03b Israel

<b>WH Shares Israel Atomic Energy Commission's Assessment on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Following US Strikes</b>- <i> townhall.com</i>

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The White House distributed a statement to reporters on Wednesday from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission giving their assessment of the damage U.S. strikes inflicted on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

“The devastating US strike on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable,” the IAEC statement reads.

Iran’s nuclear weapons program has now been set back “by many years” following U.S. and Israeli strikes, the statement added.

“We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,” IAEC said. “The achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material.”

The statement comes after CNN reported that U.S. strikes against three of Iran’s nuclear sites did not destroy the nation’s nuclear program—a claim fiercely disputed by the administration.

“This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

<b>After Trump’s historic Iran-Israel truce, do ceasefires really bring peace?</b>- <i> www.foxnews.com</i>

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President Donald Trump brokered an historic ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran on Monday, marking a dramatic pause in the most significant military confrontation between the two foes.

The Monday evening announcement took effect 12 hours later, following a timeline designed to allow final military maneuvers on both sides. However, a barrage of Iranian missile fire in the hours that followed left many Israelis questioning whether the truce had already been violated.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, said such delayed implementation is not unusual. “It’s hard to turn things off on a switch. You have aircraft in flight. You have forces in position,” he explained.

<b>Strikes on Iran's Fordow enrichment site rendered it inoperable, Israeli atomic agency claims</b>- <i> www.euronews.com</i>

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Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) has said that US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Sunday have rendered the Fordow underground enrichment site “inoperable.”

In a handout, the IAEC claimed the “devastating” strikes “destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure.”

“We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years,” the statement said.

The statement was initially shared by the White House and then later released on X by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli assessment contradicts a leaked intelligence report from the US, which suggests that Iran’s nuclear programme has only been set back by a few months and was not “completely and fully obliterated” as US President Donald Trump claimed.

The report issued by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) on Monday is at odds with statements from Trump and Netanyahu about the status of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

<b>Israel thinks Netanyahu is victorious against Iran – what will he do next? | Benjamin Netanyahu News</b>- <i> www.aljazeera.com</i>

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As the Israel-Iran ceasefire staggered into effect on Tuesday, all of the combatants launched a plausible argument for victory.

In the United States, President Donald Trump claimed that both his diplomatic and military interventions had largely been responsible for halting the fighting, while the leaders of Iran and Israel each claimed to have secured a decisive win in a regional contest that dates back decades.

In Israel, however, the emerging narrative is that the end result of the conflict with Iran has solidified the position of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Just two weeks ago, Netanyahu was in real trouble. On the night before he ordered the unilateral strike on regional nemesis Iran, his governing coalition was only able to survive thanks to a last-minute deal with dissenting members. Public and political opinion had also appeared to have turned against his war on Gaza, and internationally, Israel’s allies were beginning to protest the blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

Now, he can argue that he has severely weakened Israel’s most dangerous regional enemy, Iran, and he claims that its nuclear programme has been destroyed and sent “down the drain”.

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Israel is placing strict limits on video that news organizations can take at the scene of Iranian missile attacks.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced the policy, which requires prior approval from “the Israel Police, the Government Press Office (GPO), and the military [Israel Defense Forces] censor,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

“In accordance with new zero-tolerance enforcement measures led by the national security minister and the police commissioner, any transmission — live or recorded — from areas under missile fire must receive explicit clearance from the IDF censor,” GPO Director Nitzan Chen said.

The new policy was enacted after missile attacks in Beersheba, Holon, and Ramat Gan.

In those incidents, footage was appearing on Al Jazeera. The Jerusalem Post report said CNN and The New York Times were targeted by the new rule in addition to Al Jazeera.

Although some photographers said they represented other outlets, Israeli officials said the footage was used by Al Jazeera, regardless of who might have recorded it.

<b>Exclusive: Israel blasts EU report accusing it of breaching human rights in Gaza</b>- <i> www.euronews.com</i>

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Israel has blasted the EU-Israel Association Agreement (EUSR) review, saying “this report and its conclusions should not be taken seriously or used as a basis for any future actions or conversations”, in a letter from the country’s foreign ministry to the EU seen by Euronews.

”Decency would dictate addressing the report’s shortcomings and dismissing it in its entirety,” the letter, sent to the Commission and External Action Service, concludes.

