logo
Iran sets up new defence body in wake of Israel and US attacks

Iran sets up new defence body in wake of Israel and US attacks

BreakingNews.ie3 days ago
Iran founded a new defence council after attacks in June by Israel and the US, Iranian state media has reported.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the country's highest security body, made the decision to establish the Supreme National Defence Council, which will be headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, the report said.
Advertisement
The council will handle defensive plans and improve the capabilities of Iran's armed forces.
Members will include the speaker of Parliament, the head of the judiciary and the chiefs of military branches and related ministries, the report said.
Damage from a deadly June 13 Israeli airstrike is seen in a building at a residential compound in Tehran, Iran (AP)
The defence, intelligence and foreign ministries are expected to be council members, although the report did not provide those details.
Iran's decision follows a 12-day air war by Israel and the US that led to the deaths of nearly 1,100 people including military chiefs and commanders.
Advertisement
A ceasefire has been in force since shortly after the airstrikes targeted Iran's major nuclear facilities.
Iran had a similar council during the 1980s war between Iran and Iraq that left nearly one million casualties on both sides.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Returned and reeling: Afghans expelled from Iran struggle to start over
Returned and reeling: Afghans expelled from Iran struggle to start over

Reuters

time11 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Returned and reeling: Afghans expelled from Iran struggle to start over

ISLAM QALA, Afghanistan, August 7 (Reuters) - Habiba, an Afghan woman who fled Taliban rule to pursue a master's degree in engineering in Iran, was deported in July just before she was about to complete her studies. The 31-year-old, who declined to give her family name for fear of repercussions, said she returned to her homeland with little more than her laptop and documents, the last traces of a future she nearly secured, one of hundreds of thousands forced to return in recent weeks as Iran ramped up expulsions of Afghans in the wake of its war with Israel. "I was so close," Habiba told Reuters at the Afghan border post of Islam Qala. She said she had just saved enough to complete her thesis, the final step before graduation, and now will have to start over in a country where women are barred from high school, let alone university. Aid agencies say accusations by Iranian authorities that Afghan nationals were spying for Israel triggered a surge in deportations, with the UN refugee agency UNHCR reporting nearly 700,000 Afghans expelled from Iran since the beginning of June. The two countries share a 920-km (550-mile) land border through a flat, arid landscape. Iranian officials maintain those deported were undocumented and most left voluntarily, citing security and resource concerns. Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said in July that 70% of the 1 million who left since March did so by choice, local media reported. Local media quoted Nader Yarahmadi, an adviser to Iran's Interior Ministry and head of its Centre for Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs, as saying that temporary census cards held by about 2 million Afghan nationals were invalidated from March and that they had until July to leave. An additional 2.1 million Afghans in Iran had no documents, he said. The number of Afghans returning exploded after Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June. UNHCR estimates Iran deported an average of more than 30,000 Afghans each day during the war, up 15-fold from about 2,000 earlier. But Iranian officials have downplayed espionage claims as isolated media reports. The crackdown is on illegal immigrants, Yarahmadi said. Aid workers at Islam Qala said some of the returnees arrived after days without food or water. Momeni said deportations were conducted with 'respect and dignity,' but admitted the war triggered rushed exits, leaving many without their wages or possessions. Reuters interviewed 26 Afghans who had recently returned from Iran, many of whom described coming home to a country that now feels unfamiliar and unlivable. Most of them denied they were illegal immigrants in Iran and said they had held some form of documentation. Rahela, 37, said she had built a steady livelihood in Tehran as a certified makeup artist and seamstress. Now back in the Afghan city of Herat with her two daughters, she says she sees no future. She says she separated from her husband several years ago after he struggled with drug addiction, and has been raising her daughters alone ever since. The Taliban's restrictions bar women from most forms of employment and from travelling long distances without a male guardian. 'I have no helper and no male guardian (mahram),' she said. Her father, although a mahram, is elderly and unable to accompany her or provide support, leaving her effectively confined, she said. The flood of refugees returning to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan is straining aid in a country already grappling with economic collapse, donor fatigue and a ban on girls' secondary education. But it is the post-conflict purge from Iran that has overwhelmed Afghan authorities and aid workers, many of whom say they were unprepared for the scale and speed of the deportations. The Taliban-led government has urged Iran to proceed gradually, and allow returnees time to settle financial affairs and retrieve personal property. While the women who have returned spoke of lost rights and opportunities, Afghan men described split families, derailed plans and an uncertain future. Rahim Uzbek, 59, said he was arrested at his job as a security guard, deported alone, and is now living in a mosque near the Islam Qala crossing, away from his two wives and seven children who remained in Iran, although they were also Afghan nationals. He said that he had some money tied up in an advance payment for rent in Iran, but the landlord did not return it. 'I have no assets or savings, nor do I have any shelter or place to stay,' he said, with tears in his eyes. 'I have no idea what to do.' Mansoor Ahmad, 21, a metalworker from Kabul, said he was arrested at work and deported without his family. He said Iranian officers accused him of helping someone escape a deportation camp and beat him when he denied it. 'When I spoke, they beat me. When I stayed silent, they beat me again,' he said. 'Then they put me in solitary.' Red marks and bruises were visible on his back and shoulders, consistent with being struck or kicked. Iranian officials deny systemic abuse. The Iranian chargé d'affaires in Kabul, Alireza Bigdeli, said there were no official reports of mistreatment but acknowledged 'some may be unhappy with the way they were treated, detained, or returned.' Iranian authorities say they tried to prevent family separations but admit the post-war rush split some families. Students were encouraged to leave with relatives under a voluntary return plan. While many of the Afghans said life in Iran was tough, marked by discrimination, high costs and a constant sense of being unwelcome, they still had goals. Some worked, others studied. 'The situation in Iran was very difficult,' said Rahela. 'People treated us harshly. They humiliated and insulted us. But at least there was security and work. Women could work... and that was good for us."

