Penny Wong calling for Iran to be handed a ‘propaganda victory'
Sky News host James Morrow claims Foreign Minister Penny Wong has succumbed to relativist thinking regarding the Israel-Iran conflict.
Ms Wong initially called for de-escalation and diplomacy in the Middle East – saying it is what the world 'wants to see'.
'What she is really calling for is for Iran to be handed a great big win and a propaganda victory,' Mr Morrow said.
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
At least three impacts in Israel during Iran missile attacks, 23 hurt
Three areas of Israel including coastal hub Tel Aviv were hit Sunday morning during waves of Iranian missile attacks, with at least 23 people injured, according to rescue services and police. Several buildings were heavily damaged in the Ramat Aviv area in Tel Aviv, with holes torn in the facades of apartment blocks. "Houses here were hit very, very badly," Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai told reporters at the scene. "Fortunately, one of them was slated for demolition and reconstruction, so there were no residents inside. "Those who were in the shelter are all safe and well. The damage is very, very extensive, but in terms of human life, we are okay." The Israeli police said in a statement that they had been deployed to at least two other impact sites, one in Haifa in the north and another in Ness Ziona, south of Tel Aviv. A public square in a residential area of Haifa was left strewn with rubble and surrounding shops and homes have been heavily damaged, AFP photos showed. Eli Bin, the head of Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom, told reporters that a total of 23 people had been wounded nationwide in the attacks, with "two in moderate condition and the rest lightly injured." Two waves of missiles were launched at Israel from around 7:30 am (0430 GMT), the Israeli military said. Sirens rang across the country, with air defences activated shortly afterwards, causing loud explosions heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israeli police reported "the fall of weapon fragments" in a northern area encompassing the port of Haifa, where local authorities said emergency services were heading to an "accident site". Reporting on missile strikes is subject to strict military censorship rules in Israel, but at least 50 impacts have been officially acknowledged nation-wide and 25 people have been killed since the war began with Iran on June 13, according to official figures. Tel Aviv, the southern city of Beersheba and the northern port of Haifa have been the three areas most frequently targeted by Iran. Israel's sophisticated air defences have intercepted more than 450 missiles along with around 1,000 drones, according to the latest figures from the Israeli military. crb-adp/ds/dcp
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Inside the Situation Room, where the course of history is often changed
Gathered around a mahogany conference table in the West Wing of the White House, US President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet discussed the conflict in Iran. It wasn't the first meeting Mr Trump had held over the increasing tensions in the Middle East, but this one was different. On the other side of the world, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers operated by the US military were dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites. The US president and his inner circle had gathered to watch the mission play out. The historic meeting was captured in a series of photographs published by the White House, giving the public a rare glimpse inside the fabled Situation Room. Wearing a bright red baseball cap, emblazoned with his campaign slogan 'MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN', Mr Trump moved around the room with a stony face. Colourful highlighters, thick binders, half-empty water bottles, and disposable cups were scattered across the tabletop. Cabinet members intently watched a screen outside the camera's frame. The room was a who's who of Mr Trump's most trusted. When the president was seated at the head of the table, Vice-President JD Vance was quite literally his right-hand man. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was to Mr Trump's left. The two officials' prominent places at the table perhaps underscore the depth of their influence as Mr Trump deliberated for days whether to strike Iran. But the president was not always seated. At points, Mr Trump stood behind his top aide, Susie Wiles, as General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke. CIA director John Ratcliffe had a binder and papers in front of him, although his documents appeared to be blurred, certainly for security reasons. In other photos, one can spot Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Andy Baker, and White House counsel David Warrington. Senior administration officials not considered principals were also there. In the back of one photo is Dan Scavino, the president's omnipresent deputy chief of staff. Mr Trump is always in sharp focus whenever he is pictured, even as other officials in the foreground — like Mr Hegseth or Mr Vance — are softly blurred. For political pundits, perhaps the most interesting information to be gleaned from the scenes is who was not there. Since the conflict broke out, disagreement had brewed within the Trump administration over whether the US should join Israel's attacks on Iran. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said in March that the US had no evidence of Iran developing nuclear weapons. When asked about her comments on Friday, Mr Trump said, "She's wrong". In a subsequent post on X, Ms Gabbard said her March testimony was taken out of context "as a way to manufacture division". But in the series of Situation Room photos, Ms Gabbard can't be seen around the table, fuelling speculation that she is on the outs with the president. Some US-based journalists have reported Ms Gabbard was in the room, citing White House sources. The Situation Room was created in 1961 on the order of president John F Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs military invasion, aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro's communist government, failed due to a lack of current information. It serves as the primary location for presidents to meet with national security advisors, discuss secret operations, and work through international security strategies. Despite its name, the meeting place is more of an operational suite than a single room. Once described by then-secretary of state Henry Kissinger as "uncomfortable, unaesthetic and essentially oppressive", it occupies much of the West Wing's lower floor, extending into the berm underneath the White House's outdoor pool. Access is tightly controlled and generally restricted to the president's intelligence and military advisors. These are the rooms where history happens. It was where Mr Trump monitored the operation that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019; where president Barack Obama and his team watched the raid that took down al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in 2011; and where president Lyndon Johnson went over Vietnam War plans in the 1960s. Now, a new entry can be added to the Situation Room's storied history: the moment the US bombed Iran. ABC/AP
9 News
an hour ago
- 9 News
Missiles hit Israel after Iran launches retaliatory strikes
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, and that there were reports of damage in the cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, and along the coast. Israeli police and search and rescue teams deploy to the Tel Aviv area begin investigation and search operations. Credit: 'ISRAELI POLICE / HANDOUT (Anadolu via Getty Images) Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had "swiftly neutralised" the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran. The scene after one of the missiles launched by Iran in retaliation for Israeli attacks struck the centre of Tel Aviv. Credit: 'ISRAELI POLICE / HANDOUT (Anadolu via Getty Images) Iranian state TV showed what appeared to be previous test-firing footage of the Khorramshahr-4 missile, with an on-screen caption saying it was used in a barrage on Israel. It says it launched 40 missiles, including the Khorramshahr-4 missile. The Khorramshahr-4 has the heaviest payload of Iran's ballistic missile fleet, which analysts say may be designed to keep the weapon under a 2000-kilometre range limit imposed by the country's supreme leader. Iranian says the missile has a 2000-kilometre range with a 1500-kilogram warhead. The missile is named after an Iranian city that was the scene of heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. The missile also is called Kheibar, after a Jewish fortress conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century — in what is now Saudi Arabia. Emergency workers respond to a site after a reported Iranian missile strike. (Getty) Israel says it hit the aircraft at Iran's Dezful airport. The F-5s are part of Iran's aging fleet of fighter jets from the era of the shah. Israel released black-and-white footage showing one of the aircrafts being destroyed. Israel previously hit F-14 Tomcats flown by the Iranian military in the war. However, it isn't clear if these aircraft were airworthy as many have been grounded over the years due to a lack of parts. Israel also said it struck other sites, including around Isfahan's airport. Iran has not acknowledged losses of aircraft or other materiel in the war so far. CONTACT US
