, and there can't be any. Since Israel is a key ally of the United States; … of course, we are interested in the weakening of Israel and helping its adversaries.' While Russia might be sympathetic to Iran, the extent of their relationship should not be overstated, said independent Middle East specialist Ruslan Suleymanov, who is based in Baku, Azerbaijan. Russia now manufactures its own Shahed drones under licence, so its own combat capabilities are unlikely to be affected by the Iran-Israel conflict, he said. 'The Iranians, in turn, expected more from Russia. They expected a much larger amount of aircraft, military, space technologies, not to mention nuclear,' Suleymanov told Al Jazeera. 'But Russia did not rush to share because it is very important for Moscow to maintain a balance in the Middle East and maintain relations with Israel. And if Russia begins to supply arms to Iran, no one excludes the fact that these weapons can be directed at Israel, and the Kremlin does not want this.' Although a strategic partnership agreement was signed between Moscow and Tehran this year, Suleymanov noted it does not mean Russia is obliged to step up to defend Iran. 'It is obvious that at any vote of the UN Security Council, Russia, along with China, will stand on the side of the Islamic Republic [of Iran],' he said. 'However, we should not expect anything more.' While the Western-oriented liberal opposition has been largely supportive of Israel, Russia is treading a fine line to uphold its ties with the administration of President Benjamin Netanyahu. 'One monkey got his grenade taken away. We're waiting for the other one,' exiled Russian politician Dmitry Gudkov wrote on social media, referring to the Iranian and Russian leadership, respectively. 'Does Israel (or any country, for that matter) have the legal right to try to knock a nuclear grenade out of the hands of a big monkey playing with it next to it? And one that constantly growls in your direction? I think the answer is obvious.' Russia's relations with Israel are complicated. Although the Soviet Union initially supported the creation of the state of Israel, it soon threw its weight behind Arab nations and backed the Palestinian cause. Today, Russia refuses to blacklist Hamas as a 'terrorist organisation' although its support for Palestine is balanced by its relationship with Israel. Israel, meanwhile, is concerned with the safety and survival of Russia's Jewish community. Regarding Syria, Russia and Israel shared an understanding whereby Moscow tacitly overlooked Israeli operations targeting its ally, Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Israel, for its part, avoided antagonising or sanctioning Moscow and arming Ukraine. However, the collapse of al-Assad's regime has changed this calculus. 'Russia and Israel, by and large, proceed from different interests in Syria,' observed Alexey Malinin, founder of the Moscow-based Center for International Interaction and Cooperation and a member of the Digoria Expert Club. 'If Russia had the goal of ensuring the safety of Syrian citizens, ensuring the stability of legitimate power, then Israel sets itself the goal of maximally protecting itself from potential threats from Syria, not paying attention to the legality and legitimacy of such decisions. Therefore, Israel calmly went beyond the buffer zone on the Golan Heights and de facto occupied the territory of Syria after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.' 'It was really important for Russia to have contact with Israel, being in Syria, because without interaction with Tel Aviv, it was very difficult to carry out any manoeuvres on Syrian territory,' Suleymanov added. 'But now such a need simply does not exist. Russia does not require any close coordination with [Israel].' Still, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Netanyahu have in the past enjoyed a friendly relationship, even being spotted at a ballet performance together in 2016. Some analysts believe the Israel-Iran crisis provides Putin with an opportunity to flex his diplomatic muscle. 'Vladimir Putin has already offered mediation, and Russia is objectively one of the platforms most open to compromise due to constructive relations with both countries,' Malinin stated. However, Suleymanov said, the Kremlin's influence over the Middle East has waned since the change of power in Syria and it already has its hands full. 'Russia itself needs intermediaries in Ukraine,' he said. 'The situation in the Middle East will not directly affect the war in Ukraine. But for the Kremlin, it is undoubtedly beneficial that the attention of the world community, starting with the West, is now diverted from Ukraine. Against this background, Putin can move on to a further offensive in Ukraine.' Malinin acknowledged that Western support for Kyiv could drop in the short term 'in favour of Israel'. 'But it is unlikely that in this context we can talk about something serious and large scale.'
