BREAKING NEWS: Japan PM says to work with G7 to help ease Israel-Iran tensions
KYODO NEWS - 6 minutes ago - 19:07 | Others
BREAKING NEWS: Japan PM says to work with G7 to help ease Israel-Iran tensions
==Kyodo
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
32 minutes ago
- Kyodo News
Iran retaliates against Israel with missile attacks
KYODO NEWS - 9 minutes ago - 14:35 | All, World Iran launched a missile attack against Israel on Friday, Iranian state TV reported, in retaliation for airstrikes on various locations including facilities related to Tehran's nuclear program. Israel's military said on the X social media platform that "Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward Israel in the past hours," with video showing flashes over Tel Aviv. Israeli media reported that the Iranian counterstrike had left one dead and more than 60 people injured. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired 100 hypersonic missiles at Israel, according to the state broadcaster. Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting, Iranian envoy Amir Saeid Iravani accused the United States of supporting the Israeli military attack, saying Washington's complicity was "beyond doubt." "We will not forget that our people lost their lives as a result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons. These actions amount to a declaration of war." Iran's military also claimed to have shot down two Israeli fighter jets, according to state television. A blast also occurred early Saturday at Tehran's Mehrabad airport, according to local reports. Related coverage: Israel makes "preemptive" strikes on Iran nuclear, military targets Japan condemns Israel attack on Iran, vows G7 unity to ease tensions
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Israel's attacks on Iran hint at a bigger goal: regime change
Israel's surprise attack on Iran had an obvious goal of sharply disrupting Tehran's nuclear program and lengthening the time it would need to develop an atomic weapon. But the scale of the attacks, Israel's choice of targets, and its politicians' own words suggest another, longer-term objective: toppling the regime itself. The strikes early on Friday hit not just Iran's nuclear facilities and missile factories but also key figures in the country's military chain of command and its nuclear scientists, blows that appear aimed at diminishing Iran's credibility both at home and among its allies in the region — factors that could destabilize the Iranian leadership, experts said. "One assumes that one of the reasons that Israel is doing that is that they're hoping to see regime change," said Michael Singh of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former senior official under President George W. Bush. "It would like to see the people of Iran rise up," he said, adding that the limited civilian casualties in the initial round of attacks also spoke to a broader aim. In a video address shortly after Israeli fighter jets began striking Iranian nuclear facilities and air defense systems, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appealed to the Iranian people directly. Israel's actions against Iran's ally Hezbollah had led to a new government in Lebanon and the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, he said. The Iranian people had an opportunity too: "I believe that the day of your liberation is near. And when that happens, the great friendship between our two ancient peoples will flourish once again," Netanyahu said. But despite the damage inflicted by the unprecedented Israeli attack, decades of enmity toward Israel — not only among Iran's rulers but its majority-Shiite population — raises questions about the prospect for fomenting enough public support to oust an entrenched theocratic leadership in Tehran backed by loyal security forces. Singh cautioned that no one knows what conditions would be required for an opposition to coalesce in Iran. Friday's assault was the first phase of what Israel said would be a prolonged operation. Experts said they expected Israel would continue to go after key Iranian nuclear infrastructure to delay Tehran's march to a nuclear bomb — even if Israel on its own does not have the capability to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points to a red line he drew on a graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York in September 2012. | REUTERS Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. The U.N. nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel's first salvos targeted senior figures in Iran's military and scientific establishment, took out much of the country's air defense system and destroyed the above-ground enrichment plant at Iran's nuclear site. "As a democratic country, the State of Israel believes that it is up to the people of a country to shape their national politics, and choose their government," the Israeli Embassy in Washington said. "The future of Iran can only be determined by the Iranian people." Netanyahu has called for a change in Iran's government, including in September. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, while acquiescing to Israel's strikes and helping its close ally fend off Iran's retaliatory missile barrage, has given no indication that it seeks regime change in Tehran. The White House and Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York also did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter. Israel has much further to go if it is to dismantle Iran's nuclear facilities, and military analysts have always said it might be impossible to totally disable the well-fortified sites dotted around Iran. The Israeli government has also cautioned that Iran's nuclear program could not be entirely destroyed by means of a military campaign. "There's no way to destroy a nuclear program by military means," Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel's Channel 13 TV. The military campaign could, however, create conditions for a deal with the United States that would thwart the nuclear program. Analysts also remain skeptical that Israel will have the munitions needed to obliterate Iran's nuclear project on its own. "Israel probably cannot take out completely the nuclear project on its own without the American participation," Sima Shine, a former chief Mossad analyst and now a researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, told reporters on Friday. While setting back Tehran's nuclear program would have value for Israel, the hope for regime change could explain why Israel went after so many senior military figures, potentially throwing the Iranian security establishment into confusion and chaos. "These people were very vital, very knowledgeable, many years in their jobs, and they were a very important component of the stability of the regime, specifically the security stability of the regime," said Shine. "In the ideal world, Israel would prefer to see a change of regime, no question about that," she said. But such a change would come with risk, said Jonathan Panikoff, a former U.S. deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East who is now at the Atlantic Council. If Israel succeeds in removing Iran's leadership, there is no guarantee the successor that emerges would not be even more hard-line in pursuit of conflict with Israel. "For years, many in Israel have insisted that regime change in Iran would prompt a new and better day — that nothing could be worse than the current theocratic regime," Panikoff said. "But history tells us it can always be worse."
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Iran retaliates against Israel with missile attacks
TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Kyodo) -- Iran launched a missile attack against Israel on Friday, Iranian state TV reported, in retaliation for airstrikes on various locations including facilities related to Tehran's nuclear program. Israel's military said on the X social media platform that "Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward Israel in the past hours," with video showing flashes over Tel Aviv. Israeli media reported that the Iranian counterstrike had left one dead and more than 60 people injured. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired 100 hypersonic missiles at Israel, according to the state broadcaster. Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting, Iranian envoy Amir Saeid Iravani accused the United States of supporting the Israeli military attack, saying Washington's complicity was "beyond doubt." "We will not forget that our people lost their lives as a result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons. These actions amount to a declaration of war." Iran's military also claimed to have shot down two Israeli fighter jets, according to state television. A blast also occurred early Saturday at Tehran's Mehrabad airport, according to local reports.
