English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 16/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.june16.25.htm
News Bulletin Achieves
Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Click On
The Below Link To Join Elias Bejjaninews whatsapp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط
على الرابط في
أعلى للإنضمام
لكروب
Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group
Elias Bejjani/Click
on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس
بجاني/اضغط
على الرابط في
أسفل للإشتراك في
موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOOSioLh1GE3C1hp63Camw
Bible Quotations For today
This Jesus is "the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become
the cornerstone.
Acts of the Apostles 04/05-12:"The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes
assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and
Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the
prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name
did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers
of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done
to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be
known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing
before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is "the stone that was
rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone." There is
salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among
mortals by which we must be saved."
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on June 15-16/2025
Celebrating Fathers Day: A Biblical Perspective on Duty, Honor, and
Sacrifice/Elias Bejjani/June 15/2025
The Fight Against the Mullahs' Regime: A Defense of the Free World/Elias Bejjani/June
14, 2025
The Arab statements condemning the Israeli attack on Mullahs' Iran and terrorism
and criminality are bundles of deception and hypocrisy and dissimulation, if not
to say cowardice./Elias Bejjani/June 14/2025
Macron calls Aoun, voices support for Lebanon stability
Why are Hezbollah and other allies staying out of Israel-Iran conflict?
Israeli army: Iran expects Hezbollah to join the war
Aita al-Shaab targeted with rockets and Ras al-Naqoura combed with heavy weapons
The moment is the best time to confine the weapons, otherwise the opportunity
will be lost!
MEA cancels June 16 flights to and from Baghdad due to Iraqi airspace closure
Lebanon says it is working to repatriate stranded citizens
Lebanon arranges repatriation flights for citizens stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh
MEA announces additional Istanbul route for June 15
Lebanese stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh urge authorities to help them return home
Lebanese Stranded in Egypt Appeal for Government Intervention
Local and Regional Air Travel Disrupted Amid Escalation
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 15-16/2025
Trump suggests Iran and Israel need ‘to fight it out’ to reach deal, vows
full support for Israel
Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day and threaten more to come. Over
230 are reported dead
Israel-Iran battle escalates, civilians urged to evacuate target areas
Iran rejects ceasefire negotiations while under Israeli attack, official says
Iranian state media confirms death of Iran's IRGC intelligence chief and his
deputy
Iran says it executed nine members of so-called Islamic State group over 2018
attack
Timeline of tensions and hostilities between Israel and Iran
Israel’s goal might be regime change in Iran: Experts
Iran FM says attacks on Israel will end when its 'aggression stops'
Trump says US 'can easily get a deal done' between Israel and Iran
Iran missiles kill 10 in Israel in night of mutual attacks
Iran accuses Israel of 'deliberate' strike on foreign ministry building
EU foreign ministers to meet Tuesday on Israel-Iran conflict
Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak: Only full-scale war or new deal can stop Iran’s
nuclear program
At least 8 dead in shooting near Israeli and US-supported aid sites in Gaza
Israeli military kills 41 people in Gaza, medics say
G7 leaders gather in Canada for a summit overshadowed by Israel-Iran crisis and
trade wars
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on June 15-16/2025
You, Infidel, Will Meet Allah’: Persecution of Christians, April
2025/Raymond Ibrahim/ Gatestone Institute/June 15, 2025
Iran and Israel: Three Days After the Recent Events/Colonel Charbel Barakat
/June 15/ 2025
What happens if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz?/Jonathan Gornall/Arab
News/June 15, 2025
The regional implications of escalating Iran-Israel tensions/Dr. Abdulaziz
Sager/Arab News/June 15, 2025
Israel vs. Iran: a view from Riyadh/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/June 15/2025
Iran and Israel: A War Unlike Any Other/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
newspaper/June 15/2025
Tweets
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 15-16/2025
Celebrating
Fathers Day: A Biblical Perspective on Duty, Honor, and Sacrifice
Elias Bejjani/June 15/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/130787/
Today, as we gather to celebrate Fathers' Day, we are reminded of the pivotal
role fathers play in our lives. Fathers, both in their presence and sacrifices,
mirror the divine fatherhood of God Himself. This day is not merely about
showering our fathers with gifts and words of appreciation but also about
reflecting on our duties and obligations towards them, as underscored by
biblical teachings.
The Bible provides profound insights into the importance of honoring our
fathers. Ephesians 6:2-3 commands, "Honor your father and mother"—which is the
first commandment with a promise—"so that it may go well with you and that you
may enjoy long life on the earth." This directive is clear: honoring our fathers
is not just a noble act but a divine injunction that brings blessings.
Furthermore, Proverbs 23:22 instructs us, "Listen to your father, who gave you
life, and do not despise your mother when she is old." These verses highlight
that respect and obedience to our fathers are lifelong duties. They underscore
the need to appreciate the wisdom and experience that our fathers impart,
recognizing their efforts and sacrifices in nurturing us.
Fathers, in many ways, emulate God the Father, who is described in Psalm 103:13:
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those
who fear him." Just as God’s compassion and care are boundless, so too are the
efforts of our earthly fathers. They toil and labor, often in silence, to
provide for us, ensuring our well-being and success.
In honoring our fathers, we acknowledge the countless sacrifices they have made.
From working long hours to provide for the family to making tough decisions for
our betterment, fathers constantly put their children's needs before their own.
This dedication is aptly captured in the Lebanese saying, "No one is dear to my
heart more than my son, but the son of my son." It speaks to the enduring love
and legacy that fathers build, emphasizing the generational impact of their
devotion.
However, it is disheartening to see that not all children recognize or
reciprocate this dedication. Some neglect their fathers, disregarding their
wisdom and contributions. To such individuals, the biblical admonition in
Proverbs 30:17 serves as a stern reminder: "The eye that mocks a father and
scorns a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by
the vultures." This vivid imagery warns of the severe consequences of disrespect
and neglect towards one’s parents.
As we celebrate Fathers' Day, let us remember that honoring our fathers is not
limited to a single day of festivities. It is an ongoing commitment to show
respect, provide care, and express gratitude for all they do. Let us strive to
embody the principles of the Bible, ensuring that our fathers feel valued and
appreciated every day of their lives.
In conclusion, Fathers' Day is a powerful reminder of the immense love and
sacrifices our fathers have made for us. By honoring them, we not only fulfill
our biblical duties but also strengthen the bonds of family and faith. Let us
cherish our fathers, acknowledging their vital role in our lives and upholding
the respect and honor they rightfully deserve.
The Fight Against the Mullahs' Regime: A Defense of the Free World
Elias Bejjani/June 14, 2025
The dire crisis Lebanon is currently facing in sliding into chaos, decay, and
disintegration—stems from the toxic culture, delusions, and blind imitation
embraced by segments of its population. These individuals have immersed
themselves in a culture of death, war, and hatred. They are blind to reason,
intoxicated by violence, and idolize the evil symbols of the Iranian mullahs’
regime, fighting its destructive wars on Lebanese soil.
These terrorist gangs and their sympathizers are entirely alienated from
civilization, peace, and universally accepted human values. They remain stuck in
the quagmire of illusions imported from the delusional ideology of the Iranian
regime. Tragically, they are mentally and morally incapable of recognizing the
stark difference between the danger posed by the criminal mullahs’ regime and
the nations striving to overthrow it and liberate the world from its menace.
The mullahs’ regime is a grave threat—not only to the Iranian people—but to all
humanity, particularly the countries and peoples of the Middle East, with
Lebanon at the forefront. Its criminal proxy, Hezbollah—blasphemously labeled a
"resistance" movement—has brought to Lebanon nothing but corruption,
destruction, chaos, political assassinations, displacement, and poverty. It
glorifies a culture of suicide, parades under hypocritical slogans like
“resistance,” “liberation,” and “praying in Jerusalem,” while calling for the
destruction of the State of Israel and dragging Lebanon into pointless,
devastating, and unwinnable wars.
Therefore, it is the duty of the Lebanese people—and the peoples of the Middle
East more broadly—to stand with all forces committed to overthrowing the
mullahs’ regime and freeing the Iranian people from its tyranny, delusions, and
crimes. They must work decisively to dismantle its occupation, expansionist
ambitions, and jihadist agendas.
At the forefront of this righteous confrontation is the State of Israel—armed
with courage, technology, knowledge, and sacrifice—supported by most Western
nations and many Arab countries. Though some Arab regimes may publicly express
conflicting sentiments, their true hopes and interests align with Israel’s
efforts, restrained only by fear, hesitation, or the practice of taqiyya
(dissimulation).
In conclusion, it is a moral obligation for all Middle Eastern
peoples—especially the Lebanese and Iranians—to express gratitude to Israel and
all nations that support its mission to rid the world of the evils, wickedness,
and madness of the Persian mullahs’ regime.
The Arab
statements condemning the Israeli attack on Mullahs' Iran and terrorism and
criminality are bundles of deception and hypocrisy and dissimulation, if not to
say cowardice.
Elias Bejjani/June 14/2025
It is known, and for 40 years, that Iran is a real existential threat to all
Arab countries a million times more than it is a threat to Israel. For this, all
Arab statements of condemnation for the Israeli attack on it are flawed and
shameful and bundles of hypocrisy and dissimulation, if not to say cowardice and
chameleon-like behavior."
Macron calls Aoun, voices support for Lebanon stability
Naharnet/June 15, 2025
President Joseph Aoun received a phone call Saturday evening from French
President Emmanuel Macron during which they discussed “the rapid developments
after the escalation of the Iranian-Israeli confrontations,” the Presidency
said. “Macron stressed to President Aoun his country’s support for Lebanon
during this critical period and its backing for its sovereignty and for
preserving security and stability in it,” the Presidency added. Aoun for his
part thanked his French counterpart for his stance, emphasizing that
“consultations and coordination will continue to follow up on the developments.”
Aoun also received a phone call from his Cypriot counterpart Nikos
Christodoulides and they agreed on “the need for halting military escalation and
activating negotiations to put an end to these confrontations to spare the
region further disturbances that undermine stability.”Christodoulides also told
Aoun that his country “backs the efforts that are being exerted to restore calm
in the region.”
Why are Hezbollah and other allies staying out of Israel-Iran conflict?
Associated Press/June 15, 2025
Hezbollah has long been considered Iran's first line of defense in case of a war
with Israel. But since Israel launched its massive barrage against Iran this
week, the Lebanese group has stayed out of the fray. A network of powerful
Iran-backed militias in Iraq has also remained mostly quiet — even though Israel
used Iraq's airspace, in part, to carry out the attacks. Domestic political
concerns, as well as tough losses suffered in nearly two years of regional
conflicts and upheavals, appear to have led these Iran allies to take a back
seat in the latest round convulsing the region.
The 'Axis of Resistance' -
Hezbollah was formed with Iranian support in the early 1980s as a guerilla force
fighting against Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon at the time. The
militant group helped push Israel out of Lebanon and built its arsenal over the
ensuing decades, becoming a powerful regional force and the centerpiece of a
cluster of Iranian-backed factions and governments known as the " Axis of
Resistance." The allies also include Iraqi Shiite militias and Yemen's Houthi
rebels, as well as Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. At
one point, Hezbollah was believed to have some 150,000 rockets and missiles, and
the group's former leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah once boasted of having
100,000 fighters. Seeking to aid its ally Hamas in the aftermath of the
Palestinian militants' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel and Israel's
brutal offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah began launching rockets across the border.
That drew Israeli airstrikes and shelling, and the exchanges escalated into
full-scale war last September. Israel inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah,
killing Nasrallah and other top leaders and destroying much of its arsenal,
before a U.S.-negotiated ceasefire halted that conflict last November. Israel
continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and to carry out near-daily
airstrikes. For their part, the Iraqi militias occasionally struck bases housing
U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, while Yemen's Houthis fired at vessels in the Red
Sea, a crucial global trade route, and began targeting Israel.
Condolences to Iran, condemnations of Israel -
Hezbollah and its new leader Sheikh Naim Qassem have condemned Israel's attacks
and offered condolences for the senior Iranian officers who were killed. But
Qassem did not suggest Hezbollah would take part in any retaliation against
Israel. Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah militia — a separate group from Lebanon's
Hezbollah — released a statement saying it was "deeply regrettable" that Israel
fired at Iran from Iraqi airspace, something that Baghdad complained to the U.N.
Security Council over. The Iraqi militia called on the Baghdad government to
"urgently expel hostile forces from the country," a reference to U.S. troops in
Iraq as part of the fight against the militant Islamic State group, but made no
threat of force. Hezbollah was weakened by last year's fighting and after losing
a major supply route for Iranian weapons with the fall of Syrian President
Bashar Assad, a key ally, in a lightning rebel offensive in December. "Hezbollah
has been degraded on the strategic level while cut off from supply chains in
Syria," said Andreas Krieg, a military analyst and associate professor at King's
College London.
