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Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone Tuesday, shortly after the president’s Situation Room briefing on Iran, a White House official told Associated Press. The official did not offer details about their call. Netanyahu told media on Monday that he had spoken with Trump on the phone almost every day since the Israel-Iran conflict broke out last week. What to Know: During his security briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Trump discussed a range of options for dealing with Iran, including a U.S. strike on the country, several administration officials told NBC News.

Several military leaders were spotted leaving the White House after the briefing, along with Special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.

Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric, calling for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and suggesting U.S. military involvement in the conflict.

Israeli officials are pushing for U.S. strikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, but Trump has yet to confirm direct intervention.

Iran launched a new series of strikes of Israel on Tuesday evening, hours after accusing the nation of launching cyberattacks on its digital infrastructure, disrupting banking and online services.

The G7 leaders issued a statement backing Israel but urging de-escalation, while Trump signals he seeks a decisive end to hostilities. Newsweek’s live blog is closed.

07:48 PM EDT Lindsey Graham says Trump will be the US president to finally rid Iran of its nuclear ambitions Sen. Lindsey Graham has said that President Donald Trump will keep his promise to rid Iran of its nuclear program forever. Speaking at the Capitol on Tuesday, the Republican senator, who has been pushing for the U.S. to take a more active role in the Israel-Iran conflict, warned that Iran having a nuclear weapon was not just a threat to Israel, but also to the United States. “Four presidents have promised to make sure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. I think it will be Donald Trump that delivers on that promise,” he told CNN.

07:35 PM EDT Israeli ambassador warns of a ‘war to end wars’ with Iran Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter has warned that Israel’s conflict with Iran will be a “war to end wars.” “This is a war to end wars not to start endless wars,” said Leiter, Tuesday. “We are going to prosecute this war whether the ayatollah survives or not.” The ambassador’s comments came during a discussion about President Donald Trump’s claim earlier Tuesday, that he knows where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is hiding, but that he doesn’t plan to kill him, “at least not for now.”

07:29 PM EDT Israeli Air Force responds with series of strikes on Tehran The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has responded to Iran’s multiple rounds of missile attacks on Tuesday, with its own series of strikes on Tehran, CNN reports.

07:26 PM EDT Defiant Iran leader Khamenei says he will show Israel ‘no mercy’ Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei has announced he will show Israel “no mercy” as Iran launches its second round of missiles within an hour. “We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime,” he said in a Tuesday evening post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will show the Zionists no mercy.” We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime.

We will show the Zionists no mercy. — Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 17, 2025

07:19 PM EDT Iran launches ten ballistic missiles towards Israel, military says Irani military says it launched approximately 10 ballistic missiles toward Israel on Tuesday evening. Most of them were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system. Fire and rescue teams in Israel teams are responding to reports of a direct hit on a residential building in Tel Aviv and multiple fires.

07:17 PM EDT US embassy in Jerusalem closed as Donald Trump weighs attacks on Iran The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will be closed from Wednesday through Friday as President Donald Trump weighs military attacks on Iran.

07:07 PM EDT Israeli military tells residents to brace for second round of missiles Israel’s IDF Home Front Command has warned residents to seek shelter after it detected a second round of Iranian missiles launched towards Tel Aviv within an hour.

06:43 PM EDT Trump spoke with Netanyahu by phone today President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via phone today, a White House official told Politico. Netanyahu told media on Monday that he’d had a call with Trump almost every day since the Israel-Iran conflict broke out last week. The call took place shortly after Trump met with his national security team to discuss potential options on Iran.

06:31 PM EDT IN PICTURES: Israeli Iron Dome air defense system intercepts missiles during Iranian attack over Tel Aviv The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Leo Correa/AP The Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Leo Correa/AP

06:15 PM EDT Son of Iran’s last shah and prominent critic says regime is near collapse Reza Pahlavi, the American-based son of Iran’s last shah, has warned that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime and the Islamic Republic is at the point of collapse. Pahlavi, whose father was overthrown in 1979, called for Iranians to rise up and seize their country in several posts on X. “The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is collapsing. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together we will turn the page of history. “Now is the time to stand up; the time to reclaim Iran. May I be with you soon,” he added. The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is collapsing. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together we will turn the page of history. Now is the time to stand up; the time to reclaim Iran. May I be with you soon. pic.twitter.com/qrbnDmf8SX — Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) June 17, 2025

06:00 PM EDT Donald Trump’s pledge of no new wars runs into reality of Middle East President Donald Trump entered office vowing to bring a swift end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Five months in, foreign conflicts are now threatening to overshadow Trump’s second term as a new war escalates between Israel and Iran and concerns grow that the United States could soon take an active role in fighting Tehran. Trump referred to himself as an anti-war president upon his return to the White House and even argued that his efforts to broker peace around the world deserved a Nobel Peace prize. But the Israel-Iran conflict has highlighted Trump’s challenge in shaping foreign affairs while maintaining political support at home with the isolationist and ascendent MAGA wing of the Republican Party. “Trump has found that making peace is hard,” said Richard Gowan, the UN director of the International Crisis Group. Read in full from Daniel Bush on Newsweek.

