Israel | Pakistan

Israel sent Mossad commandos deep into Iran to destroy Iranian weapons systems during Israel’s attack on nuclear and military targets, an Israeli security source said, while another official said Israel used a ploy to suggest the strike was not imminent. The Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the clandestine nature of the operations, described secret and lengthy preparations that went into an attack that sent oil prices sharply higher on fears of regional escalation. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts. Iranian officials who spoke to Reuters shortly before the attack had been dismissive about any imminent action and repeatedly said talk of strikes was just “psychological pressure” to influence US-Iranian nuclear negotiations that were due on Sunday. Iran has not given a detailed account of what its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called “unlawful and cowardly attacks”, but it has promised a harsh response. Iran’s mission at the United Nations did not immediately r...

Israel’s recent strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites — including the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz — have marked a significant escalation in tensions between the two countries and the Middle East. This is not the first time Israel has taken pre-emptive action against Iranian nuclear infrastructure. For years, the two states have been engaged in a complex and often covert conflict involving cyber operations, proxy engagements, and targeted killings. Disputes over Iran’s nuclear activities — which Tehran maintains are for peaceful purposes — have long shaped the relationship. Israel has consistently called for international pressure on Iran, while the latter has rejected allegations of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. A satellite image shows the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran in this handout image dated January 24, 2025. — Reuters From deadly bombings in Buenos Aires in the early 1990s, to the cyberattack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility using the Stuxnet virus, assassinations of key Irani...

Posts from multiple users on social media platform X on Friday shared a video amid the outbreak of Israeli attacks on Iran, claiming that it allegedly showed a missile attack on Tehran. However, the footage dates back to October 2024 and shows Iranian airstrikes on Israel’s Nevatim airbase. Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders and that this was start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, was killed and state media reported that the unit’s headquarters in Tehran had been hit. Additionally, at least six nuclear scientists were also killed along with civilians, as per reports. Today, an Israeli X user posted a video of missile attack on an unidentified location, with the following caption: “Crazy documentation from Iran, dozens of periods at the same time.” The post was viewed nearly 30,000 times....

Israel appears ready to attack Iran, officials in US and Europe say — The New York Times, June 11 Israeli attack on Iran could come within days, US and Israeli officials say — The Wall Street Journal, June 12 Iran doubles down as US signals Israel could strike despite nuclear talks — Al Jazeera, June 12 Trump says he doesn’t want Israel to attack Iran, but strike ‘could very well happen’ — The Times of Israel, June 12 In a rather anticipated move, Israel on Friday launched widescale strikes on Iran, claiming that it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and military commanders. In a message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were the beginning of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions, including at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, Reuters reported. Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, was killed, and state media report...

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas, following comments by a former minister that Israel had transferred weapons to it. Israeli and Palestinian media have reported that the group Israel has been working with is part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR) think tank describes Abu Shabab as the leader of a “criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks”. Knesset member and former defence 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”. Popular Forces outfit denies being ‘a tool of the occupation’ “What did Liberman leak? That security sources activated a clan in Gaza that opposes Hamas? What is bad about that?” Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media on Thursday. Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestin...

LONDON: The United Kingdom has halted new free trade negotiations with Israel, expressing serious concerns over the continuing Gaza aid blockade and humanitarian crisis. The UK’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, directly communicated the decision to the Israeli ambassador, stating that the alarming situation of hunger for millions of citizens in Gaza is an “appalling act.” […]

• Netanyahu says ceasefire is possible, but vows not to stop war • Israeli strike kills another journalist CAIRO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the military would enter the besieged enclave “with full force” in the coming days, vowing not to stop the war. A statement from the office of Israeli PM Netanyahu on Tuesday said, “In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation.” “Completing the operation means defeating Hamas. It means destroying Hamas,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with injured reserve soldiers in his office late Monday. “There will be no situation where we stop the war. A temporary ceasefire might happen, but we are going all the way,” he added. Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid a deadlock over how to proceed with a January 19 ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Hamas. Earlier this month, Israel’s government approved plans to expand its Gaza offensive, with officials talking of retaining a long-term p...

Israeli officials have put a brave face on President Donald Trump bypassing them on a Middle East trip this week, but his decision to do so is the latest to sow doubt in Israel about where the United States stands in Washington’s priorities. On Sunday, a few days after announcing plans for an expanded military operation in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had been informed by the US of an agreement to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel. Trump, who will be visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, also caused consternation in Israel last week by abruptly announcing the US would stop bombing Houthis in Yemen, days after a Houthi missile hit near Israel’s main airport. “The message to the region was clear: Israel is no longer a top US priority,” wrote Itamar Eichner, diplomatic correspondent for Israeli news outlets Ynet, echoing media commentators across the political spectrum. One Israeli...

Posts on multiple social media platforms from Indian users on Wednesday shared a video claiming to show India attacking Pakistan amid the recent escalation between the two countries. However, the footage dates back to October 2024 and shows Iranian airstrikes on Israel’s Nevatim airbase. On Wednesday, Pakistan mourned the loss of 31 lives in overnight attacks by Indian forces on civilians, describing New Delhi’s actions as “terrorism” and accusing it of continuous ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC). The Pakistan military termed the downing of five Indian fighter jets as a major victory — and it was seemingly acknowledged when Indian officials admitted that at least three of their aircraft had “crashed” within their territory. As both countries continued to trade heavy artillery fire, authorities revealed the extent of the damage caused by Indian strikes at six locations — Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot and Shakkargarh in Punjab and Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Azad Kashmir. Since the breakdown in...

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on Houthi fighters after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel. Three people were killed in the strike, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV. Israel warned people to leave the area around Sanaa International Airport before Tuesday’s attack, which it said targeted Houthi infrastructure and “fully disabled the airport”. Witnesses later reported four strikes in the capital. Tensions have been high since the Gaza conflict began, but have risen further since a Houthi missile landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port on Monday. “A short while ago, IDF (Israel Defence Forces) fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport,” the Israeli military said. “The strike was carried out in response to the attack launched by the Houthi terrorist regime agai...

ISLAMABAD - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman yesterday said that there was only one Palestine and no Israel.