Ship with 1,500 Israelis stranded abroad arrives in AshdodIn the Israeli port city of Ashdod, a ship has arrived with fifteen hundred Israelis who were stranded abroad due to the war with Iran. Due to the Iranian attacks, civil aviation to and from Israel has come to a virtual standstill. As a result, many Israelis could not return to their homeland.
The ship had departed from Cyprus. That EU member state is about 350 kilometers from Ashdod. According to Israeli media, another 6,500 people are waiting in Cyprus to return to Israel.
Israel to attack more Iranian government targets in TehranIsraeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the army to intensify attacks on “symbols of the regime” in the Iranian capital Tehran. The aim is to “destabilize” the Iranian regime, he says.
“We must attack all symbols of the regime and the mechanisms of oppression of the population,” Katz said in a statement. According to him, this also includes the Revolutionary Guard. Prime Minister Netanyahu has previously indicated that the fall of the regime is not the goal of the war, but could be the result of the attacks.
Great devastation in the building of the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. Three days ago, an Israeli missile struck there during a live broadcast.
In Be’er Sheva, in southern Israel, a crater was created by the impact of an Iranian ballistic missile.
Kremlin: Putin offers his services as mediatorPutin is willing to take on a mediating role in the war between Iran and Israel, the Kremlin has announced. “But it is difficult to say whether his offer will be accepted,” says spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Earlier, Trump had also suggested that the Russian president should mediate. The EU immediately rejected that proposal.
According to Peskov, the Middle East is plunging into an “abyss of instability and war.” According to the spokesman, the situation in the region is also potentially dangerous for Russia. Moscow has close ties with Iran, but is also “in dialogue” with Israel.
Germany wants to continue talks if Iran is ‘serious’ about nuclear guaranteesGermany is prepared to hold more talks with Iran, provided the country is “serious” when it comes to limiting nuclear enrichment. This is according to the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Johann Wadephul. “This requires Iran to be prepared to refrain from any enrichment of nuclear material, which could lead to the development of nuclear weapons.”
A meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Iran is scheduled for today in Geneva.
Iran sees no room for negotiations as long as Israel attacksIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sees no room for negotiations “with anyone” as long as Israel attacks his country. “We will not hold talks with the US because it is a partner in the Israeli crime against Iran,” the minister told Iranian state television.
In principle, despite his statements, Araghchi will speak today with his British, French and German counterparts in Geneva, Switzerland. The three European countries had requested that consultation. Araghchi confirmed his participation on Thursday.
Emergency services are massively on site in Be’er Sheva, where an Iranian missile hit a building complex where apartments are also located early this morning. Seven people were slightly injured, reports The Jerusalem Post.
Top advisor to Khamenei who was declared dead is still aliveIranian state media now report that Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is still alive. Earlier this week, Iranian media reported that Shamkhani had died from injuries sustained in an Israeli attack.
The top advisor and former Minister of Defense of Iran is currently in stable condition, writes Reuters based on Iranian state media.
Countries close embassies in Tehran due to war with IsraelSeveral countries are closing their embassies in Tehran. Australia has ordered all its embassy staff to leave Iran due to the unsafe situation. “We do not take this decision lightly. It is a decision based on the deteriorating security situation in Iran,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong.
In addition, the Czech Republic, Portugal, New Zealand and Slovakia, among others, have closed their embassies due to the ongoing Israeli air strikes on the Iranian capital.The Netherlands also has an embassy in Tehran. It is closed to the public, but the embassy staff is still working. “Especially in these types of situations, it is important that the Netherlands remains present with a team that represents our interests on the ground,” reads a message on the embassy website.
Israel warns Hezbollah not to interfere in the warIsraeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Hezbollah not to interfere in the war between Israel and Iran. Katz said that Israel’s patience with “terrorists” is running out.
Hezbollah said yesterday that it would intervene around the “brutal Israeli-American aggression against Iran.” Hezbollah is an important ally of the Iranian regime.
US involvement in conflict would cause ‘hell’ according to IranShould the United States interfere in the conflict between Israel and Iran, it would mean “hell for the entire region.” That is according to a senior diplomat within the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conversation with BBC News.
According to him, the conflict is “not America’s war.” If President Trump does decide to interfere, he will always be remembered as “the president who went to war that was not his business,” the diplomat said.
Trump said last night that he will make a decision within two weeks about American involvement in the conflict.
Among others BBC News and CNN report that in attacks on Be’er Sheva a missile has hit a building complex where Microsoft offices are also located. The British broadcaster reports that six injured people have been taken to a nearby hospital.
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In Tel Aviv, ordinary life continues, as far as possible. Every day people go to the beach of the Israeli city to relax and sunbathe. This Israeli soldier plays a game of volleyball with a beachgoer at sunset.
British, German, French and Iranian Foreign Ministers talk in GenevaToday, the British, German, French and Iranian Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet in Geneva, Switzerland. They hope to end the conflict between Israel and Iran with negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.
The talks are aimed at finding a “diplomatic solution” for the Iranian nuclear program. British Minister David Lammy emphasized that the United Kingdom believes that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, but that no one benefits from “escalation” in the Middle East.
Iranian death toll at 639, Israel reports dozens of civilian deathsThe American organization Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that 639 people have now died on the Iranian side due to the hostilities. Among them are mainly civilians. More than 1,300 people have been injured so far.
Israeli authorities have so far reported “several dozen” civilian deaths.
Again nightly air raids back and forthAgain last night, Israel and Iran shelled each other back and forth with rockets. The Israeli army reports that it carried out attacks on dozens of military targets in Iran last night, including on the Organization for Defensive Innovation and Research. According to the army, that is involved in the development of nuclear weapons.
In several places in Israel, the sirens of the air raid alarm sounded due to Iranian attacks. In the southern city of Be’er Sheva, buildings were on fire after attacks, according to CNN.