Trump reportedly approves Iran attack plans, but waits to give go-ahead
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1 hr ago
US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has reportedly approved war plans that include plans of attack on Iran, but has not given final approval for action to be taken.
According to multiple local news outlets, the US President is withholding final approval on the airstrike plans until Iran confirms if it will discuss ending their nuclear programme.
Trump was presented with plans during a meeting yesterday,
ABC News reports
, and is more comfortable with the idea of US involvement in Iran – despite previously seeking to avoid military action.
Asked if he would join Israeli strikes on Iran yesterday, Trump told reporters
: 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.'
He said that Tehran had reached out to seek negotiations. Iran has warned that American involvement will escalate the conflict into a total regional war.
The Trump Administration has sought to get Tehran to commit to disabling its nuclear weapons programme since returning to the White House in January. The US President gave conflicting reports on the success of negotiations.
Talks were disrupted by an unprovoked Israeli strike on Iran last week, which it said was pre-emptive and sought to disable Tehran's nuclear capabilities. Missile strikes between the two countries have continued since then.
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Early-morning strikes from Iran hit a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva, as Tehran launched another wave of missile attacks. Local media in Iran said Israeli warplanes bombed nuclear facilities overnight.
The Israeli foreign ministry
confirmed the attack on social media
and posted footage appearing to show moments after an airstrike hit the Soroka Medical Centre facility.
As well as treating members of the public, the Soroka Hospital is known to treat Israeli soldiers injured while fighting in Gaza.
The Soroka Hospital is known to treat Israeli soldiers injured while fighting in Gaza.
Israel DFA
Israel DFA
Early reports indicate that at least 32 people were injured in the latest wave of missile strikes on Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the missile barrages between the two countries will not stop until Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is killed.
Iran seems set on continuing its retaliatory attack on Israel, despite the death toll in its own nation climbing. Tehran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
It has not issued an updated toll since then. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's office.
- Includes reporting by AFP
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Gaza rescuers say 25 killed by Israeli fire
Gaza's civil defence agency has said Israeli fire killed at least 25 people, including 15 who had gathered near an aid distribution site. Civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir said 15 people were killed and 60 wounded while waiting for aid in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor, where thousands of people have gathered daily in the hope of receiving rations. The Israeli army has said it was "looking into" the reports. Thousands of people had gathered overnight in the hope of receiving aid at the US and Israeli-backed distribution site when it opened in the morning, a witness said. The man said "they started shooting at us. The gunfire intensified from tanks, aircraft and quadcopter bombs." He said the size of the crowd had made it impossible for people to escape the Israeli fire near Shuhada Junction, and dead and wounded were left lying on the ground within walking distance of the distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. "We couldn't help them or even escape ourselves," he said. Mr Mughayyir said the casualties had been taken to the Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals, in north and central Gaza, respectively. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach aid distribution points in Gaza, which is suffering from famine-like conditions, according to UN agencies operating in the territory. Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean media is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. In early March, Israel imposed an aid blockade on the territory amid a deadlock in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May. After Israel loosened its blockade, the privately run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. Elsewhere in Gaza, another ten people were killed by Israeli fire, the civil defence agency said. Three were killed by Israeli shelling of a residential building in Gaza City, while seven were killed in a strike on Al-Shati refugee camp to its west.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Next day or two crucial in how situation between Iran and Israel develops, says Tánaiste
We could not be in a more dangerous situation, the Tánaiste has said as he warned that the next 24 to 48 hours will be crucial in how the current situation between Iran and Israel plays out. Simon Harris said there are a number of risks at the moment, including a spill-over beyond the two countries, and the message must be about "stepping back from the brink". The position of Ireland and the EU on the matter is that there needs to be an immediate de-escalation and a return to the talks programme. "Nobody wants to see Iran with nuclear capabilities, everybody is aware of the dangers that Iran poses," said Mr Harris. If the Iranians are not willing to engage directly with the US, then it is important that they, at a minimum, engage with the EU, the foreign affairs minister told RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne. "It is almost impossible to overstate the potential danger of this, if there ends up being involvement of other countries, or indeed spill-over into other countries," he said. Ireland, in one sense, is far away from it all, but there are a number of Irish citizens in both countries and there are a significant number of Irish troops in Lebanon, Mr Harris noted. Currently, there are 29 citizens in Iran most of whom are long-term residents and hold dual citizenships while there are around 200 people registered as living in Israel. A small number of these have expressed their desire to leave if the opportunity arises and the Irish embassies have been in contact with them. Mr Harris said Ireland is working with other EU member states and examining the options available to help people to leave in a safe manner. With airspace closed in Iran, the only option is to go over a land border which is "not without risk", Mr Harris explained. "From an Israeli point of view, it means going to maybe Jordan or Egypt where obviously flights can go from. So there are a number of options available to us and we are working very closely with a number of member states," he said. Mr Harris added that they are also looking at how best to support Irish diplomats to effectively operate and in terms of safety and security issues. The Fine Gael leader will attend a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers this Sunday and Monday where he expects discussions will be dominated by the rapidly deteriorating situation in Iran and Israel.
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Israel threatens Iran's top leader after missiles hit hospital and wound dozens
Israel's defence minister has overtly threatened Iran's supreme leader after the latest missile barrage from Iran damaged a major hospital and hit a high-rise and several other residential buildings near Tel Aviv. At least 40 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service. Black smoke rose from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba as emergency teams evacuated patients. There were no serious injuries in the strike on the hospital. In the aftermath of the strikes, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military 'has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist'. US officials said this week that US president Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Mr Khamenei. Mr Trump later said there were no plans to kill him 'at least not for now'. Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, in its latest attack on the country's sprawling nuclear programme, on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded. The Israeli air defence system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv (Leo Correa/AP) In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. Two doctors told The Associated Press that the missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room. The hospital said the main impact was on an old surgery building that had been evacuated in recent days. After the strike, the medical facility was closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases, it said. Soroka has more than 1,000 beds and provides services to around one million residents in the south of Israel. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the strike on the hospital and vowed a response, saying: 'We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.' A firefighter walks past a damaged area at the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran (Leo Correa/AP) Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, although most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences, which detect incoming fire and shoot down missiles heading towards population centres and critical infrastructure. Israeli officials acknowledge it is imperfect. Haim Bublil, a local police commander, told reporters that several people were lightly wounded in the strike. Many hospitals in Israel activated emergency plans in the past week, converting underground parking to hospital floors and moving patients underground, especially those who are on ventilators or are difficult to move quickly. Israel also boasts a fortified, subterranean blood bank that kicked into action after Hamas's October 7 2023 attack ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium. 'The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,' the military said. Patients rest outdoors after the attack on the Soroka hospital complex (Leo Correa/AP) Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran's nuclear programme. Iranian state TV said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' from the attack on the Arak site. An Iranian state television reporter, speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor. Israel had warned earlier on Thursday morning that it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. Iran has long maintained its programme is for peaceful purposes. But it also enriches uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich at that level. Israel is the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but does not acknowledge having such weapons. The strikes came a day after Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them'. Israel had lifted some restrictions on daily life on Wednesday, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing. Israeli security forces inspect a destroyed building in Holon, near Tel Aviv, that was hit by a missile (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) Already, Israel's campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Geneva for meetings with his European counterparts on Friday, indicating that a new diplomatic initiative might be taking shape. Iran's official IRNA news agency said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany and the European Union's top diplomat. Mr Trump has said he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire and has not ruled out the US joining Israel's campaign. Iran has warned of dire consequences if the US deepens its involvement, without elaborating.