A changing attitude to Iran -
Many Hezbollah members believe "they were sacrificed for Iran's greater regional
interests" since Hamas' attack on Israel triggered the latest Israel-Hamas war,
and want to focus on "Lebanon-centric" interests rather than defending Iran,
Krieg said. Still, Qassem Qassir, a Lebanese analyst close to Hezbollah, said a
role for the militant group in the Israel-Iran conflict should not be ruled out.
"This depends on political and field developments," he said. "Anything is
possible."Both the Houthis and the Iraqi militias "lack the strategic deep
strike capability against Israel that Hezbollah once had," Krieg said. Renad
Mansour, a senior research fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London,
said Iraq's Iran-allied militias have all along tried to avoid pulling their
country into a major conflict. Unlike Hezbollah, whose military wing has
operated as a non-state actor in Lebanon -- although its political wing is part
of the government -- the main Iraqi militias are members of a coalition of
groups that are officially part of the state defense forces. "Things in Iraq are
good for them right now, they're connected to the state -- they're benefitting
politically, economically," Mansour said. "And also they've seen what's happened
to Iran, to Hezbollah and they're concerned that Israel will turn on them as
well."That leaves the Houthis as the likely "new hub in the Axis of Resistance,"
Krieg said. But he said the group isn't strong enough — and too geographically
removed — to strategically harm Israel beyond the rebels' sporadic missile
attacks. Krieg said the perception that the "axis" members were proxies fully
controlled by Iran was always mistaken, but now the ties have loosened
further."It is not really an axis anymore as (much as) a loose network where
everyone largely is occupied with its own survival," he said.
Israeli army: Iran expects Hezbollah to join the war
Al Markazia/June 15, 2025
Walla website quoted an Israeli army source as saying, "We are closely
monitoring Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iraq." The Israeli army source added, "Iran
expects Hezbollah to join the war, but so far it has not moved." The Israeli
army also continues to reduce its forces in Gaza to reinforce the northern and
eastern borders, fearing the infiltration of militias from Jordan and Syria and
the entry of Hezbollah into the fighting. According to Haaretz, citing Israeli
Defense Ministry officials, the decision to redeploy forces stems from concerns
about the entry of "Iranian proxies" into the conflict. They stressed that the
decision aims to thwart any raids on residential areas or military
infrastructure.
Aita al-Shaab targeted with rockets and Ras al-Naqoura
combed with heavy weapons
Al Markazia/June 15, 2025
This evening, the Israeli army targeted the outskirts of the town of Aita al-Shaab,
towards the Raheb Forest, with several mortar shells. The Israeli army conducted
a combing operation with heavy weapons in the Ras al-Naqoura area.
The moment is the best time to confine the weapons,
otherwise the opportunity will be lost!
Youssef Fares/Al-Markaziya/June 15, 2025
While Israel claims that Hezbollah is working to produce drones, leveraging
tactics that emerged in the war between Russia and Ukraine, explaining that
drones are simpler and faster to manufacture and use than missiles and rockets,
and that access to their components and assembly is much easier, giving the
party the ability to maneuver and develop militarily despite regional
restrictions, it is known that its army informed the Americans and the French
that it will not withdraw from the five points in the south until further
notice. Military experts and analysts expect that Israeli forces will expand
their military and security operations in the south, the Bekaa, the southern
suburbs, and perhaps Beirut. However, they rule out an Israeli ground invasion
of the south for several reasons, most notably the lack of need for a ground
advance given the technological, intelligence, and military capabilities, and to
avoid slipping into a confrontation costly in human terms given the confusion,
moral collapse, and weak capabilities within the Israeli army, which believes
that the continued presence of weapons with Hezbollah means that it will rebuild
its strength and threaten Israeli security years from now. Israel is trying to
take advantage of the opportunity of international and regional circumstances
and the new balance of power to eliminate Hezbollah, or at the very least,
disarm its heavy weapons. Member of the Strong Republic bloc, MP Razi al-Hajj,
told Al-Markazia: "Israel's intentions and plans regarding Lebanon, Gaza, and
the region are completely clear. Tel Aviv informs the United States of its
intention to carry out military operations, as evidenced by Washington's
admission that it had prior knowledge of the targeting of the southern suburbs
on the eve of Eid al-Adha. There is a clear agreement stipulating a cessation of
hostilities stipulated in Resolution 1701, and Hezbollah has agreed to it.
Consequently, every attempt by the party to rebuild its military capabilities
has been exposed, along with Lebanon, to killing and destruction. The policy of
evasion and disavowal of international agreements and resolutions no longer
convinces anyone and is of no use. The state must make a firm decision to disarm
its illegal weapons, in accordance with what was stated in the inaugural speech
and the ministerial statement. The entire world is awaiting this step and
watching us. Time is no longer on our side, as the Lebanese Forces warned in
their demand that the state set a deadline for its monopoly on arms, as
promised. Israel warns against expanding its attacks to include Lebanon after
Iran, taking advantage of regional and international circumstances. Lebanon must
shoulder its responsibility; wasting the opportunity available to it to rise may
not be repeated every day, but every decade. Countries deal with each other
based on their ability to preserve their sovereignty and control their
decisions. The new Syria, which is preparing to join the Abraham Accords, may
take on the Lebanese role. Is it reasonable that, for the sake of Hezbollah and
its illegal weapons, Lebanon remains relegated to the sidelines of the regional
process, awaiting a decision on its behalf?
MEA cancels June 16 flights to and from Baghdad due to
Iraqi airspace closure
LBCI/June 15, 2025
Middle East Airlines – Air Liban announced the cancellation of its flights to
and from Iraq (Baghdad) on Monday, June 16, 2025, due to the continued closure
of Iraqi airspace.
Lebanon says it is working to repatriate stranded citizens
LBCI/June 15, 2025
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry said it is following up on the situation of Lebanese
citizens stranded abroad and is making the necessary contacts to expedite their
return.
Lebanon arranges repatriation flights for citizens stranded
in Sharm el-Sheikh
LBCI/June 15, 2025
The Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority said it has coordinated with the relevant
airline and Lebanese travel agency to assist Lebanese citizens stranded in Sharm
el-Sheikh, Egypt. In a statement, the authority said the airline submitted an
urgent request to operate repatriation flights via a Romanian carrier, with a
flight schedule set to begin Monday morning. Preliminary approval has been
granted, and the airline has been asked to begin necessary procedures to ensure
the passengers are brought home as soon as possible.
MEA announces additional Istanbul route for June 15
LBCI/June 15, 2025
Middle East Airlines – Air Liban announced that it will operate an additional
flight, ME1263/1264, to and from Istanbul on Sunday, June 15, 2025.
Lebanese stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh urge authorities to help them return home
LBCI/June 15, 2025
Around 600 Lebanese citizens stuck in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh are calling on
Lebanon's president and government to intervene and coordinate with Egyptian
authorities to facilitate their return to Lebanon after civil aviation to Beirut
was suspended due to the military confrontation between Iran and Israel.
The stranded group, which includes families with children, women, and elderly
people, says they are facing increasingly difficult conditions, with many
running out of money and baby formula. They urged swift action to end their
ordeal and worsening situation.
Lebanese Stranded in Egypt Appeal for Government
Intervention
This is Beirut/June 15, 2025
Facing worsening conditions and dwindling supplies, nearly 600 Lebanese citizens
stranded in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh region issued an urgent appeal on Sunday to
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to intervene and secure
their return home. The plea comes after civilian air traffic to Beirut was
suspended due to the ongoing military confrontation between Iran and
Israel.According to the National News Agency (NNA), the stranded individuals —
including children, women and the elderly — reported deteriorating conditions as
they ran out of funds and essential supplies, such as baby formula. They called
for immediate action to end their ordeal. In response, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement confirming that it is closely
following the situation of Lebanese citizens trapped abroad. The ministry said
it is making “the necessary contacts with the concerned authorities” to arrange
their return, emphasizing that all efforts will be made in accordance with
safety protocols set by the relevant bodies. The ministry added that its
diplomatic missions continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance
where needed.
Local and Regional Air Travel Disrupted Amid Escalation
This is Beirut/June 15, 2025
According to several Lebanese media outlets, Lebanon’s Directorate General of
Civil Aviation has decided to suspend operations at Beirut’s international
airport between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Any exception during this timeframe will
require prior approval from the Lebanese aviation authorities.
At Rafic Hariri International Airport, the departure and arrival board showed a
series of cancellations by foreign airlines throughout the day on Sunday.
In Syria, Damascus International Airport announced the cancellation of
all scheduled inbound and outbound flights for Sunday, June 15. Meanwhile,
Jordan has closed its airspace as of Saturday night, marking the second such
measure since the start of the military escalation between Israel and Iran. In
an official statement, Jordan’s Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission – in a
country that shares a border with Israel – announced the suspension of all
takeoffs, landings, and overflights.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 15-16/2025
Trump suggests Iran and Israel need ‘to fight it
out’ to reach deal, vows full support for Israel
AFP/June 15, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Iran and Israel — who are
locked in an exchange of military strikes — to “make a deal,” but suggested they
might need to “fight it out” first. “I think it’s time for a deal,” Trump told
reporters, as Israel and Iran exchanged a fresh barrage of missile strikes and
threatened more devastation in a conflict that appeared to be intensifying. “But
sometimes they have to fight it out, but we’re going to see what happens,” Trump
said, speaking at the White House before heading to Canada to take part in a G7
summit. Trump warned Iran earlier on Sunday that it would experience “the full
strength” of the US military if it attacks the United States, reiterating that
Washington “had nothing to do” with Israel’s strikes on Tehran’s nuclear and
intelligence facilities. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war
fought through proxies and covert operations, the latest conflict marks the
first time arch-enemies Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity,
triggering fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East.
Israel’s operation, which began early Friday, has targeted Iranian nuclear and
military sites, killing dozens of people including top army commanders and
atomic scientists, according to Tehran. Trump refused to answer a question about
whether he had asked Israel to pause airstrikes on Iran. Earlier, a senior US
official told AFP that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iranian
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he believed the two sides “should
make a deal, and will make a deal.”There are “many calls and meetings now taking
place” on the issue and peace could be achieved “soon” between the longtime
adversaries, he said. When asked about the report, Israel's Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday: “There’s so many false reports of
conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that.”“We do
what we need to do,” he told Fox’s “Special Report With Bret Baier.” Regime
change in Iran could be a result of Israel’s military attacks, Netanyahu said in
the interview, adding that Israel would do what it takes to remove what he
called the “existential threat” posed by Tehran. Netanyahu has vowed to hit
“every target of the ayatollah regime,” and Iran has retaliated with a deadly
barrage of missiles. While Trump had said he was aware of the Israeli operation
before it started, he reiterated Sunday morning on his Truth Social platform
that the United States “had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight.” “If
we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might
of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,” he
said in a post. He added that “we can easily get a deal done between Iran and
Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!” On Friday, the US president urged
Tehran to make a deal or face “even more brutal” attacks by Israel. During his
first term, a landmark nuclear accord with Iran — negotiated under former
president Barack Obama — was torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew
the United States and reimposed sanctions.
Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day and threaten
more to come. Over 230 are reported dead
Jon Gambrell, Natalie Melzer And Tia Goldenberg/The Associated Press/June 15,
2025
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel and Iran traded more missile attacks
Sunday despite calls for a halt to the fighting, with neither country backing
down as their conflict raged for a third day. Iran said Israel struck its oil
refineries, killed the intelligence chief of its paramilitary Revolutionary
Guard and two other generals and hit population centers in intensive aerial
attacks that raised the death toll in the country since Israel launched its
major campaign Friday to 224 people. Health authorities also reported that 1,277
were wounded, without distinguishing between military officials and civilians.
Israel, which has aimed its missiles at Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program
and military leadership, said Iran has fired over 270 missiles since Friday, 22
of which slipped through the country’s sophisticated multi-tiered air defenses
and caused havoc in residential suburbs, killing 14 people and wounding 390
others. In an indication of how far Israel was seemingly prepared to go, a U.S.
official told The Associated Press that President Donald Trump nixed an Israeli
plan to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say
on all major policies, serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and
controls the powerful Revolutionary Guard. Israel, the sole though undeclared
nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, has said this attack — its most powerful
ever against Iran — was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The
latest round of talks between the U.S. and Iran on the future of Tehran's
nuclear program had been scheduled Sunday in Oman but were canceled after
Israel's attack.
