More than 1,000 young tourists stranded in Israel evacuated on luxury cruise ship
More than 1,000 young adults visiting Israel on a heritage trip have been evacuated to Cyprus by luxury cruise ship amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Crown Iris, an Israeli cruise ship operated by Mano Maritime, arrived in Cyprus today (17 June) with approximately 1,500 program participants of Birthright Israel onboard.
The ship's 13-hour journey from Ashdod Port, south of Tel Aviv, to Larnaca, Cyprus, was escorted across the Mediterranean by the Israeli navy.
Birthright Israel, an organisation part funded by the Israeli government, is a free 10-day 'heritage trip' to Israel for Jewish young adults aged between 18 and 26.
Nearly 2,800 international participants had been stranded in Israel since the country first attacked Iran's nuclear sites and capital of Tehran on Friday morning, escalating regional tensions.
The majority of these are young adults from the United States, said the organisation.
Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis chartered four wide-body planes to fly all evacuated US participants from the Cyprus port to Tampa, Florida.
In an update on 13 June, Birthright Israel said: 'All participants are safe, currently located near secure zones and shelters, and are being closely cared for by the operational teams and staff on the ground.'
According to Birthright Israel, evacuation efforts 'whether by air or sea' will continue for the remaining international participants in Israel.
It said that priority had been given to participants towards the end of their 10-day educational experience.
Gidi Mark, CEO of Birthright Israel, said: 'This was a complex and emotional operation, carried out under immense pressure, and we are proud to have brought 1,500 young adults safely to Cyprus. Our team continues to work around the clock to secure solutions for the remaining participants still in Israel.'
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Reuters
39 minutes ago
- Reuters
Israel-Iran air war enters sixth day, Trump calls for Iran's 'unconditional surrender'
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON/DUBAI, June 18 (Reuters) - Iran and Israel launched new missile strikes at each other on Wednesday as the air war between the two longtime enemies entered a sixth day despite a call from U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran's unconditional surrender. The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv. Israel told residents in the area of Tehran to evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Iranian news websites said explosions were heard in Tehran and the city of Karaj west of the capital. Trump warned on social media on Tuesday that U.S. patience was wearing thin. While he said there was no intention to kill Iran's leader "for now," his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen U.S. involvement. "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," he wrote on Truth Social, referring to Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now ... Our patience is wearing thin." Three minutes later Trump posted, "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" A White House official said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday. Trump's sometimes contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close U.S. ally Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic overtures, not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to foreign policy. Britain's leader Keir Starmer, speaking at the Group of Seven nations summit in Canada that Trump left early, said there was no indication the U.S. was about to enter the conflict. Trump met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said. Details were not immediately available. The U.S. is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three U.S. officials told Reuters. The U.S. has so far only taken defensive actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel. Khamenei's main military and security advisers have been killed by Israeli strikes, hollowing out his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process. With Iranian leaders suffering their most dangerous security breach since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country's cybersecurity command banned officials from using communications devices and mobile phones, Fars news agency reported. Israel launched a "massive cyber war" against Iran's digital infrastructure, Iranian media reported. Ever since Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and triggered the Gaza war, Khamenei's regional influence has waned as Israel has pounded Iran's proxies - from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. Iran's close ally, Syria's autocratic president Bashar al-Assad, has been ousted. Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on Friday after saying it had concluded the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran's nuclear development is disabled, while Trump says the Israeli assault could end if Iran agrees to strict curbs on enrichment. Before Israel's attack began, the 35-nation board of governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. The IAEA said on Tuesday an Israeli strike directly hit the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility. Israel says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in coming days. But Israel will struggle to deal a knock-out blow to deeply buried nuclear sites like Fordow, which is dug beneath a mountain, without the U.S. joining the attack. Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Residents of both countries have been evacuated or fled. Global oil markets are on high alert following strikes on sites including the world's biggest gas field, South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The only way Israel can possibly take out Iran's most heavily fortified Fordow nuclear enrichment facility - with Trump's help - and why it could push Tehran CLOSER to getting a nuke
