Good morning and welcome to this live blog. Here we will keep you informed of the developments in Israel and Iran. The war between the two countries enters its second week today.
Many thousands of Iranians will take to the streets on Friday to protest against Israel. According to a presenter on Iranian state television, it is “a day of solidarity with the resistance of the Iranian nation.” Demonstrators are displaying portraits of prominent Iranian officials who have been killed by Israeli attacks.
UNHCR is preparing for large numbers of Iranian refugees
Due to the escalating conflict, the UN refugee agency is drawing up contingency plans for displacements within Iran and in neighboring countries. According to UNHCR Director Filippo Grandi, there are unconfirmed reports of Iranians already fleeing to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan.
So far, no country has asked the UNHCR for help, Grandi reports. He emphasizes that Iran hosts more refugees than any other country, including 3.5 million Afghan migrants.
Ship with fifteen hundred Israelis stranded abroad arrives in Ashdod
A ship with fifteen hundred Israelis stranded abroad due to the war with Iran has arrived in the Israeli port city of Ashdod. Due to the Iranian attacks, civil aviation to and from Israel has virtually come to a standstill. As a result, many Israelis were unable to 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 will attack more Iranian government targets in Tehran
Israeli 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 it could be the result of the attacks.
Major destruction in the building of the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. Three days ago, an Israeli rocket 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 a mediator
Putin 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 spokesperson, 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 further talks if Iran is ‘serious’ about nuclear guarantees
Germany is willing to hold more talks with Iran, provided that the country is “serious” when it comes to limiting nuclear enrichment. That is according to the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Johann Wadephul. “This requires Iran to be willing to forgo any enrichment of nuclear material, which could lead to the development of nuclear weapons.”
A meeting between the foreign ministers of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Iran is scheduled for today in Geneva.
Iran sees no room for negotiations as long as Israel attacks
Iranian 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 with his British, French, and German counterparts in Geneva, Switzerland, today. The three European countries had requested that consultation. Araghchi confirmed his participation on Thursday.
Emergency services are on the scene in large numbers in Be’er Sheva, where an Iranian rocket 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 alive
Iranian 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, Reuters writes based on Iranian state media.
Countries close embassies in Tehran due to war with Israel
Several 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,” says Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
In addition, the Czech Republic, Portugal, New Zealand, and Slovakia 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 at work. “Especially in these kinds 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 war
Israeli 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 a major ally of the Iranian regime.
US involvement in the conflict would cause ‘hell’ according to Iran
Should 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 decides to interfere anyway, he will always be remembered as “the president who went to war that was not his business,” the diplomat states.
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 rocket 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.
In Tel Aviv, ordinary life goes on, as far as that is 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 Geneva
Today, the British, German, French, and Iranian foreign ministers will meet in Geneva, Switzerland. They hope to end the conflict between Israel and Iran through negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.
The talks are aimed at finding a “diplomatic solution” to 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 deaths
The 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 strikes back and forth
Again last night, Israel and Iran bombarded each other with missiles. 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, it is involved in the development of nuclear weapons.
In various places in Israel, the sirens of the air raid alarm sounded due to Iranian attacks. According to CNN, buildings were on fire in the southern city of Be’er Sheva after attacks.
Good morning, and welcome to this live blog. The war between Israel and Iran entered its second week this morning. It is exactly a week ago that the conflict escalated due to massive Israeli rocket attacks on Iran. From an Israeli perspective, that attack was very logical.