Iran Launches 100 Drones at Tel Aviv in Retaliation after Israeli Airstrikes Killed Iran's Top Military Officials and Disrupted Nuclear Program
"In the last few hours, Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, and all the defense systems are acting to intercept the threats," Brig. Gen. Effie Deffrin, the IDF spokesman said. Deffrin said it would take several hours for the drones to arrive in Israel, and the IDF is working to shoot them down.
Iran Fires Back
Israel carried out a massive assault on Tehran on Friday morning, deploying over 200 warplanes in the strike. The United States has distanced itself from the operation and issued a warning to Iran not to target American military bases in the region, stressing that it had no role in the attack.
This escalation follows a statement from Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who vowed that Israel would face "severe punishment" for the strike.
Khamenei confirmed that several high-ranking military officials and scientists were killed in the attack.
Israel "opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to commit a crime against our beloved country," Khamenei said.
He added that by targeting residential areas, Israel had exposed "its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers."
"In the enemy's attacks, a number of commanders and scientists were martyred. Their successors and colleagues will immediately continue their duties, God willing.
"With this crime, the Zionist regime has brought a bitter and painful fate upon itself, and it will certainly face it."
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency cited an unnamed official who said that Iran would deliver a "decisive" response to Israel's assault.
Israel to Continue Attack
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strikes would continue "for as many days at it takes to remove this threat" posed by Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu also announced that Operation "Rising Lion" targeted multiple locations across Iran's capital with the objective to destroy its nuclear infrastructure, missile production centers, and military assets.
He described the mission as a targeted move to "roll back" against a threat from Iran that endangers Israel's "very survival."
While the extent of the damage is still unclear, reports suggest that the strike resulted in the deaths of a senior general and several nuclear scientists, as loud explosions echoed throughout Tehran.
"We can't leave these threats for the next generation," he said during an address shared on YouTube.
"Because if we don't act now, there will not be another generation. If we don't act now, we simply won't be here. We have internalized the lessons of history. When an enemy says he intends to destroy you — believe him," Netanyahu continued.
"When the enemy develops the capabilities to destroy you — stop him."
A recent report confirmed that Iran had enriched enough uranium to produce nuclear weapons within days, a source told The New York Post on Thursday night, noting this as the reason behind the strike.
Iranian state media reported that General Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, and Mohammad Bagheri, the country's top military official, were likely killed in the attack, along with two nuclear scientists.
The Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's ballistic missile program, has launched attacks on Israel twice since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023.
Israel also targeted Iran's primary uranium enrichment site in Natanz, where state media showed thick black smoke rising from the facility.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
International Business Times
6 hours ago
- International Business Times
U.S. and China Hold High-Stakes Trade Talks in Stockholm
Senior economic officials from the United States and China held over five hours of talks in Stockholm on Monday to address unresolved trade issues between the two global powers. The closed-door discussions, led by U.S. Treasury Chief Scott Bessent and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng, aim to extend a temporary truce in their ongoing trade dispute, set to expire on August 12. X The talks come at a critical time, as both nations attempt to ease tensions after months of tit-for-tat tariffs and halted shipments of key goods like rare earth minerals. The meeting took place at the Swedish Prime Minister's office in central Stockholm, though neither delegation commented to the press afterward. Talks are scheduled to resume on Tuesday. President Donald Trump acknowledged the negotiations during a joint press conference in Scotland, saying, "I'd love to see China open up their country." However, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer tempered expectations, stating the goal is to review progress and prepare for more balanced trade going forward. An extension of the current truce is widely expected, which could set the stage for a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. The Financial Times reported that the U.S. has temporarily eased export controls to facilitate ongoing talks and boost the chance of a Trump-Xi summit. Despite the diplomatic push, U.S. lawmakers are planning new legislation targeting China over human rights and security concerns, which could potentially complicate progress. At the same time, Taiwan's president is reportedly delaying a proposed U.S. visit to avoid disrupting the negotiations, as China remains highly sensitive to any American support for the island of Taiwan. Earlier talks in Geneva and London focused on lowering tariffs and reopening the trade in rare earths. However, deeper issues remain unresolved. The U.S. continues to criticize China's state-led export economy, while China opposes American tech restrictions. Experts caution that reaching a lasting agreement will take time, as China's dominance in key raw materials and the strategic value of high-tech goods make the dispute more complex than other trade conflicts. (With inputs from agencies)
International Business Times
6 hours ago
- International Business Times
China Proposes Global AI Body to Counter U.S. Monopoly
At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Premier Li Qiang urged the global community to form an international AI cooperation body. His call comes as China positions itself as a leading voice in shaping inclusive AI governance, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump released a national strategy aimed at cementing American dominance in artificial intelligence. Li emphasized the importance of keeping AI development open and collaborative, especially for countries in the Global South. He warned that current trends risk making AI a privileged tool for a few countries and corporations. The Chinese leader also reaffirmed support for open-source AI and pledged to share technological advancements with developing nations. While avoiding direct reference to the U.S., Li criticized restrictions and monopolistic practices that limit access to advanced AI technologies. His remarks were seen as a response to Washington's recent move to tighten export controls on AI chips and equipment, targeting China's tech sector over national security concerns. Despite U.S. restrictions, Chinese firms like Huawei continue to push forward with domestic AI innovation. Li said global coordination is necessary, calling current regulatory approaches "fragmented" and insufficient. China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu added that Shanghai could become the headquarters for the proposed AI body. The three-day summit included representatives from over 30 countries, such as Germany, South Korea, Qatar, Russia, and South Africa. The proposed AI group aims to facilitate open-source cooperation, global tech exchanges, and discussions around ethical AI use and cybersecurity, marking China's attempt to take a central role in shaping AI's future.
