Iran says 'no limits' to determination to defend itself after Israeli strikes

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26/10/2024 - 20:46

At least 30 killed in Israeli strikes on northern Gaza, says WAFA news agency

At least 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes on several houses in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya on Saturday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said.

26/10/2024 - 20:41

Netanyahu says Israel chose targets in Iran based on its national interests

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel had chosen the targets it attacked in Iran based on its national interests, not according to what was dictated by the United States.

Netanyahu's office issued the statement in response to what it referred to as a "completely false" local television report that Israel had avoided striking Iranian gas and oil facilities because of US pressure.

"Israel chose in advance the attack targets according to its national interests and not according to American dictates. So it was, and so it will be," his office said.

26/10/2024 - 20:26

Hezbollah urges residents of more than two dozen Israeli 'settlements' to evacuate

Lebanon's Hezbollah warned residents of more than two dozen Israeli "settlements" on Saturday to immediately evacuate, saying they had become legitimate targets because it said Israeli troops were stationed there.

Iran-backed Hezbollah issued its warning in a video

26/10/2024 - 20:24

Israeli president, after Iran strikes, hails US for 'overt and covert' cooperation

Israeli President Isaac Herzog hailed the United States on Saturday as a "true ally" of Israel when it comes to mutual cooperation, in remarks that followed the strikes on Iran.

Applauding Israel's strikes on Iran, Herzog said: "I especially wish to thank our great friend the USA for being a true ally, and for the overt and covert cooperation," he said in a statement without elaborating.

26/10/2024 - 20:07

Israeli military eases some safety restrictions for parts of northern Israel

Israel's military eased some safety restrictions for residents in areas of northern Israel late on Saturday, a possible indication that it does not expect any immediate large-scale attack from Iran or its proxies in the region.

The decision followed a "situational assessment", it said in a statement which made no mention of Israel's bombing of military sites in Iran in the early hours of Saturday, carried out in retaliation for an Iranian attack on Israel this month.

In areas closest to the border with Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah has for months been firing heavy barrages of rockets at Israel, schools can now open, as long as they have bomb shelters close by, the Israeli military said.

In towns a bit further from the border, nearer to the port city of Haifa, gatherings of up to 2,000 people are now permitted, it added.

26/10/2024 - 20:07

Biden says he hopes 'this is the end' following Israeli strikes on Iran

US President Joe Biden said Saturday he hopes "this is the end" after Israeli warplanes struck military bases and missile sites in several Iranian provinces, in retaliation for a missile barrage earlier this month.

"It looks like they didn't hit anything other than military targets," Biden told reporters. "I hope that this is the end."

26/10/2024 - 20:05

Iran's mission to UN says Israeli warplanes attacked Iran from Iraqi airspace

Israeli warplanes attacked Iran from Iraqi airspace, Iran's mission to the UN said on Saturday, blaming the United States for what it called its complicity.

"Iraqi airspace is under the occupation, command and control of the U.S. military. Conclusion: The U.S. complicity in this crime is certain," the Iran UN mission said in a post on X.

26/10/2024 - 20:03

Qatari PM expresses 'grave concern' over possible consequences of Israeli strikes on Iran

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, expressed his country's "grave concern" over possible consequences of Israeli strikes on Iran, the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

26/10/2024 - 19:00

Israeli far-right minister says 'historic obligation' to remove Iran threat

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomed Saturday's strikes against military targets in Iran, but said a "historic obligation" remained to remove the threat posed by Tehran. 

"The attack on Iran is important as an opening blow to damage Iran's strategic assets," Ben Gvir wrote on X, adding: "We have a historic obligation to remove the Iranian threat to destroy Israel".

26/10/2024 - 18:58

Iran's military suggests a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon trumps any retaliation against Israel

Iran’s military issued a carefully worded statement Saturday night suggesting a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon trumps any retaliation against Israel.

While saying it had the right to retaliate, the statement suggested Tehran may be trying to find a way to avoid further escalation after Israel’s attack early Saturday.

Iran’s military added that Israel used so-called “stand-off” missiles over Iraqi airspace to launch its attacks and that the warheads were much lighter in order to travel the distance to the targets they struck in three provinces in Iran.

The statement said Iranian military radar sites had been damaged, but some already were under repair.

26/10/2024 - 18:54

Iran army says only radar systems damaged by Israel strikes

Iran's military said Saturday that only radar systems were damaged in pre-dawn Israeli strikes on Tehran and other provinces.

