Israel Destroyed Several Iranian Arms Convoys in Iraq

This photo released Sunday June 12, 2022 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a bulldozer work at a damaged runway of the Damascus International Airport, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Friday, in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP)
This photo released Sunday June 12, 2022 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a bulldozer work at a damaged runway of the Damascus International Airport, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Friday, in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP)
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Israel Destroyed Several Iranian Arms Convoys in Iraq

This photo released Sunday June 12, 2022 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a bulldozer work at a damaged runway of the Damascus International Airport, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Friday, in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP)
This photo released Sunday June 12, 2022 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a bulldozer work at a damaged runway of the Damascus International Airport, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Friday, in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP)

Israel has carried out numerous strikes against truck convoys smuggling Iranian weapons to the Hezbollah party in Lebanon, revealed an Israeli source.

Israel would target the convoys as they were making their way from Iraq to Syria and carry out the strike in either country.

The announcement was made after Israel last week struck Damascus' old international airport, causing "significant" damage to infrastructure and rendered the main runway unserviceable until further notice.

The airport is located south of the capital Damascus where Syrian opposition activists say Iran-backed militiamen are active and have arms depots.

Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Israel has for years been closely monitoring the transport of weapons to Hezbollah, continued the source.

At first, Israel used to target the weapons depots in Lebanon or Syria, but the military command has since ordered that the convoys be destroyed before they reach their destination, it continued.

Several Iranian convoys would make their way to Lebanon through Iraq and Syria and Israeli commandos would lie in wait to ambush them. Some convoys were destroyed in Iraq, others in Syria and some at the Lebanese border.

Security sources in Tel Aviv revealed that the Iranians then significantly reduced the transfer of weapons by land and have resorted to transporting them through air military cargo or even by sea.

Israeli strikes on Syria would often target these shipments as soon as they are unloaded at Syrian army depots.

Iran has recently started to deliver these shipments through passenger flights to Damascus' old airport. The shipments carry less quantities of weapons, but the arms are more sophisticated than before, according to Israel's Channel 12.

Israeli military officials had previously expressed their concern over the delivery of such sophisticated weapons, including modern drones and precision-guided missiles, to Lebanon.

Israel has therefore, intensified its operations against Iran because it believes such arms would create a strategic imbalance in the region.

Israel estimates that its latest attacks have destroyed 70 percent of arms shipments smuggled from Iran to Syria and Lebanon. The 30 percent that have reached their destination "pose a major threat," warned Israeli military officials.

Channel 12 reported that Israel had informed Russia of its intended strike on Damascus airport last week to avoid a clash.

Israeli media on Monday said last week's strike was not only a message to the Iranians - that Israel is watching them - but also a strong one to Bashar al-Assad's regime that it will pay a heavy price if it continues to allow Iran to entrench itself militarily in Syria.



Threat-Hit Iranian TV Channel Resumes London Broadcasts

 The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)
The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)
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Threat-Hit Iranian TV Channel Resumes London Broadcasts

 The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)
The skyline of the financial district known as The City, as the sun sets in London, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP)

Private network Iran International TV said Monday that it was broadcasting again from London having shut down its studios earlier this year due to threats it blamed on Tehran.

The station had been giving extensive coverage to anti-government demonstrations that erupted in Iran last year, and said two of its senior journalists received death threats in response to their reporting.

Acting upon police advice, it closed its base in the UK capital in February, but said in a statement on Monday that "Iran International TV has begun broadcasting from its new London studios".

"This resumption marks a return to London for Iran's most-watched news channel after broadcasting was temporarily moved to the United States earlier this year because of the credible, state-sponsored threats against its staff," it added.

London's Metropolitan Police last year installed concrete barriers outside the old studios in Chiswick, west London, to prevent any attack by vehicle and warned of "imminent and credible threats" to the lives of the channel's journalists.

The decision to close came after the arrest of Austrian national Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, who was charged with terror offences having been seen photographing and filming the exterior of the studios.

The Persian-language network's general manager Mahmood Enayat celebrated Monday's news, saying "it is great to be back broadcasting from London".

