Netanyahu declares Israel 'will exact the full price' after Iranian strike hits hospital in Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a post on X that Israel "will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran," after a missile hit a hospital in the Jewish state.
"This morning, Iran's terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the center of the country," Netanyahu said in the Hebrew-language post on X, according to a translation into English.
Israel began bombarding the Islamic Republic of Iran last week in a bid to stamp out the threat posed by the hostile radical regime's nuclear weapons ambitions, and has continued attacking this week.
Israel, a close U.S. ally, noted in post on X, "The Iranian regime targeted Soroka Hospital in Beersheba with a ballistic missile—hitting a major medical center. We will not stand by. We will continue doing what must be done to defend our people."
With the war raging, the possibility of U.S. military intervention to aid Israel's effort has been looming large.
U.S. President Donald Trump has left the door open to the prospect, noting on Wednesday that he "may do it," and "may not do it,' but "nobody knows what" he will do.
Trump declared in a Tuesday Truth Social post, "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
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Associated Press
9 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Foreigners evacuated by air, land and sea as Israel-Iran conflict worsens
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Countries are evacuating their nationals from Israel and Iran by air, land and sea as conflict rages between the bitter rivals. Days of attacks and reprisals by the two enemies have shuttered airspace across the Middle East, severely disrupting commercial flights and leaving people unable to get in or out of the region easily. Some governments are using land borders to get their citizens out by road to countries where airports remain open. Thousands of foreigners have already left since the conflict started last Friday when Israel launched surprise missile strikes on Iran. Bulgaria Bulgaria has moved all its diplomats from Tehran to the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, the Balkan country's prime minister said Thursday. 'We are not closing the embassy, but moving it to Baku until the danger passes,' said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. A group of 89 Bulgarians was evacuated from Israel by plane to Sofia, along with 59 nationals from Slovenia, the U.S., Belgium, Albania, Kosovo and Romania. They left from the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where they had been transferred by bus across the border from Israel. He said the government had urged all Bulgarians willing to join the convoy to do so. They set off in 11 vehicles on Wednesday morning. 'There were alternatives. They could travel via Turkey, but eventually we decided that they should go via Azerbaijan,' Zhelyazkov added. China China said it has evacuated more than 1,600 nationals from Iran and 'several hundred others' from Israel. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing would continue to do its 'utmost to assist in the safe transfer and evacuation of Chinese citizens.' Aell Huang, who was in the Iranian city of Isfahan, said he didn't feel safe during the conflict. 'I heard explosions from time to time. Civilians got hurt too. I got more prepared mentally once I saw the embassy's warning.' He and some friends hired a car and headed to Azerbaijan, waiting at border control for almost 12 hours, where he saw as many as 60 other Chinese nationals. The Chinese Embassy said it would organize group evacuations by bus from Israel starting Friday. A notice posted on the embassy's WeChat social media account said citizens would be taken out through the Taba border crossing to Egypt. It asked them to register online and said they would be notified of the evacuation time. People carrying Chinese, Hong Kong, and Macao passports were eligible, the notice said. European Union The European Union has helped evacuate some 400 people from Israel via Jordan and Egypt as part of its efforts to coordinate an emergency response within the 27-nation bloc. 'Member states coordinate the list and we co-finance these flights up to 75% of the transport costs,' European Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova told a regular press conference in Brussels on Wednesday. Hrncirova said the E.U. was fielding requests by Slovakia, Lithuania, Greece, and Poland for assistance with Middle East evacuations. France French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday it was helping nationals who want to leave Iran and Israel to do so through neighboring countries where commercial flights were still available. Barrot said people in Iran could travel to Armenia and Turkey without a visa. Those unable to reach the border on their own would be 'transported by convoy by the end of the week' so they could take commercial flights to France. French nationals wanting to leave Israel can go via Jordan and Egypt. From Friday morning, some buses will carry passengers from the Israeli border to Amman and Sharm el-Sheikh airports. Germany Germany flew 171 people out of Amman on a special flight on Wednesday. A further 174 people returned on Thursday and another flight is planned this weekend. Passenger Daniel Halav, who was stuck in Tel Aviv, said he had 'never been so glad to be home' after landing in Frankfurt, the German news agency dpa reported. But, he said, 'we had to take care of ourselves of how we got to Amman. From my point of view, we were left a bit alone there.' The