‘Gates of hell will open' in retaliation, vows chief of Iran's armed forces
Israel
launched a wave of air strikes across Iran on Friday, blasting
Iran's
huge underground nuclear site, wiping out its top echelon of military commanders and killing nuclear scientists in the biggest direct attack between the two countries.
Iran said 'the gates of hell will open' in retaliation, while Israel said the strikes were only the start of its campaign.
US president Donald Trump
said it was not too late for Iran to halt the Israeli attacks by reaching a deal to curb its nuclear programme.
As evening fell on Friday, Iranian media reported a number of explosions in what appeared to be a second wave of strikes.
'Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival,' prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu
said early on Friday in a televised address that invoked the failure of the world to prevent the Holocaust during the second World War.
READ MORE
Israel's operation 'will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat', he said. 'Generations from now, history will record our generation stood its ground, acted in time and secured our common future.'
A building damaged in Israeli strikes on Tehran. Photograph: Meghdad Madadi/Tasnim News/AFP via Getty Images
A damaged residence compound in Tehran. Photograph: Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times
Iran's supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
said Israel had 'unleashed its wicked and bloody' hand, and would suffer 'a bitter fate'.
In a phone interview with Reuters, Mr Trump said it was not clear if Iran's nuclear programme had survived, but it was not too late for Iran to make a deal to halt the Israeli assault.
He said nuclear talks between Tehran and the US, scheduled for Sunday, remain on the agenda though he was not sure if they would take place.
'I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,' Mr Trump said.
Two regional sources said at least 20 Iranian military commanders were killed, a move reminiscent of Israeli attacks that swiftly wiped out the leadership of Lebanon's once-feared Hizbullah militia last year.
Debris and rubble are pictured at the scene of a building that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran. Photograph: Meghdad Madadi/Tasnim News/AFP via Getty Images
First responders gather outside a building that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran. Photograph: Meghdad Madadi/Tasnim News/AFP via Getty Images
Among the generals killed on Friday were the armed forces chief of staff, major general Mohammad Bagheri, and the Revolutionary Guard chief, Hossein Salami.
Major general Mohammad Pakpour, swiftly promoted to replace Mr Salami as guards commander, vowed retaliation in a letter to the supreme leader read out on state television: 'The gates of hell will open to the child-killing regime.'
[
Stocks tumble as Israel's strikes on Iran fuel rush to safe havens
Opens in new window
]
Iranian media showed images of destroyed apartment blocks, and said nearly 80 civilians were killed in attacks that targeted nuclear scientists in their beds and wounded more than 300 people.
Iran's ability to retaliate with weapons fired by its regional proxies has been degraded over the past year, with the downfall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the decimation of Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Israel said Iran had launched about 100 drones towards Israeli territory in retaliation on Friday, but Iran denied this and there were no reports of any drones reaching Israeli targets.
The United Nations Security Council was due to meet on Friday at Tehran's request. Iran said in a letter to the council that it would respond decisively and proportionally to Israel's 'unlawful' and 'cowardly' acts.
[
Most Israelis view a nuclear Iran as an existential threat
Opens in new window
]
An Israeli security source said commandos from Israel's spy agency Mossad had been operating deep inside the Islamic Republic before the attack, and it had mounted a series of covert operations with the military against Iran's strategic missile array.
Israel also established an attack-drone base near Tehran, the source added.
Israeli officials said it may be some time before the extent is clear of damage to the underground nuclear site at Natanz, where Iran has refined uranium to levels western countries have long said are suitable for a bomb rather than civilian use.
Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. The UN nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.
