The Latest: Iran launches a new wave of missile attacks on Israel as conflict enters fourth day
Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of a conflict between the regional foes that showed no sign of slowing.
Powerful explosions, likely from Israel's defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles, rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn. Plumes of black smoke rose into the sky over the major coastal city.
The latest salvo comes after a weekend of escalating tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran that raised fears of a wider, more dangerous regional war.
Iran on Sunday said Israel struck oil refineries, killed the intelligence chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and hit population centers in intensive aerial attacks.
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Here's the latest:
Egypt arrests 2 members of Global March to Gaza, group says
Egyptian authorities arrested two members of the international coordination committee of the Global March to Gaza, the group said Monday.
The group said in a statement it hasn't heard from French citizen Hicham El Ghaoui and Spanish national Manuel Tapial for around a day since their arrest and it has no details about their whereabouts.
Demonstrators from 80 countries planned to march to Egypt's border with Gaza to spotlight the deepening humanitarian crises facing Palestinians since Israel began blocking aid trucks from entering the coastal enclave in March.
'Our commitment remains unchanged: We stand with Gaza, call for the opening of a humanitarian corridor, and demand an end to the genocide against the Palestinian people. Governments must act now,' the statement said.
Foreigners are being evacuated from Iran and Israel
Some 120 people, including diplomats and their families, were evacuated from Iran via Turkmenistan, the country's Foreign Ministry said Monday. Many of those evacuated were from fellow Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, officials said.
Turkmenistan, a gas-rich nation that has remained largely isolated under its autocratic rulers since it became independent following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, shares a 1,148-kilometer (713-mile) border with Iran.
The Czech Republic is also sending a plane for Czechs who want to leave Israel amid the conflict with Iran, the Czech Foreign Ministry said. Other Czechs will use another plane sent by the government of Slovakia headed to Jordan to return home.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it helped 14 Taiwanese leave Israel by bus for Jordan on Sunday and will help them travel onward. The ministry is in touch with another nine Taiwanese currently in Iran and will assist them if they need help departing, the ministry said in a statement Monday.
Concussion of Iranian missile causes minor damage to US Consulate in Tel Aviv
The American Consulate in Tel Aviv suffered minor damage from the concussion of an Iranian missile landing nearby, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on Monday.
Huckabee said in a post on X there were no injuries to American personnel but that the consulate in Tel Aviv and Embassy in Jerusalem would remain closed through the day as a precaution.
The damage came amid a new wave of Iranian missile attacks on Israel in retaliation for Israel's sweeping attacks on Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure.
Iran's health ministry says 224 killed since Israel's attack began Friday
Iran's health ministry says 224 people have been killed since Israel's attack began Friday.
Spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on social media that 1,277 other people were hospitalized, and asserted that over 90% of the casualties were civilians.
Israel has said 14 people have been killed there since Friday and 390 others wounded.
EU foreign ministers to meet Tuesday by video link
The European Union's top diplomat will convene an emergency meeting of the 27-nation bloc's foreign ministers Tuesday to discuss the conflict between Israel and Iran.
The meeting, to be held via video link, 'will provide an opportunity for an exchange of views, coordination on diplomatic outreach to Tel Aviv and Tehran, and possible next steps,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas' office said Sunday.
'We will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue which can only be through a negotiated deal,' it said.
Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader, US official says
President Donald Trump vetoed a plan presented by Israel to the U.S. to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei. After being briefed on the plan, the White House made clear to Israeli officials that Trump was opposed to the Israelis making the move, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the sensitive matter.
The Trump administration is desperate to keep Israel's military operation aimed at decapitating Iran's nuclear program from exploding into an even more expansive conflict and saw the plan to kill Khamenei as a move that would enflame the conflict and potentially destabilize the region.