The EU-Israel Association Agreement review released on Friday said that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip indicate a breach of the human rights provisions contained in its Association Agreement with the European Union. The issue is set to be considered by foreign ministers meeting on Monday.

Citing a collection of findings by independent international organisations, the highly anticipated review from the bloc’s diplomatic service said it found “indications” that Israel breached its human rights obligations with actions in Gaza.

<b>Iran Injures 86 Israeli Citizens After Missile Strikes</b>- <i> dailycaller.com</i>

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At least 86 Israeli civilians were injured early Sunday morning after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles into the Jewish state in what is being described as a furious retaliatory strike following the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times of Israel reported.

The Israel Defense Forces said 27 ballistic missiles were fired at the country in two waves, according to The Times of Israel. The first included 22 missiles, followed by a second wave of five, striking at least 10 locations across northern and central Israel. (RELATED: JD Vance Says US ‘Not At War’ With Iran)

<b>Israel-Iran war live: Trump says key nuclear facilities ‘obliterated’ by US; missiles hit Israel after Iran launches retaliatory strikes - The Guardian</b>- <i> news.google.com</i>
<b>Israel says 21 people wounded as Iran fires dozens of missiles following U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities</b>- <i> www.cbsnews.com</i>

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Tel Aviv, Israel — Iran launched a wave of missiles at Israel on Friday morning, wounding at least 21 people — four of them seriously, paramedics said — after the U.S. joined Israel’s week-long attacks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites.

Iranian missiles made impacts in four sites across Israel: in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Be’er Yaakov and Nes Ziona, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency response service.

Searches were underway for people believed to be trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in Tel Aviv, local media reported.

The Israel Defense Forces told CBS News that Iran had launched about 30 missiles at Israel.

<b>Iran launches wave of missiles at Israel following US bombing of nuclear sites</b>- <i> www.euronews.com</i>

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Iran launched a wave of more than 40 missiles at northern and central Israel, leaving at least 86 people injured. The attack came just hours after Israel and the United States launched a coordinated attack on Iran, which included the bombing of three of its nuclear sites.

Israel’s health ministry reported that of those who arrived at hospitals, two people were moderately wounded and 77 others were in good condition.

Israeli local media reported residential areas in Tel Aviv and the central town of Nes Ziona being struck. Tel Aviv’s Deputy Mayor Haim Goren said that hundreds of homes were damaged in the attacks.

Meanwhile in the northern city of Haifa, an IDF spokesperson said an Israeli air defence interceptor malfunctioned and crashed during the Iranian attack, causing damage and lightly wounding several people.

<b>EU officials hold talks with Iran as conflict with Israel rages - National</b>- <i> globalnews.ca</i>

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Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump weighed American military involvement and new diplomatic efforts got underway with Iran’s foreign minister arriving in Geneva for talks.

Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs. He said he’ll decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the war given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Britain’s foreign secretary said he met at the White House with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the potential for a deal that could cool the conflict.

Before flying to Geneva for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was “not seeking negotiations with anyone” as long as Israel’s attacks continued. He also accused the U.S. of collaborating with Israel, noting that Trump regularly used “we” in social media posts and interviews talking about the attacks on Iran.

<b>Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill 60, half near aid centres</b>- <i> www.channelnewsasia.com</i>

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Similar incidents have occurred in that area regularly since late May, when the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation opened its distribution centres, as Israel eased a two-month aid blocakde.

The privately run foundation’s operations in Gaza have been marred by chaotic scenes. United Nations agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Elsewhere in the territory on Friday, Bassal said 14 people were killed in two separate strikes in and around the central city of Deir el-Balah, and 13 others in three Israeli air strikes in the Gaza City area.

One of those strikes, which killed three people, hit a phone charging station in the city, Bassal said.

In southern Gaza, two people were killed “by Israeli gunfire” in two separate incidents, he added.

<b>Israeli forces recover remains of three hostages from Gaza | World News</b>- <i> news.sky.com</i>

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Israeli forces have recovered the remains of three hostages from the Gaza Strip.

The military identified the remains as those of Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 70; and Shay Levinson, 19.

All three were killed when Hamas militants stormed across the border into Israel on 7 October 2023, an act which ignited the ongoing war.

The militant group still holds 50 hostages, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive.

“The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Israel’s military did not provide any details about the recovery operation.

