Latest news with #IsraeliDefenseMinistry
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel targets Iran's government, a notorious Tehran prison as Iran launches more attacks on Israel
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel hit Iranian government targets in Tehran on Monday in a series of strikes that followed a salvo of missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel in the wake of the Trump administration's massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites the day before. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran's Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday's attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate. In Tehran attacks, Israel's Defense Ministry said it hit targets that included the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian capital and the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards. 'The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,' the Ministry said. Nuclear fears mount after US strikes In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility already following the Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. 'Given the explosive payload utilized ... very significant damage ... is expected to have occurred,' said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. With the strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel's war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed 'a very big red line' with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Grossi told the IAEA board of governors on Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had informed him on June 13 that Iran would 'adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.' 'I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,' Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded. Israel and Iran press their attacks Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as as a new wave of its Operation 'True Promise 3,' saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of damage. In Iran, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes hit areas around Iran's capital, Tehran, around midday. Iranian state television confirmed one Israeli strike hit the gate of Evin Prison. The report shared what appeared to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike. The prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners and those with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions. Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a 'free hand ' to "act against U.S. interests and its army.' Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles. Calls for de-escalation The U.S. described its Sunday attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear sit, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear program, but President Donald Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates. Mousavi described the American attacks as violating Iran's sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. In the wake of the American attacks, calls came from across the globe for de-escalation and the return to diplomacy to try and resolve the conflict. On Monday, the European Union's top diplomat said the bloc remained 'very much focused on the diplomatic solution.' 'The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge,' Kaja Kallas said at the start of a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels where Iran has jumped to the top of the agenda. 'Especially closing of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is something that would be extremely dangerous and not good for anybody,' Kallas said, referring to a maritime route crucial for oil transport. After Sunday's attacks, Iranian officials repeated their longtime threats of possibly closing the key shipping lane. Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. As he arrived in Brussels on Monday for a meeting with his EU counterparts, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul renewed calls for Iran to agree again to direct talks with the United States but says Europe still has a role to play. 'We already made it very clear to the Iranian side that a real precondition for a settlement to the conflict is that Iran be ready to negotiate directly with the U.S.,' he said, while adding that the European group known as the E3 'will contribute what we can.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was meeting on Monday in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of Iran's key allies. ___ Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
BreakingNews.ie
23-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Israel hits Iranian government targets, including Evin Prison in Tehran
Israel's Defence Ministry says its military is now striking Iranian government targets in Tehran, including the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian capital. Other targets include the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards, the city's Palestine Square, and the paramilitary Basij volunteer corps building – which is a part of the Revolutionary guard. Advertisement 'The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,' the ministry said.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Israel condemns black partition walls around its pavilions at Paris Air Show
Riot police officers patrol by the Israeli pavilions at the Paris Air Show , Monday, June 16, 2025 in Le Bourget, north of Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) PARIS (AP) — French authorities ordered black partition walls erected around some Israeli defence industry exhibits at the Paris Air Show, a move denounced by Israel's Defense Ministry, which demanded an immediate reversal. A French appeals court had ruled Friday against activist groups who sought to block Israeli companies from participating in the show due to the war in Gaza. The Paris Air Show, held at Le Bourget north of Paris, is one of the world's largest and most prestigious events for the aerospace and defence industry. The black walls appeared overnight ahead of the show's opening Monday, visually isolating Israeli booths from dozens of other international exhibitors. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the move followed a last-minute demand from organizers to remove offensive weapons systems from display — a request they rejected. 'The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries,' the ministry said in a statement Monday, calling the action 'ugly and improper.' A French official said the decision came from the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security, under the prime minister. The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the details. The official said Israeli exhibitors were told weeks in advance that they couldn't exhibit certain types of equipment, and that the walls were erected as a last resort when five of them didn't comply. Four others did and are allowed to exhibit. The official did not elaborate on what kind of equipment was not allowed, or why. Prime Minister François Bayrou officially opened the air show Monday, visiting several stands, and was expected to give a news conference later in the day. Sylvain Pavillet, a lawyer working with the air show organizers, said the final decision on which countries are allowed to exhibit lies with the French government, not the show itself. 'We are not a state. We are a commercial company,'' he told the Associated Press. The president and CEO of Israeli company IAI, Boaz Levy, said it has exhibited at the Paris Air Show for decades and had received authorizations to display its equipment. ''Last night, after our booth was set up and ready for the show, we were asked to remove some of our systems from the booth. We tried to negotiate with them, but it seems these orders came from the highest levels in Paris,'' he said in a statement. ''This morning, when we arrived at our booth, we were shocked to find out that we were blocked by black walls built overnight.'' Julia Frankel and Yesica Fisch in Jerusalem contributed to this report. John Leicester And Thomas Adamson, The Associated Press
Washington Post
16-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Israel condemns black partition walls around its pavilions at Paris Air Show
PARIS — French authorities ordered black partition walls erected around some Israeli defense industry exhibits at the Paris Air Show, a move denounced by Israel's Defense Ministry, which demanded an immediate reversal. A French appeals court had ruled Friday against activist groups who sought to block Israeli companies from participating in the show due to the war in Gaza. The Paris Air Show , held at Le Bourget north of Paris, is one of the world's largest and most prestigious events for the aerospace and defense industry.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Furious as France Shuts Four Weapons Stands at Paris Airshow
France has shut down the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow for apparently displaying offensive weapons, in a move condemned by Israel that highlights the growing tensions between the traditional allies. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that the instruction came from French authorities after Israeli firms failed to comply with a direction from a French security agency to remove offensive or kinetic weapons from the stands. A spokesperson for Gifas, the show's organizer, said some stands were closed, but declined to comment further. Three smaller Israeli stands, which didn't have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defense stand, remain open. France and Israel, traditionally close allies, have had frosty relations in recent months with French President Emmanuel Macron increasingly critical over Israel's war in Gaza. Following Israel's missile strikes on Iran on Friday, Macron said Iran bore a heavy responsibility for destabilizing the Middle East, but also urged Israel to show restraint. Israel's defense ministry said it had categorically rejected the order to remove some weapons systems from displays, and that exhibition organizers responded by erecting a black wall that separated the Israeli industry pavilions from others. This action, it added, was carried out in the middle of the night after Israeli defense officials and companies had already finished setting up their displays. "This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," the ministry said in a statement. "The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition - weapons that compete with French industries."
