Tag: iran

Critics Call for End to US Aid to Israel After Iran Attacks

Progressive U.S. lawmakers and human rights defenders demanded an end to unconditional American armed and diplomatic support for Israel after it launched a series of attacks on Iran early Friday, reportedly killing senior military officials and civilians including nuclear scientists, women, and children in a dramatic escalation that Iranian leaders vowed to avenge.

Iran, later on Friday, reportedly fired hundreds of ballistic missiles toward Israel, and smoke was seen rising from the city of Tel Aviv as Tehran began its retaliation for the large-scale attack that Israel’s military committed just hours earlier.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on social media that “all of Israel is under fire.” Minutes later, the IDF said that the “Iranian attack is ongoing,” noting that “dozens of additional missiles were launched toward Israel.”

The Israeli military instructed residents across the country to “remain close to protected spaces” and minimize “movement in public areas” until an all-clear is given. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Unnamed U.S. officials told the Associated Press that American military assets were being used to help the Israelis intercept incoming missiles from Iran, though the sources, according to the AP, “did not say how the U.S. provided assistance.”

Iran’s retaliation followed at least five waves of Israeli airstrikes targeting not only Iran’s nuclear facilities but also its military leadership and capabilities, Al Jazeera reported. In addition to airstrikes, Israeli and international media reported that operatives from Mossad, Israel’s foreign spy agency, also conducted assassination and sabotage attacks in Iran.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Major Gen. Hossein Salami and Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major Gen. Mohammad Bagheri were assassinated, as were numerous Iranian nuclear scientists [and key nuclear negotiator Ali Shamkhani.]

Israeli attacks targeted cities including the capital Tehran, Natanz, Isfahan, Arak, Tabriz and Kermanshah. Iranian television reports showed bombed-out apartment towers and said that an unknown number of civilians including women and children were killed in the strikes. [The New York Times cites Iran’s Fars news agency’s report of at least 78 deaths and 329 injuries.] 

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War-pig Lindsey Graham Cheers Israel’s Attack on Iran – Calls on US and Trump to “Go All-In” and “Finish the Job”

On Friday morning, Israeli military forces attacked several locations in Iran, including residential areas in the capital, Tehran. Several explosions were heard across the country.

At the same time, images of several locations in Tehran being targeted were posted on social media. The Israeli Minister of War issued a decree declaring a special state of emergency on Friday morning.

The international news reported Thursday that numerous countries recalled their officials from many embassies in the Middle East prior to the anticipated Israeli strikes.

Most Americans understand the seriousness of this moment. Iran has already threatened the United States for our connections with Israel and the regime alleged the US was in on the planning.

Most people were worried – But not Lindsey Graham.

Lindsey posted these jubilant remarks on X on Friday morning.

Again, I applaud President Trump for urging Iran back to the negotiating table, in order to end the regime’s nuclear ambitions through diplomacy, avoiding further bloodshed.

However, if Iran refuses this offer, I strongly believe it is in America’s national security interest to go all-in to help Israel finish the job. One of the benefits of this approach is that it would substantially undo the damage done to our reputation by Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

If diplomacy fails, going all-in for Israel shows that America is back as a reliable ally and a strong force against oppression. It would strengthen our hand in all corners of the world, as well as all other conflicts we face.

Lindsey wants his war!

Maybe this will get him to forget about Ukraine for a few hours?

And, for the record, here is Lindsey’s buddy John McCain singing about bombing Iran.

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Israel’s Attack on Iran Was Made Possible by Clandestine Drone and Missile Bases Built Inside Iran

Israel’s highly successful attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons enterprise and other regime targets was the product of years of preparation. Overnight, while the world was watching Israel Air Force strikes throughout Iran, on the ground, Israeli commandos from the IDF and Mossad were engaged in their own war. Precision-guided missiles, smuggled into Iran, attacked Iranian air defense installations and opened the way for Israeli strike fighters. Drones that were launched from a clandestine base built inside targeted key Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists.

