Israel Says ‘No Interceptor Shortage’ After Reports of Scarcity as Iranian Missiles Injure at Least 8

15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)
15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)
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Israel Says ‘No Interceptor Shortage’ After Reports of Scarcity as Iranian Missiles Injure at Least 8

15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)
15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)

An Israeli military source on Sunday denied media reports that Israel was running low on missile interceptors crucial to its air defenses, adding that the army was "continuously monitoring the situation". 

Citing US officials, news outlet Semafor had reported that Israel had informed the United States that it was "running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors", as the US-Israeli war against Iran entered its third week. 

"As of now, there is no interceptor shortage. The Israeli army is prepared for prolonged combat. We are continuously monitoring the situation," the military source said, in response to media queries. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also dismissed the reports when questioned by journalists earlier on Sunday. 

At least eight people were injured in Israel Sunday following repeated missile launches from Iran, at least two of which contained cluster munitions according to Israeli authorities. 

Israeli police released footage from a CCTV camera in the Tel Aviv area showing an impact on a road, saying that it was from "cluster munitions" that caused "damage at several locations". 

Bomblets and shrapnel from the missile wounded four people in various parts of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, according to the Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue service. 

A man in his 60s was hospitalized with moderate injuries to his head from broken glass, while three were treated due to the shock waves from the blast. 

In another barrage shortly before noon, two men aged 62 and 44 reported minor injuries "from pieces of asphalt that struck them as a result of the blast", according to MDA. 

During a salvo toward the Tel Aviv area at around 3:00 am (0100 GMT), a man and a woman in their 80s suffered light injuries, from glass shards and smoke inhalation respectively. 

Another Iranian missile directed at Israel's southernmost city of Eilat was intercepted before reaching the target, without causing injuries. The municipality of Eilat quoted security sources saying it was a cluster missile. 

By late midday on Sunday, seven missile salvos were launched from Iran toward the State of Israel, some of which were intercepted. 

Saar on Sunday accused Iran of targeting civilian areas, during a visit to the northern Arab Israeli town of Zarzir, hit two days prior by shrapnel from an Iranian missile that lightly wounded almost 60 residents. 

"While we are targeting military objectives... the Iranian regime is targeting civilians," Saar said. 

"All the casualties we faced during these two weeks of confrontation... are civilians from Iranian missiles. This is of course a war crime," he added. 

His words were echoed by police superintendent Shlomi Schlezinger while speaking near the site of one of the impacts on Sunday. 

Iran is "always targeting crowded places, with people, the big major cities," he said in central Tel Aviv. 

He attributed the relatively low number of Israeli casualties to civilians' adherence to safety instructions. 

"We have a lot of collateral damage to cars and buildings, as you can see," he said. 

"We're used to, in the last 16 days, to be in shelters and in safe rooms when we have the alarm." 

According to Haaretz, citing security officials, 250 ballistic missiles had been fired by Iran at Israel as of March 13. 

Twelve people have been killed in Israel by missiles or falling debris since the start of the war, according to an AFP tally of figures given by Israeli authorities and first responders. 



Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Pause Strikes on Russia if Kremlin Spares Critical Infrastructure

15 December 2025, Berlin: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the German-Ukrainian Business Forum. (dpa)
15 December 2025, Berlin: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the German-Ukrainian Business Forum. (dpa)
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Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Pause Strikes on Russia if Kremlin Spares Critical Infrastructure

15 December 2025, Berlin: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the German-Ukrainian Business Forum. (dpa)
15 December 2025, Berlin: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the German-Ukrainian Business Forum. (dpa)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine is ready to halt its strikes on Russian territory if allies can secure a genuine Russian commitment not to hit Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

His comments came after US President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that Russia and Ukraine had agreed “not to hit” each other’s energy infrastructure, though Trump did not offer further details on the purported agreement.

Russia did not immediately comment on Trump's claim. Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Trump did not offer further details about the agreement but it comes a day after the US president called on Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, claiming the attacks are causing a global shortage. Diesel prices have surged in the US, and high fuel costs associated with the Iran war have become a major issue for Trump’s party in upcoming congressional elections.

He also claimed that the rise in the price of global diesel fuel “is mostly caused by the Russian/Ukraine war” and not Iran. But restricted shipments caused by the slowdown of oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz and damaged refining systems in Russia are causing strains in the energy market.

In his post, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has proposed that partners help secure an agreement with Russia for a ceasefire. It's not the first time Kyiv has floated the idea.

“Every day, Ukrainian energy facilities, port infrastructure, logistics, even food and pharmaceutical warehouses become targets,” he said. “The war must be ended. And a de-escalation step regarding critical infrastructure could be a first step toward peace.”

Zelenskyy said he “expects concrete proposals from our partners.”

Trump on Sunday called on Zelenskyy to stop the strikes. Afterward, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any call on Kyiv to stop strikes on civilian economic infrastructure "can only be welcomed.”

NATO chief Rutte vows more support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Monday that Russian drone strikes near the Ukraine-Poland border — one of which hit a train shortly after senior visiting officials had passed through the same station — would drive the military alliance to increase its support for Kyiv, calling Sunday's attacks a sign of Moscow's growing desperation.

The strikes “close to NATO territory” show Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror,” Rutte said at NATO’s political headquarters in Brussels. “Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine.”

Rutte pledged to increase support for Ukraine and bolster the 32-nation alliance’s own defenses along its long eastern border with Russia.

“He thinks that he can stop us from supporting Ukraine and that he can undermine our unity. He is wrong,” the NATO chief said of Putin.