"Britain is the home of free speech. Resuming our broadcast from here is a statement that we will not be deterred from serving the Iranian people with independent, uncensored news," he added.

The channel will now broadcast from a secure site in north London, supported "by the guidance and expertise of the Metropolitan Police."

Iran International TV employed around 100 journalists in London while a similar number work for the station in Washington, serving a global audience of 30-40 million Farsi speakers.


US Abrams Battle Tanks Arrive in Ukraine, Zelensky Says

President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP)
President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP)
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US Abrams Battle Tanks Arrive in Ukraine, Zelensky Says

President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP)
President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP)

Ukraine has received US Abrams battle tanks, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday, boosting Kyiv's forces as they seek to break through heavily-fortified Russian defensive lines.

The announcement came just after Ukraine claimed it had killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet in a missile strike on Moscow's naval headquarters in Crimea last week in what would be a major embarrassment for Russia.

"Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades," Zelensky said on social media.

Ukraine has repeatedly asked for more Western weapons, including longer-range missiles, to help break through Russian positions and launch strikes deep within Russian-controlled territory.

Zelensky did not elaborate on how many tanks had arrived, nor on how long it would take for them to be deployed to the front line.

"I am grateful to our allies for fulfilling the agreements. We are looking for new contracts and expanding the geography of supply," he said.

Washington had promised to provide 31 Abrams tanks to Kyiv at the start of the year, part of more than $43 billion in security assistance pledged by the United States since Moscow invaded in February last year.

Russia has repeatedly denounced the arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing they "prolong" the conflict and risk causing it to spiral out of control.


Ukraine Claims Attack on Russian Navy Headquarters in Crimea Killed 34, Including Fleet Commander

 This satellite photo provided by Planet Labs shows the area surrounding the headquarters building for the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. The building was struck in a missile attack launched by the Ukrainian military on Friday. (Planet Labs via AP)
This satellite photo provided by Planet Labs shows the area surrounding the headquarters building for the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. The building was struck in a missile attack launched by the Ukrainian military on Friday. (Planet Labs via AP)
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Ukraine Claims Attack on Russian Navy Headquarters in Crimea Killed 34, Including Fleet Commander

 This satellite photo provided by Planet Labs shows the area surrounding the headquarters building for the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. The building was struck in a missile attack launched by the Ukrainian military on Friday. (Planet Labs via AP)
This satellite photo provided by Planet Labs shows the area surrounding the headquarters building for the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. The building was struck in a missile attack launched by the Ukrainian military on Friday. (Planet Labs via AP)

The missile strike that blasted the Crimean headquarters of Russia's navy last week killed 34 officers, including the fleet commander, Ukraine said Monday, though it provided no evidence to support its claim.

Ukraine's Special Operation Forces said on the Telegram messaging app that its strike on the main building of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the port city of Sevastopol had wounded 105 people. The claims could not independently be verified and are vastly different from what Russia has reported.

Russia's military announced the attack on the building and initially said one serviceman was killed but later said the person was not killed but missing. Moscow has provided no further updates.

The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, has been a frequent target since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine 20 months ago. Crimea has served as the key hub supporting the invasion.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted naval facilities in Crimea in recent weeks while the brunt of its summer counteroffensive makes slow gains in the east and south of Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War said. It followed Friday's attack with another barrage on Saturday.

The new death and casualty figures are a steep increase from what Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told Voice of America on Saturday when he said at least nine people were killed and 16 others wounded in the attack that left the building smoldering. He also said Alexander Romanchuk, a Russian general commanding forces along the key southeastern front line, was “in a very serious condition."

The new report indicates that the fleet's chief, Adm. Viktor Sokolov, was also killed, though no supporting evidence was offered. He was not named in the statement by the Special Operation Forces, but Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine posted his name and a photo on social media.

Ukraine’s military also offered more details about Friday’s attack. It said the air force conducted 12 strikes on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, targeting areas where personnel, military equipment and weapons were concentrated. It said that two anti-aircraft missile systems and four Russian artillery units were hit.

