Israel declares ‘offensive campaign against Hezbollah’
The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, made the announcement in a meeting after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, according to the country’s military.
“We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah,” he was quoted as saying.
This comes as Lebanese authorities said that Israeli air attacks on the country have so far killed at least 31 people and wounded 149 others.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a statement condemning Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
“We condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory and warn that using Lebanon as a platform to support wars that do not concern us will once again put our country at risk,” President Aoun said.
He also condemned strikes on Israel launched from Lebanese territory by the Lebanese radical movement Hezbollah, noting that they undermine the government’s efforts to “keep Lebanon away from dangerous military clashes.”
Only one in four Americans approves ?of the ?US strikes that killed Iran’s leader while about half – including one ?in four Republicans – believe President Donald Trump is too willing to use military ?force.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, about 27 percent of respondents said they approved of the strikes, while 43 percent disapproved, and ?29 percent were not sure.
Some 56 percent of Americans surveyed said they think Trump, who also ordered strikes on Venezuela, ?Syria, and Nigeria in recent months, is too willing to use military force to advance US interests.
The vast ?majority of Democrats – 87 percent – held this view, as did ?23 percent of Republicans and 60 percent? of people who don’t identify with either political party.
The poll, which began on Saturday after the strikes ?got underway, gathered responses online from 1,282 US adults nationwide. It had a margin of ?error ?of three percentage points.
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Trump says he has agreed to talk to new Iranian leaders
The US president says the country’s new leadership wants to talk with his administration and that he plans to do so, according to an interview with The Atlantic magazine.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he was quoted as saying by the magazine.
“They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” he also said.
He did not comment on when the conversation will happen when asked, according to The Atlantic.
President Donald Trump says 48 Iranian leaders have been killed in the ongoing US-Israeli bombardments of the country.
“Nobody can believe the success we’re having; 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly,” Trump was quoted as saying in an interview with Fox News.
“We’re doing our job not just for us but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule,” Trump was quoted as saying in a separate interview with CNBC. “Things are evolving in a very positive way right now, a very positive way.”
The interviews were conducted before the US military for the first time announced casualties in the war: three unidentified service members killed, five seriously wounded and several others lightly injured.
16:50
Here’s the latest on how many people have been killed in the Middle East since joint US-Israel attacks on Iran were launched on Saturday, AzerNEWS reports via Al-Jazeera:
Ship struck by ‘unknown projectile’ near Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO says
A ship near the Strait of Hormuz has been struck by an “unknown projectile”, the UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) says.
A vessel north of Oman and east of the strait has been struck by an unknown projectile above the waterline, it said.
“Although the engine room was originally reported as on fire it has now been reported that the fire is under control,” read the statement published on X, adding that authorities are investigating.
It is the second incident the ?agency reports today after reporting ?an incident off Oman’s Kumzar in the Strait ?of Hormuz.
14:40
UKMTO warns of ‘significant military activity’ around Strait of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it is aware of “significant military activity” in the “Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz”.
In its latest advisory, it said the maritime security environment in the region remains highly volatile, with ongoing regional military activity
adding to elevated threat to commercial shipping.
“There is significant military presence and activity across the region. Mariners should be aware of the increased risk of miscalculation or misidentification, particularly in proximity to military units and other sensitive maritime facilities and infrastructure,” it said.
“Claims regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to circulate via open source reporting and VHF communications. No official closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been formally communicated to the maritime industry through recognised maritime safety channels,” UKMTO added, noting that “VHF communications indicating transit restrictions do not constitute a legally recognised suspension of transit passage under international maritime law”.
UKMTO also warmed there were threats beyond the Strait of Hormuz, including in areas such as the Bab al Mandab, where, it said, tensions remain “elevated”.
14:30
Alireza Arafi appointed to Iran’s leadership council
?Alireza ?Arafi, a religious leader on the Guardian Council, has been appointed to ?Iran’s leadership council, the body tasked with fulfilling the ?supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts elects a new leader.
?Arafi will be ?part of the ?temporary leadership council alongside President Pezeshkian ?and Supreme Court Chief Justice Mohseni-Ejei.
Arafi, a 67-year-old cleric and member of the Guardian Council — the body responsible for vetting candidates for the leadership — was confirmed to this temporary role by the Expediency Council. He joins two other high-ranking officials on the council:
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei: The hardline Judiciary Chief.
Masoud Pezeshkian: The President of Iran.
While these three hold the formal keys to governance, the true balance of power remains uncertain. Analysts are closely watching the IRGC and security veteran Ali Larijani, both of whom are expected to exert considerable influence over the transition process.
