Turkey and Iraq reaffirm commitment to work against Kurdish militants and other security threats
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening security cooperation on Thursday, vowing to work against threats, including Kurdish militants based on Iraqi territory.
Al-Sudani arrived in Turkey as the neighboring countries are working to enhance cooperation and mend past tensions.
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who were the Iranian commanders killed in Israel's attack?
Israel struck dozens of targets, including nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences, across Iran on Friday, killing a number of senior military commanders in what it called "Operation Rising Lion". The Israeli attacks also targeted a number of other influential figures linked to Iran's nuclear programmes, including six nuclear scientists, IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim reported. Dozens of civilians, including children, have also been reported killed. Here's what we know so far about the high-profile individuals among the dead. Bagheri was the highest ranking military officer in Iran, being the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces - which includes both the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Iranian army. Bagheri joined the IRGC in 1980 aged 20 and, alongside his brother, helped establish the IRGC's intelligence unit during the Iran-Iraq war. He was considered less hardline than other commanders. He had come under criticism recently for a speech he made in April in front of the ancient ruins of Persepolis in which he called for peace and urged for the avoidance of war. Abdolrahim Mousavi has been appointed the new chief of staff of the armed forces, Iranian state news agency Irna said. He does not come from within the ranks of the IRGC, being an army general. Hossein Salami was the commander-in-chief of the IRGC. Salami joined the IRGC in 1980 during the Iran-Iraq war, and went on to become a deputy commander in 2009, before progressing to commander in 2019. Known for his ability as an orator, he took a hard-line stance towards Israel and as recently as last month said Tehran would "open the gates of hell" if attacked by either Israel or the US. Mohammad Pakpour has been appointed as the new commander of the IRGC, Iranian state media report. Gholamali Rashid was the head of the IRGC's Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates joint Iranian military operations. Rashid fought in the 1980s war with Iraq and was formerly the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. Since Rashid's death, Ali Shadmani has been appointed the emergency command's new leader, according to Iranian state media. The commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, Hajizadeh was a prominent figure in charge of the country's missiles programme. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hajizadeh had gathered in an underground command centre along with the majority of the IRGC's air force commanders to prepare for an attack on Israel. The IDF said the group was then killed in a strike targeting the building. It said Hajizadeh commanded Iran's missile attacks on Israel in October and April last year. Hajizadeh was regarded less favourably by members of Iran's general public after he took responsibility for downing a Ukrainian passenger plane flying out of Tehran in 2020, which killed all 176 people on board. Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, served as the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation between 2011 and 2013. He went on to be a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. He promoted hardline positions to do with Iran's nuclear activities. In May, he spoke on Iranian TV channel about potentially building a nuclear weapon, and said he would willingly carry out orders to do so if he received them. A number of other nuclear scientists are also reported by Iranian state media to have been killed. They are: Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was also the head of Azad University in Tehran Abdulhamid Minouchehr, head of nuclear engineering at Iran's Shahid Beheshti University Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti University Amirhossein Feqhi, another nuclear professor at Shahid Beheshti University Live: Latest updates as Israel targets Iran's nuclear sites Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief, killed by Israel Why Israel has decided to inflict damage on Iran's elite now What we know about Israel's attacks on Iran BBC Verify Live: Tracking Israel's strikes on Iran using verified video
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who are the officials killed in the Israeli attack on Iran?
(NewsNation) — Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday, which resulted in a major blow to Iran's military chain of command. The strikes targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic weapon, killing at least three top military leaders and six nuclear scientists. At least 20 senior Iranian commanders, including Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were killed in the strikes, two regional sources told Reuters. What Trump knew about Israeli strikes on Iran Here's what we know about those killed: Maj. Gen. Gholamali Rashid was head of the IRGC's Khatam al Anbia headquarters. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and fought for Iran during the 1980s war with Iraq. Gen. Hossein Salami was commander-in-chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Salami, who was born in 1960, as head of the IRGC in 2019. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri was a former IRGC commander. He was chief of staff of Iran's armed forces from 2016. Born in 1960, Bagheri joined the Guards during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh: Hajizadeh was the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Aerospace Force. Israel has identified him as the central figure responsible for directing aerial attacks against its territory. In 2020, Hajizadeh took responsibility for the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which occurred shortly after Iran launched missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani. Rubio: US 'not involved' in Israel's strike inside Iran Fereydoun Abbaski-Davani served as head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013. He was also a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. Mohammad Medi Tehranchi was head of Iran's Islamic Azad University in Tehran. Four other scientists killed in Friday's strikes are Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi and Motalibizadeh. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
6 hours ago
- CBS News
Airspace closed over multiple Middle East countries, Tel Aviv airport shut down after Israel attacks Iran
Airspace was closed over Israel, Jordan, Iran and Iraq on Friday after Israel said it began a major military operation against Iran. Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport was also closed following Israel's wave of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites and other targets. The airport said that due to the current security situation, all flights to and from the airport were canceled until further notice. Israel's Ministry of Transportation said airspace would remain closed until further notice, and that flights will have six hours' notice before it reopens. Israel's El Al and Israir evacuated planes from Tel Aviv. Travelers were told not to go to the airport. The closures were affecting travelers regionwide and beyond. Several major international carriers — including Emirates, Etihad, Qatar airways and Air India, as well as the German-based Lufthansa — canceled, delayed and redirected flights. Etihad, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, while Emirates canceled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran. Qatar Airways temporarily suspended flights to Iran and Iraq, while Air India said several flights were diverted or sent back. Lufthansa suspended flights to Iran. Syria's flag carrier, Syrian Airlines, announced on Friday that it suspended its flights to the UAE and Saudi Arabia on Friday after Iraqi and Jordanian airspace were closed. Eempty departures hall at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025, after Israel closed its airspace to takeoff and landing. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images FlightRadar data showed no flights over Syria on Friday evening local time. No flights were over Lebanon, Iran or Iraq, either, but were clustered over Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had started "Operation Rising Lion" with a wave of airstrikes on dozens of Iranian nuclear sites, military commanders and research scientists. He said the goal was to "roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival." IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin called the attack preemptive and said Israeli intelligence had uncovered an Iranian "plan to destroy Israel that has taken shape in recent years." Tehran responded by launching more than 100 drones at Israel on Friday. Iran's President Mahsoud Pezeshkian said the country would "strongly take action" against Israel, promising "a severe, wise and strong answer." "The Iranian nation and the country's officials will not remain silent in the face of this crime, and the legitimate and powerful response of the Islamic Republic of Iran will make the enemy regret its foolish act," he said on Iranian TV. An Israeli military official later told reporters that while the threat wasn't over, Israel had managed to intercept many of Iran's UAVs. , and contributed to this report.
