Latest news with #Tehran-backed
Nahar Net
6 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Israeli strike targets Shaqra as lasting peace proves elusive
by Naharnet Newsdesk 6 hours An Israeli strike targeted Thursday a bulldozer on the Baraasheet-Shaqra road after an Israeli infantry force entered the outskirts of Houla at dawn and detonated a house there. Israeli troops entered Lebanon on September 30, 2024, after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges launched by Hezbollah in support of Gaza. Under a November truce, which was based on a United Nations resolution that ended the 2006 war, only U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese army may bear arms south of the Litani river, which runs around 30 kilometers from the Israeli border. Israel was supposed to withdraw all of its forces but has kept troops in five areas it deems strategic. It has continued to launch frequent strikes, mainly on what it says are suspected Hezbollah positions and operatives. A strike on Tuesday killed three people, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The Israeli military said it had killed a currency dealer responsible for transferring funds from Iran to Hezbollah. Lebanon saw Israeli ground invasions in 1978 and 1982 that prompted the creation of U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL, which remains in place to this day, and the formation of Hezbollah with Iran's support. The militant group went on to fight devastating wars with Israel in 2006 and 2024. After the 2006 ceasefire, rocket launches from Lebanon and Israeli raids and air strikes on Hezbollah targets occurred sporadically until an uptick in hostilities in 2023. Truces involving Israel have a history of unravelling with no long-term settlement with its foes. While the war with Iran was the first direct confrontation between the arch enemies, Israel's wars in Lebanon and Gaza saw it battle Tehran-backed militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas repeatedly over several decades. - Iran - Israel and Iran had fought a low-intensity shadow war for decades before they entered into direct hostilities on June 13. Prior to the war, Israel had acknowledged cyberattacks on Iran's nuclear program, while its intelligence services have been linked to assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. Iran has long been accused by Israel and Western governments of funding and transferring weapons to militant groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian territories -- its so-called "axis of resistance". After the ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Tehran ever rebuilding its nuclear facilities, raising the prospect of further conflict. - Syria - Israel's last formal ceasefire with Syria was the 1974 disengagement agreement which followed the previous year's Arab-Israeli war. As in Lebanon, a U.N. peacekeeping mission formed to monitor the agreement, UNDOF, remains in place today. After the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December last year, Israel sent troops into the buffer zone set up by the agreement to separate Syrian and Israeli forces. It also carried out an intensive bombing campaign against Syrian military assets to prevent them falling into the hands of the new Islamist-led government, which it regards as jihadist. Iranian-backed groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, which had been severely weakened in its war with Israel, had helped keep Assad in power through more than 13 years of civil war and were repeatedly pounded by previous Israeli air strikes. - Gaza - Israel launched a withering offensive in Gaza after Hamas's attack of October 2023 left 1,219 people dead. Now in its 21st month, the conflict has killed 56,156 Palestinians. A first truce in November 2023 allowed the release of hostages seized during the Hamas attack, but did not achieve lasting peace. Another ceasefire did not come until January 2025, lasting six weeks despite occasional strikes, but collapsed in March when Israel resumed major operations. Previous wars in Gaza in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2021 and 2023 ended with ceasefires, mostly brokered by Egypt. They were all repeatedly broken by Israeli strikes and incursions or by rocket fire from Palestinian factions inside Gaza.