AsiaOne
16 hours ago
- AsiaOne
2 rights groups are first Israeli voices to accuse Israel of genocide, World News
JERUSALEM —Two Israeli human rights organisations said on Monday (July 28) Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the first major voices in Israeli society to level the strongest possible accusation against the state, which vehemently denies it. Rights group B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel released their reports at a press conference in Jerusalem, saying Israel was carrying out "coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza strip". "The report we are publishing today is one we never imagined we would have to write," said Yuli Novak, B'Tselem's executive director. "The people of Gaza have been displaced, bombed and starved, left completely stripped of their humanity and rights." Physicians for Human Rights Israel focused on damage to Gaza's healthcare system, saying: "Israel's actions have destroyed Gaza's healthcare infrastructure in a manner that is both calculated and systematic". Israel has fended off accusations of genocide since the early days of the Gaza war, including a case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned as "outrageous". Israel has consistently said its actions are justified as self-defence, and Hamas is to blame for harm to civilians, for refusing to release hostages and surrender, and for operating in civilian areas, which the militant group denies. A spokesperson for the Israeli government called the allegation made by the rights groups on Monday "baseless". "There is no intent, (which is) key for the charge of genocide... it simply doesn't make sense for a country to send in 1.9 million tons of aid, most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide," said spokesperson David Mencer. Israel's military also rejected the reports' findings as "baseless". It said it abides by international law and takes unprecedented measures to prevent harm to civilians while Hamas uses them as "human shields". Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities across the border on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel has often described that attack, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, as genocidal. Since then, Israel's offencive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins, and displaced nearly the entire population of more than two million. Accusations of genocide have particular gravity in Israel because of the origins of the concept in the work of Jewish legal scholars in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust. Israeli officials have in the past said using the word against Israel was libellous and antisemitic. When Amnesty International said in December that Israel had committed genocidal acts, Israel's foreign ministry called the global rights group a "deplorable and fanatical organisation". The 1948 Genocide Convention, adopted globally after the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis, defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group". Palestinian plight gaining attention At a Jerusalem cafe, Carmella, a 48-year-old teacher whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, said she was distressed over the suffering an hour's drive away, inside Gaza. "It feels difficult to me as an Israeli, as a Jew, to watch those images and feel anything but tremendous compassion and horror, to be honest. I feel horror." International attention to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza has intensified in recent weeks, with UN agencies saying the territory is running out of food. Israel, which controls all supplies in to Gaza, says it has let enough food in, and blames the UN for failing to distribute it. Israel shut off all supplies in March for nearly three months, reopening the territory in May but with restrictions it says are needed to prevent aid from ending up in the hands of fighters. Since then, its forces have shot dead hundreds of Gazans trying to reach food distribution sites, according to the United Nations. Israel has announced measures in recent days to increase aid supplies, including pausing fighting in some locations, allowing airlifts of food and safer corridors for aid. Throughout the conflict, Israeli media have tended to focus mainly on the plight of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Footage widely broadcast in other countries of destruction and casualties in Gaza is rarely shown on Israeli TV. That has been changing, with recent images of starving children having a little more impact, said Oren Persico from The Seventh Eye, a group that tracks trends in Israeli media. "It's very slowly evolving," he said. "You see cracks." But he did not expect the genocide allegation would spark a major shift in attitudes: "The Israeli perception is: 'what do you want from us? It's Hamas' fault, if it would only put down its weapons and (release) the hostages this could all be over'." In an editorial in the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, Dani Dayan, the chairman of Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, said it was not accurate to accuse Israel of committing genocide. "But that does not mean we should not acknowledge the suffering of civilians in Gaza. There are many men, women, and children with no connection to terrorism who are experiencing devastation, displacement, and loss," he wrote. "Their anguish is real, and our moral tradition obligates us not to turn away from it." [[nid:720696]]