In a sequence of events resembling Ukraine’s destruction of a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, Israel used guided missiles mounted on civilian vehicles parked near Iranian air defense installations to cut a path through Iranian air defenses that allowed the IAF to strike targets with impunity. The mobile missiles were backed up, incredibly, by a fixed drone base Israel had constructed near Tehran, which attacked air defense sites and decapitated Iran’s military leadership at a critical juncture. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, the ironically named Hossein Salami, Armed Forces Chief Mohammad Bagheri, and Army deputy commander Gholamali Rashid were among the casualties. Six of Iran’s top nuclear scientists were also killed by drones.

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Fake meetings, secret drones, smuggled missiles: How Israel’s Mossad covertly infiltrated Iran to launch unprecedented attack

Israeli spies smuggled missiles and secretly hid explosive drones deep inside Iran in a series of covert operations leading up to Friday’s deadly onslaught – before tricking military leaders into gathering for a meeting so they could be wiped out.  

Intelligence agents with Mossad, Israel’s top spy agency, started infiltrating the heart of Iran several months back in order to pull off the surprise attack aimed at obliterating Iranian nuclear and military facilities, as well as a swath of top military commanders.

The spy agency planted the explosive drones inside Iran ahead of time as they laid the groundwork for the major strikes, according to Israeli security sources.  

Agents also managed to smuggle precision weapons into central Iran so Israel could target Tehran’s defenses from within.

The stealth campaign, dubbed Operation “Rising Lion,” was eventually conducted in three separate operations early Friday – with the airstrikes each targeting specific weaponry and defense systems in Iran, one Israeli security source told The Post.

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Iran Confirms Internal Radioactive Contamination at Natanz Nuclear Site After Israeli Airstrike — Claims No Radiation Leak to Public

Israel yesterday launched a targeted airstrike against Iran’s Natanz uranium‑enrichment facility.

Iran’s own Atomic Energy Organization now confirms that radioactive contamination was found inside the site, but emphasizes there has been no radiation leak into the surrounding environment, declaring, “no public risk.”

On Friday morning, Israeli military forces attacked several locations in Iran, including residential areas in the capital, Tehran. Several explosions were heard across the country.

At the same time, images of several locations in Tehran being targeted were posted on social media. The Israeli Minister of War issued a decree declaring a special state of emergency on Friday morning.

The international news reported Thursday that numerous countries recalled their officials from many embassies in the Middle East prior to the anticipated Israeli strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Thursday night’s strike targeted and successfully hit one of Iran’s top nuclear facilities.

“Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs, nine,” Netanyahu said. “In recent months, Iran is taking steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium. And if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.”

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Israel’s Strikes Kill Head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Members of Military’s Top Brass, Senior Nuclear Scientists

Israel says it killed Iran’s military chief, senior nuclear scientists and top military brass Thursday night’s strikes.

As reported earlier, Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear sites early Friday morning local time.

Explosions were heard across Tehran.

The US said Israel took unilateral action Iran.

“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” the White House said.

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U.S. Expects Response to Israel to Be a ‘Mass Casualty Event’: Ominous Report

The United States is reportedly expecting a “mass casualty response” if Israel bombs Iran’s nuclear facilities.

On Wednesday, the State Department ordered the departure of all nonessential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

Further, it authorized nonessential personnel and family members to leave the Persian Gulf nations of Bahrain and Kuwait, which are also in the immediate vicinity of Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations” across the Persian Gulf region, U.S. Central Command said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. The command “is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East.”

President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter Thursday if a strike by Israel against Iran is imminent.

“I don’t want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen,” he responded. “Look, it’s very simple, not complicated. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Other than that, I want them to be successful.”

Trump noted he stopped a full-on war between India and Pakistan from breaking out, which he thought likely would have resulted in nuclear weapons being exchanged.

The implication seemed to be that there is still hope the Israeli strike against Iran may be averted.

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Israel strikes nuclear and missile sites across Iran

The Israeli Air Force conducted dozens of strikes in Iran on Thursday targeting nuclear and missile sites.

Why it matters: Israel is directly attacking its biggest and best-armed adversary, without clear backing from the U.S.

  • President Trump publicly opposed an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites on Thursday, saying he still believed a nuclear deal was possible.
  • Hours later, Israel began targeting nuclear sites as well military headquarters, military commanders, and other Iranian officials, Israeli officials said.

