CTV National News: David Fraser on Iran's military capabilities
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Retired major general David Fraser, CTV's military analyst, looks at potential retaliation from Iran and the country's military capabilities.
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Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Iran announces death toll of Israel's prison strike as officials remain skeptical of truce
Dozens of staff members, two inmates and a bystander were among the casualties of Israel's attack last week on Tehran's Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and dissidents have been held. The death toll from the strike was released Sunday by Iran's judiciary and confirmed by human rights groups as the one-week mark of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran approaches, despite suspicions on both sides about whether the truce will hold. Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir posted on the office's official Mizan news agency website that at least 71 people were killed on Monday, including staff, soldiers, prisoners and members of visiting families. While officials did not provide a breakdown of the casualty figures, the Washington-based Human Rights Activists in Iran said that at least 35 were staff members and two were inmates. Others killed included a person walking in the prison vicinity and a woman who went to meet a judge about her imprisoned husband's case, the organization said. The June 23 attack, the day before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took hold, hit several prison buildings and prompted concerns from rights groups about inmates' safety. It remains unclear why Israel targeted the prison, but it came on a day when the Defense Ministry said it was attacking 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.' The news of the prison attack was quickly overshadowed by an Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Qatar later that day, which caused no casualties, and the announcement of the ceasefire. On the day of the attack, the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran criticized Israel for striking the prison, seen as a symbol of the Iranian regime's repression of any opposition, saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets. Over the 12 days before the ceasefire was declared, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 of them civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said in a Saturday letter to United Nations officials — obtained by The Associated Press — that the international body should recognize Israel and the U.S. 'as the initiators of the act of aggression' against Iran over the war and that their targeting of a sovereign country should require 'compensation and reparation.' At the same time, advocates have said that Iran was legally obligated to protect the prisoners held in Evin, and slammed authorities in Tehran for their 'failure to evacuate, provide medical assistance or inform families' following the attack. The judiciary spokesperson said some of the injured were treated on site, while others were taken to hospitals. Iran had not previously announced any death figures at the prison, though on Saturday, it confirmed that top prosecutor Ali Ghanaatkar — whose prosecution of dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, led to widespread criticism by human rights groups — had been killed in the attack. He was one of about 60 people for whom a massive public funeral procession was held on Saturday in Tehran. He was to be buried at a shrine in Qom on Sunday. While Israel and Iran have been adhering to the truce, Iranian officials raised suspicions Sunday about whether the other side would continue to keep its word. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of staff for Iran's armed forces, said in a conversation with Saudi Arabia's defense minister that the country is prepared if there were another surprise Israeli attack. 'We did not initiate the war, but we responded to the aggressor with all our might, and since we have complete doubts about the enemy's adherence to its commitments, including the ceasefire, we are prepared to give them a strong response if they repeat the aggression,' Mousavi said, according to Iranian state TV agency IRNA. Much remained unclear about the status of Iran's nuclear program, which incited the initial Israeli attack. U.S. President Donald Trump says American strikes 'obliterated' the program, while Iranians say that he's exaggerating. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told CBS' 'Face the Nation' in an interview airing Sunday that Iran's capacities remain, but it is impossible to access the full damage to the nuclear program unless inspectors are allowed in, which Iranian officials have not allowed. 'It is clear that there has been severe damage, but it's not total damage, first of all. And secondly, Iran has the capacities there, industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again,' Grossi said. ___ Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
Trump tells Israel, Hamas to 'make the deal' on ceasefire and get hostages returned
Article content U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday morning called for an agreement to return Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Article content 'Make the deal in Gaza. Get the hostages back!!! DJT,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, employing his initials. Article content Article content The online post comes after the president on Friday indicated that a ceasefire-for-captives agreement could be hammered out in the near future. Article content Article content 'I think it's close. I just spoke to some of the people involved. We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire,' Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office at the White House. Article content Terrorists in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, according to Israeli estimates. They are 49 of the 251 people abducted by Hamas-led terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, and the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza on Aug. 1, 2014. Of these, 28 are confirmed dead according to the Israel Defense Forces, and about 20 are believed to be alive, with grave concerns for the well-being of two others. On Saturday, Trump reiterated his call from earlier in the week to end Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial. Calling the premier a 'war hero' who did a 'fabulous job' coordinating with the United States on ending the Iranian nuclear threat, Trump then turned to the hostage deal, emphasizing that Netanyahu is 'right now in the process of negotiating a deal with Hamas, which will include getting the hostages back.' Article content Netanyahu shared Trump's post to X, thanking the president and declaring, 'Together, we will make the Middle East Great Again!' Article content Israeli President Isaac Herzog reiterated his support on Thursday for a plea deal in Netanyahu's trial, responding to Trump's call to end the 'witch hunt' against the premier. Article content U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Friday in Washington with families of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, reaffirming the Trump administration's commitment to securing their release. Article content Article content According to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, Rubio pledged the administration's 'unwavering commitment' to securing the release of all 50 remaining captives. He emphasized America's leadership in past Middle East initiatives and noted that, following Israel's recent operations in Iran and Lebanon, the country remains capable of defeating Hamas.
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
Intercepted Iranian communications downplay damage from U.S. attack, Washington Post reports
This satellite picture by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's underground nuclear enrichment site at Fordo following U.S. airstrikes targeting the facility, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) WASHINGTON — Intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of damage caused by U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear program, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the U.S. government. A source, who declined to be named, confirmed that account to Reuters but said there were serious questions about whether the Iranian officials were being truthful, and described the intercepts as unreliable indicators. The report by the Post is the latest, however, to raise questions about the extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear program. A leaked preliminary assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency cautioned the strikes may have only set back Iran by months. President Donald Trump has said the strikes 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear program, but U.S. officials acknowledge it will take time to form a complete assessment of the damage caused by the U.S. military strikes last weekend. The White House dismissed the report by the Post. 'The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons program is over,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was quoted as saying by the Post. In an interview broadcast on Sunday on Fox News, Trump reiterated his confidence that the strikes had destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities. 'It was obliterated like nobody's ever seen before. And that meant the end to their nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time,' he said on the 'Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo' program. Reporting by Phil Stewart and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Chris Reese
