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PremiumIran-Israel war LIVE updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Wednesday that Israel will independently determine its course of action in response to Iran's recent significant air attack, disregarding calls for restraint from its allies.
On the other hand, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has made it clear that even the ‘tiniest invasion’ by Israel will result in a ‘massive response’ from Iran.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching missiles and drones at a military facility in northern Israel, citing retaliation for Israeli strikes that resulted in the deaths of Hezbollah members.
The Israeli military confirmed that 14 soldiers got injured.
Western armies helped Israel repel a massive drone and missile attack by Iran -- so why not do so for Ukraine, Estonia's prime minister asked Wednesday as EU leaders gathered for talks.
On April 13, Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Israel in retaliation for the alleged Israeli air strike on its consulate in Syria that resulted in the killing of Iran's three top generals. The US, UK, European countries, and the United Nations have condemned Iran's attack.
On the other hand, Turkey, the Hamas militant group, and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan have backed Iran's action. India has struck a diplomatic tone, urging both the nations to 'de-escalate' the tension. Meanwhile, the US has decided to impose sanctions on Iran and Israel has decided to retaliate.
Get all the latest Iran-Israel war LIVE updates at LiveMint.
"There has been, maybe, just a small quadcopter (attack). All (attacks) have been intercepted by our defence system. As far as we know, there has been no damage to any of our installations," Eskandari told PTI.
“We believe that if there would be any attack to our national territory anywhere, to our nuclear facility, it is an inherent (and) legitimate right of Iran to defend itself," he added.
Netanyahu's war cabinet had initially approved plans for a strike on Monday night inside Iranian territory to respond forcefully to last Saturday's missile and drones from Iran, but held back at the last-minute, three sources with knowledge of the situation said.
By then, the sources said, the three voting members of the war cabinet had already ruled out the most drastic response - a strike on strategic sites including Iran's nuclear facilities whose destruction would almost certainly provoke a wider regional conflict.
(via Reuters)
Despite Friday's announcement of explosions in central Iran, many people appeared unfazed and planned rallies in the capital supporting last weekend's unprecedented Iranian attack on Israel still went ahead.
With rare bipartisan momentum, the House sidelined hard-right conservatives and prepared Friday to push a $95 billion national security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies over a key procedural hurdle, closer to passage.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that he had made "determinations" when it came to allegations against Israel. Tel Aviv has been accused of violatingUS laws that prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights.
“I think you're referring to the so-called Leahy Law and our work under that. So this is a very important law. And it's one that we apply across the board. And when we're doing these investigations, these inquiries, it's something that takes time. That has to be done very carefully, both in collecting the facts and analyzing them. And that's exactly what we've done. And I think it's fair to say that you'll see results very soon. I made determinations. You can expect to see them in the days ahead," Reuters quoted him as saying.
The French Police surrounded the Iran consulate in Paris on Friday before arresting a man threatening to blow himself up. Witnesses had earlier seen the suspect entering the premises while “carrying a grenade or an explosive belt". An elite police unit was mobilised after the consulate requested an intervention and the whole neighbourhood around the consulate in 16th district was cordoned off.
The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received “last minute" information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said.
"Air India flights to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended until 30th April 2024, in view of the emerging situation in the Middle East. We are continuously monitoring the situation," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
The demand for safe-haven assets has also propelled gold steadily upwards. The metal saw prices rise on Friday as it remained poised for a fifth straight weekly gain.
Iranian state media confirmed an attack by Israel in the early hours of Friday and said the “sabotage" operation involving drones had failed.
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Amid reports of Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran, officials of the country have said that the country is not planning to respond to Israel's strike, reported Reuters.
Iran-Israel war LIVE: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said he wants to see “calm heads prevail" in the Middle East. The statement has come amid reports of Israel carrying out retaliatory a strike on Iran. "Significant escalation is not in anyone's interest," he said during questions after delivering an unrelated speech, adding: "What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region."
