Angst over Gaza set aside as Netanyahu’s critics back him over Iran
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Khamenei vows Iran will never surrender, hypersonic missiles target Israel
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 18 Iran would never surrender. Launch came hours after Israel said it had destroyed Iran’s internal security headquarters in Tehran. Israeli military official said Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since June 13. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned against any “additional military interventions” in the Middle East, saying they could have “enormous consequences” for the region and beyond. Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear scientists and military commanders dead and hundreds wounded. It has not issued an updated death toll since then, but says at least 224 people, including military commanders and civilians, have been killed, including at least 20 children. Iran later announced heavier internet restrictions due to “the aggressor’s abuse of the country’s communication network for military purposes”, according to the Fars news agency. It first imposed internet curbs at the outset of the campaign last week.
TEHRAN – Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 18 Iran would never surrender, with the country unleashing hypersonic missiles in a new wave of attacks against Israel on the sixth day of war between the longtime enemies.
The launch came hours after Israel said it had destroyed Iran’s internal security headquarters in Tehran, and as it reported a new wave of attacks targeting missile systems and storage sites in the country’s west.
Ayatollah Khamenei also warned the United States against becoming involved in the conflict, after US President Donald Trump appeared to flirt with the idea in recent days, calling for Tehran’s “unconditional surrender”.
“This nation will never surrender,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a televised address, in which he called Mr Trump’s ultimatum “unacceptable”.
“America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.”
Ayatollah Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show “no mercy” towards Israel’s leaders.
Iran’s state television reported the launch of Fattah hypersonic missiles, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also announced the launch of so-called super-heavy, long-range missiles.
An Israeli military official, who asked not to be named, said on June 18 that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since June 13.
About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier that air force jets had destroyed Iran’s internal security headquarters, as AFP journalists in Tehran reported powerful explosions across the city.
He called the internal security facility “the main arm of repression of the Iranian dictator”.
Meanwhile, a London-based internet watchdog said Iran was in the midst of a “near-total national internet blackout” on June 18 after days of disruptions.
People spending the night in a Tel Aviv underground train station on June 18. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Iran later announced heavier internet restrictions due to “the aggressor’s abuse of the country’s communication network for military purposes”, according to the Fars news agency.
It first imposed internet curbs at the outset of Israel’s campaign last week.
‘Unconditional surrender’
Mr Trump has fuelled speculation about US intervention, saying on June 18 that his patience had “run out” with Iran, but that it was still not too late for talks.
He later said he has not yet made a decision on whether to join Israel in bombing Iran and warned that the country’s current leadership could fall as a result of the war.
A change in Iran’s government “could happen,” he told reporters at the White House.
A day earlier, Mr Trump had boasted that the United States could assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei, but would not do so, “at least not for now”.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned against any “additional military interventions” in the Middle East, saying they could have “enormous consequences” for the region and beyond.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, thanked Mr Trump for his “support in defending Israel’s skies” on June 18, calling him a “great friend” of Israel.
‘Painful losses’
“We are striking the ayatollahs’ regime with tremendous power,” Mr Netanyahu said, in a televised statement.
“We are hitting their nuclear programme, their missiles, their military headquarters, the symbols of their power,” he added, acknowledging Israel had also suffered “painful losses”.
A handout picture showing the trail of a missile fired from Iran to Israel, in the sky over Tehran, on June 18. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Since June 13, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Mr Netanyahu’s office.
Iran said on June 15 that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.
Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons – an ambition Tehran denies.
Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads.
Beyond the deadly strikes, some Iranians have reported shortages in recent days.
Finding fuel has become a challenge, with long car queues waiting hours in front of petrol stations, a 40-year-old Iranian driver told AFP at the Iraqi border crossing of Bashmakh.
“There are shortages of rice, bread, sugar and tea,” he said, asking to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
“People are shocked and distraught, they don’t know what they should do,” said a car dealer in the Iranian city of Bukan who also asked not to be identified by his real name.
Centrifuges hit
Earlier, Israeli strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran’s nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
In another strike on a site in Tehran, “one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested”, the agency added.
Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead.
French President Emmanuel Macron on June 18 urged Israel to end strikes on targets in Iran not linked to nuclear activities or ballistic missiles, his office said.
Foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries since the conflict began.
But some Israelis stranded abroad chose to return home on special flights.
“I decided to come back because the family is here, and I belong here, and unfortunately we get used to these fights and war, but we prefer to be here, to support as much as we can,” said Yaakov Bogen, a 66-year-old hotelier. AFP
Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Israel’s Haifa-based Bazan group says all refinery facilities shut down after Iranian attack
Israel’s Haifa-based Bazan Group said all refinery facilities have been shut down. The group said the Iranian attack resulted in the death of three company employees.
June 16 (Reuters) – Israel’s Haifa-based Bazan Group said all refinery facilities have been shut down after a power station used to produce steam and electricity were significantly damaged in an attack by Iran, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.
The group said the Iranian attack resulted in the death of three company employees.
Sign up here.
The refinery is located in Haifa Bay, according to Israeli media.
Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Chris Reese
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
Angst over Gaza set aside as Netanyahu’s critics back him over Iran
Angst over Gaza set aside as Netanyahu’s critics back him over Iran. Most Israelis support using force to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, polling shows. In six days and nights of attacks, Israel has killed senior Iranian military leaders and damaged military and nuclear sites. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender and said Israel had made a “huge mistake” in starting the war. The main opposition parties in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday voted against a motion of no confidence in the government. But on Iran, 83% of Jewish Israelis support his decision to attack, according to a poll by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted on Sunday and Monday. The Gaza war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and causing a hunger crisis.
