Missiles Hit Near Odesa in Ukraine as New Mariupol Evacuation Bid Planned

Ukraine estimates 20,000 people have been killed in the war so far. Genya SAVILOV AFP
Ukraine estimates 20,000 people have been killed in the war so far. Genya SAVILOV AFP
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Missiles Hit Near Odesa in Ukraine as New Mariupol Evacuation Bid Planned

Ukraine estimates 20,000 people have been killed in the war so far. Genya SAVILOV AFP
Ukraine estimates 20,000 people have been killed in the war so far. Genya SAVILOV AFP

Missiles struck near Ukraine's southern port of Odesa on Sunday with Russia saying it had destroyed an oil refinery used by the Ukrainian military, while attempts to evacuate people from the devastated city of Mariupol were due to continue.

There was little sign of a breakthrough in efforts to negotiate an end to the five-week war, although Russia's chief negotiator said talks were due to resume on Monday.

In Odesa, the city council said "critical infrastructure facilities" were hit by missiles. No casualties were reported.

Russia's defense ministry said strikes by its military destroyed an oil refinery and three fuel storage facilities near Odesa. It said the facilities were used to supply Ukrainian troops near the city of Mykolaiv.

Odesa, on the Black Sea, is the main base for Ukraine's navy. It has been targeted by Russian forces seeking a land corridor to Transdniestria, a Russian-speaking breakaway province of Moldova which hosts Russian troops.

"Smoke is visible in some areas of the city. All relevant systems and structures are working ... No casualties reported," Vladyslav Nazarov, an officer of Ukraine's South Operational Command, said on Telegram.

Dmytro Lunin, governor of the central Poltava region, said the Kremenchug oil refinery, 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Odesa, had been destroyed in a separate rocket attack on Saturday.

Evacuation efforts in Mariupol and nearby Berdyansk, both also on Ukraine's southern shores, were due to continue with a convoy of buses being prepared for the operation with help from the Red Cross.

"Seven buses will try to get closer to Mariupol, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an online video posting.

The ICRC abandoned earlier attempts due to security concerns. Russia blamed the ICRC for the delays.

Mariupol is Russia's main target in Ukraine's southeastern region of Donbas, and tens of thousands of civilians there are trapped with scant access to food and water.

Peace talks

Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said a draft deal was not ready for any meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

On Saturday, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia raised hope for negotiations with Russia, saying enough progress had been made for direct talks between the two.

Medinsky said that while Ukraine was showing more realism by agreeing to be neutral, renouncing nuclear weapons, not joining a military bloc and refusing to host military bases, there had been no progress on other key Russia demands.

"I repeat again and again: Russia's position on Crimea and Donbas remains UNCHANGED," he said on Telegram, adding talks via video-conference would continue on Monday.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has recognized declarations of independence by the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine which rose up against Kyiv's rule.

Bucha Destruction

Ukraine said on Saturday its forces had retaken all areas around Kyiv, claiming complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched its invasion on Feb 24.

Russia has pulled back forces that had threatened Kyiv from the north to regroup for battles in eastern Ukraine.

There was no Russian comment on the claim that the Kyiv region was entirely in Ukrainian hands, which Reuters could not immediately verify.

The mayor of Bucha, a liberated town 37 km (23 miles) northwest of the capital, said 300 residents had been killed during a month-long occupation by the Russian army, and victims were seen in a mass grave and still lying on the streets.

"The bastards!" Vasily, a 66-year-old man said, weeping with rage as he looked at more than a dozen bodies in the road outside his house. "I'm sorry. The tank behind me was shooting. Dogs!"

The Kremlin and the Russian defense ministry in Moscow did not immediately reply to requests for comment when asked on Saturday about the bodies found in Bucha.

Moscow denies targeting civilians and rejects war crimes allegations.

Among those killed near Kyiv was Maksim Levin, a Ukrainian photographer and videographer who was working for a news website and was a long-time contributor to Reuters.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was appalled by atrocities in Bucha and voiced support for the International Criminal Court's inquiry into potential war crimes.

