UN conference on Palestinian statehood postponed after Israeli strikes on Iran

A United Nations conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia aiming to set out a roadmap for recognising the state of Palestine has been postponed following Israel’s strikes on Iran, two sources told Reuters.

The high-level meeting had been scheduled to take place in New York between June 17 and 20 and was intended to bring together international delegations to discuss Palestine’s future and bring to an end the genocide in Gaza.

A Western diplomatic source in Riyadh said the conference would be delayed, citing the Israeli strikes as one of the reasons.

Another source familiar with the matter claimed some delegations from the Middle East were unable or unwilling to attend due to the regional developments.

And there you have the reason for why now...

Missile launched at Israel from Yemen

The Israeli military said in a statement it was working on intercepting a missile launched from Yemen towards Israel, as air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem.

Iran has to inflict significant costs on Israel to deter future attacks, academic says

Iran will feel that it has to hit Israel hard to deter future attacks and its targets will likely go well beyond military sites, Foad Izadi, professor of international relations at Tehran University, has told Al Jazeera.

“When Iran’s response comes, it will include heavy-duty ballistic missiles targeting Tel Aviv – not only military bases but other places,” he said, speaking from the Iranian capital.

“And I think the price has to be high enough to make sure that we don’t see a second round of [Israeli] attacks. “Because if the Israelis feel they can attack Iran without cost, they will continue this process and Netanyahu has already said that he’s not done.”

Explosions reported at Fordow nuclear site

Iran’s Fars News Agency is reporting that two explosions have been heard near the Fordow nuclear site. The site at Fordow is dug into the mountains to protect it from potential attacks.

Air defences active in Tehran

Our colleagues in Tehran are reporting that Iran’s air defence systems are countering an attack on the capital.

Houthi official says Yemeni group ‘will not abandon’ Iran

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti suggests that the Houthis, who have been carrying out missile and drone strikes against Israel, will respond to the Israeli attacks on Iran.

“As we did not abandon Palestine or Lebanon, we will not abandon Iran or any Muslim nation facing Israeli aggression,” al-Bukhaiti said in a statement.

Israeli military says missile launched from Yemen falls on Hebron

The Israeli military says the missile has fallen inside the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, adding that no interceptors were involved. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, quoting local medics, is reporting that three Palestinian children were wounded.

Internet blackout in Gaza impeding work of emergency services

As Israel attacks Iran, it has maintained its ferocious assault on the Gaza Strip – killing at least 44 people there so far since dawn today.

Meanwhile, an internet blackout across Gaza due to Israeli attacks is making communications very difficult and is impeding the work of emergency services, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary says.

“Ambulance [crews] are saying they’re facing a lot of obstacles and challenges to know what is happening and where,” she said, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

They say they are not receiving [calls] from Palestinians because of this blackout, so it’s not only preventing Palestinians contacting each other, but it’s also affecting lives being saved.”

She said Israel has been launching intense air attacks in the north of Gaza, especially around Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoon, as well as in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, including in al-Mawasi, an area previously designated by Israel as a “safe zone” that has come under repeated Israeli attack.

Khoudary said that while today’s exact casualty figures are unknown in Gaza, the Strip’s few remaining hospitals and medical facilities are overwhelmed by injured people.

“The Israeli forces also open fire every single morning on Palestinians who try to collect aid from the [Israeli- and US-backed] Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” she said.

“Earlier today, there were a lot of Palestinians killed [at the sites],” she said.

‘It will get worse’: Ex-US official warns of further escalation

A former senior US official involved in previous Iran nuclear talks has warned that Israel’s assault on Iran will destabilise the region further while potentially dismantling the last remaining diplomatic checks on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

“There’s the probability the situation will destabilise, it will get worse,” Alan Eyre, a core member of the US nuclear negotiations team from 2010 to 2015, told Al Jazeera.

Eyre said the Israeli strikes, while tactically effective, are unlikely to achieve their intended goal of neutralising Iran’s nuclear programme in the longer term.