Driving the news: Sirens sounded across Israel on Thursday night. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special state of emergency across the entire country.

  • “Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the state of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said.
  • An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said only “necessary” activities should take place in Israel starting Friday morning local time. That includes a ban on “educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, with the exception of essential businesses.”
  • Israeli airspace was also closed.

The big picture: The Israeli strikes have launched a new military conflict that poses grave danger to both Israel and Iran.

  • An IDF official told reporters the operation to destroy Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities will take several days, and Israel expects Iran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks.
  • The IDF official claimed that in recent weeks Israel had indications that Iran was racing for a nuclear bomb and that with every day that passed Israel would have less visibility into Iran’s advancements. “We are now in a strategic window of opportunity and close to a point of no return, and we had no choice but to take action,” the official said.
  • Iran denies that it is pursuing a nuclear weapon, and the U.S. and other allies have made no such warning about Iran racing toward a bomb.

Behind the scenes: The U.S. notified several of its allies in private on Thursday that Israeli strikes were imminent and made clear it was not involved, one of the sources said.

  • The Trump administration told Israel it would not participate in any strikes on the nuclear program, Axios reported.
  • However, the U.S. has previously helped defend Israel from Iranian attacks and would likely do so again if this strike kicks off a retaliatory cycle.
  • Before the operation became public, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tweeted that he was at the embassy in Jerusalem and “will remain here all night,” adding: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

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US Anticipating Potential Israeli Attack on Iran

The US is on high alert in the Middle East and is anticipating a potential Israeli attack on Iran, The Washington Post has reported. Amid the anticipation, the US is reducing the presence of non-essential personnel in the region.

US officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the military has authorized the “voluntary departure” of the dependents of US troops from locations across the Middle East.

The US is also evacuating personnel from its embassy in Iraq. A State Department official told Al-Monitor that the US is “constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq.”

The State Department has authorized the departure of non-essential personnel at its embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain, providing them with the option to leave rather than a mandatory evacuation.

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Iran Warns They’ll Strike Israel’s Nuclear Sites If Their Own Are Attacked

From The Straits Times, “Iran says has intel to strike Israel in response to ‘any’ attack on nuclear sites”:

An intelligence trove that Iran claimed it had obtained “would enable the fighters of Islam to immediately strike (Israel’s) hidden nuclear facilities in response to any possible attack by the Zionist regime on Iran’s nuclear facilities,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

It also said Iran would respond in a “precisely proportional” manner to any Israeli attack on its military or economic infrastructure.

On June 7, state media reported that Tehran had obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence in a covert operation, including files related to Israel’s undeclared nuclear facilities and defence plans.

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib later said that the seized documents included information related to Western countries including the United States, and “will be published soon”.

On June 9, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, said the intelligence would make “the impact of Iranian missiles more precise” in case of a confrontation.

Via Middle East Spectator:

Full statement by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council:

‘In the name of God Almighty.

The recent complex intelligence operation carried out by the anonymous soldiers of the ‘Imam of our Time’ (Imam Mahdi) are a great intelligence achievement and an important part of the intelligent design and covert and secret actions by the sacred Islamic system against the enemies’ schemes.

Another important part of this is the round-the-clock struggle of our armed forces to create operational capacity aligned with the weaknesses and strengths of the Zionist regime and its supporters.

Today, access to this newly revealed information and the completion of the intelligence and operational cycle have enabled the warriors of Islam to immediately counter any possible attack by the Zionist regime’s against our nuclear facilities.

To any such aggression we will respond instantly, by attacking their hidden nuclear facilities and their economic and military infrastructure, in proportion to the type of aggression carried out against us.

The US is still ridiculously demanding Iran end all enrichment of uranium, which Iran has already made clear is a non-starter.

“They [the Iranians] don’t want to give up what they have to give up,” Trump said on Monday. “You know what that is: They seek enrichment.”

“They have given us their thoughts on the deal, and I said, you know, it’s just not acceptable for it,” Trump continued.

“We can’t have enrichment. We want just the opposite, and so far, they’re not there. I hate to say that, because the alternative is a very, very dire one,” he added.

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