The casualty figures were announced as Russian drone and missile strike near Odesa damaged infrastructure, a grain silo and an abandoned hotel, injuring one person in the Black Sea port city. In the past day, Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine killed six civilians and wounded 13, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine's air force reported downing all Russian drones launched overnight, but one of 12 Kalibr missiles and two P-800 Oniks cruise missiles apparently made it past air defenses.

Russia has continuously targeted port and grain storage facilities in Odesa since pulling out of a wartime deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to countries facing the threat of hunger. The attacks have destroyed silos, warehouses, oil terminals and other infrastructure critical for storage and shipping.

The Russian Defense Ministry said long-range missiles and drones were used to strike facilities that it alleged had housed foreign mercenaries and trained saboteurs. The ministry didn't name locations or provide other specifics to support its claim. It also said it downed several Ukrainian drones.

The attacks came as independent UN-backed human rights experts said they found new evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces and as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the arrival of the first Abrams tanks sent by the US that could figure in their slow-moving summer counteroffensive

The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said it found evidence of crimes committed by both sides in the war, but far more by Russians, including instances of torture, some of it fatal, and rape of women as old as 83. It said it was also looking into allegations that Russian forces committed genocide.

Zelenskyy thanked allies on Telegram for their support in announcing the anticipated arrival of the tanks. He didn't say how many tanks had arrived, but the US has said it was sending 31 tanks.

In other fighting, Russian forces also dropped bombs and launched six heavy artillery strikes on southern Ukraine's Kherson region, destroying a school and factory and damaging residential buildings. Three of the deaths reported by the Ukrainian president's office were in the region: three people were killed and two others were injured by bombs that hit the city of Beryslav. A man was killed in the neighboring village of Lvove.

In eastern Ukraine, Russians attacked residential areas of 10 cities and villages in the Donetsk region, killing two people in the village of Zarichne, according to the presidential office.

During fighting in southeast Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, the Russian army carried out five airstrikes on Orikhiv, a small city, and its surrounding area.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed three Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region of Russia and three others over the Bryansk region early Monday. It also reported that three drones were shot down over the Belgorod region.

Kursk Gov. Roman Starovoit said a downed drone over the center of the city of Kursk damaged the roof of an administrative building and several private houses and shattered windows in an apartment building. Starovoit said there were no injuries.

A day earlier, a Ukrainian drone damaged the roof of an administrative building in Kursk that some Ukrainian and Russian media reported housed the offices of the Federal Security Service, Russia’s main domestic security agency.

Bryansk Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said the drones caused no casualties, but Ukrainian rockets damaged a farm building and killed cattle.

During the drone attack, Russian authorities delayed or diverted several flights at Moscow’s airports.

The Defense Ministry said five other Ukrainian drones were also shot down over Crimea and the Black Sea.


Azerbaijani and Turkish Leaders Hold Talks, Eye Land Corridor via Armenia

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia's Goris, the town in Syunik region, Armenia, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia's Goris, the town in Syunik region, Armenia, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
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Azerbaijani and Turkish Leaders Hold Talks, Eye Land Corridor via Armenia

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia's Goris, the town in Syunik region, Armenia, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia's Goris, the town in Syunik region, Armenia, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hosted talks on Monday with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at which he hinted at the prospect of creating a land corridor between their two countries via Armenia, which opposes the idea.

Erdogan pointedly flew into Azerbaijan's autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, a strip of territory nestled between Armenia, Iran and Türkiye that Ankara and Baku want to link up with rump Azerbaijan by carving out a land corridor that would run through southern Armenia.

Aliyev in 2021 threatened to create such a corridor - that would create a contiguous land bridge between close allies Türkiye and Azerbaijan and deprive Armenia of a land border with Iran - "whether Armenia likes it or not."

The symbolic choice of location for Monday's talks, less than a week after Azerbaijani forces swept into Nagorno-Karabakh to retake control of the breakaway region, is likely to worry the authorities in Armenia, who have in the past rejected such a land corridor while being theoretically open to restoring severed road and rail links.

