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BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
BBC Verify Live: What satellite images tell us about damage in Iran
Update: Date: 10:34 BST Title: How we're tracking developments in Iran-Israel conflict Content: Emma PengellyBBC Verify journalist Iranians wave national flags during a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday As we've been reporting, overnight on Saturday the US confirmed it had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran in an operation that it says was months in the planning. Among the key outstanding questions are: We'll be monitoring user-generated content appearing on social media and satellite imagery for further developments. After the US attack, Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire on Sunday. In Yazd, central Iran, we verified a video of large explosions. According to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim news agency, nine people were killed in the attack. The amount of footage coming out of Iran remains relatively sparse. BBC journalists are unable to report from inside Iran due to restrictions by the country's government, making it difficult to assess the damage. Also, with internet monitoring organisation Netblocks continuing to report, external an 'internet shutdown' in the country, access to social media videos and images has been very limited. Update: Date: 10:08 BST Title: ICYMI: Satellite images of Iran show craters at Fordo after US bombing Content: Benedict GarmanBBC Verify senior journalist Satellite imagery that we looked at on Sunday shows the aftermath of US strikes on Iran's underground nuclear enrichment facility at Fordo. High-resolution images from Maxar Technologies taken 22 June show six craters - likely the entry points for US munitions - as well as grey dust and debris scattered down the mountainside caused by the strikes. We previously wrote about the type of "bunker buster" munitions required for a strike on a deep underground facility like this: a bomb called a Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). On Sunday, the Pentagon confirmed they were used as part of its operation. Senior imagery analyst at McKenzie Intelligence Services, Stu Ray, told BBC Verify: "You will not see a huge blast effect at the entry point as it is not designed to detonate on entry but deeper down into the facility." He added that it looks like three separate munitions were dropped on two separate impact points, and that the grey colouration on the ground appears to show concrete debris blown out by the explosions. Ray also said the tunnel entrances appear to have been blocked off. As there are no visible craters or impact points near them, he suggests this may have been an Iranian attempt to "mitigate against deliberate targeting of the entrances by aerial bombardment". It's uncertain how much damage the strikes have caused to the nuclear site itself. In the days leading up to the strike, Iran seem to have been taking actions to anticipate them, as we reported earlier. Update: Date: 09:56 BST Title: Monday at BBC Verify Content: Johanna ChisholmBBC Verify Live editor Good morning from the team in the BBC's newsroom in London. You join us more than 24 hours after it was confirmed that the US had carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. This coming more than a week after the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated. We spent Sunday analysing satellite images, which begin to show the damage from those US strikes - we'll bring you more of that in our next few posts. We're continuing to track developments in the Middle East today, as we try to get a clearer picture of how those strikes have impacted Iran's nuclear programme. Our fact-check team is also across the government's new 10-year industrial strategy - which could see energy bills slashed by up to 25% for more than 7,000 UK businesses - and is set to be unveiled later today.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
BBC Verify Live: Iran strike on Israel investigated and RAF base protest video checked
Update: Date: 09:56 BST Title: What we know about the latest Iranian strike on Beersheba Content: Paul BrownBBC Verify senior journalist We're working through a wealth of material from Beersheba in southern Israel following a second reported Iranian strike on the city in as many days. The impact seems to have affected a technology park in the north-east of the city and we can see that several buildings have been damaged. As we analyse the footage, we'll seek to establish the exact point of impact and identify the damaged buildings. Yesterday, the nearby Soroka Hospital was struck by a missile and the Iranian authorities said then that the intended target had been the technology park. Meanwhile communications restrictions imposed by the Iranian government are continuing, hampering our ability to gather material from inside the country and assess recent Israeli strikes on Iran. Earlier this morning the internet monitoring organisation Netblocks reported that Iran had been 'disconnected from the global internet' for 36 hours with "only a handful of users" able to connect via virtual private networks. Update: Date: 09:43 BST Title: Welcome to Friday's BBC Verify Live Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Good morning from the team in the BBC's newsroom in London. It's now been just over a week since the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated, and both sides exchanged further air strikes overnight. We're looking into the impact of Israeli air raids overnight targeting Tehran and we'll also continue assessing the aftermath of an Iranian strike on a technology park in Beersheba, southern Israel. We're also investigating the latest reports of deaths near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid hub. Witnesses and medics in Gaza say at least 23 people were shot dead by Israeli forces. And our data team will be across today's Commons vote as MPs get their final say on whether to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran-Israel war: latest developments
Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Thursday, the seventh day of the war between the longtime enemies. Here are the latest developments: - Hospital strike - A hospital in southern Israel was hit as Iran fired a barrage of "dozens" of missiles, officials said, while another impact was reported by emergency services in the Tel Aviv area. "A direct hit has been reported at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel," the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X. A spokesperson for the hospital reported "damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay a "heavy price" for the attack, while defence minister Israel Katz vowed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be "held accountable". Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said Thursday that at least 47 people were injured following Iran's latest strikes, with another 18 injured while rushing to shelters. - Israel says struck nuclear sites - The Israeli army said it had struck an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak in Iran during overnight raids that also saw the Islamic republic's Natanz nuclear site targeted again. A statement said "the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran was targeted, including the structure of the reactor's core seal, which is a key component in plutonium production". - Near-total internet blackout - An update from internet watchdog Netblocks on Thursday showed Iran had been "offline for 12 hours". Iran announced last week that it was placing temporary restrictions on the internet, with the communication ministry saying Wednesday that heavier limits were being imposed due to Israel's "abuse of the country's communication network for military purposes". Iranian media later reported that Israel briefly hacked the state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets. Numerous sites and apps have remained at least partially inaccessible in Iran. - Trump on strikes, talks - President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was considering whether to join Israel's strikes, and that Iran had reached out seeking negotiations on ending the conflict. "I may do it, I may not do it," Trump told reporters. "I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate." Trump said Tehran had even suggested sending officials to the White House for talks, an assertion Iranian officials denied. Asked if it was too late for negotiations, Trump said: "Nothing is too late." The Wall Street Journal reported Trump has told aides he has approved attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran will give up its nuclear programme. He is due to receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday, the White House said, while top US diplomat Marco Rubio will meet his UK counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict. - Khamenei warns US - Iran's supreme leader Khamenei said in a speech on state television: "This nation will never surrender." "America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage," he said. Trump had said on Tuesday that the United States knows where Khamenei is located but will not kill him "for now". - 'Painful losses' - Foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries, with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announcing plans on Wednesday to get Americans out by air and sea. Israel's attacks have hit nuclear and military facilities around Iran, as well as residential areas. Residential areas in Israel have also been hit. Netanyahu acknowledged "painful losses", but added: "The home front is solid, the people are strong." The prime minister's office said Monday that at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded since Iran's retaliatory strikes began Friday. Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Both countries have not updated their official tolls since. bur-ser/jsa
France 24
19-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Iran-Israel war: latest developments
Here are the latest developments: Hospital strike A hospital in southern Israel was hit as Iran fired a barrage of "dozens" of missiles, officials said, while another impact was reported by emergency services in the Tel Aviv area. "A direct hit has been reported at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel," the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X. A spokesperson for the hospital reported "damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay a "heavy price" for the attack, while defence minister Israel Katz vowed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be "held accountable". Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said Thursday that at least 47 people were injured following Iran's latest strikes, with another 18 injured while rushing to shelters. Israel says struck nuclear sites The Israeli army said it had struck an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak in Iran during overnight raids that also saw the Islamic republic's Natanz nuclear site targeted again. A statement said "the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran was targeted, including the structure of the reactor's core seal, which is a key component in plutonium production". Near-total internet blackout An update from internet watchdog Netblocks on Thursday showed Iran had been "offline for 12 hours". Iran announced last week that it was placing temporary restrictions on the internet, with the communication ministry saying Wednesday that heavier limits were being imposed due to Israel's "abuse of the country's communication network for military purposes". Iranian media later reported that Israel briefly hacked the state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets. Numerous sites and apps have remained at least partially inaccessible in Iran. Trump on strikes, talks President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was considering whether to join Israel's strikes, and that Iran had reached out seeking negotiations on ending the conflict. "I may do it, I may not do it," Trump told reporters. "I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate." Trump said Tehran had even suggested sending officials to the White House for talks, an assertion Iranian officials denied. Asked if it was too late for negotiations, Trump said: "Nothing is too late." The Wall Street Journal reported Trump has told aides he has approved attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran will give up its nuclear programme. He is due to receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday, the White House said, while top US diplomat Marco Rubio will meet his UK counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict. Khamenei warns US Iran's supreme leader Khamenei said in a speech on state television: "This nation will never surrender." "America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage," he said. Trump had said on Tuesday that the United States knows where Khamenei is located but will not kill him "for now". 'Painful losses' Foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries, with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announcing plans on Wednesday to get Americans out by air and sea. Israel's attacks have hit nuclear and military facilities around Iran, as well as residential areas. Residential areas in Israel have also been hit. Netanyahu acknowledged "painful losses", but added: "The home front is solid, the people are strong." The prime minister's office said Monday that at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded since Iran's retaliatory strikes began Friday. Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Both countries have not updated their official tolls since.
India Today
18-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Iran shuts down most of the internet as tensions with Israel escalate, WhatsApp and Instagram reportedly blocked
Iran faced a nation-wide 'near-total' internet blackout on Tuesday limiting Iranians' ability to communicate with the outside world at a time of escalating tensions with Israel. Media reports suggest the blackout was a deliberate decision from the government's side specifically in response to alleged Israeli cyberattacks. It wasn't the aftermath of Israeli bombing destroying state infrastructure. VPN services were particularly impacted so there is possibility that the government wanted to crackdown and limit the potential spread of misinformation as well, which is often the case in times like these. According to an NBC News report, citing Kentinc and Netblocks, companies that track internet connectivity around the world, Iran suffered from an internet slowdown at about 5:30 PM local time. It wasn't a total blackout which is to say that not everything was shut down. Alongside limiting people's access to VPN services that would allow them to connect to foreign websites, the government also reportedly urged Iranians to avoid using chat apps like WhatsApp over concerns that they might be leaking – or could leak – their personal information at a time of great turmoil. This is not the first time the Iranian government has shut down the internet or kept its people from accessing internet services. In 2019, it forced a complete blackout for six days straight, in the wake of civil unrest within the country which reportedly led to the deaths of more than 100 people. More than 220 people have died after Israeli strikes, according to Iran while Israel says, retaliatory attacks have killed 24 at the very least. Iran has also blocked the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in its most recent shut down preventing its people from downloading and installing new apps on their devices. At the same time, apps like WhatsApp and Instagram have been rendered completely useless on existing devices. Government-approved sites that are part of Iran's National Information Network remain accessible though. advertisement