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Amid the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel in the Middle East, Japan has expressed concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East as any supply disruption in the region will have a big impact on fuel supply and prices, the head of an electric power industry group said on Friday.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed deep concern over the situation in the Middle East and strongly denounced any actions that could exacerbate tensions. Yoshimasa Hayashi said, “Japan is deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East and strongly condemn any actions that lead to the escalation of the situation."
He added, "Japan will continue to make all necessary diplomatic efforts to prevent the situation from worsening further."
The UN Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights, Ben Saul said , "Israel's latest strikes on Iran are another violation of the prohibition on the use of military force under international law & the UN Charter, and threaten the human right to life."
European Commission President Ursulva Von Der Leyen said "It is absolutely necessary that the region remains stable and that all sides restrain from further action."
Japan's key Nikkei index suffered its largest setback in more than three years on Friday, Aporil 19.
The shock to Tokyo Stock Exchange was felt following reports of Israel's strikes on Iran. Nikkei index trailed the slump of US tech stocks.
“The benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended down 2.66 percent, or 1,011.35 points, to 37,068.35, marking its largest fall in points since February 2021," reported AFP.
Over reports of Israel's attack on Iranian soil, Britain's Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said, "Whilst we don't know the details at the moment, my hope is that whatever has happened is of a nature where de-escalation can now be the way forward."
A security advisory issued by US embassy in Israel on its website stated. "Out of an abundance of caution following reports that Israel conducted a retaliatory strike inside Iran, US government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Beersheva areas until further notice."
Iranian state television reported that around 00:30 GMT three drones were spotted in the sky over Isfahan following which air defence systems were activated and they “destroyed these drones in the sky".
In Iran, the central city of Isfahan is “completely calm and secure", hours after reported explosions near the city’s airport, reported Iran’s Mehr News Agency.
“People are going on with their normal lives," the state media report said as it reported that “several miniature UAVs were shot down".
Gold prices rose on Friday as risk aversion swept across financial markets following media reports on explosions in Iran, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict and increasing bullion's safe-haven appeal. Spot gold rose 0.3% at $2,386.05 per ounce, as of 0429 GMT, after briefly jumping as high as $2,417.59 earlier in the session, not far from an all-time high of $2,431.29 hit last Friday. Bullion was set for a fifth straight weekly rise and has risen about 2% so far this week.
Tehran's two major airports resumed flights on Friday, state media reported, following a brief suspension after explosions were heard in central Iran. "Flights through Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports have resumed," the official IRNA news agency reported.
The United States received advance notice of Israel's reported strike on Iran but did not endorse the operation or play any part in its execution, US media quoted officials as saying. NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter and a US official, respectively, said Israel had provided Washington with pre-notification of the strike.
Dubai's flydubai airline cancelled flights to Iran on Friday after receiving an official alert, a statement said. "In line with the issued NOTAM (notice to air missions), our flights to Iran today have been cancelled," said the statement sent to AFP. One flight which had already departed for Tehran returned to Dubai after the Iranian capital's airport was closed, it added.
An Iranian official told Reuters that there was no missile attack on Iran. Official added that the explosion heard in Isfahan was a result of the activation of Iran's air defence syste
Iran said on Friday that it had “shot down" multiple drones and clarified that as of now, there hadn't been any missile strikes on the country following reported explosions near Isfahan. Several drones “have been successfully shot down by the country's air defence, there are no reports of a missile attack for now," Iran's space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian said on X. Dalirian added, “Until this moment, there has been no air attack from outside the borders to Isfahan or other parts of the country, and they have only made a failed and humiliating attempt to fly quadcopters, and the quadcopters have also been shot down."
Israel's military told AFP on Friday that "we don't have a comment at this time" when asked about reports of explosions and strikes in Iran and Syria. The military also separately announced that sirens were sounded in northern Israel along the border with Lebanon.
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near a major airbase at the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. It remained unclear if the country was under attack. However, tensions remain high after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. One government official suggested sites may have been targeted by drones.
As per Press TV, Situation in Iran's Isfahan is normal, no explosion taken place on ground
Cryptocurrencies fell heavily and bitcoin broke below $60,000 on Friday in a rush out of risky assets following reports of an Israeli missile strike on Iran. Bitcoin slid more than 5.5% to $59,961 in the Asia session as the U.S. dollar rose broadly. Ether fell by a similar margin, dropping below the $3,000 barrier to $2,895. Israeli missiles hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported, citing a U.S. official, days after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel.
Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. It remained unclear if the country was under attack. However, tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran's unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. One government official suggested sites may have been targeted by drones.
Israel vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Commercial planes diverted from their routes over western Iran early Friday without explanation, while one semi-official Iranian news agency reported “explosions" being heard over the city of Isfahan, though without giving any reason for the blasts. Iranian state television acknowledged the sound. Israel’s allies have been urging Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral.
Israel was downgraded by S&P Global Ratings, which cited heightened geopolitical risks as it lowered the sovereign credit rating to A from AA- on Thursday. The nation was cut by one notch to the fifth-highest score, on par with Bermuda and China. The outlook remains negative. “The recent increase in confrontation with Iran heightens already elevated geopolitical risks for Israel," the company’s statement said.
Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported late on Thursday, citing a U.S. official. Iran's Fars news agency said explosion were heard at an airport in the Iranian city of Isafahan but the cause was not immediately known. Several flights were diverted over Iranian airspace, CNN reported. Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria.
The United States and Britain announced widespread sanctions against Iran's military drone program on Thursday, in response to its weekend attack against Israel. "Today, we are holding Iran accountable -- imposing new sanctions and export controls," US President Joe Biden said in a statement. Tehran launched its first-ever direct military attack on Israel late Saturday in retaliation for an April 1 air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus -- widely blamed on Israel -- that killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals. The large-scale attack involved more than 300 drones and missiles, most of which were shot down by Israel and its allies including Washington and London, causing little damage.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday that it expresses its deep regret over the inability of the Security Council to enable Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations, against the backdrop of the United States use of its veto.
Google has fired 28 employees in the aftermath of protests over technology that the internet company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, further escalating tensions surrounding a hot-button deal. The firings confirmed by Google late Wednesday came a day after nine employees were arrested during sit-in protests at offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, after the company called police. The dissent roiling Google centers on “Project Nimbus," a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 that calls upon Google and Amazon to provide the Israeli government with cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.
Robert Wood, US deputy ambassador to the UN, said in response to reports that the US was attempting to delay today’s vote on Palestine’s full UN membership and pressuring Security Council members to vote against the resolution: “We’re not pressuring other countries. Other countries have made clear where they stand on this issue. We have explained to them our concerns about it.
“It’s not about pressuring anybody … it’s about what do you think is the best way to get toward a two-state solution? And our view is that having this vote right now doesn’t do that," Wood said.
At the UNSC meet, China’s ambassador , Zhang Jun said, “Israel should abandon any plan to attack Rafah."
Jun further noted that Countries with influence should make “concrete efforts" for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.
“Israel must follow the UNSC resolution and open crossings to allow more aid into Gaza. The way to answer the Middle East question lies in the two-state solution so that both Palestinians and Israelis can achieve security and development." Jun said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is slated to meet Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the country's army chief Joseph Aoun in Paris on Friday. The development comes amid repeated clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah forces based in Lebanon.
Israel launched fresh strikes against Gaza on Thursday as Western nations unveiled a slew of sanctions against Iran. The Israeli army said it had bombed dozens of targets in the territory, as Qatar said efforts to broker a truce have stalled on Thursday.
Senior US and Israeli officials will hold a virtual meeting today amid the ongoing Gaza offensive. Reuters quoted government officials to indicate that the discussions would center around Tel Aviv's plans for Rafah as Washington seeks alternatives to an Israeli offensive.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could devolve into a “full-scale regional conflict". He also said that the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza had created a “humanitarian hellscape" for civilians trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory.
The United States and the United Kingdom announced widespread sanctions against Iran's military drone program.
A US Treasury Department statement indicates curbs against “16 individuals and two entities enabling Iran's UAV production, including engine types that power Iran's Shahed variant UAVs" that were used last week.
Meanwhile the UK is "targeting several Iranian military organizations, individuals and entities involved in Iran's UAV and ballistic missile industries".