By Emily Rose
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel’s military assault on Iran has united much of the nation after a period of bitter divisions over the war in Gaza, transforming the political landscape overnight as even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foes close ranks behind him.
Most Israelis support using force to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, polling shows, despite retaliatory Iranian missile strikes that have killed 24 civilians and put normal life on hold.
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
“Netanyahu took a really difficult decision. On the topic of Iran, right now he is doing the right thing,” Avigdor Lieberman, a legislator and hawkish former defence minister who fell out with Netanyahu and quit his government in 2018, told Reuters.
Netanyahu would ultimately be judged on whether Israel succeeded at removing Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, but for now things were going well, he said.
On a different section of the political spectrum, centrist former defence minister Benny Gantz, who walked out of Netanyahu’s war cabinet a year ago over disagreements about Gaza, was similarly supportive.
“On the Iranian issue, there is no right or left. There is right or wrong. And we are right,” he told broadcaster CNN.
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
Israel says Iran seeks to build nuclear weapons that could hit its territory, which Tehran has always denied. In six days and nights of attacks, Israel has killed senior Iranian military leaders and damaged military and nuclear sites, as well as killing at least 224 civilians, according to an Iranian toll.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender and said Israel had made a “huge mistake” in starting the war.
NORMAL POLITICS SUSPENDED
But in Israel, support for Netanyahu’s decision to attack was paying political dividends for him. The main opposition parties in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday voted against a motion of no confidence in the government.
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
Just a week ago, and only 24 hours before the first strikes on Iran, those same parties voted for the Knesset to dissolve itself, which had it succeeded would have been a first step towards early elections that polls suggest Netanyahu would lose.
“There are those who say Netanyahu chose this time to attack because of the political situation but that doesn’t interest me. I think this is the right decision,” said Meirav Cohen, a member of the Knesset from the centrist Yesh Atid party, which leads the official opposition in the chamber.
Netanyahu’s political rivals and a large proportion of the public accuse him of prolonging the war in Gaza to stay in office and avoid a corruption trial, to the detriment of the hostages still held by Hamas and of Israel’s moral standing.
The Gaza war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the security failures that allowed it to happen.
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and causing a hunger crisis.
Netanyahu has been unpopular throughout the war, and polls suggest he would not be able to put together a ruling coalition if elections were held now.
GREAT SURVIVOR
But on Iran, 83% of Jewish Israelis support his decision to attack, according to a poll by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted on Sunday and Monday.
“In contrast to the ongoing war in Gaza, which is perceived by many of us as a cynical move designed to serve political purposes, the Iranian story is far above any dispute,” wrote columnist Ben Caspit, a fierce Netanyahu critic, in the newspaper Ma’ariv.
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
Netanyahu, often called the great survivor of Israeli politics after bouncing back from numerous crises and ruthlessly crushing a long list of adversaries, seems to be in an equally conciliatory mood.
Appearing on Tuesday night on Channel 14, a television station that strongly supports him, he was asked about longtime critics now lauding him over Iran.
“I don’t view it as personal. They are rising to the occasion. There really is such a thing. I wouldn’t be cynical about it,” he said. “This is not a political matter. It is an existential matter.”
However, the Hebrew University poll revealed a profound fault line between Israel’s Jewish majority and its Arab minority, who make up about 20% of the population. Only 12% of them support the assault on Iran.
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
Aida Touma-Suleiman, an Arab member of the Knesset from the left-wing Hadash party, told Reuters the Iran operation was aggressive and reckless.
“We think this is another disaster that is being inflicted on two people, the Iranian people and the Israeli people,” she said.
(Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell, Maayan Lubell and Crispian Balmer; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Houthi official says group will intervene to support Iran against Israel
A member of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said the group will intervene to support Iran against Israel. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti also reiterated to Al Jazeera Mubasher TV that the group is coordinating with Tehran during its ongoing military escalation with Israel.
CAIRO, June 17 (Reuters) – A member of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Al Jazeera Mubasher TV on Tuesday that the group will intervene to support Iran against Israel like it did in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement’s political bureau, also reiterated to Al Jazeera Mubasher TV that the group is coordinating with Tehran during its ongoing military escalation with Israel.
Sign up here.
The Houthis, which have been launching attacks against Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza, said on Sunday that they targeted Israel in coordination with Iran, the first time an Iran-aligned group has publicly announced joint cooperation on attacks with Tehran.
Reporting by Jaidaa Taha and Menna Alaa El Din; Editing by Leslie Adler
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
Israel-Iran War Updates: Ships advised to keep their distance from Iran around Hormuz Strait
Israel-Iran War Updates: Ships advised to keep their distance from Iran around Hormuz Strait. Iran has blamed the US for backing Israeli military actions. The Middle East now teeters on the brink of broader war, as both sides escalate their moves.
By CNBCTV18.COM | Jun 18, 2025 11:32 PM IST (Updated)
Israel Iran War Updates: The Iran-Israel conflict has entered its sixth day, with Tehran signalling interest in dialogue through Arab intermediaries. Amid rising tensions, Iran has blamed the US for backing Israeli military actions, while Israel continues targeting Iran-aligned forces across the region. The Middle East now teeters on the brink of broader war, as both sides escalate their moves. Stay tuned here for all the latest updates on the ongoing Israel-Iran ongoing conflict.
Israel Iran War Updates: The Iran-Israel conflict has entered its sixth day, with Tehran signalling interest in dialogue through Arab intermediaries. Amid rising tensions, Iran has blamed the US for backing Israeli military actions, while Israel continues targeting Iran-aligned forces across the region. The Middle East now teeters on the brink of broader war, as both sides escalate their moves.
Stay tuned here for all the latest updates on the ongoing Israel-Iran ongoing conflict.