Sunday’s strikes near the Polish border are the latest in a string of incidents that officials say point to a deliberate pattern of escalation by Putin, as Moscow tests NATO’s response while pressing its offensive in Ukraine.

Poland and Ukraine increase security cooperation

Rutte's comments came as Poland pledged increased security along its border with Ukraine after a wave of Russian drone strikes near the frontier, including two that landed within kilometers of Polish territory.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned Sunday that Moscow appears poised to intensify its campaign against Ukraine’s borders with European countries. Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Russia’s intensifying air campaign that uses ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to pierce defenses.

“These coming weeks and months will be a time of very intensified actions on the Russian side, and unfortunately we cannot rule out that this escalation will also affect our territory,” Tusk said Sunday after a governmental security briefing in Warsaw. He issued a similar warning on Thursday.

Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Monday in a post on X that the Polish army recovered what was believed to be a Russian military drone from the Baltic Sea near the coastal village of Jaroslawiec.

Polish officials said intelligence reports, including a CIA briefing last week, suggested Russia was likely to attack border points and intensify sabotage actions inside European countries as part of its efforts to discourage partners from supporting Ukraine.

Kremlin says Russia will continue strikes throughout Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked Monday about the strike on the train near the Polish border, said Russian forces were operating “across the entire territory of Ukraine and continue to do so — and will continue to do so.”

Peskov noted the potential role of Global South nations in a settlement, saying “any country can use its influence on the Kyiv regime to encourage it to show greater flexibility.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi each expressed willingness to help broker a settlement during recent meetings with Putin, who briefed them on the situation in Ukraine, Peskov said.

Peskov also addressed Trump's call for Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian diesel fuel facilities, saying “any call on the Kyiv regime to stop strikes on civilian economic infrastructure can only be welcomed.”


Australian Far-Right Leader Sorry Over ‘Primitive’ Indigenous Comments

Australian Senator and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson reacts as a banner appeared during her address to the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Australian Senator and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson reacts as a banner appeared during her address to the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)
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Australian Far-Right Leader Sorry Over ‘Primitive’ Indigenous Comments

Australian Senator and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson reacts as a banner appeared during her address to the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Australian Senator and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson reacts as a banner appeared during her address to the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, June 17, 2026. (Reuters)

Australian far-right leader Pauline Hanson offered a rare but qualified apology on Tuesday after she described the country's Indigenous people as "primitive".

For years a political outsider, Hanson's One Nation has surged this year to become one of Australia's most popular parties, according to opinion polls.

Long known for racist and inflammatory statements about minorities, Hanson drew outrage from across the political spectrum on Monday for describing Indigenous Australians as the "most primitive race on Earth".

She told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday that "if I've offended people by using that, then I will apologize for that".

The senator for Queensland said in a separate interview with News24 that she was "not the most eloquent speaker".

"I've always put my foot in my mouth in the way I come out and say things," she said.

"I regret saying that because I don't want to upset people. That wasn't my intention to hurt people."

Indigenous Australians, whose ancestors have lived on the continent for more than 60,000 years, have average life expectancies about eight years shorter than the rest of the population.

Several factors contribute to the disparity, with chronic health issues, higher poverty rates, more limited access to healthcare in some communities and complex socio-economic causes often blamed.

Indigenous people are also far more likely to be incarcerated or die in custody than other Australians.

Hanson also said on Tuesday she was sorry if she had offended Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with recent comments in which she disparaged the leader's late mother for living in public housing.

Albanese condemned the "mean and nasty" remarks, which sparked calls from an opposition lawmaker to "leave mums out of it".

Hanson's long history of provocative comments appears to have done little to dent her popularity.

An opinion poll conducted by Resolve Strategic on behalf of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers released on Sunday showed 27 percent of Australians would vote for Hanson's party -- one percentage point behind the ruling Labor Party.


China Imposes Travel Curbs to Protect ‘National Security’

A person rides a bike on a street in Beijing, China, 15 September 2026. (EPA)
A person rides a bike on a street in Beijing, China, 15 September 2026. (EPA)
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China Imposes Travel Curbs to Protect ‘National Security’

A person rides a bike on a street in Beijing, China, 15 September 2026. (EPA)
A person rides a bike on a street in Beijing, China, 15 September 2026. (EPA)

China imposed sweeping travel restrictions on its citizens on Tuesday, including exit bans on those deemed to endanger the country's "industrial or technological security".

Citizens who violate technology import and export regulations could be banned from leaving China, the State Council said.

Those who engage in illegal activities abroad could be "prohibited from leaving the country for a period of six months to three years from the date of their return to China".

China and the United States have been locked in a tech race, with both sides accusing the other in recent months of stealing the capabilities of locally developed artificial intelligence models.

The new rules, first released in July but in effect from Tuesday, were formulated to "safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests", the State Council said.

However, analysts warn that the travel rules give China a "wide remit".

Security and criminal activities "can be vaguely defined and easily adjusted", Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore told AFP.

"The outside world will only know how it applies that remit after there are cases of implementation," he said.

Chong pointed to reports of exit bans on foreign nationals, including the recent case of US citizen Min Zin.

The US government has said the political analyst was taken into Chinese custody in Yunnan province on June 3 and was held improperly.

China refuted the accusations in August, saying Min Zin was suspected of violating Chinese law.

"The case of Min Zin is a reminder that the range of people (that China) could restrict from exiting could be quite wide -- and potentially arbitrary," Chong said.

Dylan Loh, an associate professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, told AFP the travel restrictions "send a message" that China will take action to prevent "leaks in security or national interest-sensitive areas".