"Thanks to the timely performance of the country's air defences, the attacks caused limited damage and a few radar systems were damaged," the armed forces general staff said in a statement read out on state television.

26/10/2024 - 18:34

Iran raises the death toll from Israel's attack to four, all from its military air defense

Iran has raised the death toll from Israel's attack to four and said all served in the country’s military air defense.

The state-run IRNA news agency announced the deaths Saturday night. It offered no details on where the four men were stationed in the country.

Israel attacked military targets in Iran with pre-dawn airstrikes in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired on Israel earlier this month. The strikes marked the first time Israel’s military has openly attacked Iran.

26/10/2024 - 17:57

Iranians and Israelis react to Tel Aviv's attack on Tehran

Iranians awoke to the news of Israeli strikes on their country Saturday morning with some expressing fear of a widening conflict in the Middle East while others appeared to be unfazed.

Meanwhile in Israel, residents carried about their daily routine with some expressing their support for the retaliatory attack on Iran.

26/10/2024 - 17:46

Iran says 'no limits' to determination to defend itself

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that Iran was determined to defend itself after Israeli warplanes struck military bases and missile sites in several Iranian provinces, killing two soldiers.

"I think we've shown that our determination to defend ourselves knows no limits," Araghchi said in an interview with the official website of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

26/10/2024 - 17:45

Biden says he hopes Israeli strikes against Iran are the end

President Joe Biden on Saturday said it appeared Israel had only struck military targets in its attack on Iran, and that he hoped they were "the end."

26/10/2024 - 17:32

Hezbollah condemns Israeli strike on Iran as 'dangerous escalation'

Lebanon's Hezbollah warned Saturday of a "dangerous escalation" in the region, saying Washington bears "full responsibility" for the "treacherous" raids on Iran launched by its Israeli ally.

"Hezbollah strongly condemns the treacherous Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and considers it a dangerous escalation at the level of the entire region," Hezbollah said in a statement, adding that the United States "bears full responsibility for the massacres, tragedies and pain" caused by Israel.

26/10/2024 - 17:29

‘Great frustration’ in US over Israel’s actions in MidEast region

There is "great frustration" in the US over Israel’s actions in the Middle East of which the latest was a retaliatory attack on Iran Saturday, said FRANCE 24's Philip Turle.

"All of their efforts so far, don't appear to have come to anything," added Turle, citing diplomatic efforts made by President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and de-escalation in Lebanon the past few weeks.

26/10/2024 - 17:25

Israeli strikes on Iran: ‘Mixed reactions’ among Iranians

There were mixed reactions among Iranians following Israel's strikes on the Islamic Republic early Saturday with some carrying on with their daily routines and others panicking, FRANCE 24's Saeed Azimi said, reporting from Tehran.

"All offices are open, schools are open, international flights will resume tonight from Tehran's international airport", Azimi added.

26/10/2024 - 17:21

Situation in northern Gaza 'catastrophic', says WHO chief

The World Health Organization chief warned Saturday of a disastrous situation in the north of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, with "intensive military operations unfolding around and within healthcare facilities".

"The situation in northern Gaza is catastrophic," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, warning that "a critical shortage of medical supplies, compounded by severely limited access, are depriving people of life saving care".

26/10/2024 - 17:07

UN chief 'deeply alarmed' by escalation after strikes on Iran

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday said he was "deeply alarmed" by the escalation of violence in the Middle East after Israel carried out deadly air strikes in Iran.

Guterres "urgently reiterates his appeal to all parties to cease all military actions, including in Gaza and Lebanon," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, calling for "maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war and return to the path of diplomacy."

Yesterday's key developments:

• Lebanese state media said Friday three journalists were killed in an Israeli air strike overnight in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria.
• The Israeli army said that five soldiers were killed and two others seriously wounded in fighting in southern Lebanon.
• The UN rights chief said the "darkest moment" of the conflict in Gaza was unfolding in the north of the territory, warning that Israel's actions could amount to "atrocity crimes". The World Health Organization said it had lost contact with staff at northern Gaza's last functioning hospital, after the Israeli army said it was operating in the area.
• Lebanon's Transport minister said Friday that Israeli bombing put a second border crossing between the country and Syria out of service -- leaving one official passage between the two nations operational.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, and Reuters)