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
How Israel used Iran's massive attacks to enhance its top ballistic missile shield
Israel's top ballistic missile defense system, Arrow, has played a key role against Iran's missiles. Arrow's maker said it intercepted most of the missiles it engaged during the latest clash between Israel and Iran. The CEO of Arrow's manufacturer told BI that it has been upgraded since its first battle with Iran. Israel's top ballistic missile defenses — its Arrow systems — were just tested in their third-ever direct conflict with Iran. The first two battles last year helped the manufacturer prepare for this latest fight, the toughest yet. Boaz Levy, the CEO of the state-run Israel Aerospace Industries, told Business Insider in an interview on Wednesday that the company is "analyzing each missile attack" against Israel on a case-by-case basis, whether it's a single shot or a barrage of fire. "We do have lessons learned about system operation, about threat capabilities, and more," he said. The highly advanced Arrow systems are a joint product of IAI and the US aerospace contractor Boeing. Arrow 2, which was first deployed in 2000, can intercept missiles in the upper atmosphere. The newer Arrow 3 became operational in 2017 and can hit targets in space. Both of the Arrow systems use a two-stage solid-fueled interceptor to destroy incoming ballistic missiles. Together, they make up the top echelon of Israel's vaunted air defense network, the most famous part of which is Iron Dome for combating rockets, mortars, and artillery. The Arrow systems have seen combat over the years, but they faced an unprecedented test in April 2024 when Iran fired some 120 ballistic missiles at Israel as part of a huge attack with cruise missiles and drones. Nearly all the threats were shot down. Arrow then defended against another large-scale barrage in early October when Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel. And over the following months, the system has frequently been used to intercept missiles launched by the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Levy, Arrow's chief engineer, explained that all these engagements ultimately helped prepare Arrow for its most significant test yet: the most recent conflict with Iran, which fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel over a 12-day stretch. He said IAI develops Arrow in a "building blocks mechanism, which means that, every now and then, we are upgrading the system capability, utilizing a new building block." "During this time, between April last year to this attack, we did have several upgradations of the systems," he said. "I believe that this is the right way to deal with it. So yes, we had lessons learned, and we improved the systems accordingly." "It's a software change that will lead us to a better capability," he added. The latest conflict began on June 13, when Israeli officials announced the start of a new operation to degrade Iran's nuclear program and its military capabilities. Israel then carried out sweeping airstrikes across the country over the next week and a half. Iran retaliated by launching over 550 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 drones at Israel, the latest Israeli government data shows. Most of those munitions were intercepted by air defenses. Levy declined to say how many Iranian missiles Arrow engaged. But he said an initial analysis revealed that the systems intercepted at least 90% of the missiles that it targeted since June 13. "I think that Arrow performed as expected," Levy said. Israel said the Iranian missiles have caused over 50 impact sites across the country. Some missiles are allowed to go through if the impact site is irrelevant, but Iranian weapons have also, at times, made it through to strike civilian areas. US Navy destroyers positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea also provided air defense support for Israel in the latest conflict, as have American ground forces based in the Middle East. Available air defense assets in the region include MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. US officials have not disclosed exactly how many Iranian missiles American forces shot down. Washington has provided air defense for Israel during all three of its clashes with Tehran. Levy hailed the air defense partnership between Israel and the US, describing it as "the right way to deal with a ballistic missile attack. I believe that this collaboration and coalition between allies is the right solution for that, especially when we are speaking about salvos," referring to large waves of attacks. The US military joined Israel's offensive campaign last weekend, using stealth aircraft and a guided-missile submarine to launch airstrikes on three of Iran's top nuclear facilities. Tehran retaliated on Monday by firing a volley of missiles at a major American base in Qatar. That retaliation was neutralized by the Patriot systems. Later that day, as Israel and Iran continued to trade attacks, President Donald Trump announced that the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire. Several days later, the fragile deal appears to be holding up.
Nahar Net
7 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Israeli strike targets Shaqra as lasting peace proves elusive
by Naharnet Newsdesk 26 June 2025, 11:32 An Israeli strike targeted Thursday a bulldozer on the Baraasheet-Shaqra road after an Israeli infantry force entered the outskirts of Houla at dawn and detonated a house there. Israeli troops entered Lebanon on September 30, 2024, after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges launched by Hezbollah in support of Gaza. Under a November truce, which was based on a United Nations resolution that ended the 2006 war, only U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese army may bear arms south of the Litani river, which runs around 30 kilometers from the Israeli border. Israel was supposed to withdraw all of its forces but has kept troops in five areas it deems strategic. It has continued to launch frequent strikes, mainly on what it says are suspected Hezbollah positions and operatives. A strike on Tuesday killed three people, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The Israeli military said it had killed a currency dealer responsible for transferring funds from Iran to Hezbollah. Lebanon saw Israeli ground invasions in 1978 and 1982 that prompted the creation of U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL, which remains in place to this day, and the formation of Hezbollah with Iran's support. The militant group went on to fight devastating wars with Israel in 2006 and 2024. After the 2006 ceasefire, rocket launches from Lebanon and Israeli raids and air strikes on Hezbollah targets occurred sporadically until an uptick in hostilities