Ukraine's emergencies service said more than 1,500 explosives had been found in one day during a search of the village of Dmytrivka, west of the capital.

Zelenskiy warned in a video address: "They are mining all this territory. Houses are mined, equipment is mined, even the bodies of dead people." He did not cite evidence.

Russia's defense ministry did not reply to a request for comment on the allegations about mines. Reuters could not independently verify them.

Since the launch of what Putin called a "special military operation" to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine, Russia has failed to capture a single major city and has instead laid siege to urban areas, uprooting a quarter of the country's population.

British military intelligence said Russian naval forces were maintaining a blockade along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, but the option of amphibious landings were becoming increasingly high-risk for Russia.

It said reported mines, the origin of which remained unclear and disputed, posed a serious risk to shipping in the Black Sea.



‘Ending Soon’: Netanyahu Shifts Iran War Goals

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference (Reuters)
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‘Ending Soon’: Netanyahu Shifts Iran War Goals

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is gradually scaling back his sweeping ambition to end the war with Iran by toppling its regime, bringing his rhetoric closer to that of US President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu now speaks of “achieving tremendous gains” through three objectives: curbing Iran’s nuclear program, halting its ballistic missile program, and creating conditions that would allow the Iranian people to take control of their own future.

He acknowledged that overthrowing the Iranian regime from the air is not possible, drawing criticism from Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, who accused him of manipulating public sentiment.

Lapid noted that, only weeks ago, Netanyahu had pledged to completely destroy the nuclear project, the missile industry, and the ability to repair damage, topple the regime, and eliminate Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

“The question is not what Iran can do today, but what it will be able to do tomorrow, at the end of the war or in a year,” Lapid wrote in a post on X.

Netanyahu held a press conference late Thursday into Friday, his second since the start of the Israeli-US war on Iran, addressing international audiences in English and Israelis in Hebrew.

His appearance seemed aimed at responding to debate in the United States and its echoes in Israel, particularly accusations that he had drawn Trump into the war and was now pushing to expand and prolong it.

War paradoxes

As Netanyahu spoke of dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, Iranian missiles were falling on Jerusalem, oil refineries in Haifa, as well as Ashdod and the Galilee.

The prevailing impression in Israel is that Netanyahu convened the conference to counter accusations that he had succeeded in drawing Trump into a war with Iran, similar to the 2018 US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

While Netanyahu may see such accusations as flattering, portraying him as influential in shaping international policy, many in Israel are concerned about their implications for future relations between Tel Aviv and Washington.

Many believe Israel’s critics in Washington, whose numbers are growing and whose rhetoric is sharpening, even within the Republican Party, are using this narrative to fuel hostility toward Israel and antisemitism.

Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field and joint Iranian-Qatari energy facilities has also triggered a crisis in Gulf countries, particularly since such an operation could hardly have taken place without US knowledge.

The strike has raised questions about Washington’s conduct and its potentially hostile implications. While the United States denied prior knowledge, semi-official Israeli sources said the attack was carried out in full coordination with the Americans through a joint war command room.

Netanyahu appeared to defend Trump on both issues.

Netanyahu forcefully rejected claims Thursday that he misled President Trump into a potential conflict with Iran, calling the notion “fake news” and insisting the president made his own decisions based on American interests.

“Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on,” Netanyahu said at a press conference on Thursday, adding that Trump “always makes his decisions based on what he thinks is good for America.”

“I misled no one, and I didn’t have to convince President Trump about the need to prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program, putting it underground, and being able to launch nuclear-tipped missiles at the United States. He understood that,” he added.

Addressing American journalists, Netanyahu cast speculation around how Iran would behave if it acquired nuclear weapons after decades of slogans such as ‘Israel is the lesser Satan and America the greater Satan,’ ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel.’

He then reiterated his accusations against Iran on its overt goal of erasing Western civilization. He said Iran tried to assassinate Trump twice and now it is engaging in blackmail.

On the second issue, Netanyahu said Israel had “acted alone” in striking the South Pars facility before President Trump requested a halt to any further attacks. Netanyahu then said Israel was complying with his request.