Chaos Within the IRGC
The military establishment is currently grappling with a leadership vacuum. The Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC has reportedly been assassinated — the second such high-profile killing in less than a year.
Key updates on the IRGC succession:
No formal successor has been named to lead the elite military and economic powerhouse.
Ahmad Vahidi, the current deputy chief appointed by Khamenei just two months ago, is being surfaced by IRGC-linked media as the primary candidate for the role.
Note: The dual pressure of a leadership transition and the decapitation of the IRGC’s top brass marks one of the most volatile periods in the Islamic Republic’s recent history.
14:10
Pezeshkian says US, Israeli attacks an ‘open declaration of war against Muslims’
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was an “open declaration of war against Muslims”, particularly Shia.
“This tragic event is the greatest trial facing the Islamic world today,” he said in a written message offering condolences over the killing of the leader.
IEA monitoring events in the region and potential impact on markets
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is “actively” monitoring events in the Middle East and the potential implications for global energy markets and trade flows, its director general Fatih Birol has said on X.
“Markets have been well supplied to date,” Birol said, adding that he is in contact with ministers from major producers in the region.
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Iran confirms killing of defence minister, army chief of staff
The official IRNA agency says the Iranian army’s chief of staff, Abdul Rahim Mousavi, and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh were killed in the US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday.
As we’ve been reporting, Iran has also confirmed the killing of Khamenei and his security adviser, Ali Shamkhani, as well as IRGC commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour.
IRNA said more commanders of the armed forces were also killed and that their names will be announced later.
10:22
Iran to form temporary leadership council today, Larijani says
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, says the country will set up interim leadership council today.
It comes as a temporary measure before the successor of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is selected.
10:09
Thousands of mourners have gathered in the historic Iranian city of Isfahan to pay tribute to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A video posted by Iran’s English-language state channel Press TV showed a large crowd of people protesting at the Naqsh-e-Jahan Square.
Earlier on Sunday, the government confirmed the death of Khamenei, following a joint US-Israeli strike in the capital Tehran on Saturday.
Trump warns Iran against hitting ‘very hard today’
Trump has just issued a new statement on his Truth Social media app, warning Iran against hitting back.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever been hit before,” the US president wrote.
“They better not do that, however, because if they do, we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before!”
09:00
Iranian state media have confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed at his office in the Israeli-US attacks on Iran, following earlier reports of his killing by US and Israeli officials.
A 40-day mourning period for the longtime Iranian leader has been announced.
The Sunday confirmation comes after Iran’s Tasnim and Mehr news agencies initially reported that Khamenei remained “steadfast and firm in commanding the field”.
00:15
Reuters and several Israeli media outlets, citing unnamed senior Israeli officials, have reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed.
In response, the head of public relations at the Iranian Supreme Leader’s office dismissed the reports as “psychological warfare” carried out by Iran’s adversaries, according to Iranian state media.
The Tasnim news agency claims that three Israeli “Hermes”-type drones were shot down by Iran’s air defense system near Tabriz, Khomeini, and Ahvaz. According to the report, the drones were neutralized within Iranian airspace.
Tonight, Israel will face a true hell. Let them prepare — they will witness a brutality and vengeance unlike anything they have seen before. We will fulfill our real, genuine promise. Israel will experience a tragedy it has never seen until now.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Forces have placed 128 ballistic missiles on full combat alert at three military sites near Mashhad, Isfahan, and Khorramshahr. Reports indicate that the missiles are being maintained in a ready state to strike U.S. military bases in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar. No precise information is yet available on when a potential fourth wave of strikes might occur, with only various claims and speculations circulating.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reports that sirens are sounding across the country.
The death toll at a girls’ primary school in Minab, southern Iran, has climbed to 40, according to state media reports. Earlier statements from a local governor had put the number of fatalities at 24 following the Israeli strike. Details regarding injuries or the circumstances of the attack remain limited, while emergency responders continue their efforts at the site.
Several leading oil firms and trading companies have temporarily halted the transport of oil and fuel through the Strait of Hormuz following a morning exchange of fire involving Israel, Iran, and the United States.
Iran’s army has reported that a wave of attack drones was launched toward Israel, according to . The military statement described it as the first major drone offensive carried out from Iran against Israel.
Israel’s military says it has hit “hundreds of Iranian military targets,” including missile launchers, during airstrikes on western Iran. The statement added that the Israeli Air Force is actively working to intercept any retaliatory attacks launched by Iran.
Based on satellite images, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s residence in has sustained damage from the strikes, with several buildings reportedly destroyed. His current location is unknown.