<b>Israel-Iran Conflict: How another Middle East War is ripping MAGA apart - will Trump coalition survive? | World News</b>- <i> timesofindia.indiatimes.com</i>

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As war clouds gather over Tehran, the “America First” coalition fractures—from Carlson’s outrage to Cruz’s crusade, with Vice President JD Vance echoing the commander-in-chief’s every word.

The MAGA Movement Promised No More Wars—Now It’s on the Brink of One

Donald Trump didn’t just win the 2024 election—he crushed it with a promise to rebuild America without stumbling into another foreign disaster. “No more stupid wars” became doctrine. His base connected with this pledge, proud that he hadn’t launched any new wars.But now, deep into 2025, that legacy is under pressure. In June, Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities—and Trump responded by warning Iran’s leaders to surrender “unconditionally,” advising Tehran’s civilians to evacuate, and boasting that the U.S. had “total control of the skies.”The MAGA movement—defined by its distrust of foreign entanglements—is experiencing an identity crisis. The coalition that brought Trump back to power is now split, torn between instincts that fueled his rise.

<b>Israel says Khamenei 'can no longer be allowed to exist' after Iran strikes hospital</b>- <i> www.france24.com</i>

Israel says Khamenei ‘can no longer be allowed to exist’ after Iran strikes hospital– www.france24.com
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An Iranian missile strike hit south Israel’s Soroka Hospital on Thursday in what Israeli officials described as a deliberate attack on the country’s infrastructure. Defence Minister Israel Katz that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist”.

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At least 28 powerful U.S. Air Force tankers—including KC-135R Stratotankers and KC-46 Pegasus jets—were seen crossing the Atlantic en masse Sunday night, according to Daily Mail citing open-source aircraft tracking platforms.

The fleet’s mysterious deployment comes as tensions between Israel and the terrorist regime in Iran spiral dangerously toward all-out war.

The massive airborne refueling convoy appears to have launched from multiple air bases across the continental United States, heading toward Europe.

According to military aviation outlet The War Zone (TWZ), this kind of large-scale tanker deployment is “very peculiar” and not tied to any routine exercises.

More from TWZ:

Open-source enthusiasts took to social media after all the tankers began popping up on flight tracking software.

At its peak, it appeared that at least 28 tankers were all heading east. While there is a multinational exercise in Norway that is about to kick off, that wouldn’t require anything like this level of relocation of refueling assets.

There is no other apparent exercise or commitment that would necessitate such an operation.

<b>Trump 'Vetoed' Israel's Big Plan That 'Should Not Be on the Table': Report</b>- <i> www.westernjournal.com</i>

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President Donald Trump reportedly in the last few days vetoed a proposal from Israel to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“We communicated to the Israelis that President Trump is opposed to that,” an unnamed U.S. official told Axios. “The Iranians haven’t killed an American and discussion of killing political leaders should not be on the table.”

The president reportedly wanted to prevent further escalation of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict and continue talks with Iran about a nuclear deal.

Some Jewish influencers were unhappy about this report:

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President Donald Trump said Sunday Iran and Israel should come to the negotiating table even as the two nations continued to carry out missile strikes against one another, and both nations report casualties.

“Iran and Israel should make a deal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the two countries “will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and stop!”

The U.S. helped to negotiate a deal between Pakistan and India in May after conflict erupted between the two nations after India blamed Pakistan for a terrorist attack in April that killed a group of mostly Indian tourists.

“President Trump has been clear since the inauguration that he prefers a diplomatic solution to war in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue,” Victoria Coates, vice president of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal.

Trump gave Iran “every opportunity to come to the negotiating table and has been clear about American red lines,” Coates said. “Israel has allowed his timeline to play out and only acted when the President’s own 60-day deadline expired. President Trump continues to keep the opportunity to engage diplomatically open if the Iranians have the sense to take it.”

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In an interview with ABC News’ Rachel Scott on Sunday, Trump said the United States is not involved in Israel‘s military strikes against Iran, but “it’s possible we could get involved,” after reports surfaced that the Jewish state had urged the U.S. to join the effort to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, with some experts suggesting that toppling the Islamist regime is also doable.

Trump told ABC he had a lengthy discussion with Putin on Saturday to discuss the conflict, also telling the outlet he would be “open” to Putin’s idea to serve as a mediator between Iran and Israel:

I would be open to it. [Putin] is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved.

