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‘What are these wars for?’: Arab town in Israel shattered by Iran strike

An Arab town in northern Israel paid a heavy price for the ongoing air war between Iran and Israel when a ballistic missile slammed into a home there, killing four people and upending life in the small community. Hundreds of sobbing residents crowded the narrow streets of Tamra on Tuesday to watch as the wooden coffins adorned with colourful wreaths were carried to the town’s cemetery.To some, the Iranian strike highlighted the unequal protections afforded Israel’s Arab minority, while to others, it merely underscored the cruel indifference of war.Raja Khatib has been left to pick up the pieces from an attack that killed his wife, two of his daughters and a sister in law.  “I wish to myself, if only the missile would have hit me as well. And I would be with them, and I wouldn’t be suffering anymore,” Khatib told AFP. “Learn from me: no more victims. Stop the war.”After five days of fighting, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds more wounded by the repeated barrages launched from Iran. Israel’s sophisticated air defence systems have managed to intercept a majority of the missiles and drones targeting the country. But some have managed to slip through. With some projectiles roughly the size of a train carriage and carrying a payload that can weigh hundreds of kilograms, Iran’s ballistic missiles can be devastating upon impact. A single strike can destroy large swaths of a city block and rip gaping holes in an apartment building, while the shockwave can shatter windows and wreak havoc on the surrounding area.The level of destruction from the missiles has been unprecedented in Israel, even after 20 months of continuous war in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.  Along with Tamra, barrages have also hit residential areas in Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and Haifa.- Discrimination – As the coffins made their way through Tamra on Tuesday, a group of women tended to a relative of the victims who had become faint with grief, dabbing cold water on her cheeks and forehead.At the cemetery, men embraced and young girls cried at the foot of the freshly dug graves.Iran has continued to fire daily salvos since Israel launched a surprise air campaign that it says is aimed at preventing the Islamic republic from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.In Iran, Israel’s wide-ranging air strikes have killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.Despite mounting calls to de-escalate, neither side has backed off from the fighting.In Israel, frequent air raid alerts have kept residents close to bomb shelters, while streets across the country have largely emptied and shops shuttered. But some in the country’s Arab minority have said the government has done too little to protect them, pointing to unequal access to public shelters used to weather the barrages. Most of Israel’s Arab minority identify as Palestinians who remained in what is now Israel after its creation in 1948. They represent about 20 percent of the country’s population.The community frequently professes to face discrimination from Israel’s Jewish majority.”The state, unfortunately, still distinguishes between blood and blood,” Ayman Odeh, an Israeli parliamentarian of Palestinian descent, wrote on social media after touring Tamra earlier this week.”Tamra is not a village. It is a city without public shelters,” Odeh added, saying that this was the case for 60 percent of “local authorities” — the Israeli term for communities not officially registered as cities, many of which are majority Arab.But for residents like Khatib, the damage has already been done. “What are these wars for? Let’s make peace, for the sake of the two people,” he said.”I am a Muslim. This missile killed Muslims. Did it differentiate between Jews and Muslims? No, when it hits, it doesn’t distinguish between people.”

Trump demands ‘unconditional surrender’ as Iran reels

President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded “unconditional surrender” from Tehran and warned the United States could easily assassinate its supreme leader as Iran and US ally Israel traded devastating fire for a fifth day.The comments fueled questions over whether Washington will join Israel’s attacks after insisting it had no hand in the campaign.Israeli warplanes targeted drone and missile sites with at least two waves of strikes in western Iran on Tuesday, the military said.It also said it had killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani in an overnight strike on a “command centre in the heart of Tehran”, just four days after his predecessor, Gholam Ali Rashid, was killed in Israel’s initial surprise attack.The new attacks drew retaliatory fire from the Islamic republic, with explosions heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and air raid sirens sounding around Dimona, a southern town home to a nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of hits.Days after a senior US official said Trump had told Israel to back down from plans to assassinate top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US president appeared to reverse course.”We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.Warning Iran against targeting US interests, he also posted: “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin,” he added, later posting a message saying: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”Trump and his National Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the conflict, ending after an hour and 20 minutes with no immediate public statement.- ‘Punitive operations’ -Despite international alarm, neither side has backed off from the long-range blitz that began Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities.Iranian media reported several explosions Tuesday in the central city of Isfahan, home to nuclear facilities. Blasts were also heard across Tehran.The Iranian armed forces warned residents in the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa to evacuate “for the sake of their lives”, warning of “punitive operations” to come.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched an attack targeting Israeli air bases.Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the fighting broke out, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens.A cyberattack on Tuesday crippled Sepah Bank, one of Iran’s main state-owned banks, the Fars news agency reported.Fearing the violence, many residents have fled Tehran.On Tuesday, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations as the remaining residents rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies.Trump late Monday warned on social media that the entire population of Tehran should evacuate “immediately,” without offering any explanation.US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States was deploying “additional capabilities” to the Middle East, with a US aircraft carrier reportedly heading to the region.China accused Trump of “pouring oil” on the conflict, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of being “the biggest threat to the security of the region.”- ‘Direct impacts’ -After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.The UN’s nuclear watchdog said there appeared to have been “direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls” at Iran’s Natanz facility.Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads.The conflict derailed a running series of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran saying after the start of Israel’s campaign that it would not negotiate with the United States while under attack.French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had a critical role in restarting diplomacy with Tehran and that attempts at regime change would bring “chaos.”Since Friday, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Netanyahu’s office.Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.burs-sms/dw

