Israel launches attacks on Iran's nuclear programme, in most significant attack on country in decades
Iranian state television reported the leader of the country's Revolutionary Guard was killed in the attacksAttacks raise the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversariesMost significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq, with multiple sites around the country hit
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RTÉ News
34 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Iran launches new wave of missile attacks on Israel
Iran and Israel targeted each other with airstrikes after Israel launched its biggest-ever offensive against its long time foe in a bid to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the country's two largest cities before dawn, sending residents rushing into shelters. The military said its air defence systems were operating, seeking to intercept Iranian missiles. "In the last hour, dozens of missiles have been launched at the state of Israel from Iran, some of which were intercepted," the Israeli military said. It said rescue teams were operating at a number of locations across the country where fallen projectiles were reported, without commenting on casualties. Several explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Israeli media said a suspected missile came down in Tel Aviv, and a Reuters witness heard a loud boom in Jerusalem. It was unclear whether Iranian strikes or Israeli defensive measures were behind the activity. Iran's Fars news agency said Iran launched a third wave of airstrikes today after two salvos last night. Those were in response to Israel's attacks on Iran early yesterday against commanders, nuclear scientists, military targets and nuclear sites. Israel's ambulance service said 34 people were injured last night in the Tel Aviv area, most with minor injuries. Police later said one person had died. The US military helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed for Israel, two US officials said. Israel's military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles yesterday and that most were intercepted or fell short. Several buildings in and around Tel Aviv were hit. The Israeli strikes on Iran throughout the day and the Iranian retaliation raised fears of a broader regional conflagration, although Iran's allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been decimated by Israel. Trump says it is not too late Iran's state news agency IRNA said Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel after Israel blasted Iran's huge Natanz underground nuclear site and killed its top military commanders. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes. Israeli officials said it may be some time before the extent of damage at Natanz was clear. Western countries have long accused Iran of refining uranium there to levels suitable for a bomb rather than civilian use. The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz has been destroyed, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council. He said the UN was still gathering information about Israeli attacks on two other facilities, the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and at Isfahan. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of starting a war. A senior Iranian official said nowhere in Israel would be safe and revenge would be painful. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people, including senior military officials, were killed in Israel's strikes on Iran and more than 320 people were wounded, most of them civilians. He accused the US of being complicit in the attacks and said it shared full responsibility for the consequences. Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said intelligence had confirmed that within days Iran would have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs. He called Israel's operation "an act of national preservation." 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. US President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Iran to halt the Israeli bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear programme. Iran 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. Iran rejected the last US offer.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: World peace is disappearing quickly over the event horizon
It is a mark of just how quickly the world changes that, as the Irish Examiner went onto the presses on Thursday night, carrying warning stories that Iran was in breach of its nuclear obligations for the first time in two decades, Israel launched devastating attacks on its deadliest enemy. And as we went to press on Friday night, the world was assessing Iran's retaliatory measures. Israel's provocative strikes, which targeted Iranian enrichment facilities and Tehran's military commanders, carry strategic objectives which go beyond the tactical advantages identified by Israel. It has undermined any attempts to revive a nuclear agreement, talks about which were scheduled to recommence in Oman on Sunday. Iran's initial response appears to have struck at the Israeli cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Other retaliation, including from Tehran's proxies, the Houthis of Yemen, is likely. Attacks on bases in the Gulf, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea are all plausible. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates may be dragged back into direct conflict with Yemen. The conflagration may spread to other fragile states such as Syria and lead to a rapid deterioration in a region already divided by the Gaza crisis. The warning signs have been there for all to see. There was the critical report from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency; the US running their embassies down to essential staff only, Israeli hospitals being placed on war standby. Now, around the world, Israeli embassies and consular services have been closed, with no timeline established for their reopening. Its citizens have been urged to stay alert and not display Jewish symbols in public places. Meanwhile, Irish citizens are being advised not to travel to Israel, a prohibition which is already in place for Iran. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attack by more than 200 jets as a 'targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival', and said it will continue for 'as many days as it takes to remove this threat'. While Friday's raids were focused on six cities, including Tehran, it is the three locations of Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow which are at the hearts of Iran's nuclear programme where raw uranium is enriched to weapons grade material. Fordow is the most difficult target, with its facilities located in the heart of a mountain. Explosions were heard there on Friday evening. US president Donald Trump warned that Iran must come to the nuclear negotiating table and make a deal 'with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal'. However, the danger for the Israeli leadership is that when Operation Rising Lion is over, Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan may be capable of being repaired in a matter of months. All that Mr Netanyahu will have achieved is a short delay, a temporary roadblock, on Iran's progress towards an atomic arsenal. This implies a prolonged campaign. Just as Mr Netanyahu has pledged to eradicate the involvement of Hamas in the affairs of Gaza — a war aim increasingly acknowledged by many of the countries attempting to broker a settlement and recognition of Palestine — so the dismantling of Iran's predominantly secret 20-year programme will be another red line. The attack on Iran rewrites the agenda for the three day G7 leaders' summit which starts in the Rockies of Kananaskis, Alberta, on Sunday. Hopes for international peace are further away today than they were on Friday. By the middle of next week, they may have disappeared far beyond the event horizon. The enduring legacy of Cork Opera House Every great city needs its own stately pleasure dome where dreams can be enjoyed, and life- replenishing interests and leisure indulged. In Cork, that role has been fulfilled by the Opera House, whose 170-year contribution to the gaiety of the nation we mark in our Weekend magazine this morning. Corkonians have been lucky to have it, along with the Everyman Theatre which opened at Easter 1897. Cork Opera House is celebrating all year, and so it should given its rich cultural contribution to the region and beyond, and the platform it has provided to local, national, and international talent. The Opera House has always been a broad church. When its original iteration as The Athenaeum opened in 1855, it was for the 'promotion of science, literature, and the fine arts, and the diffusion of architectural knowledge'. Tastes change. It was renamed The Munster Hall before becoming the Opera House. While on its present site it survived the Burning of Cork by British forces in 1920, it finally succumbed to the flames in its centenary year of 1955 during a pantomime rehearsal. Cork Opera House in 1955 after a fire took hold during a pantomime rehearsal. Even in its death throes, thousands turned out to watch the performance with gardaí called in to control the crowds. The new Opera House rose from the ashes and as we enjoy its contemporary offerings, we can pay tribute to the shades of the past who were drawn to entertain us — Harry Lauder, Charles Dickens, the D'Oyly Carte opera company with their famous production of HMS Pinafore, Sarah Bernhardt, Ernest Shackleton, Jack Doyle — The Gorgeous Gael — Ella Fitzgerald, and, to bring it right up to date, Cillian Murphy. Thank you, Opera House, and all who have graced it. Size isn't everything when you're on the road There are many reasons why buying an SUV might be considered a contentious purchase. Their weight and consequential impact on road surfaces is one. Fuel consumption could be another in an era where it's widely recognised that reducing carbon gases is a desirable objective for the good of society. Then there's the amount of space they can take up, particularly in car parks which were designed at the end of the last century. Or the visual obstruction they present when a driver is attempting to assess whether to overtake. If none of this cuts any ice with Irish motorists, and all the purchasing evidence suggests that it doesn't, then what about considering a comprehensive report which concludes that the relentlessly rising bonnet height of new cars is a 'clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children'. The report, by lobbyists Transport & Environment (T&E), said the average bonnet height of new cars in Europe rose from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm last year. A Belgian study of 300,000 casualties concluded that a 10cm increase from 80cm to 90cm raised the risk of death in a crash by 27% for pedestrians and cyclists. Children were substantially more likely to be killed as pedestrians in collisions than adults. T&E also commissioned Loughborough University's school of design to test the visibility of children from high-fronted cars. The driver of a Ram TRX was unable to see children aged up to nine who were standing directly in front, while a Land Rover Defender driver could not see children aged up to four and a half. The driver of a Ram TRX was unable to see children aged up to nine who were standing directly in front, while a Land Rover Defender driver could not see children aged up to four and a half. In collisions with pedestrians, high-bonneted vehicles are more likely to strike vital core organs in the bodies of adults and the heads of children. Lower bonnets tend to hit legs. In Europe, there is no legal limit to bonnet height, and researchers argue that one should be introduced by 2035 and set no higher than 85cm. The campaign against SUVs shows no sign of abating. Paris and Lyon in France, and Aachen in Germany, charge bigger cars more to park. In Britain, Cardiff, Bristol, Oxford, and Haringey are considering similar measures and last week the London Assembly called for limits on bonnet height. The International Energy Agency reported record global SUV sales in 2024 and record SUV CO2 emissions of 1bn tonnes. If SUVs were a country, they would rank as the fifth most polluting in the world, the IEA said. In Ireland, as many SUVs, which have their design inspiration in rugged terrain vehicles, are sold to urban and city dwellers as to people who live in rural locations. In other words, it is often a style choice. Like deliveries by drone and the establishment of large power-hungry and water-hungry data centres, it is a commercial development whose consequences have not been fully thought through. Read More Irish Examiner view: Intolerance fuelled unrest in Ballymena