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Telegraph
32 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Tottenham concern with Manor Solomon stranded in Israel during Iran conflict
Tottenham Hotspur are in touch with Manor Solomon after the winger was stranded in Israel because of the conflict with Iran. Solomon returned to his home country to marry his long-term partner Dana Vaoshina last week, but is now stuck in Israel and unsure when he will be able to return. A Tottenham spokesperson said: 'We are constantly in regular dialogue with all our players regarding their wellbeing and welfare.' Israel's airspace was closed, with flights to and from the country suspended, amid an air war with Iran who they have traded deadly missile attacks with. A source close to Solomon said that the player will only be able to leave Israel 'when the sky will open' and added they hoped for more news by the end of the week. Tottenham are not due to return to training until July, when Solomon will hope to impress new head coach Thomas Frank. But the club are understandably concerned about the safety and welfare of their player before then. Solomon spent last season on loan at Leeds United and played a key role in the club's promotion to the Premier League, scoring 10 league goals and contributing 12 assists. Leeds are believed to be interested in signing Solomon permanently, but Frank is likely to assess his new squad in pre-season before deciding on their futures. Solomon was offered support by Spurs in 2023 following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and was given permission by the club to travel back to his home country later that year for a family matter. The 25-year-old received an apology from Meta after his Instagram account was temporarily deactivated in the aftermath of posts he made showing support for Israel. Meta, the company that owns Instagram, insisted the closure of his account was a mistake. In the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel, Solomon posted an emotional message on Instagram that read: 'In the past two days my country, my family, my friends and my beloved people have been going through hell. 'Over 800 Israelis have been murdered – the most murdered in one day since the Holocaust! Over 150 people have been kidnapped – including women, children, babies and elderly people. Thousands of missiles and rockets have been fired towards innocent civilians! 'Hamas is not doing [and has never done] anything in favour of the Palestine people. Hamas is a terror organisation with one mission only – to wipe the Jews off the planet. 'Supporting them means supporting terror, just like supporting Al-Qaeda, Isis and the attacks on 9.11. Israel has the right to defend itself! Pray for Israel.'
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
Israel's smaller, sophisticated military opposes larger Iran
Israel's conflict with Iran may look like a mismatch on paper - a nation of nine million people taking on a giant of the Middle East, home to 88 Israel's formidable and sophisticated military forces - with an arsenal largely, but not exclusively, provided by the United States - are enabling it to overpower a much larger BBC looks at the military balance in the latest war in the Middle East. What has Israel achieved so far? Israel already says it has gained control over the skies over Tehran. It has been a complete mismatch in the air - with no sign of Iran's few ageing fighter jets even getting off the ground. Israel's fleet of modern, US-made fighters have been able to drop guided bombs from short range - with apparently little concern of being shot of the threat from Iran's air defences was destroyed in an earlier Israeli strike in October - using longer range "stand-off" weapons to target Iran's S300 missile systems. In recent days Israel's air force has continued to target ground-based radar and launchers. Even before the attack got under way, Israel had intelligence operatives inside Iran preparing to disrupt its response. Mossad agents used drones smuggled into the country to target Iran's remaining air defence attacks also wiped out many in Iran's top level of command, which would have also undermined Iran's response. Is Iran still able to strike back? Before Israel began its attacks, Iran had what the US described as the "largest ballistic missile arsenal" in the Middle vary from between 2,000 to 3,000. Some of those, and the factories in which they were produced, have already been hit by Israel. But Tehran has still been able to fire wave after wave into Israel, and some missiles have penetrated its sophisticated air defences. The Israeli military says it has now destroyed a third of Iran's surface to surface launchers. But while Iran's missile programme will have been degraded, it has not been destroyed. It remains the greatest direct threat to despite Israel's attacks, Iran still has many short range air defence Bronk, of the defence think tank Rusi, said that while Israel may now be able to claim air superiority over Tehran, it has still not achieved air dominance and the threat of short range missiles remain. Does Iran have allies - and what could they do? Iran has for years invested in Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon with military advice, weapons and technology. But their ability to threaten Israel on its frontiers has been greatly diminished by Israeli action over the last two years: Hamas has been all but destroyed in Gaza, and Hezbollah's potency reduced to the point where it has not responded to Israel's attack on its Houthis, while more distant in Yemen, have still been able to fire the occasional salvo of missiles into Israel. They survived a sustained US bombing campaign earlier this year, and were able to bring down several US Reaper drones with short range ground-to-air missiles. Could other countries be dragged in? Iran has the ability to strike western interests in the region. Iranian-backed militant groups in Iraq have targeted western military bases in the region. The US and the UK have been preparing for the worst. There are still around 100 UK personnel based in Baghdad alongside the US military. Their safety is one reason why Kier Starmer, the British prime minister, recently ordered additional RAF Typhoon jets to Cyprus. US and UK military naval personnel and ships are also stationed in Bahrain. The longer this war goes on the greater the risk for western forces in the still has the ability to disrupt or choke one of the world's main shipping lanes in the Straight of Hormuz. It may not currently seem wise for Tehran to widen the conflict, but it could do so if it chooses. Can Israel achieve its goals? Israel has the upper hand, but the continuation of its military campaign is still largely dependent on US backing. It receives billions of dollars of US military aid each year. Most of the weapons being fired from their American-made jets have been flown in from the US. Even some of the interceptor missiles for its own Iron Dome air defences are made in the "bunker busting" bombs Israel has been using to target Iran's underground nuclear programme are mostly US-supplied. Donald Trump, the US president, has so far been willing to back their use, though it is reported that he vetoed Israeli plans to target Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali has the US given Israel access to the one weapon that would probably be needed to penetrate Iran's underground nuclear complex at Fordow - the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000lb (13,600kg) bomb, which also can only be delivered by US B2 strategic with continuing US military support there will be limits to what Israel can achieve. Air power may set back Iran's nuclear programme, but it won't destroy it. Israeli hopes of toppling the Iranian regime seem highly unlikely. Air campaigns can create fear and chaos and rubble. But think of Libya in 2011, or Israel's continuing assault on Gaza: they rarely result in a clear-cut victory.
