Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, June 16
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled on Monday that Israel will not halt its offensive against Iran, not even for negotiations, saying that toppling Iran's leadership "could certainly be the outcome" of the ongoing aerial warfare.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a press conference, as Iran called on U.S. President Donald Trump to push for a ceasefire in the aerial conflict that began with Israel's surprise attack on Friday. (Israel-Iran-Airstrikes)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's state broadcaster IRIB said one of its buildings was hit on Monday in a "brutal aggression" by Israel, but added that live broadcasts continued without major disruption.
IRIB said the strike targeted its news network in an apparent effort "to silence the voice of the Iranian nation and the voice of truth." It said staff continued to provide coverage "at full capacity." (Iran-Israel-Attacks)
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JERUSALEM -- Bazan, Israel's largest oil refinery company, announced on Monday night that all of its facilities at the Haifa Port had been completely shut down due to the damage caused by an Iranian missile strike.
Three company employees were killed in the pre-dawn attack, which ignited fires at the strategic complex. Video footage showed visible flames, and firefighting teams were still struggling to extinguish the blaze, according to the Israeli daily Ha'aretz. (Iran-Israel-Attacks)
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ANKARA -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan engaged in separate telephone discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, urging a diplomatic resolution to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
In his conversation with Putin, Erdogan characterized recent Israeli actions against Iran as instigating a "dangerous cycle of violence" that jeopardizes regional security. He asserted that the Israeli government's "lawless attitude" constitutes a significant threat to the international order and cautioned that "the region cannot tolerate another war." (Türkiye-Russia-Iran-Phone Talks)
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Malay Mail
16 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
G7 urges ceasefire in Middle East and Gaza, but still backs Israel's ‘right to defend itself' despite attacks on Iran
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New Straits Times
33 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
G7 expresses support for Israel, calls Iran source of instability
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Herald Malaysia
33 minutes ago
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo XIV calls for responsibility, dialogue to end escalating Israel-Iran violence
Pope Leo XIV renewed the Church's calls for nuclear disarmament and peaceful dialogue one day after Israel launched missile strikes on Iran. Jun 17, 2025 Smoke billows from an explosion in southwest Tehran on June 16, 2025. Iran's state broadcaster was briefly knocked off the air by an Israeli strike and explosions rang out across Tehran on June 16 after a barrage of Iranian missiles killed 11 people in Israel on the fourth day of an escalating air war. | Credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images By Kristina Millare Pope Leo XIV renewed the Church's calls for nuclear disarmament and peaceful dialogue one day after Israel launched missile strikes on Iran. The Holy Father spoke of his growing concerns for the Middle East on Saturday, shortly after delivering a catechesis to pilgrims attending the June 14–15 Jubilee of Sport. 'The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated,' the pope told pilgrims inside St. Peter's Basilica. 'At such a delicate moment, I wish to strongly renew an appeal to responsibility and reason.' 'Our commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue,' he insisted. Leo XIV said it is the 'duty of all countries' to initiate 'paths of reconciliation' and promote solutions — founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good — to build lasting peace and security in the region. 'No one should ever threaten another's existence,' he said. Open warfare between the two Middle East nations entered its fourth day on Monday after Israel launched the initial deadly attack on June 13, just hours after Iran announced plans to activate its third nuclear facility, the Associated Press reported. Both religious and political leaders have urged Israel and Iran to end the increasing military violence, impacting thousands of civilians, and enter into dialogue. Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, echoed Pope Leo's calls for peaceful solutions in the region. 'We urge the United States and the broader international community to exert every effort to renew a multilateral diplomatic engagement for the attainment of a durable peace between Israel and Iran,' Zaidan said on Monday. 'The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region,' he added. In May, the U.N. censured Iran for not complying with nonproliferation obligations after the International Atomic Energy Agency warned the nations had increased its nuclear stockpile in its latest report. António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, said on X on Saturday: 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail.' The number of deaths, injuries, and the displaced in Iran and Iraq are expected to rise as both countries continue to launch ongoing missile strikes and retaliatory attacks.--CNA