05:52 PM EDT Israelis urged to seek shelter as new round of Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, say military Israel’s home front command is urging residents to seek immediate shelter. The IDF home front command said that is has detected a new round of Iranian missile launches aimed at Israel. Meanwhile, air raid sirens rang out across Tel Aviv as explosions were seen overhead.

05:37 PM EDT Trump considering potential strike on Iran, say officials after Situation Room briefing Donald Trump is considering a range of options to dealing with Iran, including a U.S. strike on the country, several administration officials told NBC News after the president’s Situation Room briefing with his national security team. The meeting wrapped earlier this afternoon and several military leaders were spotted leaving the White House a short time later, along with Special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.

05:21 PM EDT WATCH: Trump looking for a ‘real end’ to Iran-Israel conflict

05:14 PM EDT All the signs Trump is preparing for a US attack on Iran As an unprecedented conflict between Israel and Iran dragged on into a fifth day, President Donald Trump has increasingly indicated that he was seriously considering a direct intervention in the fight. And while the Pentagon has thus far maintained that U.S. forces were operating in a purely “defensive posture,” while also assisting Israeli interceptions of Iranian missiles, evidence is mounting that the White House is marching toward military action against the Islamic Republic. Just prior to Israel launching its large-scale campaign on Thursday, Trump had signaled a willingness to continue nuclear negotiations with Iran, the sixth round of which had been scheduled to be held in Oman last Sunday. Even after the initial Israeli strikes began, Trump called on Tehran to double down on efforts to reach an agreement. As of Monday, however, Trump has adopted a notably more ominous tone. Shortly before his abrupt exit from the G7 meeting being held in Canada, he called on residents of Tehran, home to nearly 10 million people, to immediately evacuate, and later met with top national security officials at the White House Situation Room. Read in full from Tom O’Connor on Newsweek.

05:07 PM EDT Iranian state TV warns of ‘a surprise tonight that the world will remember’ Iranian state TV has warned of “a surprise tonight that the world will remember for centuries.” The warning comes as President Donald Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as tensions rapidly escalate in the Israel-Iran conflict. JUST IN – Iranian TV: There is a surprise tonight that the world will remember for centuries pic.twitter.com/rO4sv7MKoV — Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 17, 2025

04:50 PM EDT Democrat senator says ‘hell yes’ to US involvement on Iran Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says he support the U.S. getting involved in the Israel-Iran war. “I’ve been saying, ‘Oh, hell yes,’ for I think it’s almost six weeks,” Fetterman said when asked about America launching a pre-emptive strike on Iran. “Bombing and destroying their nuclear facilities, that’s about peace,” he added. Fetterman also rejected the resolution put forward by Sen. Tim Kaine to limit Trump’s war powers.

04:35 PM EDT WATCH: Trump says Canada can be under ‘Golden Dome’ for $71 billion

04:29 PM EDT Lindsey Graham takes a swipe at Marjorie Taylor Greene over Iran Sen. Lindsey Graham has taken aim at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after she accused Republicans of “slobbering” over the idea of the U.S. entering Israel’s war with Iran. “Yeah, I mean, I like Marjorie, but I’d be honest with it, she doesn’t understand the threat in my view,” Graham said on Fox News Tuesday. “If you don’t understand that Iran, a religious theocracy, religious Nazis would use a nuclear weapon to kill all the Jews, you don’t listen to what they say, they’re a threat to us.” Graham praised Trump’s apparent willingness to go to war, and urged the president to join the conflict early and not “overthink” it. “Somebody’s got to deal with it,” the senator added.

04:12 PM EDT Trump’s Situation Room meeting with national security aides has ended President Donald Trump’s Situation Room meeting with national security aides has ended, according to the White House.