The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
When Starmer speaks, the world listens – or so Labour imagines
It was late into the night. The phone rang in the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu stretched out an arm to take the call. 'Yes.' 'Hi Bibi, it's Ali.' 'Ali who?' 'Ayatollah Ali Khamenei … I just wondered whether you had heard the latest - Keir Starmer has made an intervention.' 'Not THE Keir Starmer?' 'The very same. The prime minister of the United Kingdom. He has called on both of us to de-escalate hostilities. To look for a diplomatic solution. Not just that, but the British foreign secretary will be making a statement to the British parliament later on today to demand restraint. To bring the Middle-East back from the edge.' 'Wow,' said Bibi. 'That rather changes everything. When Keir speaks the world listens.' Or maybe that's not quite the way international diplomacy works in the Middle-East. Right now, it doesn't appear that Israel or Iran are listening to anyone. Not even the US. Then again, it's quite hard to follow what Donald Trump has to say about the conflict as he regularly contradicts himself. Yet Starmer continues to call for de-escalation. Mainly to make himself feel better. We all know that the UK has no real influence, but Keir feels he has to say something and he can't very well say he's not that bothered. A prime minister has to be prime ministerial. A united front and all that. Besides, if Israel and Iran do take a step back, he can always claim that his intervention was the one that made the difference. And maybe it might have been. Still. One person to whom Netanyahu and Khamenei most definitely won't be listening is Emma Reynolds, the economic secretary to the Treasury, who was sent out by the government on the morning media round. Which is just as well for Emma and the UK because, fair to say, she took the word useless to dizzying new heights during her interview with Nick Ferrari on LBC. On this performance, you wouldn't have trusted her to locate Israel or Iran on a map. Emma's solution to the conflict was to hope for the best. Which was the same approach she took to her own performance. Only it didn't pay off. Ferrari appeared to confuse her by asking about the thing – strengthening 3,000 bridges – that she had been sent out to talk about. I guess she hadn't seen that one coming. She began by talking about the Dartmouth Tunnel. Thereby locating the Thames somewhere on the south Devon coast. Suspecting he might be dealing with a halfwit, Ferrari checked if she knew where the new crossing near Dartford might be. Emma hadn't a clue. Nick filled her in: Gravesend and Tilbury. OK, he said. Do you know how much this was going to cost? Still no clue. By now Emma was getting panicky – £3bn? Er, no, said Ferrari. It's £10bn. It said so in her own department's press release, which she hadn't read. Let's move on to Hammersmith Bridge. Let's not, sobbed Emma. She didn't know anything about that bridge either. Two down, 2,998 to go. Over in the Commons, Yvette Cooper was giving a statement on the publication of Lady Casey's report into grooming gangs. No one came out of it well. Not the Tories, not Labour, not the police, not the local authorities. The girls had been let down by everyone. The home secretary at least tried to take some responsibility. Some. She laid out a clear trail of failure and neglect over the past 15 years. Abusers operating in plain sight. Seemingly given a free pass. She made an apology on behalf of the British state to all the victims. What she couldn't bring herself to do was to admit the government could have established a national statutory inquiry six months ago. Yet again, a minister failing to say sorry for something she could have done better. Instead she tried to claim that the new inquiry was just a seamless continuation of the last one. Normally it would have been Chris Philp to reply for the opposition. Instead we got Kemi Badenoch. Whether the Philpster would have been any better is open to question, but he couldn't have been any worse. Kemi's response was one of the most shabby and ill-judged I can remember. This was all about her, not the victims. Turning a national scandal into party politics. Claiming that everything had been just fine under the 14 years of the Tories and that the greatest injustice had been Labour's failure to implement an inquiry sooner. Failing to acknowledge that she had been in a position to act as minister for children. Failing to pay attention to Casey's comments that successive governments had failed to keep children safe for 15 years. Failure even to say sorry on behalf of her party to the victims. She couldn't even manage that. A grim afternoon in Westminster had just got a shade grimmer.