Iran turns metro stations, mosques into bomb shelters
Claiming to operate almost freely in the skies over Iran, Israel said its
attacks Sunday hit Iran's Defense Ministry, missile launch sites and factories
producing air defense components. Iran also acknowledged Israel had killed more
of its top generals, including the Revolutionary Guard intelligence chief, Gen.
Mohammad Kazemi. But Israeli strikes have also extended beyond Iranian military
installations to hit government buildings including the Foreign Ministry and
several energy facilities, Iranian authorities said, most recently sparking
fires Sunday at the Shahran oil depot north of Tehran and a fuel tank south of
the city.The strikes raised the prospect of a broader assault on Iran’s heavily
sanctioned energy industry that is vital to the global economy and markets.
Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh and other Iranian diplomats shared
photos of the Foreign Ministry's offices and library laid to waste by shrapnel.
Iran's state TV broadcast footage of men and women carrying dust-covered and
bloodied children from the ruins of residential buildings hit by Israeli
missiles in downtown Tehran. The spokesperson for the Iranian Health Ministry,
Hossein Kermanpour, said 90% of the 224 people killed by Sunday were civilians.
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists reported a far higher death
toll in Iran from Israeli strikes, saying the attacks have killed at least 406
people and wounded another 654. In recent crises, Iran routinely has
undercounted casualties, including in the 2022 mass demonstrations over
mandatory hijab laws after the death of Mahsa Amini.
State TV reported that metro stations and mosques would be made available as
bomb shelters beginning Sunday night. Tehran residents told of long lines at gas
stations and cars backed up for hours as families fled the city. Traffic police
closed a number of roads outside the city to control congestion. Energy
officials on state TV sought to reassure the jittery public there was no
gasoline shortage despite the long lines. Iranian state-linked media
acknowledged explosions and fires stemming from an attack on an Iranian
refueling aircraft in Mashhad deep in the country's northeast. Israel described
the attack on Mashhad as the farthest strike it has carried out in Iranian
territory. Video obtained and verified by the AP showed smoke rising from the
city.
The death toll rises in Israel
Air raid sirens sounded across Jerusalem and major Israeli cities, sending
Israelis scrambling to bomb shelters in the seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv and
the northern port city of Haifa. The Israeli military reported that almost two
dozen Iranian missiles had slipped through the vaunted Iron Dome aerial defense
system and struck residential areas. Early Sunday, Israel's Magen David Adom
emergency service reported that at least six people, including a 10-year-old boy
and a 9-year-old girl, were killed when a missile smashed into a high-rise
apartment in Bat Yam, a coastal city south of Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local
police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven missing in Bat Yam.
Residents appeared dazed, staggering through the rubble of their homes to
retrieve personal belongings while rescuers sifted through twisted metal and
shattered glass in their search for more bodies.
Another four people, including a 13-year-old, were killed and 24 wounded when a
missile struck a building in the Arab town of Tamra in northern Israel,
emergency authorities said, while a strike on the central city of Rehovot
wounded 42.
The Weizmann Institute of Science, a center for military and other research in
Rehovot, reported “a number of hits to buildings on the campus” and said no one
was harmed. An oil refinery was damaged in the northern Israeli city of Haifa,
the firm operating it said. Israel’s main international airport and airspace was
closed for a third day. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said if Israeli
strikes on Iran stop, then “our responses will also stop.” Netanyahu says
conflict could result in regime change in Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has brushed off urgent calls by world leaders to de-escalate.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he said regime change in Iran “could
certainly be the result” of the conflict. He also claimed, without giving
evidence, that Israeli intelligence indicated Iran intended to give nuclear
weapons to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran has always said its
nuclear program was peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that it has
not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But Iran has enriched ever-larger
stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was
believed to have the capacity to develop multiple weapons within months if it
chose to do so. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to
discuss the sensitive nuclear talks, said Washington remained committed to the
negotiations and hoped the Iranians would return to the table.The region is
already on edge as Israel seeks to annihilate the Hamas militant group, an
Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where war still rages after Hamas’ Oct. 7,
2023, attack on southern Israel.
‘Many months’ to repair nuclear facilities
In Iran, satellite photos analyzed by AP show extensive damage at Iran’s main
nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The images shot Saturday by Planet Labs
PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include
buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility. U.N. nuclear
chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of
the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did
not appear to be hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure
there, he said. Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The
International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said four
“critical buildings” were damaged, including an uranium-conversion facility. The
IAEA said there was no sign of increased radiation at Natanz or Isfahan. An
Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity Sunday in line
with official procedures, said it would take “many months, maybe more” to
restore the two sites.
Israel-Iran battle escalates, civilians urged to evacuate target areas
Agencies/June 15, 2025
DUBAI: Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on Sunday, killing and wounding
civilians and raising concerns of a broader regional conflict, with both
militaries urging civilians on the opposing side to take precautions against
further strikes. Israel warned that the worse is to come. It targeted
Iran's Defense Ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites it alleged were
associated with Iran's nuclear program, while Iranian missiles evaded Israeli
air defenses and slammed into buildings deep inside Israel. An Iranian health
ministry spokesperson, Hossein Kermanpour, said the toll since the start of
Israeli strikes had risen to 224 dead and more than 1,200 injured, 90 percent of
whom he said were civilians. Those killed included 60 on Saturday, half of them
children, in a 14-story apartment block flattened in the Iranian capital. German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hoped a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders
in Canada on Sunday would reach an agreement to help resolve the conflict and
keep it from escalating. Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not
open to negotiating a ceasefire with the US while it is under Israeli attack, an
official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday. The Israeli
military, which launched the attacks on Friday with the stated aim of wiping out
Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, warned Iranians living near
weapons facilities to evacuate. In Israel, at least 10 people were killed in
Iranian strikes overnight and into Sunday, according to Israel’s Magen David
Adom rescue service, bringing the country’s total death toll to 13. The
country’s main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third
day. Explosions rattled Tel Aviv in the afternoon as Iran launched its first
daylight missile raid since Israel attacked on Friday. Hours later, shortly
after nightfall, Iran launched a second wave of missiles, which struck a
residential street in Haifa, a mixed Jewish-Arab city in northern Israel. The
national emergency service reported nine people were injured in the strike,
along with two others following a missile impact in the south. In Bat Yam on
Sunday evening, shocked residents surveyed the damage of an overnight strike,
while many across Israel braced for another sleepless night, unsure of what may
come next. “It’s very dreadful. It’s not fun. People are losing their lives and
their homes,” said Shem, 29, whose home was shaken overnight when a missile
struck a nearby apartment tower. Images from Tehran showed the night sky lit up
by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes against Iran’s oil
and gas sector — raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning
of the Iranian state.“Iran will pay a heavy price for the murder of civilians,
women and children,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said from a
balcony overlooking blown-out apartments where six people were killed in Bat
Yam, a town south of Tel Aviv. Iran’s armed forces told residents of Israel to
leave the vicinity of “vital areas” for their safety.
Iran rejects ceasefire negotiations while under Israeli
attack, official says
Reuters/June 15, 2025
DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to
negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on
the communications told Reuters on Sunday, as the two foes launched fresh
attacks and raised fears of a wider conflict. "The Iranians informed Qatari and
Omani mediators that they will only pursue serious negotiations once Iran has
completed its response to the Israeli pre-emptive strikes," said the official,
who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conflict.
Iran made "clear that it will not negotiate while under attack," the official
said. Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Friday morning that wiped out
the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and
says the campaign will continue to escalate in coming days. Iran has vowed to
"open the gates of hell" in retaliation in what has emerged as the biggest ever
confrontation between the longstanding enemies. The official told Reuters media
reports that Iran appealed to Oman and Qatar to engage the U.S. to broker a
ceasefire and renew nuclear talks were inaccurate. Iran's foreign ministry did
not respond to Reuters request for comment, nor did Qatar's foreign ministry or
Oman's ministry of information. Oman has in recent months mediated nuclear talks
between the United States and Iran, though the most recent round was canceled a
day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran.
Qatar has also played a role facilitating talks between the two foes in the
past, most recently mediating a prisoner swap agreement in 2023. Oman and Qatar
have good relations with both Iran and the U.S. and they also have communicated
directly with Israel.
Iranian state media confirms death of Iran's IRGC
intelligence chief and his deputy
Emma De Ruiter/Euronews/June 15, 2025
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency has confirmed the death of the Islamic
Revolutionary Corps intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy Hassan
Mohaqiq. It added that a third IRGC intelligence officer, Mohsen Bagheri, was
also killed in the strike in Tehran. They were reportedly killed in an Israeli
strike on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already stated
earlier that Kazemi and Mohaqiq had been killed. Israel and Iran launched
attacks on each other for the third day in a row on Sunday, killing scores of
civilians, and raising fears of a wider conflict. As the death toll continues to
rise, both sides have threatened to unleash even greater force. At least 14
people have been confirmed dead in Israel. Iranian state media announced on
Sunday that the death toll of Israel's attacks on Iran had climbed to 224 since
Friday, adding that the majority were civilians.
For the first time, Iran also launched a daytime barrage against Israel. At
least one of the missiles launched on Sunday evening hit a building in the
coastal city of Haifa, injuring four people, bringing the number of wounded
across the country to 15. Israelis have now been told they can leave shelters,
after the missile attack caused several light injuries and damage in both the
north and south of the country. In Iran, images from the capital showed the
night sky lit up by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes
against its oil and gas sector.Meanwhile, US-Iran nuclear talks were called off
on Sunday, and a US official says that President Donald Trump has rejected a
plan by the Israelis to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran says it executed nine members of so-called Islamic
State group over 2018 attack
Oman Al Yahyai/Euronews/June 15, 2025
Iran has executed nine members of the so-called Islamic State (IS) group who
were detained after a deadly clash in 2018 with the country’s Revolutionary
Guard, state media reported on Tuesday. According to the judiciary-run Mizan
news agency, the death sentences had been upheld by Iran's Supreme Court and
carried out by hanging. The men were reportedly apprehended following clashes in
western Iran, in which three members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and
several IS fighters were killed. Iranian authorities said they had recovered a
substantial cache of weapons from the militants' hideout, including a machine
gun and 50 grenades. IS, which once held vast swathes of Iraq and Syria under a
self-styled caliphate it declared in 2014, has since lost most of its territory
following a campaign by US-led coalition forces. However, it has remained
active, launching attacks across the region. The group has also claimed
responsibility for several attacks inside Iran, including a high-profile assault
in June 2017 on the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, which left at least 18 dead and over 50 injured. The 2018 clash with
the Revolutionary Guard marked a spike in tensions between Iran and IS. More
recently, in 2024, IS claimed two suicide bombings targeting a memorial event
for Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed by a US drone strike in 2020.
That attack by the militant group resulted in the deaths of at least 94 people.
Analysts say IS could take advantage of the security vacuum in Syria, following
the fall last year of Bashar al-Assad, to stage a comeback while its new leaders
are still consolidating their control over the country and forming a national
army.
Timeline of tensions and hostilities between Israel and
Iran
AP/June 15, 2025
DUBAI: Israel and Iran opened a new chapter in their long history of conflict
when Israel launched a major attack with strikes early Friday that set off
explosions in the Iranian capital of Tehran.Israel said it targeted nuclear and
military facilities, killing Iran’s top military and nuclear scientists.
Israel’s attack comes as tensions have escalated over Iran’s rapidly advancing
nuclear program, which Israel sees as a threat to its existence. Here is a
timeline of some significant events in the hostilities between the two
countries:
Early days
1967 — Iran takes possession of its Tehran Research Reactor under America’s
“Atoms for Peace” program.
1979 — Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fatally ill, flees Iran as popular protests
against him surge. Pahlavi maintained economic and security ties with Israel.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran and the Islamic Revolution sweeps
him to power. Students seize the United States Embassy in Tehran, beginning the
444-day hostage crisis. Iran’s nuclear program goes fallow under international
pressure. Iran’s new theocracy identifies Israel as a major enemy.
August 2002 — Western intelligence services and an Iranian opposition group
reveal Iran’s secret Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.
June 2003 — Britain, France and Germany engage Iran in nuclear negotiations.
October 2003 — Iran suspends uranium enrichment.
February 2006 — Iran announces it will restart uranium enrichment following the
election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Britain, France and Germany
walk out of stalled negotiations.
June 2009 — Iran’s disputed presidential election sees Ahmadinejad reelected
despite fraud allegations, sparking Green Movement protests and violent
government crackdown.
October 2009 — Under President Barack Obama, the US and Iran open a secret
backchannel for messages in the sultanate of Oman.