04:00 PM EDT MAGA split deepens over Trump’s stance on Israel-Iran conflict A growing divide has emerged among Trump’s MAGA supporters, as some of his most vocal allies push back against his consideration of greater U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war. Figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson, and Charlie Kirk have publicly criticized Trump’s departure from his America First stance, reminding audiences of his 2024 campaign promises to avoid foreign entanglements. Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham and other conservatives argue that Trump should fully back Israel, including providing bunker-busting bombs to target Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump’s abrupt exit from the G7 Summit and his ominous social media warnings have fueled speculation that the U.S. may be deepening its involvement. His recent call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” has further intensified the debate within his base.

03:51 PM EDT Oil prices surge as U.S. weighs deeper involvement in Israel-Iran war Oil prices climbed nearly 5%, surpassing $75 per barrel, as traders reacted to the possibility of U.S. military involvement in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. The surge marks a $10 increase since early June, reflecting heightened concerns over regional stability and potential disruptions to Middle East oil supplies. Market analysts warn that further escalation could increase prices, particularly if tensions threaten key shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil exports.

03:38 PM EDT Israel’s covert operation cripples Iran’s defenses, nuclear sites Israel executed a highly coordinated intelligence and military operation, striking key Iranian targets with precision. The attack, guided by spies and artificial intelligence, involved warplanes and armed drones smuggled into Iran, effectively disabling air defenses and missile systems. With greater aerial freedom, Israel bombarded nuclear sites and eliminated top Iranian generals and scientists. By the time Iran responded, its retaliatory capabilities were significantly weakened, following previous Israeli strikes. The operation, reportedly years in the making, was based on intelligence gathered by Israeli officials, some of whom spoke anonymously about the clandestine mission.

03:25 PM EDT Macron warns against military-driven regime change in Iran French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned against using military force to change Iran’s government, calling it a strategic mistake that could lead to chaos. Speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, Macron referenced past interventions in Iraq and Libya, questioning their effectiveness. While Macron reaffirmed France’s stance that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons and that Israel has the right to defend itself, he criticized Israeli strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure, warning they could further destabilize the region. His remarks come as concerns grow over potential U.S. involvement in the conflict, with Trump signaling a hardline approach toward Iran.

03:07 PM EDT Israel targets ballistic missile sites in Isfahan amid ongoing strikes The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Tuesday evening that its air force is striking 12 ballistic missile launch sites in Isfahan, continuing its broader campaign against Iranian military infrastructure. Since launching airstrikes on Iran, Israel has targeted three key nuclear facilities, including Isfahan, aiming to weaken Iran’s missile capabilities. Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that Tehran’s air defenses were responding to a fresh wave of Israeli attacks in densely populated areas. The IDF released footage claiming to show three missile storage and launch sites struck in Isfahan, though independent verification remains pending. IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin stated that Iranian forces have retreated toward central Iran, shifting their missile launch operations to Isfahan. In a separate statement, the IDF announced that it had destroyed over 70 Iranian aerial defense missile batteries, along with missile launchers and detection radars designed to counter Israeli airstrikes.

03:00 PM EDT ‘President is perfectly within his authority,’ says Thune on Iran Majority Leader of the United States Senate, John Thune, has backed President Trump’s actions on Iran so far, as lawmakers introduced a bipartisan resolution seeking to restrain his war powers. “I think the President is perfectly within his authority in the steps that he has taken,” Thune said Tuesday. “You know, clearly, if this thing were to extend for some period of time, there could be a more fulsome discussion about what the role of Congress should be.”

02:56 PM EDT DHS establishes Middle East Task Force to help Americans fleeing Israel, Iran The State Department has established a special task force to help Americans trying to flee Israel, Iran and neighboring countries amid the escalating conflict. Run by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the task force is operating 24 hours to provide information to U.S citizens and lawful permanent residents trying to return to America. So far, no government evacuations have been planned. A State Department spokeswoman told reporters on Tuesday that the department is continuing to monitor the “complex and rapidly evolving situation on the ground as we continue to assess and address the needs of US citizens.”

02:38 PM EDT Republican lawmaker introduces resolution to block US involvement in Israel-Iran conflict Republican Congressman, Rep. Thomas Massie, has introduced a bipartisan resolution to block America’s involvement in the rapidly escalating Israel-Iran conflict. The ‘Iran War Powers Resolution’ seeks to limit the powers of President Donald Trump to unilaterally decide to carry out strikes on Iran. “This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,” Massie said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday ahead of the resolution, which is co-sponsored by Democrat Ro Khanna. “I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution,” said Massie, one of the few Republicans to regularly break ranks to oppose Trump. Just IN 🚨: Rep. Thomas Massie officially introduces bipartisan ‘Iran War Powers Resolution’ to prohibit U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.

