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Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Was Iran's Khamenei on Israel's ‘Red Wedding' hit list? Israeli Defence minister's chilling admission hints so
The 'Red Wedding' begins Live Events Inside the plot: Trickery and timing Trump's bunker-busters Khamenei's defiant reappearance Israel's warning after the guns fell silent No regime change, yet talks ahead (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Israel wanted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dead. Defence Minister Israel Katz left little doubt when he spoke on national television after the guns fell silent. 'I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,' Katz told Kan TV. He said Iran's Supreme Leader 'understood this, went very deep underground and broke off contacts with the commanders… so in the end it wasn't realistic.'Katz repeated the message to Channel 13: 'We searched a lot.' His admission marks Israel's first clear statement that removing Iran's highest cleric was an active goal during the war. The aim was not regime change, he insisted, but to fracture Tehran's chain of command while bombs Israeli Air Force called its opening assault ' Red Wedding ' — a nod to the infamous massacre in Game of Thrones where trusted leaders were cut down at a wedding 13 June, more than 200 Israeli warplanes pounded 100 targets across Iran. According to the Wall Street Journal , this single strike killed nine top nuclear scientists before dawn. Among the dead were General Hossein Salami of the Revolutionary Guard , General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran's Chief of Staff, and Gholam Ali Rashid, the emergency commander.A giant billboard in Tehran now bears their faces — reminders of how one night turned Iran's leadership upside strikes were planned for months. Israeli spies smuggled drone parts into Iran in shipping containers and trucks. Mossad teams hid explosive quadcopters near key missile sites and air missions in Greek skies, and real-life raids on Houthi targets in Yemen, sharpened the Israeli Air Force's long-range skills. All that practice came together on one carefully chosen to Daily MailOnline, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even faked his son Avner's wedding to mislead Iranian watchers. He leaked a false feud with President Trump to suggest hesitation in Washington. In truth, Netanyahu had signed off on the airstrikes on 9 gamble nearly fell apart when word leaked to Tehran. But Iranian commanders, instead of scattering, gathered for what they thought was a crisis meeting. That sealed their fate.'Rather than scattering, they gathered — sealing their fate,' wrote the Wall Street Journal, quoting Israeli Israel's jets roared over Tehran, US President Trump made his own threats public. On 17 June, he wrote on Truth Social, 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding… We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.'Yet behind the scenes, the US was preparing its own the same night as Israel's attacks, Trump ordered Operation Midnight Hammer — precision strikes with B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles targeting three major Iranian nuclear sites. The aim was to crack open deep-buried bunkers Iran had built over decades. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed, 'It was a total success… Not only does our own intelligence say that, but even the Iranian foreign minister and the United Nations agreed.'Trump later signalled that back-channel talks could follow. 'Do the deal,' he posted online. The White House said negotiations for a 'non-enrichment civil nuclear programme' might start soon with help from Qatar.A leaked US report, however, suggests some uranium might have been moved beforehand. Trump brushed that off: 'Nothing was taken out… too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!' he said in an online Supreme Leader vanished just as the missiles struck. The Associated Press reported he did not appear in public for days. He re-emerged only when the ceasefire was sealed on 25 June, posting a recorded video on Iranian state TV.'The Islamic Republic emerged victorious and delivered a harsh slap to America's face,' Khamenei declared. On his official X account, he called Israel a 'fallacious Zionist regime' that was 'crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.'He boasted Iran's retaliatory missile strike on the US base at Al-Udeid in Qatar 'delivered a heavy slap to the US's face.' But images of smoking bunkers and flattened research sites told another confirmed the hunt for Khamenei has ended for now. Speaking to Channel 13, he said: 'There's a difference — before the ceasefire, after the ceasefire.'He advised Iran's top cleric to stay underground. 'I wouldn't recommend that he stay tranquil. He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who sat for a long time deep in the bunker. I recommend that he do the same thing.'Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, was killed in an Israeli strike last year — another sign Israel's assassinations reach beyond its also admitted Israel still does not know where all of Iran's enriched uranium is hidden. But he insisted the attacks had set back Tehran's nuclear ambitions 'by long years.'Trump's message has shifted too. Despite the bunker-busters, he insists a deal is possible. The White House says talks may soon restart, with Qatar acting as said, 'The US remains focused on diplomacy and peace.' But Iranian officials deny any plan to return to the table for Azizi from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs summed up Tehran's problem: 'There must be some sort of purge. But who will implement it? That is the question.'Twelve days of air raids ended with bombed-out bunkers and dead generals, but no regime collapse. Israel's gamble exposed Iran's weak air defences and the depth of its infiltration. For Tel Aviv, the message is clear: they can strike again if needed — with or without Katz told Channel 13, 'We don't need permission for these things.'The Red Wedding may be over, but its aftershocks are only beginning.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Red Wedding: Israel's ‘Game of Thrones' style mission that wiped out Iran's security, nuclear top brass