At a joint news conference at which neither man took any questions, President Aliyev lamented that Soviet-era authorities had deemed part of what he said should have been territory belonging to the Azerbaijani Soviet republic as land belonging to the Armenian Soviet republic.

"The land link between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan (the exclave) was thus cut off," complained Aliyev.

An influential telegram channel linked to Karabakh Armenians called "Re:public of Artsakh" said Aliyev's words looked ominous.

"The new target of Azerbaijan and Türkiye is Syunik (a province in southern Armenia through which such a corridor would pass). They are already openly declaring it. Active preparations for war are underway," it said.

Erdogan and Aliyev were due to inspect a newly-modernized military facility in Nakhchivan and to attend a ground-breaking ceremony for a new gas pipeline from Türkiye.

Russia, which has military facilities in Armenia and a defense pact with Yerevan, is busy prosecuting its own war in Ukraine. It is at odds with Armenia's current prime minister who it deems to be too pro-Western and is keen to further cultivate ties with Baku and Ankara.

Erdogan told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday last week, the day that Azerbaijan began its military operation to retake control of Karabakh, that there was what he called "an historic opportunity to build peace" in the South Caucasus region.

"(But) Armenia is not making the most of this historical chance," Erdogan complained.

"We expect a comprehensive peace agreement between the two countries (Azerbaijan and Armenia) as soon as possible and for promises to be quickly fulfilled, especially on the opening of the Zangezur (land) corridor."

That was a reference to the terms of a 2020 Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended a 44-day war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that spoke of unblocking economic and transport connections between western Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, a clause which Baku and Yerevan have since interpreted differently.


Trial Opens in France over Killing of Police Couple in Name of ISIS

FILE - French police officers work at the crime scene the day the attacker killed the couple in Magnanville, west of Paris, France, on June 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE - French police officers work at the crime scene the day the attacker killed the couple in Magnanville, west of Paris, France, on June 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
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Trial Opens in France over Killing of Police Couple in Name of ISIS

FILE - French police officers work at the crime scene the day the attacker killed the couple in Magnanville, west of Paris, France, on June 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE - French police officers work at the crime scene the day the attacker killed the couple in Magnanville, west of Paris, France, on June 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

It wasn’t the deadliest attack in Europe linked to ISIS, but it was among the most disturbing: One evening in 2016, an assailant killed two police officers in their family home, in front of their 3-year-old son.

On Monday, a trial opens in a French counterterrorism court over the attack in the Paris suburb of Magnanville.

The attacker, Larossi Abballa, was shot to death by police. According to court documents, he told police negotiators that he was responding to an ISIS leader’s call to "kill miscreants at home with their families."

A childhood friend of Abballa’s, Mohamed Aberouz, is going on trial for complicity to terrorism-related murder, complicity to kidnapping and terrorist conspiracy. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

The killings came amid a wave of attacks in France linked to ISIS and had a lasting effect on police officers around France. Some moved, changed services or resigned to protect their loved ones after the Magnanville killings.

According to court documents, Abballa broke into the home of police officers Jessica Schneider and Jean-Baptiste Salvaing before they returned from work. When Schneider came home, Abballa slit her throat in the living room, with the child present.

The father texted her from the office to say “I’m leaving,” the documents say. There was no response. He was stabbed upon arriving home.

Neighbors called police, and the attacker said he was holding the couple’s 3-year-old hostage, according to the documents. He told a negotiator from a special police unit that he acted because the French government was preventing the faithful from joining the “caliphate,” and stressed that he had not targeted civilians but representatives of the French state.

Police stormed the home and killed Abballa, and rescued the child, The Associated Press said. The boy has been raised by family members since.

After more than five years of investigation and multiple arrests, only Aberouz is facing trial. Charges were initially brought against two others but later dropped.

Aberouz, now 30, was arrested a year after the events, when his DNA was found on the victims’ computer.

Aberouz initially disputed connections to ISIS, before acknowledging that the group corresponded to his convictions but saying he deplored its extremist methods, according to the court documents.