The resolution would seek to limit ‘War Powers’ President Trump takes, to include strikes to nuclear facilities deep in Iran. pic.twitter.com/ecY6XbtkqJ — Anthony (@AnthonyCabassa_) June 17, 2025

02:30 PM EDT Iran military warns Israelis in Haifa, Tel Aviv to evacuate before ‘punitive operation’ The chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces has warned residents of Israeli cities Haifa and Tel Aviv in Israel to evacuate ahead ahead of what he dubbed Iran’s “punitive operation.” “The operations carried out so far have been a warning for deterrence and a punitive operation will be carried out soon,” Abdolrahim Mousavi said in a clip shared by Iranian state media.

02:14 PM EDT Trump reveals new price tag for Canada to join ‘Golden Dome’ defense system President Donald Trump increased the proposed price for Canada’s participation in the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense system. “They want to be in,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. “Seventy-one billion they’re going to pay.” The new price tag is $10 billion higher than Trump’s earlier public demand for Canadian entry into the program. Newsweek has contacted the White House and Canada’s prime ministerial office via email for comment. Canada’s defense ministry directed questions to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office. Read in full from Ellie Cook on Newsweek.

01:52 PM EDT Russia warns Israel-Iran conflict could spark global crisis Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia cautioned Tuesday that the military exchanges between Israel and Iran pose a risk of wider geopolitical escalation beyond the region. Nebenzia revealed that President Vladimir Putin spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump after Israeli strikes began, offering Moscow’s assistance in facilitating de-escalation. The Russian envoy also expressed concerns about potential radiation leaks from Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, which Israeli attacks have targeted. He warned that threats to strike Iran’s underground Fordo site and other nuclear locations could have severe consequences.

01:23 PM EDT HRANA reports over 450 killed in Iran amid Israel conflict The Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) has reported that 452 people have been killed since Israeli strikes began on Friday, with 646 others injured. According to HRANA, 224 of the dead were civilians, while 109 were military personnel. The remaining casualties have not yet been identified. Iranian authorities have not released official figures on losses since the conflict began. The escalating violence has led to widespread destruction, with Tehran residents fleeing as airstrikes continue.

12:58 PM EDT Iranian state TV urges public to delete WhatsApp over spying claims Iranian state television on Tuesday called on citizens to remove WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging—without evidence—that the app collects user data for Israel. WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, swiftly denied the accusations, stating that its end-to-end encryption prevents any third party from accessing private messages. The company expressed concern that false claims could be used as a pretext to block its services at a critical time. Iran has previously restricted access to foreign apps during periods of unrest, raising concerns that the government may be tightening control over digital communication

12:46 PM EDT Gabbard insists no divide with Trump on Iran nuclear assessment Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard defended her stance on Iran’s nuclear program, insisting there is no contradiction between her earlier testimony and Trump’s recent remarks. Speaking on Capitol Hill, Gabbard said Trump’s claim that Iran is “very close” to obtaining a nuclear weapon aligns with her March threat assessment, despite media reports suggesting a discrepancy. In her March testimony, Gabbard said that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon and that Supreme Leader Khamenei had not reauthorized a nuclear weapons program since suspending it in 2003. However, Trump dismissed concerns over the distinction, asserting that Iran was on the verge of acquiring nuclear capabilities. Pressed on whether she and Trump were in agreement, Gabbard told CNN, “We are on the same page.”

12:36 PM EDT Trump posts ‘unconditional surrender’ amid conflict Trump posted “unconditional surrender!” on Truth Social, likely referring to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

12:31 PM EDT Cyberattack disrupts Iran’s Sepah Bank, threatens gas station services Iran’s Sepah Bank, a significant financial institution linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has suffered a cyberattack, causing widespread disruptions to its online and remote services. The Fars News Agency reported that the attack could impact fuel stations, potentially leading to service interruptions in the coming hours. Reports from Iranian media and local sources indicate that customers are experiencing difficulties accessing accounts online and withdrawing cash from ATMs. The hacktivist group Predatory Sparrow, known for previous cyberattacks on Iranian infrastructure, has claimed responsibility, stating that it destroyed key banking data. Iranian authorities have yet to officially comment on the extent of the damage, but concerns are growing over the broader impact on financial and fuel services

12:17 PM EDT Trump declares U.S. air superiority over Iran Trump said on Truth Social that the United States has complete control over Iran’s airspace. Trump’s statement follows reports that Israeli forces have crippled Iran’s air defenses, allowing unrestricted aerial operations over Tehran. Military analysts suggest that U.S. technology has played a key role in securing air dominance, though Iran has attempted to counter Israeli and U.S. air operations. The declaration comes amid ongoing missile exchanges between Israel and Iran, raising concerns about further escalation in the region.