His remarks came shortly before Trump confirmed that he had asked the Israeli prime minister not to strike Iran’s energy facilities, and that he agreed.

Who will topple Iran’s regime?

Responding to further questions, Netanyahu said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war, had ordered the resumption of missile and nuclear programs and their burial deep underground.

He added that Israel was targeting the industries enabling the production of such programs, rather than remaining missiles.

After 20 days of war, Netanyahu said he can confirm that Iran has no capability to enrich uranium or produce ballistic missiles.

He added that it was “too early to predict” whether the Iranian people would take advantage of the conditions Israel is trying to create and take to the streets, though he expressed hope that they would, stressing that “it is entirely up to them.”

Netanyahu said he sees “cracks” within Iran’s leadership and on the ground, adding that Israel is working to deepen these divisions.

With the war entering its 20th day, Israel is seeking to intensify these fractures, he said, noting that he does not know exactly who is currently leading the country.

Netanyahu said that what Israel is seeing in Iran is significant tension among rivals for power, avoidance of confrontation, and abandonment of responsibility by many officials, as well as chaos in governance and contradictions in decision-making.

Israel will continue efforts to deepen these divisions “as quickly as possible,” not only within the top leadership but also on the ground, he added.


Pregnant Syrian Mum, 5 Kids Die in Container Fire in Türkiye

A crossing at the Syrian-Turkish borders. (AFP)
A crossing at the Syrian-Turkish borders. (AFP)
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Pregnant Syrian Mum, 5 Kids Die in Container Fire in Türkiye

A crossing at the Syrian-Turkish borders. (AFP)
A crossing at the Syrian-Turkish borders. (AFP)

A pregnant Syrian woman and her five young children died when a fire ripped through containers housing agricultural workers near the southwestern Antalya resort, the governor and media reports said Friday.

DHA news agency said the 27-year-old mother was seven months pregnant, with her husband fighting for his life after the blaze.

The tragedy occurred as Türkiye began celebrating the three-day Bayram holiday to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Antalya Governor Hulusi Sahin said the fire ripped through several containers where greenhouse workers were living in Kepez district, just north of Antalya.

"Three containers caught fire, and we lost a mother and five children aged between four and nine," he told reporters standing in front of the charred remains of a container and a burned-out car.

Five others were injured in the blaze, one of whom had sustained "life-threatening injuries", he said.

DHA said the fire broke out in the northern Gaziler neighborhood at around 1:30 am (2230 GMT on Thursday), with local leader Suleyman Kaplan saying the victims were from a family of Syrian agricultural workers.

"A fire broke out in the middle of the night in a container where Syrians were staying. Unfortunately, five children and their pregnant mother died. The children's father was also injured and is in intensive care," he told DHA.

Anadolu said four of the injured -- one of whom was a two-year-old -- had the same family names as the victims, while the fifth was the business owner.

Although the cause was not immediately clear, Sahin said it appeared someone had been having a barbecue on a burner outside the containers.

"It seems they went to bed without extinguishing it. But for now, we cannot definitively say that's why it happened," he added.

Investigators were looking into the cause of the blaze and had arrested three people, he said.

Kaplan said he and other neighborhood leaders had repeatedly asked the authorities to set up a fire station in the area.

"As a community, we've asked for a fire engine because the fire station is so far away and it takes the fire brigade too long to arrive," he said.

"We urgently need a fire station."


UK FM Warns Iran against 'Directly' Targeting British Bases

UK and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado
UK and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado
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UK FM Warns Iran against 'Directly' Targeting British Bases

UK and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado
UK and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado

Britain's Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper warned her Iranian counterpart in a phone call "against targeting UK bases, territory or interests directly", a foreign office statement said Friday, AFP reported.

The statement was response to one issued by Iran's foreign ministry in which it said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Cooper in the call on Thursday that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

Cooper told Araghchi "the defensive UK operations in the region were a response to the Iranian aggression against Gulf partners", the UK foreign office said, adding: "She made clear that the UK wants to see a swift resolution to this conflict."