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
Explosions over Tel Aviv as Iran launches ballistic missiles towards Israel
LAST UPDATE | 13 mins ago Footage of an Iranian ballistic missile hitting downtown Tel Aviv, Israel, moments ago. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 13, 2025 IRAN HAS LAUNCHED a barrage of approximately 100 missiles towards Israel. Explosions were spotted over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, as the public was warned by Israel's Home Front Command to seek out the nearest bomb shelter to them. Israel's national ambulance service, Magen David Adom, said that five people have been injured in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, and are being taken to hospital. One is in a 'moderate condition' and the other four have been 'lightly injured' by shrapnel, it said in a statement. Israel's firefighting service said its teams were responding to several 'major' incidents resulting from an Iranian missile attack, including efforts to rescue people trapped in a high-rise building. Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'Firefighters are working in a high-rise building to rescue trapped individuals and extinguish a fire, as well as responding to two additional destruction sites,' a statement said. Footage on Israeli television networks showed what appeared to be a building hit by a missile. Huge plumes of smoke can be seen rising around skyscrapers in Tel Aviv. Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Footage also shows the Israeli 'Iron Dome' missile defence system intercepting several missiles above the city. Bright lights were also spotted over Jerusalem, where the missiles appear to have been intercepted. Traces are seen over Jerusalem during a missile attack alert. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The Iranian missile strikes are in response to several Israeli attacks on Iranian sites this morning , which Iranian sources claim killed 78 people. Advertisement Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed this evening that they had launched an attack on a number of targets in Israel. 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… has executed its decisive and precise response against tens of targets, military centres and airbases of the usurping Zionist regime in the occupied territories,' the Guards said in a statement carried by state media. The announcement of the missile attacks on state TV came shortly after a televised speech by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which he promised that 'the Islamic Republic will prevail over the Zionist regime'. In a statement this evening, Iran's military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said the missile attacks were 'in response to the aggression and criminal assault carried out this morning by the savage, terrorist, and child-killing Zionist regime'. They added that Israel's earlier attacks on Iran had killed 'several senior military commanders, prominent scientists, and innocent civilians, especially defenseless children'. 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as the defensive and offensive arm of the Iranian nation, has launched a forceful and precise retaliation,' a statement said. Statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC): In response to the aggression and criminal assault carried out this morning by the savage, terrorist, and child-killing Zionist regime on areas within the Islamic Republic of Iran—resulting in the martyrdom of several… — Iran Military (@IRIran_Military) June 13, 2025 'With reliance on divine power, the wise leadership of the Commander-in-Chief (may his shadow be extended), and the united demand and support of the noble Iranian people, the IRGC has executed Operation 'True Promise 3″ against dozens of targets, including military centers and air bases of the usurping Zionist regime in the occupied territories. 'The operation was launched with the sacred call 'O Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS)' on the blessed night of Eid al-Ghadir,' the statement added. Earlier this evening, Iranian state media said the country's forces downed two Israeli fighter jets during an air raid. 'At least two Israeli fighter jets were shot down in Iranian skies,' the official IRNA news agency reported. In a video shared to social media shortly after the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to unite against what he described as an 'evil and oppressive regime'. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: To the proud people of Iran, We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Lion. The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years threatens to destroy our country, the State of Israel. — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 13, 2025 He said that Israel was engaged in 'one of the greatest military operations in history'. 'Iran doesn't know what hit them, they don't know what will hit them. It has never been weaker,' Netanyahu said. Additional reporting from AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... 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