Iran’s nuclear program is a primary target
2010 — The Stuxnet computer virus is discovered and widely believed to be a
joint US-Israeli creation. The virus disrupted and destroyed Iranian
centrifuges.
July 14, 2015 — World powers and Iran announce a long-term, comprehensive
nuclear agreement that limits Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the
lifting of economic sanctions.
2018 — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel obtained tens of thousands
of pages of data showing Iran covered up its nuclear program before signing a
deal with world powers in 2015. An ex-Mossad chief confirms the information was
obtained by more than a dozen non-Israeli agents from safes in Tehran in 2018.
President Donald Trump unilaterally withdraws from Iran’s nuclear deal with
world powers.
2020 — Alleged Israeli attacks against Iran’s nuclear program are stepped up
significantly after the disintegration of the 2015 nuclear deal meant to keep
Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
July 2020 — A mysterious explosion tears apart a centrifuge production plant at
Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. Iran blames the attack on Israel.
November 2020 — A top Iranian military nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, is
killed by a remote-controlled machine gun while traveling in a car outside
Tehran. A top Iranian security official accuses Israel of using “electronic
devices” to remotely kill the scientist, who founded Iran’s military nuclear
program in the 2000s.
April 11, 2021 — An attack targets Iran’s underground nuclear facility in Natanz.
Iran blames Israel, which does not claim responsibility, but Israeli media
widely reports the government orchestrated a cyberattack that caused a blackout
at the facility.
April 16, 2021 — Iran begins enriching uranium up to 60 percent, its highest
purity ever and a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.
June 2022 — Iran accuses Israel of poisoning two nuclear scientists in different
cities within three days of each other, though circumstances remain unclear.
Mideast wars
Oct. 7, 2023 — Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip storm into Israel, killing
1,200 people and taking 250 hostage, beginning the most intense war between
Israel and Hamas. Iran, which has armed Hamas, offers support to the militants.
Feb. 14, 2024 — An Israeli sabotage attack causes multiple explosions on an
Iranian natural gas pipeline running from Iran’s western Chaharmahal and
Bakhtiari province to cities on the Caspian Sea.
April 1, 2024 — An Israeli airstrike demolishes Iran’s Consulate in Damascus,
Syria, killing 16 people, including two Iranian generals.
April 14, 2024 — Iran launches an unprecedented missile and drone attack on
Israel, firing over 300 missiles and attack drones in response to the Israeli
airstrike in Damascus. Working with a US-led international coalition, Israel
intercepts much of the incoming fire.
April 19, 2024 — A suspected Israeli strike hits an air defense system near an
airport in Isfahan, Iran.
July 31, 2024 — Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated by an apparent
Israeli airstrike during a visit to Tehran. Israel had pledged to kill Haniyeh
and other Hamas leaders over the Oct. 7 attack.
Sept. 27, 2024 — Israeli airstrike kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Formed by Iranian Revolutionary Guard members who went to Lebanon in 1982 to
fight invading Israeli forces, Hezbollah was the first group that Iran backed
and used as a way to export its brand of political Islam.
Oct. 1, 2024 — Iran launches its second direct attack on Israel, though a US-led
coalition and Israel shoot down most of the missiles.
Oct. 16, 2024 — Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip.
Oct. 26, 2024 — Israel openly attacks Iran for the first time, striking air
defense systems and sites associated with its missile program.
April 30, 2025 — Iran executes a man it said worked for Israel’s Mossad foreign
intelligence agency and played a role in the killing of Revolutionary Guard Col.
Hassan Sayyad Khodaei in Tehran on May 22, 2022.
Friday, June 13, 2025 — Israel launches blistering attacks on the heart of
Iran’s nuclear and military structure, deploying warplanes and drones previously
smuggled into the country to assault key facilities and kill top generals and
scientists.
Saturday, June 14, 2025 — Israel expands its airstrikes to include targets in
Iran’s energy industry as Iranian missile and drone attacks continue on Israel.
Sunday, June 15, 2025 — Israel unleashes airstrikes across Iran for a third day
and threatens even greater force as some Iranian missiles evade Israeli air
defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. Planned talks on
Iran’s nuclear program in Oman between the United States and Tehran, which could
provide an off-ramp, are called off.
Israel’s goal might be regime change in Iran: Experts
RAY HANANIA/Arab News/June 15, 2025
CHICAGO: Israel’s military assault against Iran could continue for weeks, with
the possible goal of regime change, a panel of experts hosted by the Middle East
Institute said on Saturday. Panelists included retired Gen. Joseph L. Votel,
former commander of US Central Command; retired Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, former
commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet; and Alex Vatanka, MEI senior fellow and
Iran specialist who also teaches at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Ohio.Vatanka said it is too early to determine if Israel’s main goal besides
crippling Iran’s nuclear program is regime change, but “we might be going in
(that) direction.” He added: “That’s certainly what I think a majority of
Iranian officials think that Israel wants. The big unknown in all of this is
whether the Israelis somehow can get (US President Donald) Trump to buy into it
the way he bought into the initial attack on Iran.” Israel has launched attacks
against an array of Iranian targets, including its military leadership and
nuclear program. Tehran has responded by launching missiles and drones at
Israel. The panelists were in agreement in their belief that the conflict would
not expand to include other countries. Iran’s leadership will define victory as
being its “survival,” Vatanka said, adding that while Israel has the backing of
the US and “most of Europe,” Tehran “isn’t getting any help from anyone.”He
said: “I don’t think they’re getting help from what’s left of the axis of
resistance … I question what the axis of resistance members can actually do at
this point.”Its members include Hamas and Hezbollah, which have been severely
weakened by Israel’s military, and the Houthis in Yemen. It included Syria until
the fall of President Bashar Assad in December.Donegan said: “I think the
question is, does Iran think they’ve done enough in terms of lashing back that
they can throw an olive branch to get some talks going again? I think it’s a
long shot, to be honest, that they’ll come to the table in the near future.”
Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz, but “the problem with closing Hormuz is
they then don’t get the economic benefit of flowing their oil out,” he added.
The end game will be defined by how far Israel intends to go with its war, the
panelists said. “The Americans are playing the good cop here. President Trump
has kept the door for diplomacy open,” Vatanka said. “The Israelis are playing
the bad cop, saying, ‘If you don’t give Trump what he wants then we’ll come
after you.’”
Iran FM says attacks on Israel will end when its
'aggression stops'
Agence France Presse/June 15, 2025
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the attacks on Israel
will end once Israel halts its military campaign against the Islamic republic.
"We are defending ourselves; our defense is entirely legitimate," said Araghchi
in a meeting with foreign diplomats, adding that "this defense is our response
to aggression. If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop."
Trump says US 'can easily get a deal done' between Israel and Iran
Agence France Presse/June 15, 2025
Donald Trump warned Iran on Sunday that it would experience "the full strength"
of the U.S. military if it attacks the United States, reiterating that
Washington "had nothing to do" with Israel's strikes on Tehran's nuclear and
intelligence facilities. Israel's operation, which began early Friday, has
targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people including
top army commanders and atomic scientists, according to Tehran. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to hit "every target of the ayatollah
regime", and Iran has retaliated with a deadly barrage of missiles. While Trump
had said he was aware of the Israeli operation before it started, he reiterated
Sunday morning on his Truth Social platform that the United States "had nothing
to do with the attack on Iran, tonight." "If we are attacked in any way, shape
or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come
down on you at levels never seen before," he said in a post. He added that "we
can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody
conflict!!!"On Friday, the U.S. president urged Tehran to make a deal or face
"even more brutal" attacks by Israel. During his first term, a landmark nuclear
accord with Iran -- negotiated under former president Barack Obama -- was
torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States and
reimposed sanctions.
Iran missiles kill 10 in Israel in night of mutual attacks
Agence France Presse/June 15, 2025
Iranian missile fire on Israel killed at least 10 people overnight, authorities
said Sunday, as the foes exchanged new waves of attacks in their most intense
confrontation in history. In Iran, a heavy cloud of smoke billowed over the
capital after Israeli aircraft struck two fuel depots. For days, Iranians have
formed long queues at gas stations fearing shortages. U.S. President Donald
Trump said on Sunday that Washington "had nothing to do" with ally Israel's
intense bombardment campaign that was launched early Friday, targeting key
military and nuclear sites in Iran. But Trump threatened to launch "the full
strength and might" if Iran attacks U.S. interests, saying on his Truth Social
platform that "we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end
this bloody conflict!!!" Israeli police said six people were killed and at least
180 injured at the site of an overnight missile strike in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv
on Israel's Mediterranean coast. First responders wearing helmets and headlamps
combed through the bombed-out building as dawn broke, with police saying at
least seven people were missing, feared buried under the rubble. "There was an
explosion and I thought the whole house had collapsed," said Bat Yam resident
Shahar Ben Zion. "It was a miracle we survived." In the north of Israel,
rescuers and medics said a strike late Saturday destroyed a three-story building
in the town of Tamra, killing four women and taking the overall death toll in
the country since Friday to 13. Iran's U.N. ambassador said 78 people were
killed and 320 wounded in Friday's first wave of Israeli strikes. Iranian
authorities have not provided an updated toll as of early Sunday, but Tehran
says Israel has killed top army commanders and nuclear scientists.
'Red line' -
After decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time the
arch-enemies have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a
prolonged conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East. In Iran's capital
early Sunday, AFP journalists heard a series of blasts. Israel said its forces
had struck the defense ministry headquarters in Tehran, where Iranian news
agency Tasnim reported damage. The ministry did not comment. The Israeli
military also said it had struck nuclear sites including the secretive
Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), fuel tankers and other
targets. The Iranian oil ministry said Israel struck two fuel depots in the
Tehran area. An AFP journalist saw a depot at Shahran, northwest of the capital,
on fire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to hit "every
target of the ayatollah regime", while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
warned further strikes would draw "a more severe and powerful response". Israeli
strikes have hit Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant and killed its
highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, as well as the head of the
powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami. On Sunday, the
Israeli military warned Iranians to evacuate areas near weapons facilities
nationwide. "The Zionist regime crossed a new red line in international law" by
"attacking nuclear facilities", Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told
foreign diplomats, according to state TV.He also said Tehran had "solid proof"
U.S. forces supported the Israeli attacks. "We are defending ourselves; our
defense is entirely legitimate... If the aggression stops, naturally our
responses will also stop."
UK 'support' -
The attacks persisted despite global calls for de-escalation, with Iran
scrapping its latest nuclear talks with the United States, saying it could not
negotiate while under fire from Israel. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday
they had struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refueling, in retaliation
for the earlier Israeli strikes. The Guards in a statement vowed to respond
"more fiercely and more broadly" if Israel keeps up its deadly campaign. Yemen's
Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had launched several missiles at Israel in
attacks that were "coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian
military".The Israeli military said it had intercepted seven drones launched at
the country within an hour on Sunday. Highlighting the global unease, Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a "devastating war" with regional
consequences, in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ankara
said. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that his country was
deploying fighter jets and other "assets" to the Middle East "for contingency
support", while he also urged de-escalation.
Iran accuses Israel of 'deliberate' strike on foreign
ministry building
AFP/June 15, 2025
Iran on Sunday accused Israel of deliberately targeting a foreign ministry
building in Tehran, saying the "ruthless" strike wounded several civilians. "The
criminal regime of Israel launched a deliberate and ruthless strike on one of
the buildings of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs," deputy foreign minister
Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a post on X alongside a video showing blown-out
windows and debris littering the floors. "Several civilians were injured in the
attack."
EU foreign ministers to meet Tuesday on Israel-Iran conflict
AFP/June 15, 2025
EU foreign ministers will meet Tuesday for an emergency meeting on the
Iran-Israel conflict, and "possible next steps" to bring about de-escalation, an
official for the bloc's foreign policy chief said. "In light of the gravity of
the situation in the Middle East, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has
convened a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers via video link for Tuesday,"
said the official in her office on Sunday.
Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak: Only full-scale war or new
deal can stop Iran’s nuclear program
Arab News/June 15, 2025
LONDON: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has warned that military action
by Israel alone will not be enough to significantly delay Iran’s nuclear
ambitions, describing the Islamic republic as a “threshold nuclear power.”
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Barak said that Israel’s ability to hold
back Tehran’s program was limited. “In my judgment, it’s not a secret that
Israel alone cannot delay the nuclear program of Iran by a significant time
period. Probably several weeks, probably a month, but even the US cannot delay
them by more than a few months,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that immediately they
will have (a nuclear weapon), probably they still have to complete certain
weaponization, or probably create a crude nuclear device to explode it somewhere
in the desert to show the whole world where they are.”Barak said that while
military strikes were “problematic,” Israel viewed the action as justified.