German Foreign Ministry said officials had decided against organizing convoys to get people to Amman, arguing this move could have created a security risk and that those wishing to leave were scattered across Israel. Greece Greece's Foreign Ministry said 141 Greeks and other nationals have been evacuated from Israel via Egypt. The group included citizens from Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. They were flown to Athens early Wednesday from Sharm el-Sheikh aboard two military transport planes. India India said it evacuated 110 students by road from northern Iran to the Armenian capital, Yerevan. They left on a special flight on June 18. The Indian Embassy in Iran has been helping nationals to move from areas experiencing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country, subsequently evacuating them, according to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. Israel As of Thursday, some 22,000 holidaymakers had asked the Israeli Tourism Ministry to help them leave the country. There are around 38,000 tourists in Israel. The Transport Ministry said thousands of Israelis have returned daily in the past few days, with 21 planes bringing back nationals stranded abroad since the start of the aerial campaign against Iran. The Population, Immigration, and Border Authority said 38,250 Israelis entered the country between June 13 and 19, and 21,456 left during the same period. The majority of arrivals and departures were by land. Middle East & North Africa Oman said Thursday it had evacuated 245 of its citizens and nationals from other countries via the Iranian coastal city of Bandar Abbas. Ten buses transported Omani citizens from Iran's north into Turkey. A further three buses crossed into Iraq. Indonesia The Indonesian government on Thursday decided to evacuate its nationals from Iran. 'Our citizens are at risk,' Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono said. 'Over the past two days, Israel's attacks have grown more intense, not only targeting the military, but also civilians.' He said about 386 Indonesians, mostly students, were in Iran, primarily in the city of Qom. The ministry earlier said some 194 Indonesians were in Israel, mostly student interns in the southern city of Rafah. Sugiono did not give a timeframe for evacuations, but said Iran has promised to help with the process. Japan Japan is sending two military aircraft to Djibouti to stand by for the possible airlifting of Japanese nationals from Iran. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters he had issued an order to send two C-2 transport aircraft, along with 120 armed forces personnel, to the Horn of Africa nation, where Japan has a military base. An advance team of servicemembers left Japan earlier Thursday. Chief of the Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida said the C-2 dispatch was to secure multiple options for evacuation when necessary. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the embassy in Iran was preparing to evacuate an unspecified number of Japanese nationals by bus. Some 280 Japanese are in Iran, and 1,000 are in Israel. Poland Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Moscicka-Dendys said a group would depart from Amman by military aircraft on Thursday, following road transportation from Israel to the Jordanian border. Some 160 Poles arrived in Warsaw on Wednesday morning from Israel via Egypt, the Polish news agency PAP reported. The deputy minister said while there were no plans to evacuate citizens from Iran, Warsaw was helping with the departure of non-essential personnel from the embassy in Tehran. The staff, along with seven Polish citizens, left the Iranian capital on Wednesday morning for the Azerbaijan border. South Korea South Korea's Foreign Ministry says 18 South Korean nationals and two Iranian family members were evacuated from Iran and arrived in Turkmenistan late Wednesday by land. The ministry described the evacuation as a preemptive move to protect citizens as the closure of airspace would have otherwise made it difficult for them to leave. It urged South Koreans in Iran and Israel to promptly depart in line with embassy instructions and advised travelers to cancel or postpone trips to the region. Twenty-five nationals and one Israeli family member were escorted out of Israel by embassy staff and arrived in Jordan on Thursday morning. Thailand Thai nationals have been advised to leave Tehran at the earliest opportunity and avoid traveling to affected areas, although there is no immediate plan for an evacuation from Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said Wednesday. He said there are about 350 Thais in Iran and only five had expressed a wish to return to Thailand. The embassy in Tehran has set up a temporary shelter for Thais in Amol and has temporarily relocated its office to Kordan to ensure the safety of those needing to travel for the services. The embassy has also prepared the land routes for Thais to travel to Iran's neighbors, Nikorndej said. United States The State Department is planning to evacuate Americans from Israel by air and on cruise ships, according to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Huckabee said Americans interested in leaving Israel should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for updates. There are some 700,000 Americans, many of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, in Israel and thousands more in other Mideast countries, including Iran. —— Associated Press writers from around the world contributed to this report.
Washington Post
12 minutes ago
- Washington Post
The U.S. helped oust Iran's government in 1953. Here's what happened.