in 2023. Truces involving Israel have a history of unravelling with no long-term settlement with its foes. While the war with Iran was the first direct confrontation between the arch enemies, Israel's wars in Lebanon and Gaza saw it battle Tehran-backed militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas repeatedly over several decades. - Iran - Israel and Iran had fought a low-intensity shadow war for decades before they entered into direct hostilities on June 13. Prior to the war, Israel had acknowledged cyberattacks on Iran's nuclear program, while its intelligence services have been linked to assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. Iran has long been accused by Israel and Western governments of funding and transferring weapons to militant groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian territories -- its so-called "axis of resistance". After the ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Tehran ever rebuilding its nuclear facilities, raising the prospect of further conflict. - Syria - Israel's last formal ceasefire with Syria was the 1974 disengagement agreement which followed the previous year's Arab-Israeli war. As in Lebanon, a U.N. peacekeeping mission formed to monitor the agreement, UNDOF, remains in place today. After the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December last year, Israel sent troops into the buffer zone set up by the agreement to separate Syrian and Israeli forces. It also carried out an intensive bombing campaign against Syrian military assets to prevent them falling into the hands of the new Islamist-led government, which it regards as jihadist. Iranian-backed groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, which had been severely weakened in its war with Israel, had helped keep Assad in power through more than 13 years of civil war and were repeatedly pounded by previous Israeli air strikes. - Gaza - Israel launched a withering offensive in Gaza after Hamas's attack of October 2023 left 1,219 people dead. Now in its 21st month, the conflict has killed 56,156 Palestinians. A first truce in November 2023 allowed the release of hostages seized during the Hamas attack, but did not achieve lasting peace. Another ceasefire did not come until January 2025, lasting six weeks despite occasional strikes, but collapsed in March when Israel resumed major operations. Previous wars in Gaza in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2021 and 2023 ended with ceasefires, mostly brokered by Egypt. They were all repeatedly broken by Israeli strikes and incursions or by rocket fire from Palestinian factions inside Gaza.
Politico
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Trump announces Israel-Iran ceasefire
President Donald Trump on Monday announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after a nearly two-week war between the two countries. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that the ceasefire would take effect just after midnight on the East Coast of the United States, with the war slated to officially end 12 hours later. 'This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn't, and never will!' Trump wrote in the post. Israel and Iran have been indirectly fighting since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks against Israel by Tehran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas and have traded direct fire intermittently since 2024. But after Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this month, the two longtime Middle East adversaries have launched volleys of drones and missiles against each other. The U.S. initially sought to stay out of the conflict but waded into the fighting on Saturday by bombing key Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordo and Natanz. In response, Iran gave the United States advance notice it would strike a major U.S. airbase in Qatar, which it did on Monday. The enthusiastic announcement of the apparent ceasefire marked the latest wild swing from the president on the matter of Iran. After suggesting for months that a deal was close between the U.S. and Tehran to dramatically curb Iran's nuclear development program, Trump got fully behind Israel's June 13 attack on Iran. Less than two weeks later, he opted to involve the U.S. directly, authorizing Saturday's bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities. But following Iran's highly choreographed and quite limited response on Monday, Trump shifted back into favoring diplomacy once more. He struck a conciliatory tone, couching Iran's attack not as an escalation of conflict but as a way for the country to, in his words, get 'it all out of their 'system.''
UPI
23-06-2025
- Politics
- UPI
U.S. issues world travel warning after Iran attack
People check flight schedules in a nearly empty departure hall at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, on Sunday, August 4, 2024. On Sunday night, the State Department issued a worldwide caution security alert warning Americans overseas to exercise increased caution. Photo by Debbie Hill/ UPI | License Photo June 22 (UPI) -- The State Department on Sunday night issued a global travel advisory warning Americans abroad to exercise increased caution after the United States attacked Iran's nuclear facilities the night prior. The statement from the State Department does not mention the Saturday night attack but acknowledged that "there is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. "The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East," the statement said. "The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution." The United States entered the Israel-Iran war on Saturday when President Donald Trump ordered U.S. warplanes to attack three of Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran has vowed revenge while deciding how, when and where it will retaliate. Israel and Iran have been in a proxy war for years, but it exploded to the forefront following the Tehran-backed militia Hamas' bloody Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel. Earlier this month, the war between the two countries intensified when Israel attacked some of Iran's nuclear facilities and killed some of its top military officers. Iran has responded by targeting Tel Aviv and other regions of Israel. The announcement from the State Department comes after it warned Americans last week against traveling to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. On June 14, it authorized the voluntary departure from Israel of family members and non-emergency U.S. government employees "due to volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region." Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, but fears that it might be working to achieve one has been at the forefront of both U.S. and Israeli foreign policy concerning Tehran.
