WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv and the port of Haifa in the early hours of this morning, destroying residential buildings and raising concerns among world leaders gathered for the G7 meeting this week about the possibility of the conflict between the two old enemies escalating into a regional crisis.
Israel's National Emergency Service said three people were killed in the central part of the country, while dozens were wounded in the overnight rocket attack, which is part of a wider series of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel's preemptive strikes on Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, which began on Friday.
17:37 Washington urged its citizens not to travel to Israel
The United States raised its travel alert level for Israel today and advised its citizens not to go there, citing "armed conflict" and the risk of terrorist attacks.
"The security situation in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, is unpredictable," the US State Department said on its website, after Iran fired missiles at Israel in response to Israeli airstrikes in recent days. 17:24 Hundreds dead after exchange of attacks
The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted early Friday morning, when the Israeli military carried out a large-scale attack on more than 100 targets across Iran. Among the locations hit were nuclear and missile installations, and senior military officials and scientists were reportedly killed in the operation.
The operation triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes from the Iranian side, further fueling fears of a wider, potentially regional war.
Meanwhile, civilian infrastructure in both countries has suffered serious damage. Residents of populated areas have been exposed to deadly attacks. By Monday, Iran's health ministry had reported 224 deaths and 1,277 injuries. Israeli officials said 23 of their own civilians had been killed and nearly 60 injured.
17:04 G7 leaders call for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict, Trump has yet to sign statement
G7 leaders are preparing a joint statement calling for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, two sources and a draft statement seen by Reuters said.
However, the sources said US President Donald Trump had not yet approved the text of the statement. The draft stresses a commitment to maintaining stability in markets, including energy, and affirms Israel's right to self-defense.
16:57 Powerful explosions heard in western Iranian capital
Powerful explosions were heard in western Tehran today, the fourth day of a deadly military escalation between Iran and Israel, an AFP journalist reported.
According to the same source, thick black smoke rose above the site of the explosions. The Iranian capital has been the target of several Israeli attacks since the conflict between the two hostile countries began on Friday.
16:54 Katz: Iran's state television "on the verge of extinction"
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today that Iran's state radio and television (IRIB) was "on the verge of extinction" after the army called on the population to leave the area around the institution's headquarters in northeastern Tehran.
"The mouthpiece for Iranian propaganda and incitement to violence will soon be shut down. The evacuation of residents from surrounding neighborhoods has begun," Katz said in a statement.
16:21 WSJ: Iran wants talks with US, Israel to end hostilities
Iran has been sending urgent signals that it wants an end to hostilities and the resumption of talks on its nuclear program, sending messages to Israel and the United States through Arab intermediaries, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing officials.
Reuters has not yet been able to confirm this information.
16:12 Ryabkov: Iran has the right to defend itself
Russia believes that Iran is exercising its right to defend itself against an Israeli attack, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today.
Russian agencies also reported that Ryabkov said that Russia is talking to the US about the crisis, while maintaining contacts with both Israel and Iran.
15:58 France removes Israeli weapons from Paris air show
The French Prime Minister's office commented after France closed the stand of a major Israeli company at the Paris air show because they did not want to remove attack weapons from the exhibition. The decision drew condemnation from Israel and further heightened tensions between the traditional allies.
A spokesman for Francois Bayrou's office said that all exhibitors had been informed before the fair that offensive weapons were not allowed on display, and that the Israeli embassy in Paris had accepted this. He added that companies could continue to exhibit if they adhered to this rule.
Bayrou told reporters that, given France's diplomatic stance and "in particular its... great concern for Gaza," the government considered it unacceptable to display offensive weapons.
15:11 Israeli fire in 20 people waiting for aid killed
The Gaza Civil Defense Agency said Israeli soldiers killed 20 people waiting for aid today, in another deadly incident near an aid distribution center in the southern Palestinian territory, AFP reported.
Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said "occupation forces opened fire" near the Al-Alam roundabout in the southern city of Rafah, where many citizens had gathered waiting to receive humanitarian aid.
He said "20 martyrs and more than 200 wounded by occupation fire" were taken to nearby hospitals.
AFP added that the Israeli military said it was investigating the incident.
13:27 Putin, Erdogan call for “urgent cessation of hostilities”
The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, today called for an “urgent cessation of hostilities” between Israel and Iran, expressing “deep concern over the continued escalation of the conflict” between the two rival powers.