<b>Hundreds reported dead as Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day and threaten more to come</b>- <i> www.euronews.com</i>

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Over 230 people are reported dead across Israel and Iran since Israel launched its first strikes on Friday, leading to an ongoing exchange of attacks with no end in sight.

On Sunday night, emergency responders were still struggling to contain fires started by strikes on the northern port city of Haifa.

In Haifa, an oil refinery was damaged, the firm operating it said. Israel’s main international airport and airspace was closed for a third day.

Iran raised its death toll on Sunday to 224 people. Health authorities also reported that 1,277 were wounded, without distinguishing between military officials and civilians.

Claiming to operate almost freely in the skies over Iran, Israel said its attacks Sunday hit Iran’s Defence Ministry, missile launch sites and factories producing air defence components. Iran also acknowledged Israel had killed more of its top generals, including the Revolutionary Guard intelligence chief, Mohammad Kazemi.

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As the war between Israel and Iran intensifies, civilians in Tehran were caught on video fleeing the city this weekend to escape the carnage.

Hat Tip Banafsheh Zand.

Israel continued to strike Tehran on Sunday.

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It appears at least one side in the deadly Israel-Iran conflict is ready to tentatively wave the white flag.

And it’s not the side backed by the U.S. — though America’s looming presence apparently had something to do with it.

In a stunning report from The Wall Street Journal, it appears Tehran is ready to “de-escalate” tensions after Israel and Iran came into conflict late last week.

“A Battered Iran Signals It Wants to De-Escalate Hostilities With Israel and Negotiate,” the Journal titled its article, adding, “intermediaries seek a return to talks if the U.S. stays out of the fight.”

Of note, the specter of the United States’ might has always been on the fringes of this Middle East conflict.

As President Donald Trump personally noted on Truth, any Iranian attack on America would be met with unequivocal force:

<b>Macron rejects Trump's plan for Greenland, proposal for Putin to mediate Israel-Iran crisis</b>- <i> www.cbc.ca</i>

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French President Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Greenland to offer his support to the Arctic island, said on Sunday that Russia lacked the credibility to mediate the crisis between Israel and Iran, as U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested.

In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump said he was open to Russian President Vladimir Putin — whose forces invaded Ukraine in 2022 and who has resisted Trump’s attempts to broker a ceasefire with Kyiv — mediating between Israel and Iran. Macron said he rejected such an idea.

“I do not believe that Russia, which is now engaged in a high-intensity conflict and has decided not to respect the UN Charter for several years now, can be a mediator,” he said.

Macron also said France did not take part in any of Israel’s attacks against Iran.

The French leader was visiting Greenland — a self-governing part of Denmark with the right to declare independence that Trump has threatened to take over — ahead of a trip to Canada for the G7 leaders’ summit.

<b>Israel Expands Operations, Targeting Iranian Political Institutions as Netanyahu Taunts 'Weak' Regime in Tehran</b>- <i> freebeacon.com</i>

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Israel pummeled hundreds of targets across Iran on Sunday, hitting Tehran’s military leadership, government buildings, and weapons depots—significantly intensifying operations meant to cripple the Islamic Republic’s nuclear infrastructure and destroy its hardline regime. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said “it’s possible” the United States could enter the fray.

Israel bombed multiple Iranian energy sites overnight, settling ablaze fuel depots the regime uses to feed its military and lucrative commercial oil industry. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) hit Iran’s foreign ministry compound along with the Islamic Republic’s defense ministry and other operational outposts central to the regime’s planned retaliatory strikes.

Israel has demonstrated through these operations that it is willing to target the Iranian regime’s centralized ruling architecture, not just its contested nuclear sites.

The strikes on Tehran’s leadership outposts are likely aimed at destabilizing an Iranian regime that is already on the defensive following Israel’s successful opening salvo. That regime could soon face mass unrest if its fragile governing systems break down, and while the hardline government has for years quelled protests against it, the added pressure of a full-scale Israeli assault brings complications.

“It could certainly be the result because the Iranian regime is very weak,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday after Fox News’s Bret Baier asked whether “regime change” was part of Israel’s war effort. “They certainly don’t have the people. Eighty percent of the people would throw these theological thugs out. I mean, they murder them, they oppress them for 46 years, they yearn for freedom.”