12:05 PM EDT JD Vance defends Trump’s stance on Iran’s nuclear program Vice President JD Vance took to social media Tuesday to defend Trump’s long-standing position that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. In a detailed post, Vance emphasized that Trump has been consistent for over a decade in opposing Iranian uranium enrichment, arguing that Tehran has violated non-proliferation obligations. Vance distinguished between civilian nuclear power and uranium enrichment, stating that Iran rejected alternatives that would allow nuclear energy without enrichment. He also noted that Trump has exercised restraint, keeping the U.S. military focused on protecting American troops and citizens. While acknowledging concerns about U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts, Vance asserted that American interests drive Trump’s decisions. He hinted that further action against Iran’s enrichment program remains on the table. Look, I’m seeing this from the inside, and am admittedly biased towards our president (and my friend), but there’s a lot of crazy stuff on social media, so I wanted to address some things directly on the Iran issue:

First, POTUS has been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that… — JD Vance (@JDVance) June 17, 2025

11:52 AM EDT Iran bans officials from using communication devices amid conflict According to a Tuesday announcement by the semiofficial Fars news agency, Iran has prohibited government officials and their bodyguards from using mobile phones, smart watches, and laptops. While Iranian authorities did not provide a reason for the ban, reports suggest it may be linked to concerns that Israel used digital signatures from electronic devices to target Iranian military leaders in recent airstrikes. The restriction comes as Iran continues to face Israeli attacks

11:33 AM EDT Iran restricts international calls, internet access amid conflict Iran has begun limiting access to international communication, with landline phones unable to receive or dial overseas calls as of Tuesday night. The government has not officially acknowledged the restriction, but similar measures have been imposed during past protests and the Iran-Iraq war. Internet users also report blocked access to international websites, while local sites remain functional. This suggests Iran has activated its “halal net”, a state-controlled version of the internet designed to restrict public access to foreign information. The move comes amid escalating tensions with Israel, raising concerns about government control over information flow

11:08 AM EDT Germany’s Merz: Iran’s regime weakened, future uncertain German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated Tuesday that recent Israeli attacks have significantly weakened Iran’s leadership and may not regain its former strength. Speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, Merz described Iran’s future as “uncertain” amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. Merz also suggested that Iran’s nuclear program could be targeted if Tehran refuses to negotiate on abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons. “We will have to wait and see,” he told German broadcaster Welt. Despite the escalating tensions, Merz reaffirmed that Germany, France, and the United Kingdom remain open to diplomatic assistance if talks resume. “If a new situation were to arise, we would again be prepared to provide diplomatic assistance, as we were until last Thursday,” he said.

10:52 AM EDT ‘Iran is attacking again’ – IDF The Israel Defense Forces X account has shared, “Iran is attacking again, so we’re posting again.” Iran is attacking again, so we’re posting again. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 17, 2025

10:50 AM EDT Lawmakers push to limit Trump’s war powers on Iran Members of Congress are moving to restrict President Donald Trump’s authority to engage U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran, as concerns grow over potential American involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, The New York Times reported this morning. In the House of Representatives, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) plan to introduce a bipartisan resolution on Tuesday requiring congressional approval before U.S. troops could launch offensive attacks against Iran. The measure reflects growing sentiment among lawmakers that military action should not be left solely to the president. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced a similar effort in the Senate on Monday, though it faces significant hurdles in the Republican-controlled chamber. Kaine has long advocated for Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority over war decisions, arguing that any military engagement with Iran must be explicitly authorized. The push comes as Israel continues its military campaign against Iran, raising fears of broader regional conflict and potential U.S. entanglement.

10:35 AM EDT Narges Mohammadi signals departure from Tehran amid Israeli strikes Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, who has been on extended leave from Evin Prison, indicated on X that she has left Tehran as Israeli airstrikes continue to target the city. “I left home,” Mohammadi wrote, hoping she would return one day. She acknowledged the millions of Iranians fleeing war and urged solidarity: “Let’s be each other’s refuge.” Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has long been a vocal critic of Iran’s government, despite multiple arrests and years behind bars. She had been serving a 13-year sentence on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda. Her departure comes as Tehran empties, with residents seeking safety amid escalating conflict.