Tehran had been engaged in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme to replace one that Mr Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran had rejected the last US offer. – Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
39 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
WW3 fears amid calls for de-escalation of Middle East conflict
Israel has issued a grave warning to Tehran, saying it will "burn" after retaliatory strikes killed three civilians near Tel Aviv. "The Iranian dictator is taking the citizens of Iran hostage," Israel Katz said. "It is bringing about a reality in which they, and especially Tehran's residents, will pay a heavy price for the flagrant harm inflicted upon Israel's citizens," he continued. "If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn." Iran has also issued a warning to western nations this morning, including the UK, France and US, that it will strike military bases and ships if it continues to support Israel. Iran's state-owned Mehr News Agency issued the grave warning, saying: "Any country that participates in repelling Iran's attacks on Israel will be subject to Iranian forces targeting all regional bases of the complicit government, including military bases in the Persian Gulf countries and ships and naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea." It comes as Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he is 'alarmed' by the strikes overnight and is expected to spend the day in crisis talks with counterparts across the Middle East and elsewhere. Israel is continuing air strikes on Iran after an initial attack killed six nuclear scientists and top Iranian commanders. Iran's U.N. ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded by IDF strikes overnight on Saturday with at least five top ranking Revolutionary Guard figures perishing. For live updates, follow our blog below... Protesters have taken part in anti-Israel and anti-US demonstrations in Tehran, Iran. On Saturday, marchers gathered at Enghelab Square after walking from Azadi and Imam Hussein Squares, chanting slogans such as "Revenge, revenge," and calling for stronger retaliation against Israel. Demonstrators held Iranian flags and carried posters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Three drones were launched toward a base housing U.S. forces in Iraq following Israel's strikes on Iran, a US military official and a second US official said on Saturday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. The drones were shot down, the officials said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq. Iran state TV claimed that "heavy and destructive" attacks against Israel are expected within the coming hours. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to strike several targets across Iran. Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, the French President's office said. Macron called "for the utmost restraint to avoid escalation," the statement said, and urged his Iranian counterpart to return to the negotiation table quickly: "The Iranian nuclear issue … must be solved through negotiation." He also demanded the immediate release of two French nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, held hostage by the Iranian regime for over three years, Macron's office said. Today, Macron also spoke on the phone with Donald Trump about the situation in the Middle-East. The PM added: "We do have long-standing concerns about the nuclear programme Iran has. "We do recognize Israel's right to self defence, but I'm absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region. More widely in terms of conflict, you can see the impact already on the economy and oil prices. "And of course, all of this is linked to what's going on in Gaza. So you can see why my strong position is this needs to de-escalate, and that is the primary focus of the discussions that I've been having and will continue to be." Mr Starmer also refused to say whether the UK had been given advanced notice of Israel's strike. Speaking to reporters, the Prime Minister said: "I will always make the right decisions for the UK and our allies. "We are moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support in the region. I will be clear-eyed in relation to our duties and obligations and my duties as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom." Pressed on whether the assets in the region would be involved in defending Israel, the PM told reporters he would not "get into operational issues". Keir Starmer revealed tonight extra British military assets, including fighter jets, will be deployed to the Middle East as fears grow over an all-out war in the region. The Prime Minister described the assets as "contingency support" and it is understood aircraft began deployment preparations on Friday. The UK already has jets in the region as part of its Operation Shader contribution. The PM also urged the Iranian regime and Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government to de-escalate and pull back from the brink as he flew to the G7 in Canada. You can read more here. Trump described the regional situation as "very alarming," Ushakov said, but acknowledged the "effectiveness" of Israel's strikes on targets in Iran. The leaders did not rule out a possible return to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, according to Ushakov. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a 50-minute phone call on Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, the Russian President's aide Yuri Ushakov said. During the conversation, Putin briefed Trump on his recent talks with the leaders of Iran and Israel and reiterated Russia's proposal to seek mutually acceptable solutions on the Iranian nuclear issue. "The dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East was naturally at the centre of the exchange of opinions," Ushakov told journalists following the conversation between Putin and Trump . Trump described the regional situation as "very alarming" and neither leader ruled out a possible return to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, according to Ushakov. According to Ushakov, Putin told Trump about the implementation of the agreements during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, including the exchange of prisoners of war. This image shows destroyed buildings following Iranian military attacks in Rishon LeZion, Israel. Croatia's consul in Israel and his wife were lightly injured when Iran launched missile strikes on Tel Aviv, Croatia's Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman has said. He wrote on X: "I am shaken by the news that our consul and his wife were injured in the attack on Tel Aviv. The building they live in was hit. "I spoke with them and, fortunately, their injuries are minor and they are not in any life-threatening condition." An Israeli drone has struck a refinery in Iran's South Pars gas field on Saturday, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported. If confirmed, it would mark the first Israeli attack on Iran's oil and natural gas industry. Israel did not immediately acknowledge the attack. Such sites do have air defense systems around them, which Israel has been targeting since Friday. The Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported the strike, saying it happened in Phase 14 of the field. Iran shares the gas field, which stretches across the Persian Gulf, with Qatar. Oman's foreign minister says planned talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme "will not now take place" after Israel's strikes targeting the Islamic Republic. Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement on social media on Saturday. It comes after Iran's foreign minister said any talks would be 'unjustifiable' amid the ongoing attacks. Oman has been mediating the talks. "The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place," al-Busaidi wrote. "But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace." A sixth round was due to happen in Muscat, Oman's capital, before the Israeli strikes began Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued new threats to Iran, while saying his country's military was destroying Tehran's ability to manufacture ballistic missiles. "We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days," Netanyahu said in a video message. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to help resolve issues surrounding Iran's nuclear programme and to assist in de-escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the conversation, initiated by the Iranian side, followed a call Friday between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian. The ministry said Russia reiterated its condemnation of Israel's military actions against Iran, calling them a violation of the UN charter and international law. This image shows Iranian Red Crescent volunteers working in a Tehran neighbourhood hit by a reported Israeli strike. Talks that were due to take place between the US and Iran tomorrow have been cancelled, a spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said. The two nations were set to meet in Muscat, Oman, for a sixth round of talks over Tehran's nuclear program - but the meeting will no longer go ahead following Israel's attack on Iran yesterday. Iranian state media Mehr News reported that Esmaeil Baghaei said: "The United States has supported the Zionist regime's aggression, including the targeting of Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities. "Participating in talks with a party that is the principal supporter and accomplice of the aggressor is fundamentally meaningless." The US hasn't officially confirmed or denied the reports. Donald Trump will be monitoring the situation between Israel and Iran and developments across the Middle East all day, a White House official told NBC News. Later today, the US President will attend a military parade in Washington DC to celebrate the army's 250th anniversary. Israeli warplanes hit more than 400 targets across Iran in the past 24 hours as part of Operation "Rising Lion," including dozens of missile sites and air defense systems in Tehran, the military said. Separately, it said over 20 senior Iranian commanders were eliminated, including top intelligence and missile officials. Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin said the road to Tehran was now "open," calling the strikes the deepest ever carried out by the Israeli Air Force. The Grand Egyptian Museum will open later this year because of the Israeli-Iranian escalation, authorities said on Saturday. The mega-project near the famed Giza Pyramids was sent to open on July 3. However, the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said the opening was moved to the fourth quarter of 2025, without giving a date and citing ongoing regional developments. The museum has been under construction for about two decades. Some sections have been open since 2022 for limited tours. However, its overall opening has been repeatedly delayed for a number of reasons, including because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister spoke to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, on Saturday afternoon, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy was expected to spend the day in talks with counterparts across the Middle East and elsewhere. A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir and the Crown Prince spoke on Saturday afternoon. According to a read-out of the conversation issued by Number 10, 'they discussed the gravely concerning situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to de-escalate'. 'The Prime Minister updated on his conversations with partners so far, and reiterated that the UK is poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution.' At least 23 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to medics, most of them near an aid distribution site. Staff at al Awda and al Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza said at least 15 people were killed as they tried to approach the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid centre near the Netzarim corridor. They said the rest were killed in separate attacks across the territory. Sir Keir Starmer and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman have "agreed on the need to de-escalate" the conflict between Iran and Israel, Downing Street has said. The two leaders spoke on Saturday afternoon, according to a read-out issued by Number 10. A Downing Street spokesperson said: "They discussed the gravely concerning situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to de-escalate. "The Prime Minister updated on his conversations with partners so far, and reiterated that the UK is poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution." A phone alert from Israel's Home Front Command has warned f incoming rocket and missile fire. James Eden who is stranded in Jerusalem during a wave of Iranian missile attacks has described the city as a "ghost town" and said he feels "abandoned" by the Foreign Office. Mr Eden, 72, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, flew to Israel on Monday for a short pilgrimage to visit Christian sites he first saw two decades ago. Israel has given its first