Aberouz was already sentenced to prison in another terrorism case, for his role in a failed gas canister attack near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

In the Magnanville attack, Aberouz maintains that he never went to the police couple's home or helped in preparing the attack. He said the DNA found in the victims’ home could have been the result of his shaking hands with Abballa or riding in his car in the days before the attack.

Aberouz’ lawyer Vincent Brengarth said he would plead for acquittal. “My client is determined to prove his innocence,” he told AP. “There is no message in which he talks about an attack.”

Police are hoping that the trial sheds light on the preparations for the attack.

A verdict is expected Oct. 10.


France to Withdraw Ambassador, Troops from Niger

French President Emmanuel Macron (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron (Reuters)
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France to Withdraw Ambassador, Troops from Niger

French President Emmanuel Macron (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron (Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday announced that the country’s Ambassador to Niger will return to Paris in the next hours, and that French troops will fully withdraw from the west African country “by the end of the year.”

Macron’s announcement came two months after confrontation with the Niger military junta that ousted the president.

In an interview on France 2 television on Sunday night, Macron said, “Our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France,” also affirming that Paris will end its military cooperation with Niger.

He added that French troops would withdraw in “the months and weeks to come” with a full pullout “by the end of the year.”

France keeps about 1,500 soldiers in Niger, where military rulers seized power by overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

Until Sunday, Macron had refused to heed calls by Niger’s new leaders to recall troops based in Niamey and his ambassador, insisting that Bazoum remains the country’s only legitimate authority.

On September 15, Macron announced that the Niger military junta is holding the French ambassador, Sylvain Itte. He said the diplomat and his staff were “literally being held hostage” in the mission, eating military rations with no food deliveries.

Also, Macron said the envoy “cannot go out, he is persona non grata and he is being refused food.”


Russian Missile and Drone Attack on Odesa Injures One, Damages Port

A Ukrainian drone unit commander nicknamed Giocondo communicates with headquarters during an attack in the outskirts of Kremmina, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)
A Ukrainian drone unit commander nicknamed Giocondo communicates with headquarters during an attack in the outskirts of Kremmina, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)
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Russian Missile and Drone Attack on Odesa Injures One, Damages Port

A Ukrainian drone unit commander nicknamed Giocondo communicates with headquarters during an attack in the outskirts of Kremmina, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)
A Ukrainian drone unit commander nicknamed Giocondo communicates with headquarters during an attack in the outskirts of Kremmina, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

One woman was injured and buildings and port infrastructure were severely damaged in Russia's overnight missile and drone attack on the port of Odesa in southern Ukraine, Ukraine's military said on Monday.

"The sea port in Odesa suffered significant damage, a fire broke out in the port's hotel, which has not been functioning for several years," the south command of Ukraine's armed forces said on the Telegram messaging app.

"Firefighters promptly eliminated it."

Ukraine's Air Force said that its air defense systems destroyed 19 Iranian-made Shahed drones, 11 cruise missiles and two hypersonic missiles that Russia launched on Ukraine overnight, vast majority directed at Odesa.

Three other drones were destroyed earlier on Sunday, it said.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Earlier, Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region, said that a woman was taken to a hospital after a shrapnel injury in result of the blast wave.

Ukraine's south military command posted on its Telegram messaging app several pictures showing a high-rise building with blown up windows and severe damage to its structure.

There was no immediate comment from Russia about the attack.

The situation in Odesa and its ports has been watched carefully by grain markets, after Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" for ships to sail into Black Sea ports and load grain for African and Asian markets, following Russia exiting a deal that ensured the safe exports of Ukraine's grain.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said one Russian drone had been shot down and falling debris caused a fire at an industrial enterprise, which had since been extinguished. He reported no casualties.

Russia's defense ministry said on Monday that its air defense systems destroyed four Ukraine-launched drones over the northwestern part of the Black Sea and over the Crimean Peninsula.
It was not immediately known whether there was any damage or injuries as a result of the reported attacks.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the Russian report. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Separately, the ministry said that four other drones were destroyed overnight over Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions.


Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles

Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles
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Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles

Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles

Iran possesses "Israel-hitting" missiles that are designed to target the "occupied territory", said Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei

He explained that the system was built by local experts and included missiles named after General Qassem Soleimani, the mastermind behind the external operations of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in 2020.

The spokesman further noted that the weapon system is designed proportionately according to the threats.

The government-affiliated ISNA agency reported to the spokesperson, "Iran is the region's prime power in defense."

"We were all by ourselves before the war, but today they say no equation in the region can be balanced without Iran; this is the defensive power that has been achieved."

Last August, the Defense Ministry announced the deployment of the Soleimani missile with a range of 1400 kilometers, three years after its development was announced in August 2020.

Tasnim agency reported last month that the Soleimani missile is the first tactical missile that operates with solid fuel and can easily reach Israel, pointing out the possibility of extending its range to 1700 - 1800 kilometers.

- Israeli Warning

Iran's Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding Iran in his UN General Assembly address.

Netanyahu emphasized at the United Nations last Friday the importance of confronting Iran with a "credible nuclear threat."

Later, his office retracted the statement, saying that he had misspoken and that his prepared text said, "credible military threat" instead of "credible nuclear threat," according to AFP.

Netanyahu, who has repeatedly used the UN stage to issue dark warnings about Tehran, briefly paused at the General Assembly when he appeared to threaten a nuclear attack if Tehran pursues its atomic bomb.

"Above all -- Iran must face a credible nuclear threat. As long as I'm prime minister of Israel, I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said.

In Tehran, official media reported that Abdollahian responded to the Israeli Prime Minister's statements by saying, "Nobody takes Netanyahu's threats seriously."

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York, he said the Zionist entity is now at its weakest. He noted that some international officials who attended the UN General Assembly session referred to Netanyahu's behavior as a "joke."

- Oman Initiative

Abdollahian commented shortly after meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Abdollahian informed Guterres that Tehran continues its correspondence with the US side, aiming to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

He indicated that Iran continues to exchange messages with the US, and the Sultan of Oman's plan is still on the table, adding that if other parties are ready, Tehran is serious about returning to the nuclear deal.

Abdollahian discussed several issues with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, including the situation in Syria, the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the nuclear deal, and the long-term strategic cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia.

At a press conference in New York on Saturday, Lavrov stated that Iran has consistently denied any intentions of pursuing nuclear weapons, with their Supreme Leader even issuing a fatwa on the matter. He condemned the E3 decision to extend sanctions on Iran.

He asserted there was no evidence of Iran sending drones to Russia for its military operations in Ukraine.

Lavrov emphasized that Iran's missile program has nothing to do with the nuclear program, wondering how the next US administration would deal with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).

- Nuclear Inspectors

Iran's recent move to revoke the licenses of some of the most experienced international inspectors monitoring its nuclear program has been met with global and regional calls for cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran's decision followed criticisms from IAEA Director Rafael Grossi regarding the lack of progress in investigations into activities at two covert sites and the halting of surveillance cameras.

Tehran refused to hand over IAEA surveillance camera recordings and removed other cameras.

Iran has been enriching uranium at 60 percent since April 2021, the same month negotiations began in Vienna aiming to revive the nuclear deal.

However, the Vienna track faltered weeks after the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

The last attempts by the European Union to conclude the negotiations failed in September of the previous year.

Abdollahian told Guterres that things are on the right track if the IAEA operates within the technical framework. However, the situation deteriorates when others prioritize their political views over the agency's professional matters.

In February, Iran's former Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, warned that continuous Western pressure might force Tehran to act defensively and seek nuclear weapons.

Last Friday, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, told journalists that Iran's decision to prevent UN nuclear inspectors suggests it is not interested in being a responsible actor regarding its atomic program.

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, arrived in Vienna on Sunday to participate in the IAEA General Assembly meeting.

Tasnim reported that Eslami will meet Grossi during this visit.