10:21 AM EDT US tanker aircraft head to Middle East as threat of Iran war rises U.S. Air Force aerial refueling aircraft are heading for the Middle East amid an escalating war between Israel and Iran and the possibility that U.S. forces could also become involved, according to flight data tracking sources. Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon for comment. The U.S. is redeploying military forces as the conflict between Israel and Iran stretched over the week, raising tensions between Washington and Tehran. The American repositioning could be a sign of an increased possibility that it gets involved in an attack on Iran although Washington has so far said that it is not joining Israel in striking Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously not ruled out military action if Iran did not agree to curbs on its nuclear program. Iran has also blamed the United States for Israel’s attacks though has not repeated earlier threats of attacking U.S. bases in the region. Read the full story by Amira El-Fekki on Newsweek.

10:05 AM EDT Timelapse shows US tankers flying to the Middle East

09:51 AM EDT Xi Jinping calls for de-escalation in Middle East conflict Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed deep concern over the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, calling for diplomatic efforts to restore stability. Speaking at the China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Xi emphasized that military conflict is not a solution and urged all parties to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. China, a key diplomatic and economic partner of Iran, has positioned itself as a potential mediator. Xi states that Beijing is ready to play a constructive role in achieving peace. His remarks mark his first public statement on the conflict since it began on Friday

09:38 AM EDT EU warns U.S. involvement in Israel-Iran war could escalate conflict European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas cautioned Tuesday that U.S. military involvement in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could drag the region into a broader war. Following a video conference with the foreign ministers of the 27-nation bloc, Kallas emphasized the need for diplomatic solutions and urged all sides to exercise restraint. She reiterated that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, stressing that diplomacy is the only viable path to prevent further escalation. Kallas also noted that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had acknowledged concerns about American involvement, stating that it was not in Washington’s interest to be drawn into the conflict.

09:16 AM EDT Alon Pinkas warns U.S. regime change in Iran could backfire Former Israeli Consul General Alon Pinkas cautioned against U.S.-led regime change in Iran, arguing that such an effort could create instability rather than a smooth transition. Speaking on CNN’s Early Start, Pinkas noted that “it’s not like Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson are waiting on the sidelines” to take over from Iran’s leadership. Pinkas outlined three options for the U.S.: staying out of the conflict, offering Iran a diplomatic off-ramp, or direct military involvement. He warned that deeper U.S. engagement could repeat past mistakes, referencing the failed regime change in Iraq.

08:59 AM EDT Russia’s drone production unlikely to be affected by Middle East conflict Russia manufactures its drones for the war in Ukraine, making it unlikely to face immediate disruptions from the escalating conflict in the Middle East, according to David Albright, an expert on Russian and Iranian drones, the Associated Press reported. Most of Russia’s drones are produced at the Alabuga plant in Tatarstan, though Moscow initially purchased a limited number from Tehran before establishing its production facilities. Albright noted that Iran has decades of experience in drone manufacturing. Still, with rising tensions, Russia may struggle to obtain more advanced models from Iran, which will likely prioritize its own military needs.

08:46 AM EDT China touts weapons capabilities as Iran’s defenses collapse Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and… Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and forcing an anchor to run off camera. More Kyodo via Associated Press The collapse of Iran’s air defenses in the face of Israeli attacks has prompted influential Chinese commentators to say it could have fared better if it had been supplied with Chinese weaponry. Chinese fighter aircraft proved themselves in combat for Pakistan during its recent confrontation with India, with Pakistani forces claiming to have shot down Indian jets. “Iran’s biggest mistake was not purchasing weapons from China,” wrote “Former HR himself,” a Weibo account with two million followers. Newsweek reached out to the Iranian and Chinese foreign ministeries by email with requests for comment. The Chinese comments on the failure of Iran’s air defenses, which were largely dependent on Russian systems, highlight the increasing prominence of the latest Chinese weapons technology and China’s desire to secure new markets for it. The apparent success of Chinese air power in the confrontation between India and Pakistan had already elevated its profile, with stocks in Chinese defense company AVIC Shenyang soaring by 10 percent on last week’s news that Pakistan planned to acquire 40 of its J-35 fighters. Countries unable to acquire advanced fighter jets from the U.S. are increasingly turning to China as an alternative supplier, as Beijing positions itself as a viable competitor by ramping up exports and strategic partnerships, as well as showcasing its aircraft in military drills. Read the full story by Micah McCartney and Amira El-Fekki on Newsweek.