The fantasy novel series 'The Chronicles of Narnia' and the iconic 'Red Wedding' from the Game of Thrones -- Israel's huge blow to Iran's nuclear and military establishment as well as top security officials in Iran was peppered with pop culture references. Inside 'Operation Narnia,' the Daring Attack Israel Feared It Couldn't Pull Off In a midnight operation by Israel on June 13, more than 30 senior Iranian security officials were killed. The mission, dubbed 'Red Wedding,' aimed to eliminate Iran's top military leadership in one devastating blow — a reference to the infamous massacre scene in popular series Game of Thrones. The elaborate plans that went behind this operation reportedly date back to decades, include a sabotage plan, a spy network in Iran and the setting up of drone bases that would cripple Iran's air defence systems in future. Another simultaneous strike, part of a second operation known as 'Operation Narnia', took out nine senior Iranian nuclear scientists at their homes in Tehran — a plan so audacious that its planners named it after the fictional CS Lewis series. A Wall Street Journal report details accounts of many former US and Israeli officials, shedding light on how Israel aimed at a double whammy for Iran. Decades of planning, one deadly night Israel identified Iran's nuclear weapons program in the mid-90s and had placed many agents in Iran as part of its ambitions to wipe out the nuclear establishments. Israel soon realised that it was important to hurt Iran through the air, but that was a slippery slope. The targets Israel planned to attack were over 1,000 miles away, which meant its pilots would require intense training on how to position multiple aircraft in the air so the missile struck within 20 seconds of each other for maximum impact, and also understand how would refueling take place in the air. The refusal of PM Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet ministers to the Iran attack plans given the US's more diplomatic approach back then, and the inaccessibility of the Syrian airspace due to a heavy Iranian influence back then, also posed problems for Israel. However, things changed in the two years following the October 7 Hamas attack. Israel dealt a huge blow Iran's proxies -- Hamas in Gaza, the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. With Syria's Bashar Al-Assad regime toppled in December last year and an anti-Iranian regime replacing it, the Israeli planes' flying problem was also solved. A ruse, then attack An elaborate ruse played out by Israel, reminiscent of the 'Red Wedding' in Game of Thrones series, led to the killing of more than 30 senior Iran security officials on June 13, damaging the country's aerial defences and destabilising its ability to respond in the early hours of the conflict. However, the midnight attack plan was finalised four days ago on June 9, even as Israeli officials played out in the media that they were having differences with the US on the Iran attack plans, the WSJ report said. Even on the day of the attack, June 13, US President Donald Trump suggested that he didn't want the Israelis 'going in", and that an agreement between the US and Iran was almost done. All the while, Benjamin Netanyahu's office maintained that he would taking the weekend off for his eldest son's wedding on June 16. But, not even Netanyahu's family knew that he had planned to delay the ceremony. 'We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue!" Trump had posted when Israel was getting its jets ready for the attack on Iran. Did the cover blow? Once Israel finalised the attack plans, Mossad agents covertly transported components for hundreds of explosive-laden quadcopter drones into Iran, using suitcases, trucks, and shipping containers to avoid detection. Small, covert teams equipped with the drones positioned themselves near key Iranian air-defense systems and missile launch sites, so they could neutralise the defence systems after Israel attacked. In the final moments before execution, Israel's plans, effectively planned over decades, almost failed, as it noticed Iran's air force scrambling. However, to Israel's surprise, Iranian officials gathered in one place, making it easier for Israel to take them out at once. Israel understood that crippling the nuclear establishments alone would not be sufficient, and that it was important to wipe the brains out behind them. Hence, an 'Operation Narnia', codenamed based on the CS Lewis-authored book series was in also place, bombing nuclear scientists' homes in Tehran. According to news agency Reuters, 11 senior nuclear scientists were killed. Israel carried out simultaneous attacks giving them no chance to go into hiding. Israel's 'kill list' was prepared in November 2024 with 120 intelligence and air force officials listing 250 targets, including nuclear scientists, Iranian missile launchers and military officials. Iran's nuclear establishments, including its Isfahan enrichment plant, were hit by Israeli strikes, and later two more of its sites - Fordow and Natanz, were bombed by the US. However, the total damage to these sites is yet to be ascertained.