Jailed Italian Mafia Boss Dies

(FILES) This handout video grab taken and released by the Italian Carabinieri Press Office on January 16, 2023 shows the transfer of Italy's top wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro (C) from the Carabinieri police station of San Lorenzo in Palermo, to an undisclosed location, following his arrest in his native Sicily on January 16, 2023 after 30 years on the run. (Photo by Handout / ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP)
(FILES) This handout video grab taken and released by the Italian Carabinieri Press Office on January 16, 2023 shows the transfer of Italy's top wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro (C) from the Carabinieri police station of San Lorenzo in Palermo, to an undisclosed location, following his arrest in his native Sicily on January 16, 2023 after 30 years on the run. (Photo by Handout / ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP)
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Jailed Italian Mafia Boss Dies

(FILES) This handout video grab taken and released by the Italian Carabinieri Press Office on January 16, 2023 shows the transfer of Italy's top wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro (C) from the Carabinieri police station of San Lorenzo in Palermo, to an undisclosed location, following his arrest in his native Sicily on January 16, 2023 after 30 years on the run. (Photo by Handout / ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP)
(FILES) This handout video grab taken and released by the Italian Carabinieri Press Office on January 16, 2023 shows the transfer of Italy's top wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro (C) from the Carabinieri police station of San Lorenzo in Palermo, to an undisclosed location, following his arrest in his native Sicily on January 16, 2023 after 30 years on the run. (Photo by Handout / ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE / AFP)

Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was arrested in January after spending 30 years on the run, has died, ANSA news agency reported on Monday.

Messina Denaro, 61, was suffering from cancer at the time of his arrest. As his condition worsened in recent weeks he was transferred to a hospital from the maximum-security prison in central Italy where he was initially held, Reuters reported.

Denaro had requested no aggressive medical treatment, ANSA reported, adding that medics had stopped feeding him after he was declared to be in irreversible coma.

He was convicted of numerous crimes, including for his role in planning the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino - crimes that shocked Italy and sparked a crackdown on the Sicilian mob.

He was also held responsible for bombings in Rome, Florence and Milan in 1993 that killed 10 people, as well as helping organize the kidnapping of Giuseppe Di Matteo, 12, to try to dissuade the boy's father from giving evidence against the mafia. The boy was held for two years, then murdered.

Dubbed by the Italian press as "the last Godfather", Messina Denaro is not believed to have given any information to the police after he was seized outside a private health clinic in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, on Jan. 16.

According to medical records leaked to the Italian media, he underwent surgery for colon cancer in 2020 and 2022 under a false name. A doctor at the Palermo clinic told La Repubblica newspaper that Messina Denaro's health had worsened significantly in the months leading up to his capture.


Biden Administration Poised to Allow Israelis to Travel to US Without Visa

FILE PHOTO: A United Airlines Airbus A319-100 jet takes off from Washington National Airport in Washington, US, August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A United Airlines Airbus A319-100 jet takes off from Washington National Airport in Washington, US, August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
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Biden Administration Poised to Allow Israelis to Travel to US Without Visa

FILE PHOTO: A United Airlines Airbus A319-100 jet takes off from Washington National Airport in Washington, US, August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A United Airlines Airbus A319-100 jet takes off from Washington National Airport in Washington, US, August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

The Biden administration is poised to admit Israel this week into an exclusive club that will allow its citizens to travel to the United States without a US visa despite Washington's ongoing concerns about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinian Americans.

According to The Associated Press, US officials say an announcement of Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program is planned for late in the week, just before the end of the federal budget year on Saturday, which is the deadline for Israel’s admission without having to requalify for eligibility next year.

The Department of Homeland Security administers the program, which currently allows citizens of 40 mostly European and Asian countries to travel to the US for three months without visas.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to make the announcement Thursday, shortly after receiving a recommendation from Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel be admitted, according to five officials familiar with the matter who spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been publicly announced.

Blinken’s recommendation is expected to be delivered no later than Tuesday, the officials said, and the final announcement will come just eight days after President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The State Department had no immediate comment about the visa waiver program. The White House referred questions to the Homeland Security Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.