Israel will not be able to scupper Iran's nuclear capabilities without US help and further attacks might even encourage Tehran to accelerate its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, experts have warned. Targets across the Islamic Republic were battered with yet more strikes on Tuesday after Israel's air force declared it had achieved aerial superiority over Tehran. US-made warplanes have now struck hundreds of targets linked to Iran 's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and Israeli military officials have boasted the Islamic Republic's military leaders were now 'on the run'. But despite Israel's early success, questions have already arisen over whether the Jewish state is capable of reaching its targets as described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel was 'pursuing three main objectives' in Iran: 'The elimination of the nuclear programme, the elimination of ballistic missile production capability, and the elimination of the axis of terrorism.' Unless Israel's most powerful ally decides to enter the fray, then Jerusalem is likely to fall at the first hurdle. 'Without active US military participation, Israel's operational ceiling remains constrained,' said Dr Andreas Krieg, an expert in Middle East security and senior lecturer at King's College London's School of Security Studies, told MailOnline. 'Destroying Iran's deeply fortified sites like Fordow or Isfahan requires bunker-busting capabilities that only the United States currently possesses. Israel cannot ensure the decisive elimination of Iran's enrichment capability without them.' Krieg also warned that continued attacks by Israel may have the opposite of their intended effect. Going after Iran's nuclear programme could 'reinforce Tehran's belief that a nuclear deterrent is not only justified but essential for regime survival'. 'Rather than halting Iran's nuclear trajectory, the strikes may serve as a powerful vindication of the logic that drives Iran's long-term nuclear ambition - deterrence through capability,' he said. Though Israeli jets have damaged several above-ground nuclear-related facilities and other key strategic assets, the bulk of Iran's nuclear resilience lies underground in labyrinthine complexes designed to survive. The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP), buried deep beneath the mountains near the holy city of Qom, is one of Iran's most secretive and heavily fortified nuclear facilities. Built in defiance of international pressure and revealed to the world only after Western intelligence agencies exposed its existence in 2009, the site was deliberately constructed far underground to shield it from aerial bombardment. Enrichment centrifuges housed within its fortified chambers are capable of producing uranium at near-weapons-grade levels. Access to the site is tightly controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and inspections by international observers have long been a flashpoint in negotiations. So far, Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear sites and has damaged the Natanz FEP. But Israeli security officials confirmed on Tuesday that the air force has not targeted Iran's underground Fordow nuclear facility. To have any hope of eliminating it without resorting to its own nuclear weapons, Israel would likely need to harness the power of some of the world's most powerful conventional bombs. The 30,000-pound (14,000-kilogram) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a US-made bunker-busting bomb that uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets, could manage to take Fordow out. This terrifying munition can penetrate some 200 feet (61 meters) below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. In theory, the MOP could be dropped by any plane capable of carrying the weight. But Israel has neither the bomb, nor the capability to deliver it. 'Only the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is capable of deploying the MOP,' Krieg explained. 'Without these assets, Israel's capacity to destroy the core of Iran's enrichment infrastructure is severely limited.' And, even if Fordow could be destroyed, a successful strike would not erase Iran's nuclear ambitions, according to Krieg. 'The fundamental challenge remains that Iran's nuclear programme is not just a collection of facilities. It is also a body of knowledge, personnel, and dispersed technical infrastructure. Much of the scientific expertise survives the bombings. 'Iran has long decentralised and concealed aspects of its programme precisely in anticipation of such scenarios. 'This means that unless there is sustained international pressure, robust inspections, and political change within Iran, the regime can, and likely would, rebuild over time thanks to its scientific base and global black-market procurement networks,' Krieg said. This handout satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in central Iran on June 14, 2025. Launched early on June 13, 2025 In a worst-case scenario, Netanyahu's insistence that Israel will not stop bombing until Iran's nuclear programme is wiped out could backfire, driving Tehran closer to the very weapon Jerusalem is trying to prevent. Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons and says it has a right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons - a point Iranian commentators have long raised as an example of blatant hypocrisy. But with the Israeli campaign exposing major strategic vulnerabilities for Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and his group of trusted hardliners may feel that obtaining a nuclear deterrent is the only way to stop Netanyahu's campaign. The dismantling of Iran's air defence capacities, the assassination of senior military commanders and the destruction of supposedly secure infrastructure has badly damaged Iran's reputation as a highly capable military power. That could decisively shift the internal debate among Iran's ruling elite. 'Even factions that were previously cautious about weaponising the nuclear programme may now see deterrence through nuclear capability as the only reliable shield against regime decapitation,' Krieg warned. 'Hardliners will argue, with new urgency, that only a nuclear weapon can ensure Iran is never again so exposed.' The decision on whether Iran pursues this course of action largely rests with Khamenei, a man deeply influenced by the violence of his political past. Imprisoned by the Shah of Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and later maimed by a bomb attack before rising to power in 1989, Khamenei remains fiercely committed to the Islamic Republic's survival, a sworn enemy of Israel and deeply distrustful of the West. Under Iran's constitution, the Supreme Leader alone commands the armed forces and has the power to declare war. According to insiders, he listens carefully to advice from a trusted few but ultimately makes final decisions based on his own judgment and survival instincts. 'Two things you can say about Khamenei: he is extremely stubborn but also extremely cautious. That is why he has been in power for as long as he has,' said Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Programme at the Middle East Institute in Washington. 'Khamenei is pretty well placed to do the basic cost-benefit analysis which really fundamentally gets to one issue more important than anything else: regime survival.' If the US refuses to join Israel in assaulting Iran and manages to orchestrate a deal over the latter's nuclear programme, Netanyahu will find himself in a difficult position. Vali Nasr, an Iranian-American academic and adviser to several US administrations on Middle East policy, told Foreign Policy magazine: 'Israel does not want a scenario in which Iran is accepted as part of the Middle East by the United States, has relations with the United States, and has more breathing room to retain its regional position. 