Latest news with #IsraeliOffensive
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
One US report assessed Iran was 3 to 8 months from nuclear weapon—but no sign it planned to, intel sources say
What happens next after U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites? Washington — On the same day that President Trump ordered Saturday's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, a U.S. intelligence agency assessed that Iran could make a nuclear weapon in three to eight months — but there was no indication that it had decided to do so, CBS News has learned. The intelligence summary, issued Saturday for the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, found that Iran could build a nuclear device in months if it did not run into technical or logistical delays, two American intelligence sources familiar with the document told CBS News. But at that time, the summary did not assess that Iran had made a decision to sprint toward a nuclear weapon — lining up with U.S. assessments for years. Similar assessments were made in the days leading up to the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, and in the days afterward. The U.S. airstrikes came amid a wider dayslong Israeli offensive against Iranian nuclear facilities, though Mr. Trump announced Monday that Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. The intelligence summary also found that Iranian officials had discussed moving canisters of highly enriched uranium into car trunks and storing them in public parking lots to avoid destruction. Iran has increased its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium in recent months, sparking concerns among both Iran's adversaries and international watchdogs. The country has enriched uranium up to 60% purity, which is only a short step away from the 90% level generally used in nuclear weapons. Mr. Trump said last week Iran was "very close to having" a nuclear weapon, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Iran "is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly." The head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Michael Kurilla, testified in mid-June that if Iran were to decide to sprint to a nuclear weapon, it would be able to produce enough weapons-grade material for a simple nuclear weapon in one week and could make enough for 10 nuclear weapons in three weeks. U.S. intelligence officials have said for years that Iran formally halted its nuclear weapons development program in 2003. In March, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, still had not reauthorized the program, but "pressure has probably built on him to do so" — noting an "erosion of a decades-long taboo on discussing nuclear weapons in public." Different agencies in the intelligence community may have their own assessments about what Iran's nuclear capabilities were prior to the strikes. Gabbard reiterated that assessment in testimony to Congress earlier this year. But last week, Mr. Trump told reporters Gabbard was "wrong" about whether Iran was building a nuclear weapon, later adding, "I think they were very close to having one." Gabbard later said she and the president were on the same page, and the media was "taking my testimony out of context." The U.S. airstrikes targeted two Iranian uranium enrichment facilities and a nuclear research site, following a dayslong air campaign by Israel, which has alleged Iran is "racing towards a nuclear bomb." The impact of the weekend strikes by the U.S. is still not clear; the Pentagon offered a preliminary public assessment of the damage soon after the strikes. "Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said Sunday, adding that a full assessment would take time. Iran, for its part, has long denied that it intends to build nuclear weapons, and insists its uranium enrichment program is meant for peaceful purposes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News' "Face The Nation" on Sunday that the Iranian sites targeted in the U.S. strikes were linked to Iran's "nuclear weaponization ambitions." When asked whether the U.S. believed Khamenei had ordered the building of a nuclear weapon, Rubio called the issue "irrelevant." "They have everything they need to build nuclear weapons," Rubio said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, "President Trump and the administration have always been right to say that if Iran chose to make a nuclear bomb, they could do so within weeks, which obviously poses an imminent threat to the US and the world." "[T]hanks to President Trump's strong leadership and the incredibly successful military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, their capacity to build a nuclear bomb has been obliterated and the world can sleep easy at night," she added. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence referred any questions to the Defense Department, which did not respond to CBS News' request for comment. , and contributed to this report.
Asharq Al-Awsat
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Army Announces 4 Soldiers Killed in Gaza, Thousands More Troops Needed
Israel's military announced Friday the deaths of four soldiers in Gaza, saying it needed thousands more troops to press its offensive, just as the premier's coalition faces the prospect of collapse over ultra-Orthodox conscription. News of the soldiers' deaths came as Gaza's civil defense agency reported 38 killed Friday in Israeli attacks across the territory, where Palestinians observed the Eid al-Adha holiday under the shadow of war for a second consecutive year. Military spokesman Effie Defrin said the four soldiers were killed as they "were operating in the Khan Younis area, in a compound belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization". "Around six in the morning, an explosive device detonated, causing part of the structure to collapse," he said, adding that five other soldiers were wounded, one of them severely. "The losses suffered today by the occupation in Khan Younis... illustrate what the occupation forces will face wherever they are present," said a statement attributed to Abu Obeida, spokesman for the armed of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, while urging the Israeli public to "force its leaders to end the war of extermination or prepare to receive more of its sons in coffins". The deaths bring to 429 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive in late October 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences to the soldiers' families, saying they "sacrificed their lives for the safety of all of us". Israel recently stepped up its Gaza campaign in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack sparked the war. - Conscription row - Asked by a reporter about the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription, which has emerged as a thorn in the side of Netanyahu's government, Defrin said "this is the need of the moment, an operational necessity". The army was short around 10,000 soldiers, he added, including about 6,000 in combat roles, adding that "tens of thousands more notices will be issued in the upcoming draft cycle". The conscription issue has threatened to sink Netanyahu's government, with ultra-Orthodox religious parties warning they will pull out of his coalition if Netanyahu fails to make good on a promise to codify the military exemption for their community in law. At the same time, much of the public has turned against the exemption amid the increasing strain put on reservists' families by repeated call-up orders during the war. In April, a military representative told a parliamentary committee that of 18,000 draft notices sent to ultra-Orthodox individuals, only 232 received a positive response. Netanyahu's office announced shortly after 1:00 am on Friday that he had met with a lawmaker from his Likud party who has recently pushed for a bill aimed at increasing the ultra-Orthodox enlistment and toughening sanctions on those who refuse. The premier's office said "significant progress was made", with "unresolved issues" to be ironed out later. Netanyahu also faced scrutiny after he admitted to supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas. Knesset