Miami Herald
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida congresswoman's pregnancy termination makes the case for small government
U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack's experience trying to end a pregnancy last year, which she has been publicly discussing, makes an argument for small, limited government. Hear me out: Last May, shortly after Florida's Heartbeat Protection Act became law, the Florida congresswoman suffered a life‑threatening ectopic pregnancy — an embryo implanted outside the womb. The law has limited exceptions for abortions, such as if a woman's life is in danger, but they are vague. At five weeks pregnant, Cammack had to convince doctors to give her medication to end the unviable pregnancy. She was met with resistance from doctors and nurses because they feared prosecution under Florida's six-week abortion ban. The hesitation could have put Cammack's life in danger. Florida's law prohibits abortions after six weeks and has limited exemptions that aren't fully defined. That can leave medical workers in legal gray areas. When healthcare providers face potential felony charges for making split-second medical decisions, caution becomes a matter of self-preservation, not politics. Cammack had to convince her doctors to treat her: She pulled up the Florida statute on her phone. She called the governor's office but got no response. Eventually, she got the shot she needed to end the pregnancy. Her experience could've sparked an honest discussion about of the dangers of government overreach into women's bodies. I'm politically conservative but I think government should stay out of people's personal lives. Cammack, however, didn't use this moment to talk about how the law's vagueness may have put her life at risk. Instead, she deflected, blaming the left and telling the Wall Street Journal it was 'absolute fearmongering at its worst.' Instead of acknowledging the flaws with the law, she insisted to Fox News on Friday, 'the left absolutely played a role in making sure that doctors and women were scared to seek out the help that they needed.' Since the Wall Street Journal article was published, she said her office had to be evacuated due to death threats against her and her family. Cammack's reflexive blaming of the left shows a troubling disconnect from reality. Her providers weren't reacting to headlines. They were navigating serious legal risk. Violating the Florida abortion law can mean up to five years in prison, fines of up to $5,000 and loss of medical licenses for healthcare providers. Cammack's experience hardened her stance against abortion. (She insists she did not have one, though her pregnancy was terminated.) In January 2025 — months after her experience — she co-sponsored H.R. 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The bill passed 220-210 in the House, mandates medical care for infants born alive after an abortion and includes criminal penalties for healthcare providers who fail to comply. She continues to support laws that create barriers to these drugs and procedures — despite having benefited from discretion and flexibility in care. Cammack has said she wants to 'get the politics out of women's health care.' I suggest she start with refusing to pass legislation that allows for the government to have a say in what a woman does with her body. I am not arguing for erasing moral boundaries or allowing late-term abortion. Nor is this about being pro-life or pro-choice. It's about whether we, as conservatives, are willing to apply our principles consistently. We are quick to tout limited government when it comes to business, regulation and taxation. But somehow when it comes to women's bodies and their healthcare, we allow the state to intervene freely. Individual liberty applies to all aspects of life — not just the ones we're comfortable with. While Cammack received life-saving treatment, other Florida women may not be so fortunate. She survived because of her resources and her ability to navigate legal ambiguity that would be overwhelming for many women without her resources. Cammack lived to tell her story. Many other women may not have the same fortune. That is a commentary on the privilege of power and a cautionary tale of what happens when we selectively apply limited government principles. Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@
CNBC
10 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
WSJ's Joanna Stern: Big tech companies aren't forthcoming about how much energy AI takes
Joanna Stern, Wall Street Journal personal technology columnist, joins CNBC's 'Power Lunch' to discuss the expected energy cost of AI.
New York Post
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Paris Hilton, husband buy Mark Wahlberg's former mansion for $63.1M — 5 months after losing their Malibu house in Palisades Fires
Paris Hilton and her venture capitalist husband, Carter Reum, found a new place to call home — for $63.1 million. The heiress purchased the palatial pad just five months after losing her Malibu beach home in January's Palisades Fires, the Wall Street Journal reported. Its former owners, actor Mark Wahlberg and his wife Rhea Durham, unloaded the theme park-like property in 2023 for $55 million. 13 Paris Hilton, pictured in May. Getty Images for Hilton Advertisement 13 The Beverly Park mansion at dusk. Paul Barnaby 13 An aerial view of the six-acre property. Paul Barnaby 13 Mark Wahlberg sold the home in 2023 for $55 million. WireImage Advertisement The nearly 30,500-square-foot home in Beverly Hills offers six acres of privacy, with a whopping 12 bedrooms across the main house and guesthouse. The home sits inside the ultra-exclusive Beverly Park community, one of the richest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Former and current residents include Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Lisa Vanderpump, Adele and Justin Bieber. Hilton's new home comes with attractions galore, including an outdoor pool with a grotto, waterfalls and waterslides. The luxe property, constructed in 2014, also includes a sports court, a skate park and a five-hole golf course. The cavernous main house boasts a cellar for wine and cigars, a home theater and staff quarters, according to the listing. Advertisement The Los Angeles estate sold in less than four months after listing for $68 million in March. 13 Hilton and husband Carter Reum. Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize 13 A formal dining room. Paul Barnaby 13 One of two kitchens. The second functions as a prep kitchen. Paul Barnaby Advertisement 13 An upstairs walkway features extensive built-in shelves and a skylight. Paul Barnaby 13 A large bedroom with a fireplace and chandeliers. Paul Barnaby 13 The wine and cigar cellar. Paul Barnaby 13 The state-of-the-art home theater. Paul Barnaby 13 An outdoor patio. Paul Barnaby 13 The pool area includes a grotto and waterslides. Paul Barnaby Hilton and Reum, who share two young children, were among the thousands of families that lost their homes in the wildfires that raged through California in January. Their $8.4 million oceanfront Malibu home of four years was hit by the Palisades Fire that destroyed large areas of Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu across 24 days. The heiress and influencer shared her grief at the time online. Advertisement 'Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience,' Hilton wrote in a post to her 26.8 million Instagram followers in early January. The property's unidentified seller was represented by Ginger Glass and Alexandra Glass of Compass. Hilton's brother, Barron Hilton, and his wife, Tessa Hilton, represented the buyers.