“Instead of sitting idle, Israel feels that they have to do something. Probably
together with the Americans we can do more.” The former premier said that
stopping Iran’s progress would require either a major diplomatic breakthrough or
a regime change. “My judgment is that because Iran is already what’s called a
threshold nuclear power, the only way to block it is either to impose upon it a
convincing new agreement or alternatively a full-scale war to topple down the
regime,” he said. “That’s something that together with the United States we can
do.”But he said he did not believe Washington had the appetite for such a move.
“I don’t believe that any American president, neither Trump or any one of his
predecessors, would have decided to do that.”Israel unleashed airstrikes across
Iran for a third day on Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian
missiles fired in retaliation evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in
the heart of the country. Israeli emergency services said at least 10 people had
been killed in the Iranian attacks, while officials in Iran said that at least
128 people had been killed by Israel’s salvos.
At least 8 dead in shooting near Israeli and US-supported
aid sites in Gaza
Mohammad Jahjouh And Samy Magdy/The Associated Press/June 15, 2025
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least eight Palestinians were killed and
dozens more wounded Sunday in a shooting near Israeli- and U.S.-supported food
distribution points in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. Witnesses
blamed the Israeli military, which did not immediately comment.
Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire around dawn toward crowds of desperate
Palestinians heading to two aid sites in the southern city of Rafah. Experts and
aid workers say Israel's monthslong blockade and military campaign have caused
widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine in the population of over 2
million. The vast majority rely on international aid because the offensive has
destroyed nearly all of Gaza’s capacity to produce food. The war in Gaza rages
more than 20 months after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which sparked a chain of
events that helped lead to Israel’s surprise attack on Iran on Friday. The
shooting on Sunday happened close to the sites that are operated by the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation, a group that Israel and the United States hope will
replace a system of aid distribution run by the United Nations, which has
rejected the initiative, saying it violates humanitarian principles.
Witness describes aid distribution as ‘a trap’
There have been near-daily shootings near the sites since they opened last
month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds, and health
officials say scores have been killed. The military has acknowledged firing
warning shots at what it says were suspects approaching its forces.
“There were wounded, dead, and martyrs,” Ahmed al-Masri told The Associated
Press on Sunday as he returned from one site empty-handed. “It’s a trap.”Umm
Hosni al-Najjar said she joined the crowd heading to the aid point in Rafah's
Tal al-Sultan neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. She said the shooting began as
people were advancing to the site a few minutes after her arrival. “There were
many wounded and martyrs," she said. “No one was able to evacuate them.”The
Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis said it received eight bodies
after the shooting. The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by
chaos and violence, while the U.N. system has struggled to deliver food because
of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel
loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May. “A person
dies next to you and you cannot carry him. If you wanted to carry him with your
hands, you would return to your children without food. Life is death,” said Alaa
Saqer, among those seeking aid. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that overall,
the bodies of 65 people killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire had been brought to
hospitals over the past 24 hours. Later, al-Awda Hospital said it received the
bodies of 11 people killed in an Israeli strike on a house along Salah al-Din
Street in central Gaza. It said 35 others were wounded.
UN has criticized the new aid system
Israel and the U.S. say Hamas has siphoned aid from the U.N.-run system, while
U.N. officials say there is no evidence of systematic diversion. The U.N. says
the new system does not meet Gaza's needs, allows Israel to control who gets aid
and risks further mass displacement as people move closer to the sites. Two are
in the southernmost city of Rafah — now mostly uninhabited — and all three are
in Israeli military zones that are off limits to independent media. The Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation says there has been no violence in or around the
distribution points. It has warned people to stay on designated routes and
recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military.
Separately, Israel’s military body in charge of aid coordination in Gaza, COGAT,
said 292 trucks of aid from the U.N. and international community entered Gaza
over the past week. About 600 trucks entered per day during the latest
ceasefire. “I feed my children bread and salt, I swear to God,” said Mohammad
Misleh in Gaza City. Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7 attack on southern
Israel as Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians,
and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than
half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements
or other deals. Israel’s military campaign has killed over 55,300 Palestinians,
according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of
the dead but doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says
it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war
has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population,
often multiple times.
Israeli military kills 41 people in Gaza, medics say
Nidal al-Mughrabi/Reuters/June 15, 2025
CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 41 Palestinians
across Gaza on Sunday, local health authorities said, five of them near two aid
sites operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Medics at
Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza Strip said at least three people were
killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire as they tried to approach a GHF site
near the Netzarim corridor. Two others were killed en route to another aid site
in Rafah in the south. An airstrike killed seven other people in Beit Lahiya
town north of the enclave, medics said. In Nuseirat camp in central Gaza Strip,
medics said an Israeli airstrike killed at least 11 people in a house. The rest
were killed in separate airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip, they added.There
was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The GHF began distributing
food packages in Gaza at the end of May after Israel partially lifted a near
three-month total blockade. Scores of Palestinians have been killed in
near-daily mass shootings trying to reach the food. The GHF said in a statement
that it resumed food deliveries on Sunday, distributing more than two million
meals from its three distribution sites without incident.
The United Nations rejects the new Israeli-backed distribution system as
inadequate, dangerous, and a violation of humanitarian impartiality
principles.COGAT, the Israeli military aid coordination agency, said that this
week it had facilitated the entry of 292 trucks with humanitarian aid from the
United Nations and the international community, including food and flour, into
Gaza. It said the Israeli military would continue to permit the entry of
humanitarian aid into the enclave while ensuring it did not reach Hamas. Hamas
denies Israeli accusations that it steals aid and says Israel is using hunger as
a weapon against the Gaza population. The Gaza health ministry said in a
statement on Saturday that at least 300 people have so far been killed, and more
than 2,600 wounded, near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations
in Gaza. "These are not humanitarian aid, these are traps for the poor and the
hungry under the watch of occupation planes," said Munir Al-Bursh,
Director-General of the health ministry. "Aid distributed under fire isn't aid,
it is humiliation," Bursh posted on X on Sunday. The war in Gaza erupted 20
months ago after Hamas-led militants raided Israel and took 251 hostages and
killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on October 7, 2023, Israel's single
deadliest day. Israel's military campaign since has killed nearly 55,000
Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza,
and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than
two million people. Most of the population is displaced, and malnutrition is
widespread.
G7 leaders gather in Canada for a
summit overshadowed by Israel-Iran crisis and trade wars
AP/June 16, 2025
KANANASKIS, Alberta: Leaders of some of the world’s biggest economic are
arriving in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit,
overshadowed by an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and US President
Donald Trump’s unresolved trade war. Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s
retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders unawares, is the latest
sign of a more volatile world. Trump in recent days vetoed an Israeli plan to
kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a US official told The
Associated Press, in an indication of how far Israel was prepared to go.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate
the crisis with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as
other world leaders and said he expected “intense discussions” would continue at
the summit.
Trump is summit’s wild card
As summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to abandon the
annual practice of issuing a joint statement, or communique, at the end of the
meeting. With other leaders wanting to talk to Trump in an effort to talk him
out of imposing tariffs, the summit risks being a series of bilateral
conversations rather than a show of unity. Trump is the summit wild card.
Looming over the meeting are his inflammatory threats to make Canada the 51st
state and take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron visited
Greenland on Sunday for a highly symbolic stop on his way to Canada. Macron
warned that Greenland is “not to be sold” nor “to be taken.” “Everybody in
France, the European Union thinks that Greenland is not to be sold, not to be
taken,” he said during a news conference, applauded by the local crowd. “The
situation in Greenland is clearly a wakeup call for all Europeans. Let me tell
you very directly that you’re not alone,” Macron added. Trump is scheduled to
arrive late Sunday in Kananaskis, Alberta. He will have a bilateral meeting with
Carney on Monday morning before the summit program begins.
‘He tends to be a bully’
Leaders who are not part of the G7 but have been invited to the summit by Carney
include the heads of state of India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea,
Australia, Mexico and the UAE. Avoiding tariffs will continue to be top of mind.
“Leaders, and there are some new ones coming, will want to meet Donald Trump,”
said Peter Boehm, Canada’s counselor at the 2018 G7 summit in Quebec and a
veteran of six G7 summits. “Trump doesn’t like the big round table as much he
likes the one-on-one.” Bilateral meetings with the American president can be
fraught as Trump has used them to try to intimidate the leaders of Ukraine and
South Africa. Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told a panel this
week that if Trump does act out, leaders should ignore him and remain calm like
Carney did in his recent Oval Office meeting. “He tends to be a bully,” Chrétien
said. “If Trump has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do
something crazy. Let him do it and keep talking normally.” Last month Britain
and the US announced they had struck a trade deal that will slash American
tariffs on UK autos, steel and aluminum. It has yet to take effect, however,
though British officials say they are not concerned the Trump administration
might go back on its word. Starmer’s attempts to woo Trump have left him in an
awkward position with Canada, the UK’s former colony, close ally and fellow
Commonwealth member. Starmer has also drawn criticism — especially from
Canadians — for failing to address Trump’s stated desire to make Canada the 51st
state. Asked if he has told Trump to stop the 51st state threats, Starmer told
The Associated Press: “I’m not going to get into the precise conversations I’ve
had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country
and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth.”
Zelensky expected to meet Trump
The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda. President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to
attend the summit and is expected to meet with Trump, a reunion coming just
months after their bruising Oval Office encounter which laid bare the risks of
having a meeting with the US president. Starmer met with Carney in Ottawa before
the summit for talks focused on security and trade, in the first visit to Canada
by a British prime minister for eight years. German officials were keen to
counter the suggestion that the summit would be a “six against one” event,
noting that the G7 countries have plenty of differences of emphasis among
themselves on various issues. “The only the problem you cannot forecast is what
the president of the United States will do depending on the mood, the need to be
in the news,” said Chrétien.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on June 15-16/2025
You, Infidel, Will Meet Allah’: Persecution of Christians, April
2025
Raymond Ibrahim/ Gatestone
Institute/June 15, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144259/
In the opening days of April, Muslim Fulani terrorists slaughtered more than 60
Christians in Plateau State, in what Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang termed an
ongoing “genocide.” According to a local source, “More than 1,000 Christians
were displaced during the attacks, and 383 three houses were destroyed by these
bandits.” — Morning Star News, April 8, 2025, Nigeria.
“Eyewitnesses said the attack lasted more than an hour, leaving 103 households
destroyed and the entire village displaced. Frustration mounted as residents
reported a delayed military response and accused security forces of bias,
disarming local Christian youth but not Fulani attackers.” — Morning Star News,
April 14, 2025, Nigeria.
On Good Friday, Apr. 18, a Muslim judge sentenced a Christian to death for
“blasphemy”…. Among these critics was the Rev. Ghazala Shafique, a Karachi-based
rights activist: “The court has convicted a Christian for allegedly carrying out
the alleged blasphemous act, but what about those people who burned our churches
and homes and are now roaming freely on bail? Why didn’t the police and
prosecution investigate those cases with the same zeal that they have shown in
Masih’s case?” — Morning Star News, April 22, 2025, Pakistan.
On Apr. 30, a Muslim judge sentenced Sabry Kamel, a 79-year-old Christian man to
life in prison on the charge that he molested a five-year-old Muslim child at
the school where the accused volunteered. He did so, critics allege, on very
little evidence and merely to placate an angry Muslim mob that was growing
outside the court house and calling for the instant execution of the elderly
Christian…. Essam Mehanna, the complainant’s lawyer… stated: ‘The case was
flimsy and would have collapsed were it not for the mob shouting outside the
courthouse.’ Several legal experts and independent attorneys—both Copts and
Muslims—who reviewed the case files expressed shock at what they described as a
wholly unjustified ruling.” — Coptic Solidarity, April 30, 2025, Egypt.
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by
Muslims throughout the month of April 2025.
The Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Nigeria: In the opening days of April, Muslim Fulani terrorists slaughtered more
than 60 Christians in Plateau State, in what Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang termed
an ongoing “genocide.” According to a local source:
“More than 1,000 Christians were displaced during the attacks, and 383 three
houses were destroyed by these bandits. These attacks began on Wednesday, April
2, at about 3 p.m., when these armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen invaded our
communities in large numbers; they came on motorcycles and attacked us.”On Apr.
7, Muslim Fulani slaughtered another three Christians in Central Nigeria, where
19 had been slaughtered the previous month. According to Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, a
youth leader from the area,
“This incident is part of a disturbing trend of attacks that have claimed the
lives of Christians in the last four weeks,” including one man who on Apr. 2
“was stabbed to death by Fulani militias…The atrocities committed by Fulani
militias against Christians here extends beyond ambushes and attacks, as their
cattle have been grazing on our farms with impunity, rendering countless
families jobless and hungry as their only source of livelihood is destroyed. The
continued killings and destruction of our Christians’ means of livelihood are
deliberate attempts to turn our Christian communities into a lawless one.”
