Israel says it launched strikes on Iran missile facilities – DW – 06/21/2025
"I believe, according to the assessments we hear, we have already delayed their ability to obtain a nuclear bomb by at least two or three years," Saar said in an interview with the German tabloid newspaper.
"The fact that we have eliminated those individuals who led and advanced the weaponization of the nuclear program is extremely important in terms of the results," he said.
"We have already achieved a lot. But we will do whatever we can. We will not stop until we have done everything possible to eliminate this threat," Saar said.
The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted a week ago with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists.
The Iranian state news agency Tasnim named the "martyred" scientists as "Abdolhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feqhi, Motalleblizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi."
Israel is convinced that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, an accusation that Iranian leadership has repeatedly rejected.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is meant for civilian rather than military purposes. However, experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN watchdog which inspects nuclear facilities, have questioned and criticized the Iranian claims.
The German air force evacuated 64 citizens from Israel who arrived in Cologne on Friday.
The Airbus A400M military aircraft touched down at Cologne/Bonn Airport.
This is the first time the German air force has flown German citizens out of Israel since the conflict with Iran escalated about a week ago.
The group of German citizens was flown out of Israel as part of a "diplomatic evacuation," the German government said.
"The flights were carried out at short notice in close coordination with the Israeli authorities and were primarily intended for families with children and other vulnerable persons."
In the past two days, Germany had begun evacuating its citizens on special flights, though not directly from Israel, but rather from Jordan.
Around 2:30 a.m. in Israel (2330 GMT on Friday), the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israel said its defense system intercepted the missiles over Tel Aviv.
The Israeli air force also said Saturday it had launched a new wave of airstrikes against missile storage and launch sites in central Iran, on the ninth day of conflict between the two countries.
Israel's armed forces chief, Eyal Zamir, warned that his country should be "ready for a prolonged campaign" against Iran, as the war entered its second week.
Zamir's statement echoed earlier remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the fighting would continue "for as long as it takes."
A meeting of the foreign ministers of three European countries with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, came to an end Friday in Geneva, with the ministers from Germany and France voicing hope over future talks.
Araghchi, meanwhile, said Iran would not return to talks about its nuclear program until Israeli "aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes."
US President Donald Trump said on Friday Iran has a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible US military strikes, one day after stating he would decide within a fortnight whether to take action.
Welcome to DW's coverage of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
The nuclear talks in Geneva ended on Friday with no conclusion. The date for the next round of talks has not been decided. Meanwhile, Iran and Israel have resumed attacks against each other.
In addition to the latest news, this blog will bring you photos, videos, analyses and on-the-ground reporting from DW correspondents.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
US Treasury Chief Eyes China Tariff Deadline Extension In Talks Next Week
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that he would meet his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm next week for tariff talks, eyeing an extension to a mid-August deadline for levies to snap back to steeper levels. Bessent told Fox Business that he will be speaking with Chinese officials on Monday and Tuesday for a third round of high-level negotiations, to work out what he said would be a likely postponement of the deadline. Washington and Beijing slapped escalating, tit-for-tat levies on each other's exports earlier this year -- reaching triple digit levels -- stalling trade between the world's two biggest economies as tensions surged. But after top officials met in Geneva in May, both sides agreed to temporarily lower their tariff levels in a de-escalation set to expire next month. Officials from the two countries also met in London in June. "That deal expires on August 12, and I'm going to be in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday with my Chinese counterparts, and we'll be working out what is likely an extension then," Bessent said in the interview. He noted that Washington also wanted to speak about a wider range of topics, potentially including Chinese purchases of Iranian and Russian oil. For other economies facing an earlier August 1 deadline for higher US tariffs to kick in, Bessent said he expects the duties will boomerang back up -- but signaled Washington would continue negotiations. Trade talks between the United States and China had initially stalled after their Geneva meeting in May, although Bessent said trade is in a good place now with Beijing. Disagreements bubbled to the fore when US officials earlier accused Beijing of violating their pact and slow-walking export license approvals for rare earths -- crucial materials for making electronics and other goods. Since then, the two countries have agreed on a framework to move forward with their Geneva consensus. The United States has been seen relaxing certain restrictions on semiconductor sales to China, while Beijing has been reviewing applications for export licenses of controlled items. Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on allies and competitors alike, alongside steeper levels on steel, aluminum and autos. The 10 percent blanket rate is expected to increase for dozens of economies -- although not China -- come August 1, unless they reach an agreement with Washington to avert this outcome. So far, the Trump administration has only announced deals with Britain, Vietnam and Indonesia. But Bessent maintained Tuesday that more pacts are to come.
Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
US To Leave UN Cultural Body, Citing 'National Interest'
The United States said Tuesday it would quit UNESCO, saying the UN cultural and education agency, best known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased against Israel and promotes "divisive" causes. "Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. UNESCO called the US departure -- which it said will take effect in December 2026 -- regrettable, but unsurprising, and said its financial impact would be limited. President Donald Trump had already ordered withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation once before, in 2017 during his first term. President Joe Biden then reestablished US membership. "I deeply regret President Donald Trump's decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO," Director-General Audrey Azoulay said, adding the move contradicted fundamental principles of multilateralism. "However regrettable, this announcement was expected, and UNESCO has prepared for it". In recent years, Azoulay said, UNESCO had "undertaken major structural reforms and diversified our funding sources", including with private and voluntary governmental contributions. The US share of UNESCO's total budget currently stands at eight percent, she said. This compares to an estimate of nearly 20 percent a decade ago, according to a UNESCO source who asked not to be named. No staff redundancies were planned, Azoulay said. Bruce described UNESCO as working "to advance divisive social and cultural causes" and being overly focused on UN sustainability goals, which she described as a "globalist, ideological agenda." Bruce also highlighted what she said was the body's anti-Israeli position in admitting Palestine as a state. "UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a member state is highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation," Bruce said. The administration has also objected to UNESCO's recognition of heritage sites in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem as Palestinian. Azoulay said the reasons put forward by the US "are the same as seven years ago" although, she said, "the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism". Washington's claims "contradict the reality of UNESCO's efforts", she added, "especially in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism". The source at UNESCO described the US move as "purely political, without any real factual base". The organisation had already been "forced" to do without US money for several years after the 2017 departure, the source told AFP. UNESCO adapted but new sources of funding would still need to be found, the source said. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he welcomed the US decision. "This is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel's right for fair treatment in the UN system," he said on X. French President Emmanuel Macron meanwhile said, also on X, that UNESCO had his "unwavering support" that would not weaken after the US departure. The UN organisation describes its mission as promoting education, scientific cooperation and cultural understanding. It oversees a list of heritage sites aimed at preserving unique environmental and architectural gems, ranging from Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Athens Acropolis and Pyramids of Egypt. The UNESCO source said that the US will continue to be represented on the world heritage committee even after leaving the organisation formally, just as it had in 2017. Trump was not the first to pull the United States out of UNESCO. President Ronald Reagan ended US membership in the 1980s, saying the agency was corrupt and pro-Soviet. The United States reentered under the presidency of George W. Bush. The American return under Biden was a major success for Azoulay, who became UNESCO chief in 2017, also because it included a pledge to pay back the US's contribution arrears to the tune of $619 million. On Tuesday, Azoulay said the US could always return to the fold in the future. "The United States of America is and always will be welcome," she said. UNESCO will have to find new sources of funding AFP UNESCO's boss said the US can always come back AFP
DW
7 hours ago
- DW
US leaves UNESCO again over alleged anti-Israel agenda – DW – 07/22/2025
The United States has announced it has left UNESCO, saying the UN cultural and education agency, best known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased against Israel. The United States announced Tuesday it will again pull out of the UN's educational, scientific and cultural agency (UNESCO) because of what Washington perceives as its anti-Israel bias. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the withdrawal was linked to UNESCO's perceived agenda to "advance divisive social and cultural causes." Bruce said in a statement that UNESCO's decision "to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization." Under the Biden administration, the US rejoined UNESCO two years ago.