08:33 AM EDT WHO chief warns of health risks from strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Tuesday that military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities could have serious environmental and health consequences across the region. Since Friday, Israel has targeted multiple sites in Iran, including nuclear infrastructure, raising concerns about radiation exposure and long-term health risks. In a statement on social media, Dr. Tedros called the escalation “extremely concerning” and urged all parties to work toward peace. The warning comes as global leaders debate diplomatic solutions to prevent further destabilization in the Middle East. The escalation of violence between Israel and Iran is extremely concerning — and is costing the lives of civilians, including children. The growing number of injured civilians are also distressing.

@WHO’s particular concern is the targeting of nuclear sites, which may have… pic.twitter.com/ECCXlxoBRy — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 17, 2025

08:20 AM EDT European ministers urge Iran, Israel to de-escalate tensions France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot delivers a speech during a conference dubbed “Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, Peace and Regional Security” at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE)… France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot delivers a speech during a conference dubbed “Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, Peace and Regional Security” at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) in Paris on June 13, 2025. More Thibaud Moritz/Getty Images French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and later with Iranian, British, and German foreign ministers on Monday, discussing the escalating conflict in the Middle East. According to a French diplomatic official, the ministers urged Iran to return to negotiations without conditions and avoid actions that could further destabilize the region. They also warned against nuclear escalation, including withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty or halting cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additionally, the ministers conveyed messages to Israel, emphasizing the need to avoid targeting Iranian authorities, infrastructure, and civilians. The discussions reflect growing international concerns over the conflict’s impact on regional stability and global security.

08:07 AM EDT 45 Palestinians killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza At least 45 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip while waiting for U.N. and commercial trucks carrying desperately needed food, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and a local hospital. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, but Palestinian officials claim that Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds attempting to reach food distribution points run by a U.S. and Israeli-backed aid group, per AP. Local health officials report that scores have been killed and hundreds wounded in similar incidents. The Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots at individuals it deemed suspicious. The killings come amid growing concerns over famine in Gaza, as humanitarian aid deliveries face major obstacles due to military restrictions and lawlessness.

07:53 AM EDT 20 nations condemn Israel’s strikes on Iran, call for de-escalation Foreign ministers from 20 countries issued a joint statement Tuesday denouncing Israel’s military actions against Iran and urging diplomacy to restore stability in the Middle East. The statement emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire and warned that continued hostilities could further destabilize the region. The signatories, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE, rejected military solutions and called for peaceful negotiations. They also stressed the importance of eliminating nuclear and mass destruction weapons and protecting maritime security in international waters. The statement follows Israel’s recent airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, escalating tensions between the two nations. The foreign ministers urged all parties to respect international law and pursue diplomatic resolutions.

07:40 AM EDT India evacuates students from Tehran amid rising regional tensions India has begun evacuating students from Tehran, citing safety concerns as tensions escalate between Iran and Israel. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed Tuesday that some Indian nationals have also been assisted in leaving Iran through the Armenian border. The Indian government has advised those who can arrange their transport to evacuate immediately. The Indian Embassy in Tehran maintains contact with the community, providing logistical support and emergency assistance. The evacuation follows five days of missile strikes between Iran and Israel, prompting concerns for civilians in affected areas. The MEA has set up a 24/7 control room to coordinate evacuation efforts and provide updates.

07:25 AM EDT Israel claims killing of top Iranian general Ali Shadmani Israel announced Tuesday that its military had killed Gen. Ali Shadmani, a high-ranking Iranian commander, in an airstrike targeting Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. Shadmani was recently appointed to lead the command center, which oversees Iran’s military emergency operations. Iran has not yet officially acknowledged Shadmani’s death, but reports indicate that the strike is part of Israel’s broader campaign against Iran’s military leadership. Shadmani was a senior figure in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, playing a key role in strategic operations. The attack follows a series of Israeli strikes aimed at weakening Iran’s military infrastructure, escalating tensions between the two nations.

07:12 AM EDT Iran warns U.S. of ‘painful responses’ over Israel’s attacks Iranian army cadets march during a parade commemorating National Army Day in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 18, 2025. Iranian army cadets march during a parade commemorating National Army Day in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 18, 2025. Vahid Salemi/AP Photo Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that the Islamic Republic “will have to show more painful responses,” if the United States fails to curb Israel’s attacks and accused Washington of being complicit in the strikes. Iran’s armed forces had previously threatened a massive regional response if Israel attacked its nuclear sites, including against U.S. targets in the region. Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli prime minister’s office and the U.S. State Department for comment. Pezeshkian’s comments come after Iran blamed Washington for the five-day-old Israeli offensive, accusing it of complicity and support. The escalating rhetoric signals the deepening rift between Tehran and Washington, raising fears of a broader regional confrontation that could draw in U.S. forces and further destabilize the Middle East. It raises further doubts over whether Iran will do a deal with the United States on its nuclear program as U.S. President Donald Trump has said it should.