As President Donald Trump publicly weighs a decision on whether the United States should join Israel in directly striking Iran, some analysts have suggested that Israel's unstated war aims could include the collapse of Tehran's government. Trump, for his part, has ratcheted up his rhetoric, this week demanding 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' from Tehran, without detailing what that would mean. He claimed in a social media post that the U.S. knows the location of Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but is not looking to assassinate him — 'at least not for now.' The U.S. has not publicly called for regime change in the current conflict, but over 70 years ago, it played a key role in ousting Tehran's government — although the historical circumstances were very different. 'It's forgotten for most Americans. And for the British as well, who were involved in the coup. But it looms in the background of Iranian politics,' said Roham Alvandi, a historian at the London School of Economics. Against the backdrop of the Cold War and Britain's frustration over its lost access to oil, the CIA coordinated a clandestine operation in 1953 with the British that toppled the country's democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh. In his place, Washington helped to reinstall exiled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an autocrat who was sympathetic to Western interests and virulently anti-communist. His rule lasted until the 1979 Iranian revolution, but Alvandi said the coup remains a 'touchstone' of modern Iranian nationalism. When Mossadegh was elected to power on a nationalist platform of taking control of the country's oil assets in 1951, Washington was confronted by a dilemma. The U.S. could support his new government's nationalists aspirations or side with the British, who were dismayed by the threat Iran's new leader posed to the lucrative Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. (later known as BP). The wider context was critical. At the time, Washington was deeply unsettled by the spread of communism after World War II, and the British — whose influence in the region was waning along with its dying empire — argued that Mossadegh's rise was a prelude to even greater Soviet influence in Iran. The prospect of communism in Iran was anathema to Washington — and in particular to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who took office in 1953. 'Ultimately, they sided with their British allies in the context of the Cold War, because they were afraid that if the oil crisis in Iran wasn't resolved, then either the Iranian communists or the Soviet Union might seize power,' Alvandi said. Kermit Roosevelt Jr., the CIA's top agent charged with orchestrating the coup, was given permission to proceed by his superiors on June 25, months after he was initially approached by British diplomats about the prospect. On July 19 he arrived in Iran through Iraq, where he met with Iranian operatives, communicated with Iran's exiled shah, and organized support among army officers and street demonstrators. 'America didn't bomb anything, it was a protracted intelligence operation by the CIA,' said University of St Andrews historian Siavush Randjbar-Daemi, who has researched the 1953 coup extensively. According to Randjbar-Daemi, the coup capped covert CIA influence operations that included the printing of fake Communist propaganda to make the party appear more virulently anti-Islamic than it was. On Aug. 19, rebels overcame the broadcast studio of Radio Tehran and prematurely declared on the radio that the Mossadegh's government had collapsed that afternoon — when it in fact hadn't yet. 'After that radio broadcast, it was over,' Randjbar-Daemi said. 'It was one of the most effective pieces of fake news in recent history in the world.' When it appeared certain that the coup had succeeded, Roosevelt wrote to his superiors in a telegram that the shah 'will be returning to Tehran in triumph shortly. Love and kisses from all the team.' In 2013, a declassified CIA internal document publicly confirmed the U.S. involvement: The military coup 'that overthrew [Mossadegh] and his National Front cabinet was carried out under CIA direction as an act of U.S. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government,' it read. Pahlavi returned to power in 1953 as Iran's monarch, ruling for over two decades as a Western-friendly autocrat. The period coincided with rapid economic growth and urban development for many in Iran, but was also marked by fierce political repression by the shah's feared intelligence agency, SAVAK. According to Alvandi, the Shah's collaboration with the British and Americans to oust a popular nationalist government 'fatally wounded' the legitimacy of his monarchy. 'The shah tried very hard for the next 20 years to embody Iranian nationalism, to project an image of himself as a champion of Iran, but he could never get out of the memory of Mossadegh and 1953,' Alvandi said. His arch domestic rival, the influential religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, portrayed him as a Western puppet. Iran's oil-based industrialization caused the economy to boom, but it also led to rampant corruption. When the economy began to sour in 1977, the cracks in his authority only grew. After months of revolutionary unrest, Pahlavi left Iran in January 1979. Soon after, it became the Islamic Republic of Iran — led by Khomeini. According to Alvandi, the memory of 1953 — and the shah's dismal image — cast a long shadow and serves as a tale of caution for any domestic opponents who might contemplate supporting Iran's foreign adversaries. 'Iranians have a long memory, and as much as they detest the Islamic Republic, they will have a visceral dislike of anyone who is seen to collaborate with a foreign power to hurt Iran and Iranians,' he said.
Politico
12 minutes ago
- Politico
‘He's a snake': Musk jabs at Trump adviser who fueled messy presidential breakup
Elon Musk may have stopped sparring with President Donald Trump online, but the former presidential adviser and megabacker isn't done publicly sniping at members of Trump's administration. The former DOGE chief slammed Sergio Gor, a top Trump adviser who played a role in his split with the president, bashing him as a 'snake' late Wednesday night. 'He's a snake,' Musk wrote on his social media platform X, replying to a New York Post story reporting that Gor, who serves as the director of the White House personnel office, has not himself been properly vetted. According to the Post, Gor has not submitted the requisite paperwork to obtain a permanent security clearance, even as he presides over the screening process for thousands of White House staffers. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Gor. Tensions between the two advisers had long simmered, with Musk refusing to work with Gorafter a March Cabinet meeting in which the billionaire clashed with other Cabinet members over cuts to their agencies, prompting Trump to clarify that agency heads had authority over their departments — not DOGE's Musk. But the situation bubbled over when Gor helped facilitate the termination of Jared Isaacman's nomination for NASA head — a pick Musk had pushed. The decision to pull Isaacman's nomination appeared to be the last straw for Musk, who shortly thereafter launched a social media spree attacking the president and the 'Big Beautiful Bill' he was drumming up support to push through Congress. At the time, Trump pointed to his choice to pull Isaacman's nomination as a motivating factor in Musk's decision to lash out against the president. The fight, which came on the heels of Musk's slated departure from his government duties, marked the nail in the coffin for the relationship between the president and his one-time 'first buddy.' But tensions seem to have calmed between the two men after their massive online meltdown, with Trump saying he had 'no hard feelings' for his former ally, and Musk issuing an apology on X, saying he 'went too far' in his attacks on the president during their fight. Trump, in particular, had sought to downplay the spat, as the White House worried that the public squabble was drawing attention away from administration priorities.
