Latest news with #IsraeliCommanders
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Defies US and Israel
Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven't yet, sign up here. Its commanders have been assassinated, its air defenses destroyed and its ranks penetrated by Israeli intelligence.
CNN
18-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Live updates: Israel-Iran conflict, Trump weighs US options on sixth day
Update: Date: less than 1 min ago Title: Israeli military says it has degraded Iran's ability to launch large barrages of ballistic missiles Content: The Israeli military assesses that it has significantly degraded Iran's ability to fire large barrages of missiles toward Israel, according to an Israeli military official. Iran is now firing smaller barrages of missiles following six days of Israeli airstrikes that have destroyed large numbers of ballistic missile launchers, disrupted the Iranian military's command structure and sent Iran scrambling to move its missile assets further east, the official told CNN. The latest Iranian ballistic missile launch at Israel on Wednesday evening consisted of a single missile, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Israeli military has now destroyed approximately 40% of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, the official said. Israel has also killed senior Iranian commanders responsible for air defense, which the official said has disrupted Iran's ability to effectively coordinate its missile launches. And with Israeli jets now operating freely over the skies of western Iran following strikes to air defense assets, Iran has sought to move many of its ballistic missile launchers east. The Israeli military has also actively disrupted Iranian missile launches in progress. 'When we see them, we fire at them,' the Israeli military official said. Still, Israel does not know whether Iran's capabilities have been permanently degraded and that Iran won't soon again be able to resume larger barrages. Update: Date: 4 min ago Title: Israeli military says it struck over 20 military sites in Tehran Content: Israel carried out 'a series of strikes' targeting over 20 military sites in Tehran, including facilities linked to Iran's nuclear program and missile production, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday. Over the past few hours, 60 Israeli Air Force fighter jets 'struck weapons production sites, centrifuge production sites, as well as research and development sites of the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons development project,' the IDF said in a statement. 'These sites were designated to allow the Iranian regime to expand the scale and pace of its uranium enrichment purpose of developing nuclear weapons.' Despite advancing its uranium enrichment significantly, Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and denied that it was developing an atomic bomb. The latest strikes also targeted 'factories producing raw materials and components for missile assembly, as well as sites for the production of Iran's air defense systems,' the statement said. Update: Date: 42 min ago Title: Trump says he believes Iran was "a few weeks away" from nuclear weapon Content: President Donald Trump said today that he believes Iran was 'a few weeks away' from having a nuclear weapon, laying out a doomsday scenario if that came to pass. 'I've been saying for 20 years, maybe longer, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I've been saying it for a long time, and I think they were a few weeks away from having one,' he said. 'Iran can't have a nuclear weapon, too much devastation. And they'd use it,' he added. 'You know, I believe they'd use it. Others won't use it, but I believe they'd use it. So that's it. It's very simple.' The comments come as the administration has sent mixed signals on what intelligence it has around Iran's nuclear progress. Trump's claim contradicts findings from intelligence community: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, testified in March that the US intelligence community 'continues to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized a nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.' CNN reported earlier this week that US intelligence assessments had indicated that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, and further, was up to three years away from being able to produce and deliver one to a target of its choosing, according to four people familiar with the assessment. Update: Date: 1 hr 13 min ago Title: Trump says he has not made a final decision on possible US military involvement against Iran Content: President Donald Trump said that as of this afternoon, he has not yet arrived at a final decision on potential US involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran, adding that he is soon convening his team in the Situation Room with top officials to discuss options. 'I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final — I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other,' he told CNN's Kaitlan Collins in the Oval Office. Trump detailed some of his thinking as he has warmed to the idea of potentially using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. 