member and ex-defense minister Avigdor Liberman had told the Kan public broadcaster that the government, at Netanyahu's direction, was "giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons". The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank describes the group a "criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks". - 'He wears a white shroud' - The humanitarian situation in Gaza, meanwhile, has reached dire lows, with residents enduring severe shortages of food and other essentials, even after a more than two-month Israeli blockade on aid was recently eased. The shortages have made it all but impossible for many Gazans to celebrate Eid al-Adha, which fell on Friday and is traditionally marked with huge family meals and gifts of new clothes. Suad al-Qarra told AFP from Nasser Hospital on Friday that her son never got a chance to wear his new clothes. "He went to get dressed and there was an explosion," she said, her soft voice breaking. "I took him to the hospital and (they) found him dead." "They took the children from us," she continued. "I bought him Eid clothes yesterday and he didn't wear them, instead he wears a white shroud." The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday's strikes. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,402 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18 after a brief truce, taking the war's overall toll to 54,677, mostly civilians.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Three Israeli soldiers killed in combat in northern Gaza, army says
(Reuters) -Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Tuesday. The soldiers' deaths were announced hours after Hamas' armed wing said on Monday its fighters were engaging in "fierce clashes" with Israeli forces in the north of the territory. Israel began its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants burst through the border from Israeli-blockaded Gaza, attacking Israelis in homes, cars and at an all-night music festival. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 251 people taken as hostages into Gaza. An additional four were already held by Hamas. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Israel's military chief orders expansion of Gaza offensive
Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir has ordered the expansion of the ground offensive to additional areas of the Gaza Strip, the military said following a troop visit by the military chief in the south of the embattled coastal area. "We are in the midst of a powerful and relentless operation," Zamir said to soldiers. The offensive is to continue until "the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas' governing capabilities and military wing," the statement further noted. Zamir said that the Palestinian Islamist organization is now losing control over the Gaza Strip. He did not provide details. Previously, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that he had instructed the army to continue advancing in the Gaza Strip and to achieve all declared war objectives, "regardless of any negotiations." Hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas have been dashed for the time being. Although Hamas agreed in its response to a proposal by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of some hostages still held there, it set further conditions.
CNA
19-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
Israel will 'take control of all' of Gaza, Netanyahu says
GAZA/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Israel said Monday (May 19) it will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, where aid entered for the first time in more than two months as rescuers reported dozens killed in a newly intensified offensive. With the Gaza Strip under a total Israeli blockade since March 2, the World Health Organization said the besieged territory's "two million people are starving". Israel, facing mounting criticism over the humanitarian crisis, has announced it would let limited aid into Gaza and said the first five trucks entered Monday, carrying supplies "including food for babies". UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement that nine trucks had been "cleared to enter... but it is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed". UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who was unable to confirm the exact number of trucks inside Gaza, said that "none of the aid has been picked up" at a designated zone as it was "already dark" and due to "security concerns, we cannot operate in those conditions". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited "practical and diplomatic reasons" for the resumption of aid, saying that "images of mass starvation" could harm the legitimacy of Israel's war effort. In southern Gaza, the Israeli military issued an evacuation call to Palestinians in and around Khan Yunis city ahead of what it described as an "unprecedented attack". The call came after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in an expanded offensive against Hamas militants, whose Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war. Gaza's civil defence agency said 52 people had been killed in Israeli attacks on Monday across the territory. Netanyahu, in a video posted on Telegram, said that "the fighting is intense and we are making progress." "We will take control of all the territory of the strip," the Israeli leader added. The UN's OHCHR rights office decried actions that are "in defiance of international law and tantamount to ethnic cleansing", citing the latest attacks, displacement, the "methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods" and denial of humanitarian aid. Netanyahu on Monday said that Israel "will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped", justifying to his hardline supporters the decision to resume aid. FAMINE RISK Israel said its blockade was aimed at forcing concessions from Hamas, while UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines. "Tonnes of food is blocked at the border, just minutes away", World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing with the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid." Last week US President Donald Trump acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving", adding "we're going to get that taken care of". A group of 22 mostly European countries, including France and Germany, said in a joint statement on Monday that Gaza's population "faces starvation" and "must receive the aid they desperately need". Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued against any resumption of aid, saying on X that "our hostages receive no humanitarian aid". Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also of the far right, defended the decision, stressing no supplies would be allowed to reach Hamas. "This will allow civilians to eat and our friends in the world to keep giving us diplomatic protection," he said. Israel's military said on Monday it had struck "160 terror targets" in Gaza over the past day. "LIKE APOCALYPSE" Khan Yunis resident Mohammed Sarhan told AFP that Gaza's main southern city "felt like the apocalypse" on Monday. "There was gunfire coming from every apartment, fire belts, F-16 warplanes and helicopters firing," he said. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee earlier called on Gazans in the city and nearby areas to "immediately" leave the "dangerous combat zone". AFPTV footage showed a helicopter over the city, while at Nasser Hospital, a young boy in a tracksuit was being treated as two other boys, both barefoot and bleeding, sat on the floor. Further north in Deir el-Balah, Ayman Badwan mourned the loss of his brother in an attack. "We are exhausted and drained - we can't take it anymore," he told AFP. Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says, are dead. Gaza's health ministry said Monday at least 3,340 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,486. As negotiators met in Qatar in recent days, Netanyahu on Sunday signalled that Israel was open to a deal that would include "ending the fighting", with all hostages released, Hamas leaders exiled and Gaza disarmed.