Rayner asks China to explain redacted mega-embassy plans
Rayner asks China to explain redacted mega-embassy plans

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

Rayner asks China to explain redacted mega-embassy plans

Angela Rayner has given China two weeks to explain why parts of its plans for a new mega-embassy in London are deputy prime minister's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government sent a letter asking for further information and requested a response by 20 August, the BBC understands. Beijing's plans for the new embassy have sparked fears its location - very near London's financial district - could pose an espionage risk. Residents nearby also fear it would pose a security risk to them and attract large protests. The BBC has contacted the Chinese embassy in London for comment. A final planning decision on the controversial plans will be made by 9 September, the BBC a letter seen by the PA news agency, Rayner, who as housing secretary is responsible for overseeing planning matters, asks planning consultants representing the Chinese embassy to explain why drawings of the planned site are blacked Home Office and the Foreign Office also received copies of the notes that the Home Office requested a new "hard perimeter" be placed around the embassy site, to prevent "unregulated public access", and says this could require a further planning are concerns, held by some opponents, that the Royal Mint Court site could allow China to infiltrate the UK's financial system by tapping into fibre optic cables carrying sensitive data for firms in the City of campaigners from Hong Kong also fear Beijing could use the huge embassy to harass political opponents and even detain them. Last month, the UK condemned cash offers from Hong Kong authorities for people who help in the arrest of pro-democracy activists living in Britain. Alicia Kearns, the shadow national security minister, said: "No surprises here - Labour's rush to appease Xi Jinping's demands for a new embassy demonstrated a complacency when it came to keeping our people safe. Having deluded themselves for so long, they've recognised we were right to be vigilant."Responding to security concerns earlier this week, the Chinese embassy told the BBC it was "committed to promoting understanding and the friendship between the Chinese and British peoples and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Building the new embassy would help us better perform such responsibilities".China bought the old Royal Mint Court for £255m in 2018. At 20,000 square metres, the complex will be the biggest embassy in Europe if it goes plan involves a cultural centre and housing for 200 staff, but in the basement, behind security doors, there are also rooms with no identified use on the application for the embassy had previously been rejected by Tower Hamlets Council in 2022 over safety and security concerns. It resubmitted an identical application in August 2024, one month after Labour came to power. On 23 August, Sir Keir Starmer phoned Chinese President Xi Jinping for their first talks. Sir Keir confirmed afterwards that Xi had raised the embassy has since exercised her power to take the matter out of the council's hands amid attempts by the government to engage with China after a cooling of relations during the final years of Conservative Party ministers have signalled they are in favour if minor adjustments are made to the plan.

Israeli military chiefs 'are clashing over civilian killings in Gaza'
Israeli military chiefs 'are clashing over civilian killings in Gaza'

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Israeli military chiefs 'are clashing over civilian killings in Gaza'

Israeli military chiefs fell out in an explosive shouting match over the sheer number of Palestinians killed by IDF airstrikes, according to local media. Major General Yaniv Asor, head of the army's southern command, is said to have complained to the air force that it was consistently overruling bombing requests for targets in Gaza, which has already been decimated since Israel began its siege of the enclave. In response, Major General Tomer Bar, the head of Israel's air force, said that many of requests made by Asor's subordinates were killing civilians and showed a 'lack of professionalism.' Local media reported that the argument only spiralled from there, resulting in the senior military figures screaming at each other in front of top officers. The spat required Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of staff at the IDF to intervene, witnesses said. The argument reflects a deep division within Benjamin Netanyahu 's government over what the future, vis-a-vis Gaza, ought to look like. Earlier this week, Netanyahu told the military to prepare for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are being held. A source in the Prime Minister's Office told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the message had been passed on to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir saying: 'If this does not suit you, then you should resign.' Israeli soldiers walking next to damaged buildings as smoke billows during a military operation in the north of the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas It comes as Netanyahu prepares to meet with top officials to decide on the next steps in Gaza and what to do about the remaining hostages. An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post: 'The prime minister is considering all available options regarding the next steps.' Hamas, however, has brushed off talks of an Israeli takeover. The group said: 'Israel's threats are repetitive, worthless, and have no influence on our decisions.' But a political analyst with Channel 12 quoted an unnamed official saying: 'Hamas won't release more hostages without total surrender, and we won't surrender. 'If we don't act now, the hostages will starve to death and Gaza will remain under Hamas's control. ' According to reports, the prime minister used the phrase 'occupation of the Strip' in private conversations while describing his intentions for Gaza. If Netanyahu's plans are successful, the Israeli military could extend its reach across the whole region, according to local reports. It currently holds 75 percent of the Strip. He is now set to take the plans to his cabinet to seek their backing for the plan. In a video message, Netanyahu said he was 'committing to free Gaza from the tyranny of these terrorists'. According to The Times of Israel, the IDF is against the proposal and has said it would take a significant amount of time to clear infrastructure belonging to Hamas.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store