“This is not going to meet Israel’s objective of lessening or eliminating the nuclear threat,” he said. “As to whether Iran decides to go back to the negotiating table, while it’s being bombed … I think from a domestic political perspective it would be hard for Iran to negotiate while it is still under attack from Israel.”

_{A building damaged by an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran}

‘Israel will not go unscathed,’ Khamenei says

Iran’s supreme leader says “Israel will not remain unscathed” and Tehran “will not go for half-measures” when it retaliates against Israel’s attacks. In a televised address to the nation, he said Iran’s armed forces will leave Israel “helpless”.

Israeli military attacked nuclear facility in Isfahan

An Israeli military spokesperson says it has “attacked the nuclear facility in Isfahan today”, Israeli Army Radio reports. The spokesperson said there will be more attempts by Iran to “harm us”.

Macron criticises Iran following Israeli attack

French President Emmanuel Macron says Iran bore a heavy responsibility for destabilisation in the Middle East and that it had pushed ahead with an unjustified nuclear programme, but he also urged restraint after Israel struck Iran.

Macron, speaking at a news conference, said he regretted that Iran had not taken up the overtures by the United States to find a diplomatic solution to its nuclear programme and hoped that these talks could resume.

Yup, France is complicit. Destabilization is all on Israel, the US and Europe.

UN conference on Palestinian statehood postponed, Macron confirms

French President Emmanuel Macron said a United Nations conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians has been postponed after Israel’s attack on Iran.

Macron told reporters that the conference, which had been planned for June 17-20, had been postponed for logistical reasons as members of the Palestinian Authority could not travel to New York and that it would be rescheduled as soon as possible.

How convenient for Macron...

France would help defend Israel if attacked by Iran, says Macron

France’s President Emmanuel Macron says that France would take part in the defence of Israel in the event of an Iranian attack.

Speaking at a news conference after Israel launched attacks, Macron also ruled out French participation in operations targeting Iran and said that France did not recommend attacking Iran’s nuclear sites, saying there was still a “diplomatic route” to resolve the issue.

He added that France’s support for Israel was not unconditional or without limits.

Macron indicated that the information France had on the Iranian nuclear programme was concerning, adding that the programme was close to a critical stage.

Israel seals off the occupied West Bank

Israel has closed all checkpoints to the Israeli-occupied West Bank as the country attacked Iran, a military official told The Associated Press. The move sealed off entry and exit to the territory, meaning that Palestinians could not leave without special coordination.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military recommendations.

Around 3 million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank under Israeli military rule. With the world’s attention focused on Gaza, Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank have grown in size, frequency and intensity.

The crackdown has also left tens of thousands of Palestinians unemployed, as they can no longer work the mostly menial jobs in Israel that paid higher wages.

‘Soon in Tehran’: Israeli minister poses with son of late Iranian monarch

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli has shared a photo with Reza Pahlavi, an Iranian opposition leader and the country’s former crown prince.

Iranian monarchists – who are deeply aligned with Israel – see Pahlavi as the rightful heir to the throne of his father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose brutal rule was overthrown by the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which led to the establishment of the current Iranian government.

“Soon in Tehran,” Chikli wrote in a social media post that showed him shaking Pahlavi’s hand.

Israel says it detected missiles launched from Iran

The military says Israelis must remain in protected areas after it detected missiles launched from Iran.

“Exiting the protected area will be permitted only after receiving explicit instructions,” the military said in a statement.

Sirens blare across Israel

Several Israeli media outlets report that sirens are sounding across the country amid an incoming Iranian missile attack.

‘Crushing’ Iranian response began, says official news agency

IRNA says Iran has started what it called a “crushing” retaliation against the Israeli attacks.

“A few minutes ago, the decisive response to the Zionist Regime’s brutal attack began with the firing of hundreds of ballistic missiles at the occupied territories,” it said.


_{Israeli Iron Dome air defence system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel}

Iran vows decisive response to Israel’s ‘hit and run’ attacks

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said in a statement that Israel initiated a war and said it will not be allowed to do “hit and run” attacks without grave consequences.

“The Zionist regime [Israel] will not remain unscathed from the consequences of its crime. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured,” Khamenei said in a statement.