Between Apr. 8 and Apr. 11, the Fulani herdsmen killed another five Christians.
Then, hours after Easter Sunday, in the early dawn of Apr. 14, the Muslims
slaughtered 54 Christians in the village of Zikke in Jos, Plateau state
(different from the 60 murdered in the same state between Apr. 2-3). According
to one report:
“Eyewitnesses said the attack lasted more than an hour, leaving 103 households
destroyed and the entire village displaced. Frustration mounted as residents
reported a delayed military response and accused security forces of bias,
disarming local Christian youth but not Fulani attackers.”
“What exactly do the Fulanis want?” asked local resident David Yakubu:
“They are everywhere launching attacks on our Christian communities. We had
barely finished weeping for Christians killed in Bokkos Local Government Area,
now it’s Christians in Bassa Local Council Area who have also been attacked and
many killed.”
Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, a community leader, said:
“We are deeply concerned about the silence of state actors, the lack of
condemnation, and the absence of intervention or visitation to our people. We
are particularly worried about the lack of action taken to arrest the
perpetrators of these heinous crimes as they continue to kill our people on
daily basis.”
On Apr. 21, a Muslim man rammed his truck into an Easter procession, killing six
Christians and hospitalizing more than 30. Although Muslim officials tried to
spin the terror attack as an accident, according to eyewitnesses:
“As soon as the Muslim driver saw the crowd of Christians ahead of him, he
increased his speed and ran into the group from behind them without ever honking
his horn. He mowed several Christians… Some of these Christians are permanently
maimed, and their lives will not remain the same.”
On Apr. 28, Boko Haram terrorists attacked another Christian community in Borno
state, “killing seven Christians and setting homes and church buildings ablaze.”
Uganda: On Apr. 3, Muslims stabbed a Christian evangelist to death for leading
Muslims to Christ. David Washume, 38, was making his way home after a preaching
for three days at an open air event. According to fellow evangelist, Fred
Wepuhulu:
“[Around 10 pm], as we were nearing our village, we met three masked men dressed
in Muslim attire, with knives, while speaking the Arabic language. They stopped
us and told us to surrender our bags.”
When they found Bibles and a Koran in their bags:
“One shouted in our local language, ‘They are the ones, they are the ones… Kill,
kill them!’ I realized that we were in the midst of militant Muslims. I wrestled
with one of them who was holding me tightly, but I managed to escape. My friend
who was held by two men could not. Lastly I arrived at my home, but very
fearful.”
In the morning, David’s body, with stab wounds to his neck and chest, was
discovered lying in a pool of blood. According to a relative:
“The knife which the assailants used to kill him was found at the scene of
crime, including a written note saying, ‘You, infidel, will meet Allah in
judgment,’ and other Arabic words which could not be understood.”
Pakistan: On Apr. 14, someone (in the 97% Muslim nation) gave the children of a
small Christian community in the Hafizabad district of Punjab poisoned candy.
Three young children died, and at least five others were hospitalized in
critical condition. In the words of a hospital official:
“This is a deeply tragic and heartbreaking incident involving eight innocent
children of the Christian community, three of whom have lost their lives.”
Separately, on Apr. 30, a group of Muslims ambushed a Christian employee as he
was walking home and savagely beat him to death. Two days earlier an argument
broke out between Muhammad Imran, a farm owner, and Asif Masih, the Christian
who would soon be murdered. Muhammad accused Asif, who worked at an adjacent
farm (owned by one Muhammad Ahmad) of intentionally letting Ahmad’s cows graze
on his, Imran’s, land. Asif denied the allegation and tensions were eased on the
intervention of local elders. However, two days later, Muhammad Imran and four
other men ambushed and, while shouting anti-Christian slogans, beat Asif to
death with bricks. According to the slain’s brother:
“The culprits ruthlessly beat my brother to death. Not a single part of his body
was spared. They placed bricks under his hands and crushed them with other
bricks. I cannot begin to comprehend the pain my brother must have suffered in
those final moments.”
His elder sister adds, “My brother was innocent, and they beat him like he was
nothing just something to be hated. We want justice for him.”
Discussing this case, Juliet Chowdhry, of the British Asian Christian
Association, said:
“The sheer brutality of this attack is beyond comprehension. That these men
shouted vile insults at Christianity—calling Asif a ‘Churah’ as they mercilessly
beat him to death—exposes a deep, hateful malice towards an innocent man whose
only ‘crime’ was his faith and social status. The family is traumatised, not
only by the loss of their beloved brother, but by the horrific condition of his
corpse, which reveals the full extent of the evil inflicted on him. This was not
just murder—it was a message of contempt towards Pakistan’s Christian minority.”
Egypt: Muslims stabbed a Christian man to death after he tried to defend his
sisters’ honor. According an Apr. 15 report:
“Bishoy Samir, a 34-year-old young man, was out with his sisters to buy clothes
for Easter celebrations. As they were walking, a group of five young men
verbally harassed one of his sisters. Bishoy stood up and told them, ‘This is
not right.’ In response, one of them pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the
heart in front of his sisters. He died instantly.”
Instead of celebrating Easter together, the traumatized family was left “in a
state of extreme shock.”
Muslims Attacks on Christian Churches
United States: According to an Apr. 6 report, Zimnako Salah, a 45-year-old
Muslim man, “planted fake bombs across four churches in Arizona, California, and
Colorado and worked separately to construct a real one:”
“Salah planted the fake bombs from September to November of 2023, after watching
extremist content online… This content, including ISIS videos, featured
‘infidels dying.’ At two of the churches, Saleh was confronted by security
before he was able to plant the fake bombs. However, in two instances, he was
able to strap the items to bathrooms and call in a fake bomb threat to incite
panic. The jury found that Salah’s motivation had been ‘to obstruct the free
exercise of religion of the congregants who worshipped there,’ according to the
department, which saw the charges escalated to include a hate crime charge.”
“This Department of Justice has no tolerance for anyone who targets religious
Americans for their faith,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The perpetrator
of this abhorrent hate crime against Christians will face severe punishment.”
According to the report, his intentions extended beyond terrorizing American
Christians:
“Salah had been constructing an IED [improvised explosive device] capable of
fitting in a backpack, the department said. An FBI Bomb Technician seized items
from a storage locker belonging to Salah that an FBI Bomb Expert testified at
trial served as component parts of an improvised explosive device.”
Discussing this case, acting US Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern
District of California said,
“Planting a hoax bomb at the Roseville church was not an isolated incident or a
prank for this defendant… His actions were designed to threaten and intimidate
the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs.”
Wales: On Apr. 24, police arrested two Muslim migrants for setting a church
aflame in Port Talbot (pictures). It took several hours, into the following
morning, for firefighters to extinguish the flames of the Methodist church,
which was left severely damaged. The Muslim arsonists are aged 14 and 15 and are
of Pakistani origin.
Italy: A 22-year-old Muslim man of Pakistani origin defaced the outside wall of
the church of Sant’Antonio Abate in Priverno. With a red spray can he wrote
“Pakst” — apparently as a way of saying a “Pakistani was here”? Surveillance
cameras identified him.
Pakistan: Late in the evening of Apr. 5, two Muslim men tried to set fire to a
church. They inadvertently awakened Pastor Tanveer Boota of the Pentecostal
church:
“I saw two men who had covered their faces, and one of them was setting fire to
a curtain on the window. I shouted at them and ran to stop them, but they
escaped from the main entrance.”
The pastor’s younger brother, Usman, also awakening from the commotion, rushed
to the site and doused the fire engulfing the curtain while the pastor called
police. According to the pastor,
“Soon after a police team headed by senior officers reached there, and during
investigation recovered a bottle containing kerosene and a stick with a cloth
tied to its end that was used to start the fire.”
In their First Information Report, however, police wrote—without the pastor’s
consent—that he had supposed the incident was a burglary attempt: “In fact,”
continues Pastor Tanveer, “it was the police which scattered the books and
papers on the carpet to give an impression that the incident was a failed
burglary attempt.”
Indonesia: On Apr. 17, a group of Muslims disrupted Maundy Thursday Mass at a
church. According to one report:
“The protestors disrupted the Holy Thursday worship with loudspeakers, banners,
and blaring music…. Congregation members still arriving were forced to find a
route around the blockade. The protesters demanded that the Arcamanik
Multipurpose Building not be used for a place of worship… Several demonstrators
shortly before 5 p.m. tried to break through a line of security officers,
pushing a few meters closer to [the church], but police stopped their progress.”
Discussing this incident, Ardi Manto Adiputra, director of Impartial, an
Indonesian human rights watchdog, said:
“The rejection of the Mass in Arcamanik by a group of people reflects an
intolerant attitude that is contrary to the principles of diversity and freedom
of religion …. Article 28E paragraph (1) and Article 29 paragraph (2) of the
1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, holds that ‘Mass is a sacred
ritual for Catholics. Rejection of it is not only a form of intolerance but also
a violation of the basic principles of the rule of law.'”
Muslims had protested against this church before, including at least twice in
March, in one instance:
“Shouting jihadist slogans about the greatness of Allah, the demonstrators
demanded the dismissal of the Ash Wednesday Mass… In front of police officers,
the demonstrators shouted that Ramadan was also a month of jihad, and that
therefore they would not move from the site until the church attendees were
dismissed.”
Video footage showed a Muslim speaker declaring that “Ramadhan is the month of
jihad. We are not afraid; we will never leave this place until they [Christians]
are dismissed,” even as the crowd chanted “the jihadist slogan, ‘Allahu Akbar
[Allah is greatest].'”
Two days later, on Apr. 19—one day before Easter—Muslim officials sealed off a
separate prayer hall, preventing a Christian congregation from celebrating
Resurrection Sunday. Authorities cited “lack of permit” for their
actions—without acknowledging that they, the authorities, had refused to respond
to the church’s application for a permit, submitted two years earlier. “We used
to celebrate Easter together – all of us, the children. Joking around,” Nirmala,
a church member, said, before breaking into tears:
“Now we don’t get that anymore. [Now] there is constant fear, constant fear.
Especially now that our prayer house has been given a ‘yellow’ [sign] again.”
According to the congregation’s pastor, Michael Siahaan:
“[L]ocal officials had offered district hall space for worship last
year–contingent on obtaining permission–after a group of Muslims demanded the
complete shutdown of the church site on March 30, 2024.”
Officials also offered them a district hall to use, however,
“The hall is dirty and shabby and lies directly opposite the mosque. The
distance is only about eight meters with the door facing the mosque. You can
imagine the situation.”
The pastor added that, legally speaking, no permission was even required for the
congregation to use the prayer hall that was sealed: “A prayer house can be
equated with a prayer room in Islam, and therefore does not require a building
permit.”
General Muslim Abuse of Christians
Mauritania: On Apr. 7, an angry Muslim mob exhumed the corpse of a Muslim
convert to Christianity and hurled it out of the Muslim cemetery. Souleymane,
the deceased, had died a day earlier in a motorcycle accident. He had earlier
converted to Christianity, though without the Muslim community’s knowledge.
Right before the funeral, another underground Christian braved telling the imam
that Souleymane had converted to Christianity and that he should therefore
receive Christian burial rites. On learning this, Muslims were outraged.
According to one report:
“Imams and dignitaries expressed their anger, demanding a punishment that would
serve as an example to renegades. They called for the removal from the Muslim
cemetery of the body of the Malian man considered an apostate, given that he had
not repented before his death. In 2018, the Mauritanian parliament passed a law
that provides for the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to
another religion, if they do not repent within three days of their apostasy.
After two days of protests in the city, dozens of angry youths descended on the
cemetery to destroy the tomb and dig up Souleymane’s body, which they then
dragged and threw out.”
Iraq: On Apr. 1, an axe swinging Muslim man went on a rampage at a Christian
festival wounding several people. The annual parade, which is always held on
Apr. 1, drew thousands of Assyrian Christians, waving flags and wearing colorful
traditional clothes. Before long, an unidentified man wielding an axe
“[W]itnesses of Wednesday’s horror said an attacker, who has not been officially
identified, ran towards towards the crowd chanting Islamic slogans before
carrying out his stabbing spree.
“He brutally struck three people with the axe before being overpowered by
participants and security forces.
“Videos circulating online show him pinned to the ground by a brave member of
public, as he repeatedly shouted: ‘Islamic State, the Islamic State remains!’
“A 17-year-old boy and a 75-year-old woman suffered skull fractures following
the viscous attack at the annual parade.”
