Iran-Israel conflict: Strikes continue for 8th day; here are latest developments
[Editor's Note: Follow the KT live blog for live updates on the Israel-Iran conflict.]
Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Friday, a week into the conflict between the longtime enemies.
Here are the latest developments:
Iran meetings
European top diplomats are meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme.
Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Britain and the EU are urging de-escalation, with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy saying the next two weeks are "a window... to achieve a diplomatic solution".
Separately, the UN Security Council is also due to convene on Friday for a second session on the conflict, at Iran's request with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday.
Trump waiting to decide
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a "substantial" chance of negotiations to end the conflict.
The Wall Street Journal reported Trump told aides he approved attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran will give up its nuclear programme.
Tehran ally Moscow said any US military action "would be an extremely dangerous step", while pro-Iran groups in Iraq threatened retaliatory attacks.
Dozens of US military aircraft were no longer visible at a US base in Qatar on Thursday, satellite images showed -- a possible move to shield them from potential Iranian strikes.
Iran's new intelligence chief
Iran appointed a new chief of intelligence at its Revolutionary Guards on Thursday, the official Irna news agency said, after his predecessor was killed in an Israeli strike last week.
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division, Irna said.
He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers — Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri — in an Israeli strike.
Hospital strike
A hospital in southern Israel was hit as Iran fired "dozens" of missiles at the country, officials said.
The Soroka Hospital in Beersheba was left in flames, and its director Shlomi Codish said 40 people had sustained injuries.
Iran said the main target of its missile attack was not the hospital but a nearby military and intelligence base.
UN rights chief Volker Turk urged restraint from both Iran and Israel, saying it is "appalling to see how civilians are treated as collateral damage in the conduct of hostilities".
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay a "heavy price".
Nuclear sites, missile launchers
The Israeli military said it struck an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak in overnight raids on Iran that also saw the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz targeted again.
It said the strike on the Arak site was carried out "to prevent the reactor from being restored".
Iranian atomic energy chief Mohammed Eslami condemned the "barbaric and unlawful attack" on Arak, asking the UN nuclear watchdog to intervene.
Netanyahu told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that Israel had destroyed "more than half" of Iran's missile launchers since Friday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said more than 100 "combat and suicide" drones were launched at Israel on Thursday, while Iranian media reported blasts in Tehran.
Death toll
The body of a woman was recovered on Thursday from a building struck by an Iranian missile four days earlier, taking the overall death toll in Israel to 25 since the war began, according to Israeli authorities.
Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Authorities have not issued an updated toll since.
Arrests and blackout
Iranian police announced the arrest on Thursday of 24 people accused of spying for Israel.
Authorities in both Israel and Iran have announced arrests for espionage and other charges since the war began on Friday.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel, cautioning that the actual figure was likely higher.
Iran imposed a "nationwide internet shutdown" on Thursday — the most extensive blackout since widespread anti-government protests in 2019 — internet watchdog NetBlocks said.
The shutdown "impacts the public's ability to stay connected at a time when communications are vital", NetBlocks wrote on X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
an hour ago
- The National
UAE and Canada deepen strategic partnership
Sheikh Abdullah delivers message from UAE President as leaders explore expanded cooperation across key sectors
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Tanzania seeks travel truce with US to avoid visa ban
Tanzania has opened negotiations with Washington in an attempt to circumvent the latest restrictions imposed by the Donald Trump administration on citizens of African countries planning to travel to the US. This followed the State Department's announcement that a further 36 countries, primarily in Africa, would be added to the list of countries whose nationals are denied visas by the US.'We have seen the US government statement requiring us to work on some immigration issues that may cause Tanzanian citizens to be denied entry to the US, and already the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has initiated discussions with our US counterparts on the matter,' government spokesman Gerson Msigwa said in a statement on Wednesday.'Our aim is to understand what areas need to be fixed, particularly those relating to consular issues, in order to speed up Tanzania's removal from the latest US red list. We will continue to keep Tanzanians posted on how the consultations are progressing,' Mr Msigwa added. On June 14, the US State Department announced that the US could include Tanzania and 24 other African countries on the original list of 19 countries whose citizens have been fully or partially banned from entering the US. The State Department cited concerns over visa overstays, terrorist or antisemitic activity, and the difficulty of verifying the authenticity of identity documents presented by citizens of the listed countries upon arrival in the US. It said that the affected countries must provide evidence of effective remediation plans by Wednesday, June 18.'They must take immediate action to mitigate ongoing vetting and screening concerns, develop corrective action plans to remediate deficiencies and evaluate progress,' the notice said. It asserted that these measures were necessary to prove that 'we (the US) remain committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.'Apart from Tanzania, the new list included Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. On June 4, President Trump issued a proclamation fully banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the US: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. He also imposed a partial travel ban on seven more countries — Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela — saying their citizens would not be allowed to enter the US permanently or get tourist or student visas, but could only travel there on business trips. According to the State Department, categories of concern included the lack of competent government systems to produce reliable identity documents and criminal records, dubious passport security, significant rates of visa overstays, a lack of cooperation in taking back citizens being deported from the US, and selling citizenship to people who do not live in their countries. It said in its latest announcement that the issues differed from country to country, but did not delve into the specifics of each case. But it also offered affected governments a deal where they could get a reprieve by agreeing to accept citizens from other countries that the US was trying to deport but could not repatriate, or to serve as a 'safe third country' that took in US asylum-seekers. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Jordan: Government launches review of local administration Laws in Line with reform agenda
AMMAN — The government said on Thursday that it has initiated a series of meetings this month to review and advance legislation related to local administration, in line with the Royal Letter of Designation and the policy statement of Prime Minister Jafar Hassan's Cabinet. The Subcommittee on Local Administration, part of the Royal Committee to Modernise the Political System, convened to review recommendations outlined in the political modernisation blueprint. The discussions aim to ensure coherence with the Public Sector Modernisation Roadmap and the Economic Modernisation Vision, according to a statement from the Prime Ministry. The committee would continue its meetings over the coming period to consider proposals and gather feedback aimed at strengthening the legislative framework governing local administration, the statement said. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