‘Our revenge will be painful’: Iranian senior official

An Iranian senior official has told Reuters that “nowhere in Israel will be safe, our revenge will be painful”. The official is reported to have told the news agency that Israel “will pay a high price for killing our commanders, scientists and people”.

IRGC says Iranian response targeted Israeli military bases

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says Iranian forces “carried out its crushing and precise response against dozens of targets, military centres and airbases” in Israel at the command of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran launches second wave of attacks towards Israel: Report

We have been reporting on Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel. State news agency IRNA is now saying reports indicate a second wave of Iranian attacks towards Israel.

In a separate update, IRNA said two Israeli jets were downed in Iranian airspace.

Emergency services report five ‘active scenes’ in Tel Aviv: Report

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing the emergency services in Israel, reports that at least one person has been wounded in an Iranian missile attack.


_{Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv}

Israel says ‘another volley’ of Iranian missiles launched

The Israeli military says Iran is continuing to fire missiles at Israel.

“Another volley of dozens of missiles was launched towards the State of Israel,” it said in a statement. “The explosions you hear are from interceptions or crashes. The air defence system constantly identifies and intercepts threats.”

Fire reported near Israel’s Defence Ministry: Media

There are a number of unconfirmed reports appearing in Israeli media following Iran’s retaliatory attacks. Israel’s Channel 13 reports a fire near Israel’s Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, while Israel Hayom reports that rockets fell across seven areas in central Israel.

Footage emerges from site of impact in Tel Aviv

A modern apartment block has been hit in central Tel Aviv, and according to live footage from the scene, fires still appear to be raging inside some of the apartments, with smoke billowing from the building.

Another residential building, next to the apartment block, also appears to have suffered significant damage, with windows blown out and pieces of twisted metal hanging from its exterior.

Emergency services are at the site, and the streets around the building appear to be cordoned off from the public,c who have been instructed to remain in shelters.

Iranian media reports ‘massive explosion’ in central city of Isfahan

A “massive explosion” was heard in Isfahan, a major city in central Iran, in a province that is home to several nuclear facilities, Mehr news agency said.

“A few minutes ago, a massive explosion was heard in Isfahan,” said Mehr, without immediately elaborating.

As we reported earlier, an Israeli military spokesperson said it had “attacked the nuclear facility in Isfahan today”.

Israel denies Israeli pilot captured in Iran

Avichay Adraee, the Arabic spokesperson of the Israeli military, denies repots that Iran has downed an Israeli jet and captured its pilot.

“The Iranian media is lying,” Adraee wrote in a social media post.

Explosions heard in Jerusalem: Report

Multiple explosions have been heard in Jerusalem, the Reuters news agency is reporting.

Iranian missile attacks injure at least 21 people in Israel, ambulance service says

Two seriously injured people were trapped in a building in the greater Tel Aviv area, the Israeli ambulance service added.

_{Security personnel react in Tel Aviv}

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that police are evacuating residents from a Tel Aviv building that was hit in Iran’s retaliatory attacks over concerns it could collapse.


Number of Israelis injured rises: Report

We now have more for you on Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel. At least 40 people have been injured, Israeli media outlet Haaretz is reporting, citing emergency services.

UN meeting under way

An emergency Security Council meeting on Israel’s attacks on Iran is happening now at UN headquarters in New York.

Here we go with the weak statements

UK urges de-escalation at UNSC session amid rising tensions

The United Kingdom’s UN envoy has called for calm as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran.

“We have urged both sides to show restraint and de-escalate tensions. We continue to engage partners across the region to ensure we are collectively doing our utmost to push for a peaceful outcome,” Barbara Woodward added.

She said the UK had spoken at the highest levels to both Israeli and Iranian officials and reaffirmed its commitment to preventing further conflict.

“The UK, in partnership with the E3, has always championed a diplomatic solution to address Iran’s nuclear escalation, which has no credible civilian justification,” Woodward added.

78 people have been killed in Israel’s attacks on Iran: UN Ambassador

Amir Saeid Iravani says so far, 78 people, including senior military officials, have been killed by Israel’s attacks in Iran, and over 320 others have been injured.