According to Janet Aprem Odisho, whose 75-year-old mother Yoniyah Khoshaba was
injured:
“He was running at us with an axe. All I remember is that he hit my mother, and
I ran away when she fell. He had already attacked a young man who was bleeding
in the street, then he tried to attack more people.”
Belgium: Citing an embedded video interview, an Apr. 20 post on X summarizes the
discussion as follows:
“In Belgium, a town organized a parade of a Saint Nicholas who threw candy. One
day, he received stones in return. The town decided to abandon this celebration
so as not to offend Muslims any longer.”
Pakistan: On Good Friday, Apr. 18, a Muslim judge sentenced a Christian to death
for “blasphemy.” According to one report:
“Pervaiz Masih had been arrested and charged under Pakistan’s widely condemned
blasphemy statutes, including 295-A against inciting religious sentiments under
various sections; 295-B against desecrating the Quran; 295-C against insulting
Islam’s prophet… Anti-Terrorism Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh convicted Masih, alias
Kodu, and sentenced him to the death penalty under Section 295-C [insulting the
prophet of Islam, Muhammad].”
The report adds:
“Christians on social media criticized the verdict as too harsh, with many
questioning lack of justice for Christians hurt in the violence led by Islamists
in Jaranwala, which burned multiple church buildings and ransacked more than 80
homes and businesses of Christians.”
Among these critics was the Rev. Ghazala Shafique, a Karachi-based rights
activist:
“The court has convicted a Christian for allegedly carrying out the alleged
blasphemous act, but what about those people who burned our churches and homes
and are now roaming freely on bail? Why didn’t the police and prosecution
investigate those cases with the same zeal that they have shown in Masih’s case?
[The verdict is meant as an] Easter gift to the Christians from the Punjab
government.”
Egypt: On Apr. 30, a Muslim judge sentenced Sabry Kamel, a 79-year-old Christian
man to life in prison on the charge that he molested a five-year-old Muslim
child at the school where the accused volunteered. He did so, critics allege, on
very little evidence and merely to placate an angry Muslim mob that was growing
outside the court house and calling for the instant execution of the elderly
Christian. According to the report:
“Kamel, who served as the volunteer part-time accountant of Al-Karma Christian
School—a nonprofit affiliated with the Coptic Orthodox Diocese in Al-Behaira
Governorate—was tried and convicted despite the absence of supporting evidence
typically required under Egyptian law as part of the Notice of Application.
“Kamel’s legal counsel, Mr. Maher Naeim, criticized the proceedings for failing
to conduct a physical or forensic examination of the accused, especially given
that the medical report on the child did not confirm a sexual assault. The
report listed multiple preexisting health conditions that could explain the
symptoms. The court also ignored medical records documenting Kamel’s severe
heart condition, including a recent open-heart surgery.
“As the trial began, a crowd of Salafist and Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers
gathered outside the courthouse, chanting for Kamel’s execution. (It’s worth
noting that Damanhour, which is situated some 70 km to the south-east of
Alexandria, is a bastion of such extremist groups.) Inside, the judge readily
accepted the claimant’s defense to escalate the charge from ‘molestation of a
minor without the use of force’ to ‘molestation with the use of force’—a
significant procedural change that, under normal legal standards, would require
adjournment. Instead, the court proceeded to issue the maximum sentence—life
imprisonment—on the same day.
“In a post-trial interview, Essam Mehanna, the complainant’s lawyer (who later
abruptly resigned from the case), stated: ‘The case was flimsy and would have
collapsed were it not for the mob shouting outside the courthouse.’ Several
legal experts and independent attorneys—both Copts and Muslims—who reviewed the
case files expressed shock at what they described as a wholly unjustified
ruling.”
Separately in Egypt, on Apr. 14, Christine Mina became the latest young
Christian woman to “disappear” off the streets of Egypt. According to the
report:
“Christine, a student at Ain Shams University, left campus on the 14th, and no
one has been able to reach her since. When her family members tried to contact
her, they received no response, as her phone was completely switched off.”
Along with immediately reporting her missing status to police, her distraught
family posted the following message on social media:
“We ask you to stand by us and help us, as we have only God and your support.
Christine is the eldest daughter and has two younger brothers, and her father is
deceased. If anyone has information or has seen anything that could lead us to
her, please contact us immediately. Share this post… a word or a photo may lead
to her whereabouts… We ask God to return her safely.”
This scenario has played out several times in Egypt: a Christian girl or woman
goes somewhere, disappears, and then her phone is turned off. Less than a month
earlier, on March 24, another Christian woman, Damiana Farah Ishaq, 28,
disappeared “under mysterious circumstances,” off the streets of Cairo. A
married mother of a two-year-old child, she had left home to purchase some
cooking supplies but never returned. When her family tried calling her cell
phone, it was turned off. Her distraught husband and parents have appealed to
the minister of interior to help find their daughter.
A month before that, on Feb. 28, 17-year-old Irene Emil, also “vanished” off the
streets of Cairo. According to her distraught parents, the girl, still in high
school, was on her way to church but never reached it. When they tried calling
her cell phone, it had been turned off.
In August 2024, Christina Karim Aziz, a 20-year-old Christian girl, also
disappeared off the streets of Asyut, where she had gone to apply for a job.
Also in Asyut in 2024, another Irene (Ibrahim Shehata), a 21-year-old Christian,
“disappeared.” (For more on this topic, see Coptic Solidarity’s report, “Jihad
of the Womb: Trafficking of Coptic Women & Girls in Egypt.”)
Finally, according to an April 7 report:
“Coptic [Christian] students experience a tragedy every year because some
universities insist on ignoring their right to celebrate their most important
holy days, scheduling exams on Christian occasions that are tantamount to
holidays. Copts are entitled to official state-sanctioned holidays such as
Maundy Thursday and Palm Sunday, but some universities flout the principles of
citizenship and insist on depriving students and their families of these
celebrations.”
The report offers several more examples before adding:
“The university ignored Coptic pleas to amend the dates to reflect their right
to practice their religious rituals and celebrate Coptic holidays, unlike how
the other side [Islam] is accommodated. The same scenario is being implemented
by a number of other universities, scheduling exams the day after Sham al-Nessim
and the day after Easter. This prevents Coptic students from celebrating the
holiday, as they are busy studying in preparation for exams. This has become a
common occurrence, and Copts suffer from it every year.”
As another example, the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University changed the
dates of midterm exams for its Critical Thinking course from April 7 to Sunday,
April 13—Palm Sunday. According to the report:
“Copts demanded that the exams be postponed to a date that would allow them the
opportunity to celebrate their holidays, within the framework of equality and
the consolidation of citizenship. The Ministry of Education and Technical
Education stated that it had instructed education directorates in the
governorates not to hold exams during Coptic holidays, but the Ministry of
Higher Education has yet to take any consideration of Copts’ right to celebrate
their holidays.”
By comparison, all Egyptian universities observe all Islamic holy days. To
celebrate the end of Ramadan, universities grant all students a full week off
school.
Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified
Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at
the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East
Forum.
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but
rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or
location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any
given month.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Iran and Israel: Three Days After the Recent Events
Colonel Charbel Barakat /June 15/ 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/06/144270/
Three days after the precise operation carried out by Israeli forces inside Iran
to prevent the militarization of its nuclear program—which poses a grave threat
to the entire region—the situation remains highly volatile. The Mullahs’ regime,
intent on preserving its grip on power at any cost, continues to disregard the
anxiety and fear that weigh heavily on its own citizens. Determined to expand
its influence through violence and terrorism, it has fortified its reach by
planting and empowering proxy militias across neighboring countries, thereby
enforcing its domination and exporting its ideology.
After entrenching itself in several Arab capitals, the regime escalated its
threats to destroy Israel via the terrorist group Hamas—using that threat as a
springboard to challenge the West and push for the withdrawal of all free forces
from the region. This would allow Tehran to impose its authority unopposed,
asserting both its vision and its control.
Israel, which did not seek a direct confrontation, has long feared the
transformation of Iran’s nuclear program into a military threat to its very
existence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of this danger for
years, yet many international powers dismissed his concerns as alarmist.
Notably, in 2015, President Obama signed an agreement with the Tehran regime
that allowed it considerable nuclear leeway, with key restrictions set to
expire—ironically—this year.
Though President Trump worked diligently to cancel the agreement and prevent its
renewal, Iran has since refused to accept safeguards that would ease global
concerns over its so-called “peaceful” nuclear ambitions. A responsible
approach—such as agreeing to conduct enrichment outside of Iranian
territory—could have built trust and perhaps prevented the need for a preemptive
strike.
But Tehran’s negotiators, dodging American conditions even after a 60-day grace
period, left Israel no choice but to act. Thus, Israel made good on its threat
by striking enrichment facilities. To prevent Iranian retaliation, it also
targeted senior leadership, nuclear scientists, missile infrastructure, and air
defense systems. The opening salvo struck a gathering of Revolutionary Guard
commanders—killing several—alongside nuclear technicians, military bases, and
uranium enrichment sites.
As expected, Iran responded with waves of drones followed by long-range
ballistic missiles, launched in a desperate and largely inaccurate attempt to
hit Israeli cities. These projectiles traveled thousands of kilometers,
intercepted by Israeli anti-missile systems. The sheer volume was intended to
ensure that at least a few would get through—not with precision, but to score
symbolic points and create fear among civilians.
Much of the Arab and pro-“resistance” media celebrated the Iranian barrage, as
they have celebrated Hamas’s “resistance” since October 7. Yet in Gaza, this
so-called resistance has led to the deaths of over 80,000 Palestinians and the
obliteration of all infrastructure. And still, some Arab voices glorify an
organization whose continued defiance may soon result in the complete
annihilation of the Palestinian people. Will Iranian media—and their regional
allies—repeat this pattern, cheering for more destruction and civilian losses in
Iran?
We shouldn’t ask, “What if Hamas hadn’t launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation?”
The better question is: if Hamas, after the devastation began, had agreed to
return the hostages and acknowledge defeat, could it have spared Gaza from
further destruction? In the same vein, will Iran’s Mullahs drag their people
into ruin? Will they reduce Iran’s cities to rubble? Or will they reconsider?
Perhaps the Iranian people themselves will act, seeking international mediation,
and explore an agreement with Israel to restore stability and prevent further
bloodshed.
History tells us that the Iranian people understand how to endure loss and
correct misguided paths. Centuries ago, when Khosrow Anushirvan invaded
Jerusalem, stole the True Cross, and mocked the Byzantine emperor Heraclius,
asking, “Where is your god?”—it was his own son who killed him after the defeat
at Nineveh, seeking to save the empire from further ruin.
Today, we hope that a similar awakening will rise within Iran—that its people
will overthrow the Mullah regime, save the nation from pointless destruction,
and chart a new course toward reconstruction, productivity, and peace in a
revitalized Middle East and a world free of terrorism and tyranny.
Will the regime accept a ceasefire and abandon its nuclear ambitions? Or will it
plunge deeper into war and devastation? Will the Mullahs, like their Hezbollah
proxy in Lebanon, refuse to disband their ineffective and dangerous military
apparatus? Will they cling to the ruinous ideology of “me and my enemies, may we
all perish together”?
The coming days will reveal what lies ahead. But one thing is clear: the new
Middle East—free of weapons of mass destruction and terrorist militias—is
already taking shape. A future built on cooperation and comprehensive peace is
on the horizon. And when that future arrives, the delusions of expansion,
domination, and hegemony will vanish—and even a “goat’s resting place” will be
enough for those who once dreamt of empires. Until then, see you after the
violence ends.
Colonel Charbel Barakat
***Colonel Charbel Barakat, a retired Lebanese Army officer, historian,
terrorism expert, and author of numerous works on Lebanon, the Iranian regime’s
schemes, and jihadist movements, has testified multiple times before the U.S.
Congress on critical issues, including Iranian and Syrian terrorism, the Syrian
occupation of Lebanon, jihadist threats, and the pursuit of Middle East peace.
Analysis: What happens if
Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz?
Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/June 15, 2025
LONDON: It is thanks to a quirk of ancient geological history that almost half
the global oil and gas reserves are located under or around the waters of the
Arabian Gulf, and that the flow of the bulk of bounty to the world must pass
through the narrow maritime bottleneck that is the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the world that
Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iran earlier in the day was an act of
self-defense, aimed at disrupting its nuclear program.
By Saturday, Israel had broadened its targets from nuclear facilities,
ballistic-missile factories and military commanders to oil facilities in
apparent retaliation for waves of missile and drone strikes on its population
centers.
