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Iran Guards Chief Says Netanyahu ICC Warrant 'Political Death' of Israel

Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP
Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP
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Iran Guards Chief Says Netanyahu ICC Warrant 'Political Death' of Israel

Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP
Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami - File/AFP

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Friday described the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former defense minister as the “end and political death” of Israel, in a speech.
“This means the end and political death of the Zionist regime, a regime that today lives in absolute political isolation in the world and its officials can no longer travel to other countries,” Revolutionary Guards chief General Hossein Salami said in the speech aired on state TV.
In the first official reaction by Iran, Salami called the ICC warrant “a welcome move” and a “great victory for the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance movements,” both supported by the Islamic republic, AFP reported.
The court also issued a warrant for the arrest of Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif.
The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant were issued in response to accusations of crimes against humanity and war crimes during Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The ICC’s move theoretically limits the movement of Netanyahu, as any of the court’s 124 national members would be obliged to arrest him on their territory.
The court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan urged the body’s members to act on the warrants, and for non-members to work together in “upholding international law.”

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Istanbul Residents Spend the Night Outdoors after Strong Earthquake, Aftershocks

Locals rest in a public park following an earthquake shock with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Berkman Ulutin/Dia Photo via AP)
Locals rest in a public park following an earthquake shock with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Berkman Ulutin/Dia Photo via AP)
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Istanbul Residents Spend the Night Outdoors after Strong Earthquake, Aftershocks

Locals rest in a public park following an earthquake shock with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Berkman Ulutin/Dia Photo via AP)
Locals rest in a public park following an earthquake shock with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Berkman Ulutin/Dia Photo via AP)

Many Istanbul residents spent the night outdoors, too fearful to return to their homes, following a strong earthquake and over 180 aftershocks.

The magnitude 6.2 quake tremor that struck Wednesday deeply impacted the city of 16 million residents, leaving many inhabitants shaken and wary of a possible more destructive tremor. There were no reports of serious damage but the temblor, the strongest felt in Istanbul in recent years, prompted widespread panic and scores of injuries.

The earthquake had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey, with its epicenter about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Istanbul, in the Sea of Marmara. It was felt in several neighboring provinces.

At least 236 people were treated for injuries they suffered while trying to jump from buildings or for panic attacks. Most of the injuries were in Istanbul, where residents remain on edge because the city is considered at high risk for a major quake.

In fear of a stronger earthquake that could demolish homes, residents sought refuge by sleeping in their cars or setting up tents in parks and other open spaces. Many lit camp fires to keep warm after the temperature dipped, The AP news reported.

Türkiye is crossed by two major fault lines, and earthquakes are frequent.

For many, the memory of a devastating earthquake that struck 11 southern and southeastern provinces two years ago, remains vivid.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023, claimed more than 53,000 lives and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings. Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.

The Turkish disaster and emergency management agency, AFAD, said Wednesday’s earthquake was followed by 184 aftershocks — seven of them of a magnitude 4 or stronger.

Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum stated that authorities had received 378 reports of structural damage in various buildings. At least 12 buildings had been evacuated as a precautionary measure, he said.

Only one building — a derelict, long-abandoned structure in the city’s historic Fatih district — collapsed.

Germany’s GFZ seismological research institute said the earthquake was the strongest in the area in over 25 years and extended the fault zone toward Istanbul.

The institute said the development presented two possibilities: either the region could experience a temporary decrease in seismic activity, or the stress caused by the earthquake could lead to a more destructive tremor.

“The area beneath the Sea of ​​Marmara south of Istanbul is the only area of ​​the entire plate boundary that hasn’t generated a strong earthquake in over 250 years and is therefore overdue for an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.4,” the seismology center said.