The overwhelming majority of them are civilians, including women and children, he told the ongoing UNSC session.

Israel’s UN envoy says country ‘acted to prevent its destruction’

Danny Danon has framed the deadly Israeli attacks on Iran, which have plunged the Middle East into a dangerous escalation, as a response to years of anti-Israel rhetoric by Iranian leaders.

“This is not only defining moment for Israel, it is a defining moment for the global security order and the credibility of the international system,” the Israeli envoy told the Security Council.

Danon said Israel’s strikes aimed to “dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme” as well as “neutralise the regime’s ability to follow through on its repeated public promise to destroy the State of Israel”.

Iran’s response to Israel will be ‘firm, lawful’ to restore deterrence: Iran’s UN ambassador

Here is a summary of Amir Saeid Iravani’s main points at the UNSC session:

Air defences activated in Tehran to intercept new Israeli attacks, IRNA says

Air defences in Iran’s capital Tehran have been activated to intercept new Israeli strikes, state media IRNA reported a day after Israel initiated a number of attacks on Iran’s nuclear programme and military command.

Netanyahu says ‘more is on the way’

In a video address to the Iranian people, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says the objective of attacks on Iran, which he labelled Operation Rising Lion, was to “thwart the Islamic regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile threat”.

He claimed that in the past 24 hours, Israeli forces have eliminated “top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime’s most significant enrichment facility, and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal”.

“More is on the way. The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them,” he posted on X.

Threat from Iran is part of Israel’s ‘foundational narrative’

Israeli political commentator Ori Goldberg, who is currently in a shelter in Tel Aviv, tells Al Jazeera that even though hundreds of missiles have been launched at Israel, the impact on Israeli civilians will be much less than that felt by Iranians from Israel’s attacks.

He said there is a consensus within Israeli society that Israel’s attack on Iran is justified and the threat from Iran is “part of the foundational narrative” of Israel.

Goldberg said that his opinion is that Israel’s attack on Iran is “pointless” and is being used to distract the world from what is happening in Gaza.

Israeli attacks could push Iran to pursue nuclear weapon

Jim Walsh, a US-based nuclear expert, says he expects back-and-forth firings between Israel and Iran over the next few days.

But the most important thing, he explained, will be if the Iranian authorities decide to pursue a nuclear weapon in response to Israel’s attacks on the country. “For 20 years, they’ve refused to cross that line,” Walsh told Al Jazeera.

“I think there’s strong scholarly evidence – and certainly, if you look at the politics of the moment – to believe that in this attack, Israel will get the exact opposite of what it wanted, which is Iran is going to decide to go for the bomb.”

Walsh said that would spell disaster not just for the Middle East, but for the world.

“What is it that Iran can do? It doesn’t have an air force. It doesn’t have Hezbollah and Syria to launch missiles. It cannot invade … and so all it really has is missiles, and a decision to be able to pursue nuclear weapons – having been forced into this position by the [Israeli] attack,” he said.

That “is just bad news all around, for the region and globally”.

Israel ‘bombing Iranian moderation’

Israel has been dictating, manipulating, deceiving its population about various threats, especially the “Iranian threat”, for as long as I can remember.

Since Netanyahu became deputy foreign minister in the early 1990s, he has been putting Iran on the top of the agenda, sometimes as a deflecting mechanism, but mostly as an existential threat against Israel.

So that has planted a seed of hatred and fear, and disgust among Israelis against the Iranian regime. And hence, when such a [military] campaign is launched, it certainly will have popular appeal in Israel.

The problem with all of this is that there had been – there was and still is – a diplomatic alternative to all of that. There was a nuclear deal.

Just in the last couple of years, the Iranians elected a leader who is so pragmatic, he wanted to sit down with the Americans to cut a deal and lift the sanctions and normalise relations with various countries in the region.

What Israel is doing now is not just simply bombing the Iranian nuclear programme, it’s bombing Iranian moderation.

It's exactly what Netanyahu wants, perpetual war so he can stay in power.