report of wounded soldiers since Iran retaliated last night. The military said seven were lightly wounded in central Israel, though they wouldn't say exactly where. They were taken to hospital briefly, they added, before being sent home. No further details were given. Footage shared by an affiliate of Iran's state TV showed a fire after an Israeli strike at Zagros Khodro, a former car manufacturing plant in Borujerd. The state-run IRNA news agency also reported an Israeli strike on Saturday around Abadan in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province. Other strikes appeared to be happening in Kermanshah near a military barracks. The Israeli military says seven soldiers were lightly wounded on Friday night in an Iranian missile strike in central Israel. It says they were briefly hospitalized and sent home. This is the first report of military casualties in the operation. It gave no further details on where the soldiers were located. David Lammy has said he is 'alarmed' by the strikes in the Middle East overnight. In a post on X, the Foreign Secretary said: 'Alarmed by further strikes in the Middle East overnight, with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel. 'We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians. Following the Prime Minister's call with PM Netanyahu, I spoke to Iranian FM Araghchi to urge calm.' Alarmed by further strikes in the Middle East overnight, with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel. We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians. Following the Prime Minister's call with PM Netanyahu, I spoke to Iranian FM Araghchi to urge calm. David Lammy is expected to spend the day in talks with counterparts across the Middle East after Iran launched retaliatory attacks against Israel overnight. The Foreign Secretary will be briefed by officials on Saturday and will speak to figures in the Middle East and elsewhere. It comes after conversations with representatives from Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as European foreign ministers on Friday. The Esfahan and Natanz nuclear sites in Iran have been significantly damaged in strikes, according to reports from the Reuters news agency. The Israeli official tells Reuters that over 150 targets in Iran have been attacked. Most drones and missiles that have been launched towards Israel have been intercepted, the official says. They also said the nuclear facilities in Esfahan and Natanz have been "significantly damaged" and that i will take weeks for the damage to be fixed. New pictures from the Fars news agency also show smoke rising in Tabriz, northern Iran, after an earlier strike was reported there this morning.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Taoiseach says UN being ‘eroded', calls for world powers to de-escalate Iran-Israel conflict
World powers must use their influence with Israel and Iran to bring about a return to a rules-based international order where dialogue and diplomacy are used to resolve disputes, the Taoiseach has said. Speaking to reporters in Cork on Saturday, Micheál Martin said Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear programme and Iran's retaliatory missile attack on Tel Aviv are worrying developments that only add to the trauma experienced by civilians across the Middle East, 'It is deeply concerning that we have so much conflict in the Middle East. It is dangerous in terms of its impact on civilian populations in the first instance. We see the horrors of Gaza – Syria is coming out of the embers of a horrible civil war,' he said. 'A war that's been planned for a decade' - why Israel has attacked Iran and what happens next Listen | 21:11 Mr Martin said Iran should have engaged proactively years ago about its nuclear programme and set about dismantling it. It is important that the West continues its engagement with Iran even though the current situation could 'make that very difficult', he said. READ MORE 'There has to be a return to a rules-based international order. At the moment, it is receding before our very eyes. It is being eroded; the United Nations (UN) is being eroded and that is a matter of deep concern to us,' he said. 'We want to see a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We believe in dialogue, and we believe in diplomacy, so we would say, to the world powers in particular, to use their influence and stop the hostilities to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.' Mr Martin said a failure to de-escalate the tensions between Israel and Iran would have serious consequences. He said the International Atomic Energy Agency had previouslywarned of the consequences that would arise if Iran did not engage fully with the agency on its nuclear programme. He said the agency also said the bombing of nuclear installations is hugely concerning. Mr Martin was speaking to reporters while attending a ceremony at Cork Airport to officially name the main airport artery Rory Gallagher Avenue in honour of the Cork guitarist.
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Raids and fear cast a large shadow over Club World Cup's big launch
'When Donald Trump came in the laws just changed and it's hard for immigrants now ... you've got a lot of people being deported, people who have been in the United States for two decades. It's not nice, it's not right when someone who hasn't committed a crime has to go back somewhere. 'I just don't respect somebody like [Trump] that deports so many people and hurts so many families ... this country was built on immigrants. Nobody's from here.' It seems unlikely this is the kind of hard political messaging Gianni Infantino was hoping to associate himself with when Fifa booked the New York rapper French Montana as its headline act at Saturday's Club World Cup opening ceremony, a global spectacular taking place against a background of unrest over Trump's immigration and repatriation policies. French Montana moved to New York from Morocco aged 13 and has been outspoken in his support for the rights of undocumented US immigrants, although his place on the political spectrum has been muddied a little this year by an unexpected appearance on the Lara Trump track No Days Off. READ MORE His comments in interviews in 2019 and 2018, and his presence at the centre of Fifa's publicity for the launch night of its $1 billion show, will provide a deeply uncomfortable reminder of the perils of fawning over divisive political leaders. Infantino has spent the past year energetically cosying up to the US president, attending his inauguration in a state of high excitement and even delaying Fifa's annual meeting in order