Iran and Israel continue exchanging strikes, leaving several dead

Euronews

16 hours ago

The grand military parade that US President Donald Trump had been wanting for years barrelled down Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC on Saturday with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute.
It played out against the counterpoint of protests around the country by those who decried the US leader as a dictator and would-be king.
During the parade, which coincided with Trump's 79th birthday, he sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early and moved swiftly as light rain fell and dark clouds shrouded the Washington Monument.
The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, was one Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until this year, when the parade was added to an event recognising the Army's 250th anniversary.
Hours before the parade started, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to sound off against the Republican president. They criticized Trump for using the military to respond to people protesting his deportation efforts and for the muscular military show in the US capital.
In Washington, anti-war protesters unfurled signs that said 'Homes not drones' not far from a display of armoured vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment on the National Mall set up to commemorate the Army's birthday. Vendors outside the festival sold gear marking the military milestone. Others hawked Trump-themed merchandise.
Doug Haynes, a Navy veteran who voted for Trump, attended the daylong festival to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday, but said that the parade 'was a little over the top.'
Pointing at a nearby tank, Haynes said that having them roll down the street is a 'very bold statement to the world, perhaps.'
'No Kings' rallies unfolded in hundreds of cities, designed to counter what organisers said were Trump's plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and flag day. Organisers said they picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.
The parade was added just a few weeks ago to the planned celebration of the Army's birthday and has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the route.
The daylong display of America's Army comes as Trump has shown his willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other US presidents have typically avoided.
In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard without the governor's permission and dispatched the US Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments.
A previously calm demonstration in downtown LA quickly turned chaotic as police on horseback charged at the crowd, striking some with wood rods and batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building.
Officers then fired tear gas and crowd control projectiles at the large group, sending demonstrators, hot dog vendors and passing pedestrians fleeing through the street. Some have since regrouped, ignoring an LAPD dispersal order.
'Less lethal has been approved. Less lethal may cause discomfort and pain. It is advised that all persons leave the area,' police said in a post on X.
'It was a total 100% over-reaction. We weren't doing anything but standing around chanting peaceful protest,' said Samantha Edgerton, a 37-year-old bartender.
Marines appeared for the first time at a demonstration since they were deployed to city on Friday with the stated mission of defending federal property.
Dozens of Marines stood shoulder to shoulder in full combat gear, hands on their rifles, beside other law enforcement, including Department of Homeland Security officers at the National Guard.
Directly in front of them, hundreds of protesters jeered in English and Spanish, telling the federal troops to go home.
Iran and Israel traded rounds of strikes late Saturday in the latest salvo since a surprise attack a day earlier aimed at decimating Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme.
Israeli citizens were instructed to take shelter in protected spaces as Iran launched a new round of retaliatory attacks.
The Magen David Adom emergency service said three people were killed in the Tel Aviv area, with dozens of others wounded.
Israeli police reported that four people were killed in the northern town of Tamra near Haifa, according to local media. Tamra is a predominantly Palestinian city in Israel.
Across the country, over 100 people were reported injured following Iran's latest attacks.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in a statement said that Iranian missiles targeted facilities of production of fuel for Israeli jetfighters. It said Iran will fire further missiles if Israeli strikes continue.
Israel's military said early Sunday it targeted Iran's Defence Ministry headquarters in Tehran.
"Tehran is burning," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X.
Israel's military also said it targeted sites it alleged were associated with Iran's nuclear programme around Tehran.
It alleged the sites were 'related to the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons project.'
US intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency have repeatedly said Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon before Israel unleashed its campaign of airstrikes targeting Iran beginning Friday.
Oman's foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, said on social media the sixth round of indirect nuclear talks on Sunday 'will not now take place." Although the talks are off for now, 'we remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon," said a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomacy.
Israel and Iran signalled further attacks, despite urgent calls from world leaders to deescalate and avoid all-out war.
In what could be another escalation if confirmed, semi-official Iranian news agencies reported an Israeli drone struck and caused a 'strong explosion' at an Iranian natural-gas processing plant. It would be the first Israeli attack on Iran's oil and natural gas industry. Israel's military did not immediately comment.
The extent of damage at the South Pars natural gas field was not immediately clear. Such sites have air defence systems around them, which Israel has been targeting.
Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran was not actively pursuing the bomb. But its uranium enrichment has reached near weapons-grade levels, and on Thursday, the UN's atomic watchdog censured Iran for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Aragchi said Saturday the nuclear talks were 'unjustifiable' after Israel's strikes. His comments came during a call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
A Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were shot and killed in their home early on Saturday by someone posing as a police officer, and a second lawmaker and his wife were wounded in what Governor Tim Walz described as 'targeted political violence.'
Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her spouse were killed in their Brooklyn Park home, while state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, although shot multiple times, were taken to the hospital and underwent surgery.
Authorities were actively searching for a suspect in the hours following the shootings.
'We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence," Walz said at a press conference on Saturday.
Superintendent Drew Evans of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stated that authorities were actively searching for the suspect.
AP's sources stated that the motive has not yet been determined and that the investigation is still in its early stages.
Hours after the shootings, hundreds of police and sheriff deputies from departments in the region, some in tactical gear with assault style weapons, were scattered through the town. Occasional police roadblocks were set up, where cars are stopped and searched for the investigation.
After the attack, police in Minnesota officially cancelled the 'No Kings' protests, which are against President Trump's policies.
Police have recovered writings that mention names of multiple lawmakers and other officials in the fake police car that they believe the suspect used in the shooting.