Main events on June 20th
- Israel has continued its attacks on Iran, with its military stating that 15 fighter jets and more than 30 weapons were used in its latest wave of strikes.
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired its 17th wave of missiles at Israeli military facilities, including the Nevatim and Hatzerim bases.
- The Iranian foreign minister said Iran would be open to diplomacy and nuclear talks once Israel’s “aggression” stops.
- At a special meeting at the UN Security Council, Israel’s envoy to the UN said the country would not apologise for its attacks across Iran, pledging to continue “until Iran’s nuclear threat is dismantled”.
- US President Donald Trump told reporters that his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was wrong to suggest there is no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon.
- The IAEA reported an acute danger from radiation and chemical substances at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran, which has come under Israeli attacks.
- In Gaza, 82 Palestinians – including dozens of aid seekers – have been killed in Israeli attacks across the besieged enclave, the Health Ministry said.
- The Lebanese News Agency said an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle in the town of Baraachit in the Bint Jbeil district, killing one person and wounding another.
Released Columbia pro-Palestine protester says ‘justice prevailed’
Mahmoud Khalil has been released from US immigration custody after being targeted for deportation in March for his pro-Palestine advocacy.
Speaking outside of the Louisiana facility where he was detained, Khalil told reporters “justice prevailed, but it’s very long overdue”.
“This shouldn’t have taken three months.”
Khalil, a Columbia University student and US permanent resident, was among the first students targeted by the Trump administration for taking part in pro-Palestine protests on US campuses.
The Trump administration has sought to use an obscure immigration law that allows the US Secretary of State to deport any visa holder deemed adverse to US foreign policy.
Despite his release, Khalil continues to face possible deportation, which he is challenging in separate proceedings in US immigration court.
Protesters take part in a rally organised by Jewish activists against the detention Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil in New York City