to follow Trump around a little longer on his visit to Qatar. French Montana is at least in tune with the Fifa zeitgeist. Already this week the news that officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be part of the security operation for Saturday's game between Al Ahly and Inter Miami has sparked widespread disquiet. A year out from the World Cup that the US is sharing with Canada and Mexico, there is concern not only that supporters may stay away over fear of document checks and status wrangles, but that Fifa's showpiece men's club event is in danger of being piggybacked on as a political event by the Trump administration. Members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (Ero), assisted by the FBI and other federal agencies perform an arrest in Miami on May 28th. Photograph: Todd Heisler/The New York Times CBP has been openly promoting its role at Fifa's tournament for the past few months under the hashtag #CBPxFIFA. This came to a head this week as it ended up deleting a Facebook post that stated its agents would be 'suited and booted and ready to provide security for the first round of games'. The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that Ice and CBP officers will be present at Club World Cup fixtures, saying: 'All non-American citizens need to carry proof of their legal status.' This is not without recent precedent. CBP often operates at big sporting events, including February's Super Bowl in New Orleans. But it isn't hard to see how this might be interpreted as containing an element of threat. Ice officers are being escorted around Los Angeles by the US national guard, a hugely controversial move that has contributed to the current unrest in the city. CBP has also declined so far to address the reasons for the removal of its post about Fifa's grand jamboree, which fuelled fears the event may be rolled into the aggressive enforcement of Trump's immigration policy. A glance at CBP's X feed makes plain this is by no means a politically neutral entity. One post reads: 'The alarming riots in L.A. which have put hundreds of law enforcement officers at risk, are precisely why the Big Beautiful Bill is so important.' Another states: 'While rioters wave foreign flags and burn ours, our officers will always raise the stars and stripes with pride.' Approving references to Trump's policies are intercut with remarks about 'lies' from 'the mainstream media and sanctuary politicians'. Questions will naturally be asked about whether this constitutes an appropriate hashtag partner for football's apolitical governing body. Infantino was asked this week about the presence of immigration agencies at Fifa's launch party. His answer was characteristically vague, focusing instead on security issues. But there is concern on that front in Miami, fuelled by the chaos of the Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia at the same venue last year, which led to arrests, barriers rushed and a one-hour kick-off delay. Fifa president Gianni Infantino gives US president Donald Trump a football to autograph during a signing ceremony after a state dinner with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha on May 14th. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images The Hard Rock Stadium has warned of 'multiple security and ticket check points', and the Miami Herald has unearthed a police video used as a training tool for the tournament in which a sergeant is heard saying: 'If things go south, we get prepared, we get ready. For civil unrest and unruly fans, this will get us ready for those events.' And Fifa is dipping its toe into some overheated waters here. Only this week the Trump administration explicitly instructed anything up to half a million Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who came legally to the United States under a Biden-era programme to 'leave immediately' if they have yet to make the step from 'parole' to full status. The state of heightened security has affected Fifa's party. On Wednesday a luxury pleasure flotilla chartered by the TV station Telemundo and containing Fifa officials and the Miami-Dade mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, was boarded by CBP officials in Biscayne Bay off the Miami coast. The event, staged to celebrate the approach of the World Cup, was abruptly cancelled. Officials later stated the raid was a routine inspection that uncovered some safety violations. But the mayor has since described the incident as 'deeply troubling' and told local media: 'Ensuring that all community members feel safe and included is crucial to maintaining our county's reputation as a welcoming destination for both residents and visitors.' Saturday's opening game, which gets under way at 8pm local time (1am in Ireland) is now a source of multiple migraines for Infantino. Trump will be absent, required instead to oversee his own Grand Military Parade in Washington. While this is no doubt a bone-deep personal disappointment for Infantino, it will at least spare him the embarrassment of marrying up his headline act's political statements with the capricious and easily offended commander-in-chief in the seat next to him. The game also coincides with a day of nationwide anti-Trump protests. Styled as the No Kings movement, a warning against the exercise of extreme executive power in the first year of Trump's second term, the protests will elide naturally with unrest over the actions of Ice and CBP. The wider Miami area will stage at least 10 No Kings events, including one half an hour's drive from Infantino's coronational seat at the Hard Rock Stadium, although it is unlikely Republican Miami-Dade will see anything like the scale of unrest in Los Angeles. As one Aventura man put it on Thursday morning: 'This is Florida. We don't truck with that s**t here.' This appears to be the politically sanctioned position. The state governor, Ron DeSantis, speaking on the Rubin Report this week, took the extraordinary step of encouraging members of the public who feel threatened by protests on Club World Cup match day one to drive through the crowds, an apparent extension of Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' law. As DeSantis put it: 'If you drive off and you hit one of these people, that's their fault for impinging on you.' The tagline for the opening night of Fifa's US mission is A New Era Begins. As things stand that new era will kick off against a rolling background of spot-check fear, off-message headline acts and an opening game shadowed by the prospect of governor-approved assault with a motor vehicle a few miles down the road. Over to you, Gianni. – Guardian