Oil prices jump, stocks drop as traders track Israel-Iran crisis

Oil prices jumped and stocks mostly fell Tuesday after President Donald Trump abruptly departed G7 talks and concerns rose over a possible US intervention in the Israel-Iran war.Investors’ optimism the previous day that the conflict would not spread throughout the Middle East gave way to fears of further escalation as the fighting entered its fifth …

Oil prices jump, stocks drop as traders track Israel-Iran crisis Read More »

Trump says won’t kill Iran’s Khamenei ‘for now’ as Israel presses campaign

President Donald Trump said the United States would not kill Iran’s supreme leader “for now” and appeared to demand Tehran’s surrender, as US ally Israel traded fire with its arch foe for a fifth day on Tuesday.The comments marked a dramatic escalation in Trump’s rhetoric against Iran and its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fuelling questions as to whether Washington would join Israel’s attacks after insisting it had no hand in the campaign.Israeli warplanes targeted drone and missile sites with at least two waves of strikes in western Iran on Tuesday, the military said.It also said it had killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani in an overnight strike on a “command centre in the heart of Tehran”, just four days after his predecessor, Gholam Ali Rashid, was killed in Israel’s initial surprise attack.The attacks drew retaliatory fire from the Islamic republic, with explosions heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and air raid sirens sounding around Dimona, a southern town home to a nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of hits.Days after a senior US official said Trump had told Israel to back down from plans to assassinate Khamenei, the US president appeared to put the option back on the table with a post on his Truth Social platform.”We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump said.”But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin,” he added, later posting a message saying: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”Trump had said earlier in the day that he wanted “a real end” to the conflict.Trump’s National Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the conflict.Despite mounting calls to de-escalate, neither side has backed off from the aerial blitz that began Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities.- ‘Punitive operations’ -Iranian media reported several explosions Tuesday in the central city of Isfahan, home to nuclear facilities. Blasts were also heard across Tehran.The Iranian armed forces warned residents in the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa to evacuate “for the sake of their lives”, warning of “punitive operations” to come.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched an attack targeting Israeli air bases.Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the fighting broke out, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens.A cyberattack on Tuesday crippled Sepah Bank, one of Iran’s main state-owned banks, the Fars news agency reported.Fearing the violence, many residents have fled Tehran.On Tuesday, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations as the remaining residents rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies.Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the United States was deploying “additional capabilities” to the Middle East, with a US aircraft carrier reportedly heading to the region.Even before Trump’s remarks about Khamenei, China had accused him of “pouring oil” on the conflict.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of being “the biggest threat to the security of the region”.At a G7 summit in Canada, leaders including Trump had called Monday for “de-escalation”, while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself and that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon”.- ‘Direct impacts’ -After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.The UN’s nuclear watchdog said there appeared to have been “direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls” at Iran’s Natanz facility.Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads.The conflict derailed a running series of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran saying after the start of Israel’s campaign that it would not negotiate with the United States while under attack.French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had a critical role in restarting diplomacy with Tehran.He also warned that any attempt to change the regime in Iran would result in “chaos”.Since Friday, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office.Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.Netanyahu said Israel’s campaign was “changing the face of the Middle East, and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself”.burs-ami/smw

Gaza rescuers say Israel army kills more than 50 people near aid site

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces on Tuesday killed more than 50 Palestinians near an aid centre in the territory’s south, the latest such incident amid severe shortages after more than 20 months of war.The war since October 2023 between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has ravaged the Gaza Strip, with shortages of food, fuel and clean water.Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at least 53 people were killed and some 200 wounded as thousands of Palestinians gathered to receive flour near an aid centre in the southern city of Khan Yunis.”Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded,” he said.Mohammad Abu Amer, who was present at the scene, told AFP that “ordinary, unarmed people” were targeted.”They went to buy bread and flour for their children, and (Israeli forces) killed them in cold blood”, he said from Nasser Hospital in the city where the dead and wounded were taken.The Israeli army said it looking into “reports regarding a number of injured individuals” from its fire.It said that “a gathering was identified adjacent to an aid distribution truck that got stuck” near the Israeli forces.In Rafah, also in southern Gaza, the civil defence said four people were killed by Israeli fire, and two others by Israeli shelling near a hopstial in Gaza City in the north.- Chaotic scenes -Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and other difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza denounced “a terrible massacre” as a result of shelling on a crowd of “thousands of civilians” Tuesday.”There are dozens of martyrs who are still on the ground and others who were turned into pieces because of the shells falling directly among the civilians,” a ministry official told a press conference.In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid an impasse in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May.That was when the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and dozens of deaths.The UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said Monday that during recent aid distributions several children have been “temporarily separated from their families due to mass movements around militarised distribution points”.GHF said in a statement that its teams had distributed two million meals on Tuesday “without incident”, and nearly 28 million since it started operating.At Gaza City’s Al-Ahli hospital, one of the last remaining functioning health facilities in the territory’s badly hit north, Amer Abu Safiya told AFP there was little doctors could do to treat a wound on his hand.”Every day we are being bombed… Al-Ahli Hospital has been destroyed. Medical services are halted. As you can see, there’s nothing to wrap around my hand, and there’s no medication”, he said, holding up his swollen hand while laying down on a makeshift bed in the hospital’s backyard.- Internet down -OCHA said its humanitarian partners in Gaza “continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity”.The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in central and south Gaza on Tuesday, following an attack on the territory’s main fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.It’s the third time in less than a week that internet was partly or fully down in Gaza due to damage on telecoms infrastructure.The war was triggered by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to official Israeli figures.The Gaza health ministry said on Monday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on the territory on March 18 following a truce.The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out on October 7, 2023 has reached 55,493 people, according to the health ministry.