'It started the first night,' he said, referring to Israel's bombardment of nuclear sites and military officials in Iran, which began last week. Trump continued, 'That first night was devastating, and it really knocked the one side off, as you know, devastating. A devastating evening, day, and it pretty much proceeded that way. I have a meeting in the War Room in a little while, the Situation Room, as some people call it. So we're going to meet, we're going to see. We're in the midst of it.' Asked about what would happen if the Iranian regime falls, Trump said, 'I have a plan for everything, but we'll see what happens. Got a ways to go,' reiterating that Iran 'should have' made a nuclear deal. Trump again suggested that Iran wants to meet and '(wants) to come to the White House,' something Iranian officials have strongly disputed. The president later added that he has not 'closed the door on meeting with them.' Update: Date: 1 hr 20 min ago Title: Iran ramped up centrifuge installations after Trump withdrew from nuclear deal, data shows Content: At the heart of the controversy over Iran's nuclear program is its enrichment of uranium — a process used to produce fuel for power plants that, at higher levels, can also be used to make a nuclear bomb. In the early 2000s, international inspectors announced that they had found traces of highly enriched uranium at an Iranian plant in Natanz. Iran temporarily halted enrichment, but resumed it in 2006, insisting it was allowed under its agreement with the United Nation's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It prompted years of international sanctions against Iran. After years of negotiations, Iran and six world powers in 2015 agreed to a nuclear deal that limited Iran's nuclear threat in return for lighter sanctions. The deal required Iran to keep its uranium enrichment levels at no more than 3.67%, down from near 20%, dramatically reduce its uranium stockpile, and phase out its centrifuges, among other measures. But when President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, Iran ramped up centrifuge installations, data shows: Update: Date: 1 hr 30 min ago Title: Tehran's air defenses have been activated and are "engaging hostile targets," state-affiliated media says Content: Tehran's air defense system has been activated, and it is 'actively engaging hostile targets' on Wednesday night local time, according to Iranian state-affiliated Nour News. Update: Date: 1 hr 42 min ago Title: Several injured after Israel targets Iran's national police headquarters, state media says Content: Several people were injured after Israel targeted Iran's national police headquarters in a strike today, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. A number of buildings near the headquarters of the Iranian National Law Enforcement Command were targeted, IRNA reported, 'as part of the continued aggression by the usurping and brutal Zionist regime.' Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed earlier that his country had 'destroyed' the headquarters of Iran's 'public security.' Israeli Air Force fighter jets 'destroyed the headquarters of the Iranian regime's public security — the main oppressive branch of the Iranian dictator,' Katz claimed. CNN could not independently verify the claim, and Katz did not provide further details. Iranian state media had reported earlier that an Israeli strike took place near a Red Crescent facility in Tehran. The headquarters of the National Law Enforcement Command is on the same street as the Red Crescent facility. These are some of the areas that have been hit in the capital: Update: Date: 2 hr 20 min ago Title: US evacuated some embassy personnel and family members from Israel on military plane Content: The United States on Wednesday evacuated some embassy personnel and family members from Israel on a US military aircraft, three sources told CNN. A full evacuation of the embassy has not been ordered and diplomats and family members are not required to leave. Those who left had taken advantage of the voluntary authorized departure issued over the weekend amid the increasing conflict between Israel and Iran. Some have also left the country via overland routes to Jordan, one of the sources said. A US Embassy spokesperson said that 'given the ongoing situation and as part of the Embassy's authorized departure status, Mission personnel have begun departing Israel through a variety of means.' The embassy also announced on Tuesday that its offices will be closed through the end of the week. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that the US is working to arrange evacuation flights and cruise ship departures for Americans who want to leave Israel. On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced that the department had set up an around-the-clock task force to deal with the ongoing conflict, including providing support to Americans. Update: Date: 2 hr 14 min ago Title: Israeli military targets Iran's missile manufacturing capabilities Content: Israel is targeting Iran's missile manufacturing capabilities, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Effie Defrin. Defrin detailed three main waves of Israeli attacks on Iran over the past day: 'Our message to them is clear: If you attempt to rebuild your terror capabilities in the region, you will be struck,' Defrin said. He stressed that Israel's military is focusing on targets in Tehran. Update: Date: 2 hr 23 min ago Title: Putin pounces as the world looks to Iran-Israel Content: As possibly the only world leader with a direct line to the White House, Israel Knesset and Iranian leadership, President Vladimir Putin is casting himself as a power broker in the Israel-Iran conflict. CNN's Matthew Chance looks at how the Russian leader is playing into global affairs as the world turns its attention to Iran-Israel conflict. #cnn #news #iran #israel #russia #kyiv #ukraine #putin #vladimirputin #trump Update: Date: 2 hr 23 min ago Title: US defense secretary: The military has "plans for everything" including post-strike scenarios for Iran Content: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers today that the US military has 'plans for everything,' including plans for the day after an attack on Iran. 