ISIS Claims Responsibility for Killing 33 Malian Soldiers

FILE PHOTO: Troops from the Malian Armed Forces and French soldiers conduct a joint patrol during the regional anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane in Inaloglog, Mali, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Troops from the Malian Armed Forces and French soldiers conduct a joint patrol during the regional anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane in Inaloglog, Mali, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
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ISIS Claims Responsibility for Killing 33 Malian Soldiers

FILE PHOTO: Troops from the Malian Armed Forces and French soldiers conduct a joint patrol during the regional anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane in Inaloglog, Mali, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Troops from the Malian Armed Forces and French soldiers conduct a joint patrol during the regional anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane in Inaloglog, Mali, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

ISIS’ West Africa affiliate claimed responsibility on Sunday for an ambush last week that killed 33 Malian soldiers in the country’s volatile north, according to a statement published by the SITE Intelligence Group.

Fourteen soldiers were also injured in Tuesday's attack near the northern town of Tessit, located about 60 kilometers southeast of Ansongo in the Gao region, near the border with Niger, according to Mali's army.

The military earlier said that the UN peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA helped evacuate the wounded soldiers. Helicopters from the French mission in Mali known as Operation Barkhane also helped the Malian military secure the area in the aftermath, a statement said.

ISIS said in a statement on Sunday that its fighters captured three vehicles as well as weapons and ammunition, according to SITE.

The group has claimed responsibility for previous attacks on either side of the border that have killed dozens of Malian and Nigerien soldiers. It also carried out the 2017 ambush in the Nigerien village of Tongo Tongo that killed four American special forces troops and five Nigerien soldiers.



Khamenei Says Israel Initiated a War as Iran Fires Missiles in Retaliation

 Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Khamenei Says Israel Initiated a War as Iran Fires Missiles in Retaliation

 Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a statement on Friday that Israel initiated a war and said it will not be allowed to do "hit and run" attacks without grave consequences.

"The Zionist regime (Israel) will not remain unscathed from the consequences of its crime. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured," Khamenei said in a statement.

Israel launched blistering attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones previously smuggled into the country to attack key facilities and kill top generals and scientists -- a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.

Iran’s state news agency reported that Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles toward Israel as part of its retaliation for Israel's Friday attack.

IRNA said the Iranian military had dubbed its operation "Severe Punishment."

Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded across Israel following what the country's military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran. 

The ongoing military and intelligence operation raised the potential for all-out war between Iran and Israel and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.