In his video broadcast, Netanyahu said: “We will hit every site and every target
of the ayatollahs’ regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared
with what they will be handed in the coming days.”In a stroke, Israel had
escalated the conflict into a crisis with potentially immediate ramifications
for all the oil- and gas-producing Gulf states and, in the longer term, for
economies of the region and the entire world.
Reports originating from lawmakers in Tehran began to circulate suggesting that
Iran was now threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz. Sardar Esmail Kowsari, a
member of Iran’s parliament and a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps, warned in an interview that closing the waterway “is under consideration
and that Iran will make the best decision with determination.”
While the strait is, in the words of the US Energy Information Administration,
“the world’s most important oil transit choke point” — about a fifth of the
world’s total petroleum liquids consumption passes through it — the two main oil
producers, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are not without alternative routes to world
markets for their products. Saudi Aramco operates twin oil and liquid gas
pipelines which can carry up to 7 million barrels a day from Abqaiq on the Gulf
to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. Aramco has consistently shown resilience and
ability to meet the demands of its clients, even when it was attacked in 2019.
The UAE’s onshore oil fields are linked to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of
Oman — beyond the Strait of Hormuz — by a pipeline capable of carrying 1.5
million barrels a day. The pipeline has attracted Iran’s attentions before. In
2019, four oil tankers, two each belonging to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, were
attacked off the port of Fujairah.
Iran has never fully closed the Strait of Hormuz but it has threatened to do so
multiple times in response to geopolitical tensions. Historically, it has used
the threat of closure as a strategic bargaining tool, particularly during
periods of heightened conflict. In 2012, for instance, it threatened to block
the strait in retaliation for US and European sanctions but did not follow
through. Naturally, disruptions in supplies would cause an enormous increase in
energy price and related costs such as insurance and shipping. This would
indirectly impact inflation and prices worldwide from the US to Japan.
According to the experts, Iran can employ unmanned drones, such as the Shahed
series, to target specific shipping routes or infrastructure in the strait. It
may also attempt to use naval vessels to physically obstruct passage through the
strait.
Ironically, the one country in the region that would face no direct consequences
from a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is Israel. All of its estimated
consumption of 220,000 barrels of crude a day comes via the Mediterranean, from
countries including Azerbaijan (exported via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline,
which runs through Turkiye to the eastern Mediterranean), the US, Brazil, Gabon
and Nigeria.
The regional implications of escalating Iran-Israel tensions
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager/Arab News/June 15, 2025
The new Israeli military strikes on Iranian targets did not catch many by
surprise. Israel has been uncompromising in its enforcement of a zero uranium
enrichment and even zero nuclear policy for Iran — an objective that lies at the
core of its national security doctrine. Despite several rounds of US-Iran
negotiations, including last month’s fifth round that ended without progress,
Iran has not conceded on this critical point. US President Donald Trump stated
that he told Iran it should reach a deal within 60 days. Now, more than 60 days
have passed without an agreement, largely due to Tehran’s unwillingness to
abandon its nuclear program, or at least scale back enrichment and accept
stricter oversight.
While Israel’s actions were expected given its stated red lines, what has raised
eyebrows is the apparent contradiction in the American position. The US
administration has officially declared that it does not support further military
escalation in the region. However, it is now clear that Washington was fully
briefed in advance of the Israeli strike and the Israeli leadership was able to
secure a green light and clear commitment of US support. This contradiction has
prompted questions about whether America tacitly approved the operation, or even
encouraged it, and participated in the deception plan that misled the Iranian
calculation, despite public claims to the contrary.
Iran has long boasted of its military strength and ability to deter threats and
retaliate against them. The second key question, therefore, is how far is Iran
prepared to go in escalating the confrontation and does it have the capability
to sustain a high-intensity conflict? While Israel can continue targeting
Iranian assets, doing so at scale requires American support in
intelligence-sharing, resupply of munitions and diplomatic backing. Iran still
has tools at its disposal. One of the more dangerous would be a return to
asymmetric warfare and covert operations
Iran still has tools at its disposal. One of the more dangerous would be a
return to asymmetric warfare and covert operations, similar to tactics used in
the 1980s, when Iranian-linked groups targeted US and Israeli interests across
the region. This scenario is not hypothetical — it is one of the reasons Israel
has temporarily closed embassies considered to be at risk of reprisal.
There have been discussions about whether Russia could play a mediating role by
taking custody of enriched uranium as a confidence-building measure. While Iran
may see this as a way to retain its leverage, neither the US nor Israel is
likely to support any arrangement that allows Tehran to preserve control over
its sizable stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which it accumulated illegally
over the past few years. The Arab Gulf states find themselves in a highly
precarious position. Geographically and economically linked to Iran, they are
deeply vulnerable to the fallout of escalating tensions. Their top priority is
to avoid being dragged into the conflict, either as a battleground or as an
indirect target of retaliation. A regional war would pose severe risks to the
security of their territories and populations, critical infrastructure and
economic prosperity.
Thus, beyond the fundamental issue of security, there are also deep implications
for economic prosperity and development. Gulf economies are fundamentally tied
to stability, open trade routes and investor confidence, and any disruption,
whether from attacks or threats to energy infrastructure, could have immense
repercussions. The Gulf states have consistently upheld a policy of neutrality
and noninterference, seeking to balance relations with Iran, Israel and the US.
They have condemned Iran’s involvement in Arab affairs and its ambitions of
regional dominance, while also rejecting Israel’s use of force and its disregard
for international norms. Similarly, they oppose US policies that violate
international law, particularly those that appear to enable further escalation.
The Gulf’s diplomatic stance is rooted in a principled call for respect for
sovereignty, nonaggression and adherence to international law and human rights.
With the conflict now transitioning into a broader military confrontation, the
balance of power becomes the determining factor. In this respect, the
Israeli-American alliance holds overwhelming superiority in terms of firepower,
intelligence capabilities and strategic depth. Iran, under increasing pressure
both domestically and externally, is showing signs of fatigue and attrition.
This raises a third critical question: Will Iran’s leadership come to terms with
the realities of its disadvantage and move toward de-escalation? Or will it
continue down a path that could lead to further destruction, isolation and
internal collapse?
In the coming weeks, the answer to the questions posed above will not only shape
the future of Iran, they will also define the contours of regional stability.
For the Gulf states, the imperative remains: stay out of the crossfire,
safeguard national security and uphold the norms of international legitimacy
that offer the only sustainable path out of this crisis.
• Dr. Abdulaziz Sager is chairman of the Gulf Research Center.
Israel vs. Iran: a view
from Riyadh
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/June 15/2025
As regional tensions rise following Israeli military strikes on Iran, Saudi
Arabia remains committed to its longstanding principles: de-escalation,
diplomatic solutions, and international cooperation. The Kingdom has firmly
condemned Israel’s actions, calling them violations of international law, and
warning that continued escalation will only complicate efforts to achieve
long-term stability. Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy has consistently prioritized
peaceful resolutions, advocating for diplomacy over military confrontation.
Riyadh urges all involved parties to exercise restraint and seek constructive
dialogue instead of further aggression. The Kingdom has also called on the
international community, especially the UN Security Council, to take decisive
steps in preventing further destabilization. In response to the crisis, Saudi
leadership has actively engaged with regional and global allies to discuss
possible solutions and ensure coordinated efforts toward de-escalation. Riyadh
remains committed to fostering discussions that prevent further violence and
promote lasting peace. Saudi Arabia has made its position on sovereignty clear.
It will not allow its airspace to be used for any military operations,
regardless of their origin or target. This policy underscores the Kingdom’s
dedication to safeguarding its national security, while maintaining its stance
against direct involvement in military conflicts.Saudi Arabia envisions a
broader transformation for the Middle East — one that prioritizes regional
integration over conflict.
Faisal J. Abbas | Editor-in-Chief
Beyond the immediate crisis, Saudi Arabia envisions a broader transformation for
the Middle East — one that prioritizes security, economic cooperation, and
regional integration over conflict. The Kingdom’s leadership aims to shift focus
away from confrontation toward prosperity, ensuring that nations collaborate to
improve living standards and build a more stable future. As tensions continue,
Saudi Arabia remains a stabilizing force, advocating for diplomacy, urging
international cooperation, and reinforcing its commitment to regional peace. The
Kingdom stands ready to work with its global partners to reduce tensions and
guide the region toward lasting security and prosperity. As such, global
partners are strongly advised to work closely with Riyadh to avert the
consequences of a wide-ranging and uncontainable war that will inevitably
threaten populations on both sides, damage civilian infrastructure, and increase
the cost of commodities, including oil, which veteran Independent Arabia
business analyst Ghaleb Darwish predicts could rise above $100. This approach
highlights Saudi Arabia’s role as a responsible leader, ensuring that Middle
East conflicts are addressed through peaceful means and that stability remains
the priority. Riyadh’s continued emphasis on diplomacy and cooperation serves as
a crucial foundation for shaping the future of the region.
**Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News. X: @FaisalJAbbas
Iran and Israel: A War
Unlike Any Other
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/June 15/2025
The war that erupted at dawn last Friday, triggered by a series of painful
Israeli strikes on Iran, is unlike any of the region’s modern conflicts. It is
not a repeat of the Gaza wars, nor of the Lebanon front. It bears little
resemblance to the US invasion of Iraq or the grinding Iran-Iraq war of the
1980s.
Strategically and militarily, this is a different kind of war — one that is
already reshaping Iran’s position and will likely reverberate across the Middle
East, with consequences that vary in scale and duration. Mistakes and damage are
inevitable, but the implications run deeper than the immediate toll.
At the heart of the offensive lie two objectives. Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a decisive blow to Iran’s military and economic
infrastructure. Washington, meanwhile, is hoping that pressure will force Tehran
back to the negotiating table.
Netanyahu may succeed militarily, but the move risks provoking Iran into greater
intransigence — a “me or my enemies” posture. While Tehran could eventually
return to talks, such a move would likely resemble capitulation more than a
genuine agreement. And with that, Iran's strategic options continue to shrink.
This raises urgent questions for both Israel and the United States: What is the
endgame? Is there a plan? How long is this war expected to last? These are not
rhetorical queries. A war without clear objectives risks becoming an exercise in
futility. For Iran, the challenge is existential. Unlike Israel, it does not
share a border with its foe, nor does it match Israel’s military capabilities.
The scale of the initial Israeli attack — reportedly killing 20 Iranian
military, diplomatic and scientific figures within minutes — was a severe blow
to the country’s decision-making core.
Iran’s airspace has also become increasingly vulnerable. Israeli aircraft now
appear to reach targets deep inside Iranian territory via former and current
zones of influence, turning decades of regional positioning into a liability.
Should the conflict escalate further, Iran may strike at US interests in the
Gulf — a move that would likely draw Washington into direct confrontation. That
would force Gulf Arab states to navigate a treacherous geopolitical crossroads:
Do they stay on the sidelines, or take a side? Historically, major wars in the
region have led to renewed interest in peace efforts. Will that pattern repeat?
Countries long affected by Iranian influence — including Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza,
Yemen, and Syria — are watching closely, bracing for what comes next.
Inside Iran, the impact is already profound. This war is systematically
targeting Iranian leadership — military and political — effectively draining its
strategic brain trust. The scale and precision of Israeli strikes, underpinned
by deep intelligence penetration, has left the Iranian regime exposed in ways
rarely seen before. Ultimately, this is no
conventional conflict. It raises more questions than it answers, and demands a
cool-headed reassessment of regional dynamics. The Middle East that emerges from
this war may look drastically different from the one that preceded it. And while
the outbreak may have shocked many, it was far from unforeseen. Analysts have
warned of this trajectory for more than two decades. Now, that long-anticipated
confrontation is no longer a hypothetical — it’s here.
Tweets
Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו
Happy Birthday President Trump!
Thank you for being Israel's greatest friend and being so steadfast in the
defense of the Jewish people and Jewish state. Sara and I wish you a wonderful
birthday and continued success in your historic presidency.
@realDonaldTrump
Reza Pahlavi
https://x.com/i/status/1933888133629636890
The Islamic Republic and its
incompetent and criminal leaders have dragged Iran into war. Here is my message
to my compatriots: Iran belongs to you, and reclaiming it is in your hands.
Mike Pence
"But You, O Lord, are a shield about
me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my
voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke,
for the Lord sustains me." (Psalm 3:3-5)
Guila Fakhoury
So, when
@TadhgHickey
https://x.com/i/status/1933971603601137882
claimed to be an independent
journalist, what he really meant was that he's a paid journalist by the Islamic
Republic of Iran, Hezbollah, and their terrorist allies. He reports news from
their perspective, ignoring an entire history and region. What he truly means is
that he's trying to rebel against his culture by siding with terrorists. You
should add this to your page and remove the "independent news" label and replace
it with “fake news”.