“The leaders called for an urgent cessation of hostilities and the resolution of disputes, including those related to Iran’s nuclear program, exclusively through diplomatic channels,” the Kremlin said after a phone call between the two presidents.
During the conversation, “President Erdogan said that the spiral of violence triggered by Israel’s attacks on Iran threatens the security of the entire region, and that the illegal behavior of the Netanyahu government poses an open threat to the international order,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement.
13:14 EU says Russia cannot be an "impartial mediator"
The European Union said today that Russia could not play the role of mediator in the conflict between Israel and Iran, as previously suggested by US President Donald Trump.
"Russia cannot be an impartial mediator," said European Commission spokesman Anwar El-Announi.
"Russia has no credibility. (…) It constantly violates international law," he added.
13:10 Pakistan closes border with Iran until further notice
Pakistan has closed its five border crossings with Iran until further notice, local officials told AFP today.
"Crossing at border crossings in five districts - Chaghi, Washuk, Panjgur, Kech and Gwadar - has been suspended," said Qadir Baksh Pirkani, a senior official in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which borders Iran. The movement of people “has been suspended until further notice,” confirmed Ata ul Munim, an official at the Chaghi terminal, adding that “trade is still ongoing.”
12:59 Iran accuses Israel of targeting hospital, speaks of “war crime”
Iran today accused Israel of attacking a hospital in the west of the country, calling it a “war crime.” “The Farabi Hospital, located in the city of Kermanshah, in western Iran, was the target of an aggressive attack by the Israeli regime,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagai.
“The attacks on hospitals, in addition to those on residential areas, constitute a gross violation of international law and a war crime,” he added. Iranian media had previously reported that the Israeli attack targeted a nearby workshop, but also caused extensive damage to the hospital itself.
12:52 Erdogan says he wants to be a "mediator" in ending the conflict between Israel and Iran
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Iranian President Masoud Pezizian today that he is ready to take on the "role of a mediator" in order to "immediately end the conflict and resume negotiations on the nuclear program," the Turkish president's office said.
11:59 Underground part of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility not damaged, IAEA claims
The underground infrastructure of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility was not damaged during the recent Israeli operation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, citing information at its disposal. The attack, it is said, was aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
"There has been no additional damage since the attack on Friday, which destroyed the facilities on the surface," IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said at the opening of an emergency session at the agency's headquarters in Vienna.
Grossi added that the agency is closely monitoring developments between Iran and Israel and said that the IAEA is ready to respond in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency "within an hour."
11:36 Israeli military claims to have destroyed "a third" of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers
The Israeli military said today that it had destroyed "a third" of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers.
"More than 50 fighter jets and other aircraft carried out strikes and destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers. This represents a third of the total number of such launchers that the Iranian regime has," military spokesman Brigadier General Efi Defrin said at a press conference.
11:04 Iran calls on IAEA to condemn Israeli attacks - emergency session convened
Iran today called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to condemn Israel for recent attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. " The Nuclear facilities of a country, which were under constant surveillance by the IAEA, were attacked by the Israelis. We expect [the agency and its director Rafael Grossi] to take a clear position and condemn this act," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.
At Iran's request, the IAEA is due to hold an emergency meeting today on the Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, diplomatic sources told AFP. According to the sources, the meeting is due to take place at mid-morning at the agency's headquarters in Vienna.
10:43 Iran calls on European countries to stop Israeli "aggression"
Iran today called on European countries to stop Israeli attacks on its territory. "Germany, France and England had to clearly condemn the crimes of the Zionist regime," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said. "It is natural that we expect European countries to engage in ending the aggression (...) and to condemn the regime's actions against Iran's nuclear facilities," the spokesman added at a press conference.
10:11 Iranian missile attacks kill 24 people in Israel since Friday
Iranian missile attacks on Israeli territory have claimed 24 lives since Friday, when Israel launched an offensive against the Islamic Republic, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced today in its latest tally.
Since midnight between Sunday and Monday, the number of victims has increased by another 11, according to official figures: four people died in Petah Tikva (near Tel Aviv), three in Haifa (in the north), one in Bnei Brak (a suburb of Tel Aviv), two were pulled from the rubble after a previous attack in Bat Yam, and another person died at a currently unknown location.