'A nuclear deal would address the nuclear problem, but it would not address Israel's Iran problem... which is that this state is too big, it's too powerful, it's too influential, it's too capable.' With Israel now waging simultaneous military campaigns in Gaza and Iran, concerns will mount over whether the Israeli public can stomach a second protracted war. Tolerance for an ongoing conflict with Iran will likely drop if Israel's civilian population suffers mass casualties due to Iran's ballistic and hypersonic missile strikes. As Krieg put it: 'Netanyahu may have bet on a short, high-impact campaign that would demonstrate Israeli strength and draw Iran to the negotiating table on Israeli and US terms. 'But if Iran absorbs the damage and retaliates asymmetrically, and the US hesitates, Netanyahu risks facing an extended conflict with unclear objectives - one in which Israel bears the brunt of the costs alone.' For now, the US appears unwilling to become embroiled in the conflict, provided that Iran refrains from attacking any American assets. The Trump administration has insisted Israel acted unilaterally when it launched its attacks on Friday, and Trump is said to have personally vetoed an Israeli plot to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei. Trump said he wasn't ready to give up on diplomatic talks, and could send Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with the Iranians. That said, Trump's declaration that he left a G7 summit early to negotiate 'something better than a ceasefire' between Israel and Iran suggests Washington is losing patience and is expecting to see the conflict resolved sooner rather than later. 'We're looking for an end, a real end, not a ceasefire,' he told reporters, and later warned the US would 'come down hard' on Iran if provoked and that 'if they touch US troops, the gloves are off.' 'The onus is on Washington to shape the outcome of this conflict. Either way, whether through diplomacy or military engagement, Trump has to make the strategic decision for how to advance,' Krieg concluded.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
How has the US shifted military jets and ships in the Middle East?
The U.S. is shifting military aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East to protect Israel from Iranian attacks as President Donald Trump warns Tehran to step back from the conflict. Trump's social media posts saying his patience with Iran was 'wearing thin" have raised the possibility of deepening U.S. involvement, perhaps by using its bunker-busting bomb to strike a key Iranian nuclear site built deep underground in the mountains. Israel doesn't have the massive munition it would take to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, or the aircraft needed to deliver it. Only the U.S. does. As America's national security leaders discuss the next steps, the Pentagon has moved to ensure that its troops and bases in the region are protected. Here's a look at the U.S. military presence in the Middle East: US aircraft moving to the Middle East In a social media post, Trump warned that 'we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.' U.S. officials insisted as of Tuesday that the American military has not taken any offensive actions against Iran, only defensive strikes to take out incoming Iranian missiles to protect Israel. Additional U.S. fighter jets and refueling tankers have been deployed to the region, but officials have declined to provide specific numbers. Fighter jets have joined in launching strikes to defend Israel, but officials said Tuesday that no American aircraft were over Iran. Aurora Intel, a group that reviews open source information in real time in the Middle East, said the U.S. Air Force had put additional refueling aircraft and fighter jets in strategic locations across Europe, including England, Spain, Germany and Greece. The information was obtained from public aviation tracking websites. U.S. fighter jets have been patrolling the skies around the Middle East to protect personnel and installations, and bases in the region are on heightened alert and are taking additional security precautions, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not provided any details, but said on Fox News Channel late Monday that the military movements were to 'ensure that our people are safe.' Warships taking out Iranian missiles and ready to protect US bases American warships also are shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel, with the USS The Sullivans and the USS Arleigh Burke launching strikes over the weekend. The Sullivans has been joined in the Eastern Mediterranean by the USS Thomas Hudner this week to continue those defense strikes, while the Arleigh Burke has moved away from the area, according to a U.S. official. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is in the Arabian Sea with the four warships in its strike group. They are not participating in the defense of Israel. But they are positioned to provide security for U.S. troops and bases along the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The USS Nimitz has been long scheduled to take over for the Carl Vinson and is heading west from the Indo-Pacific region toward the Middle East. The official said it is slated to arrive in the region by the end of the month, and the two carriers would likely overlap at least for a short time before the Vinson heads home to San Diego. There also are destroyers in the Red Sea, and others are based in the Western Mediterranean and participating in exercises in the Baltic Sea. US troops are on heightened alert and families are allowed to leave The forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including having military dependents voluntarily leave bases, in anticipation of potential strikes and to protect personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran. Officials said they were not aware of many families actually leaving. Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a U.S. official. That number surged as high as 43,000 last October in response to heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The B-2 and the bunker buster The Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is the only aircraft that can carry the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known as the bunker buster. The powerful bomb uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets — and then explode. There are currently no B-2 bombers in the Middle East region, although there are B-52 bombers based at Diego Garcia, and they can deliver smaller munitions. If tapped for use, the B-2 bombers would have to make the 30-hour round trip from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, refueling multiple times. ___ AP writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