'Have you commissioned any 'day after' planning? So, any force protection, any use of ground troops in Iran, any cost assessments. … Have you authorized 'day after' planning?' Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan asked during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday. 'As I've said, we have plans for everything, senator,' Hegseth said. Hegseth repeatedly declined to get into specifics regarding his conversations about a potential US strike on Iran, telling lawmakers he wouldn't disclose information in an open forum. Hegseth said Tehran had 60 days to accept a deal and they know 'exactly what the president is saying.' 'They had an opportunity to make a deal, they should have made a deal,' Hegseth said. 'President (Donald) Trump's word means something … and at the Defense Department our job is to stand ready and prepared with options and that's precisely what we're doing.' Update: Date: 2 hr 31 min ago Title: Netanyahu thanks Trump for supporting Israel Content: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for 'standing by our side' as Israel pushes ahead with its fight against Iran. In a video message shared by his office, Netanyahu thanked Trump for the 'support the US has been providing us in defending Israel's skies.' He said the two leaders have spoken regularly, including a 'very warm' conversation last night. 'I wish to thank President Trump for the backing,' the Israeli leader said, as he stressed that Israel is 'severely hitting the Ayatollahs regime' as it damages Iran's nuclear facilities, missiles and 'symbols of power.' Trump earlier declined to say whether he has made a decision on US military intervention in Iran. Update: Date: 2 hr 33 min ago Title: Ukrainian girl who fled to Israel for leukemia treatment killed in Iranian strike Content: A 7-year-old Ukrainian girl who traveled to Israel to get leukemia treatment after Russia attacked her home country was killed in an Iranian strike on the city of Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, on Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on X. Herzog said Nastya Borik was killed alongside four members of her family: her mother Mariia, 30, her grandmother Lena, 60, and her two cousins – Ilya, 13, and Konstantin, nine. Ukrainian authorities said Sunday that five Ukrainian citizens were killed in the attack, but they did not release any details. Herzog said the family came to Israel in December 2022 because Nastya needed treatment. 'Although she initially responded, the disease returned and a bone marrow transplant failed to stop the aggressive leukemia,' Herzog said. 'She came seeking life. Instead, she was murdered,' he added. Mariia Pieshkurova, Nastya's mother, shared frequent updates about Nastya's treatment on her Instagram account, saying Nastya was first diagnosed in August 2022. 'Since that day, I have been living in a parallel reality where the main thing is to save her. To breathe. To not give up,' she said in a post in April. According to Pieshkurova, Nastya had a relapse in September 2024 and then again in April this year. Her last post was dated May 27. She wrote: 'I will save my daughter, no matter what it takes … Because no one else will fight like I will. Because Nastya is my life. She is all I have. And as long as I breathe, I scream, I beg, I believe, I fight.' Nastya's father, Artem Borik, is currently serving in the Ukrainian army, fighting Russia on the front line in Ukraine, Herzog said. Update: Date: 2 hr 58 min ago Title: Iran says it fired ballistic missiles toward Israel Content: Iran has said it fired Sejjil-2 solid-fueled medium-range ballistic missiles toward Israel, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on today. 'The twelfth wave of the True Promise3 has begun with the launch of super-heavy, long-range, Sejjil-2 missiles,' the statement said. CNN cannot independently verify the claim. Update: Date: 2 hr 55 min ago Title: UN head urges against any "additional military interventions" in conflict Content: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged against 'further internationalization' of the Iran-Israel conflict. 'Any additional military interventions could have enormous consequences, not only for those involved but for the whole region and for international peace and security at large,' he said in a statement today. His remarks come as US President Donald Trump is reportedly warming to using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. 'I may do it, I may not do it,' Trump said today about the possibility of US action against Iran. Update: Date: 2 hr 50 min ago Title: Some GOP lawmakers support Trump's handling of Israel-Iran conflict, while others remain divided Content: Several Republican lawmakers insisted that they are trusting President Donald Trump to 'do the right thing' in his handling of the Israel-Iran conflict — but there are divisions in the GOP over whether the United States should be involved. Some have argued that Iran's nuclear capabilities pose a threat to the United States, but others disagree. Earlier, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of taking an aggressive approach against Iran, said he spoke with a 'very focused, very calm' Trump last night, who offered no timeframe for any offensive action. Meanwhile, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett has called for restraint and said he wants to see 'very little' US involvement. Two lawmakers have introduced War Powers Resolutions that would formally limit Trump's power to deploy the military without Congress' specific consent. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is leading the push in the Senate, while Republican Rep. Thomas Massie taking lead on the House measure. Here's what some lawmakers are saying: Update: Date: 3 hr 28 min ago Title: Iranians speak of sleepless nights and families fleeing as Israel strikes the country Content: Tehran residents haven't been able to sleep in days due to the 'constant sound of bombing,' an Iranian American woman who was in the capital told CNN. The 69-year-old woman, who is from Los Angeles, left Iran via Armenia yesterday. 'I've never been so frightened in my entire life. Iran for the most part has felt very secure and isolated from the rest of the region that has seen war after war,' the woman said. The woman, who did not give her name, had to leave her elderly mother behind, which she said was the 'hardest thing.' 'She is too physically unwell that she would not have been able to make the trip to the border. I don't know if I will ever see her again and have prepared myself for that goodbye being the last,' she said. She also said the mood in Iran is starting to turn nationalistic. 'No one in my social circles supports the regime but it's so hard to accept that war is the answer to regime change,' she said. Families fleeing Tehran: There are currently many families making the journey out of Iran to Armenia, the woman said. 'I am one of the lucky ones who has the means to be able to travel out of Tehran. So many Iranians will be stuck. The border crossing with Armenia was very calm and orderly. We did not need to wait long at all.' Another man, a 55-year-old English teacher living in the Iranian city of Shiraz, told CNN he had no plans to leave the city for the countryside. 'We feel quite protected in Shiraz,' the man said, adding that there were no major military installations or bases nearby. He continued that their main concern would be if the internet and phone lines were severed. 'That will mean our ability to get news from outside Iran will be impacted. We are glued to the TV day and night trying to get whatever information we can.' Update: Date: 3 hr 37 min ago Title: Iran imposes nationwide internet restrictions "temporarily," citing security concerns Content: Iran has imposed nationwide temporary restrictions on internet access across the country, with the country's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology citing security concerns. 'Due to the aggressor enemy's misuse of the national communication network for military purposes and to endanger the lives and property of innocent people, internet access restrictions have been temporarily imposed by the decision of the competent authorities,' the ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, access to 'public communication services and domestic platforms remains available, and efforts to maintain the quality of services' for people in Iran. It comes after NetBlocks, a nongovernmental organization that monitors internet governance, said earlier that Iran is experiencing an almost complete internet blackout. 'Live network data show Iran is now in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout,' NetBlocks said in a post on X. Some context: The Iranian government has frequently restricted internet access in the country. During nationwide protests in 2022, authorities implemented multiple internet shutdowns in an effort to stifle dissent. Update: Date: 3 hr 3 min ago Title: Iran has fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel so far, Israeli military official says Content: Iran has fired approximately 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel since the conflict between the two countries began on Friday, an Israeli military official told CNN. Of those missiles fired, approximately 20 ballistic missiles hit civilian areas in Israel, the official added. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel since it launched its operation. Update: Date: 4 hr 25 min ago Title: Israeli military detects missiles launched from Iran Content: Israel's military said it identified missiles launched from Iran a short while ago and that Israeli defense systems are working to 'intercept the threat.' In a statement the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) instructed the public to go into a protected space and stay there until further notice. The military said people can only leave the protected space after an 'explicit directive.'
Al Jazeera
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Which airlines paused or cancelled flights after Israel's attack on Iran?
Several airlines have suspended or cancelled flights in the Middle East and some countries have shut their airspace after Israel launched a wave of air strikes on Iran. The Israeli attacks targeted military facilities, nuclear sites and residential areas, killing two senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Here is a list of suspended and rerouted flights: Some countries have also closed their airspace following the attacks. Iran's official news agency IRNA reported that aviation authorities have shut down the country's airspace until further notice. Early on Friday, Iraq closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported. Eastern Iraq near the border with Iran contains one of the world's busiest air corridors, with dozens of flights crossing between Europe and the Gulf, many on routes from Asia to Europe, at any single moment. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's civil aviation authority has also said it 'temporarily' closed Jordanian airspace to all flights 'in anticipation of any dangers resulting from the escalation happening in the region'. Last year, some Iranian missiles that targeted Israeli military bases flew over Jordan, which sits between Israel and Iraq.