06:54 AM EDT At least 51 Palestinians killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza, health officials say At least 51 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 others wounded Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis as they waited near aid trucks carrying food, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and local hospital sources. Eyewitnesses told The Associated Press that Israeli forces launched an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire on the crowd gathered near United Nations and commercial relief convoys attempting to enter the besieged enclave. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the incident, stating troops had observed a large group of people near an aid truck that had become stuck in Khan Younis—an area where Israeli military operations were underway. “There are reports of several casualties from IDF gunfire as the crowd approached. The details are being investigated,” the IDF said in a statement.

06:25 AM EDT Khamenei warned he faces ‘a fate similar to Saddam Hussein’ Israel’s defence minister has warned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei he could face “a fate similar to Saddam Hussein”, The Times of Israel reports. “I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and launching missiles at Israeli civilians,” Israel Katz said. “He would do well to remember the fate of the dictator in the country neighbouring Iran who chose this same path against the state of Israel.” Saddam was executed by hanging in 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity. In this television screen grab taken from Iraqi national television station Al-iraqia, a video shows the moments leading up to the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as he is led into the gallows… In this television screen grab taken from Iraqi national television station Al-iraqia, a video shows the moments leading up to the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as he is led into the gallows room to be prepared for hanging, on December 30, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq. The former Iraqi president was executed by hanging at 0600 (0300 GMT) in a secure facility in the Northern Baghdad suburb of Khadimeya. More Photo by Al-iraqia via Getty Images

06:10 AM EDT Iran claims strike on Mossad center in Tel Aviv Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed to have struck a Mossad center in Tel Aviv, Agence France-Presse reports. In a statement on state television, the Guards said they “struck the military intelligence centre of the Zionist regime’s army, Aman, and the Zionist regime’s terrorist operations planning centre, the Mossad, in Tel Aviv”. The Guards claimed the building was “currently on fire”. There was no immediate response from Israel.

06:01 AM EDT Iran cancels leave for doctors, nurses and emergency staff Iranian authorities have cancelled all leave for medical personnel nationwide. The directive affects doctors, nurses and emergency staff, reflecting heightened concerns over potential retaliation or regional fallout. Across the capital, banners calling for a “severe” response to Israel were prominently displayed, underscoring the government’s mobilization efforts. Long queues formed at gas stations throughout Tehran, as residents braced for possible disruptions. The government has yet to announce any formal measures affecting fuel distribution, but the panic buying is widespread, The Associated Press reported. Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and… Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and forcing an anchor to run off camera. More Kyodo via AP Images

05:35 AM EDT Trump seeking ‘a real end’ Trump has been speaking to reporters on board Air Force One and said he was “not too much in the mood to negotiate”. “We’re looking at better than a ceasefire,” he said. He was asked what is better than a ceasefire, and responded: “A real end. Not a ceasefire. An end.” “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, it’s very simple,” he said. “They should have done the deal. I told them, do the deal. So I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.” When asked why he called for the nine million residents of Tehran to evacuate immediately, Trump said: “I just want people to be safe.” President Trump said on Air Force One that he wants “a real end,” with #Iran “giving up entirely” on its nuclear program. He predicted that Israeli won’t be slowing up its barrage on Iran. “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed… pic.twitter.com/z9PLFNdjhj — Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) June 17, 2025

05:30 AM EDT Tom O’Connor: Iran’s Opposition Is Divisive and Divided As Israel continues an unprecedented military operation against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly called on Iranians to overthrow their government, going so far as to indicate that his forces’ operations “could certainly” lead to a regime change effort, Tom O’Connor writes. Now, a number of opposition groups based in the country and abroad are calling for a mass uprising against the Islamic Republic. Yet the Iranian government’s domestic foes are composed of a diverse and largely fractured array of factions, including secular dissidents, militias organized along ethnic lines, Islamist militants and those seeking to restore a monarchy with ancient roots. READ IN FULL: As Israel Eyes Regime Change, Iran’s Opposition Is Divisive and Divided People raise flags of Iran and allied factions in Enghelab Square during a rally in Tehran amid Israeli strikes against Iran on June 14, 2025. People raise flags of Iran and allied factions in Enghelab Square during a rally in Tehran amid Israeli strikes against Iran on June 14, 2025. HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

05:20 AM EDT Meloni urges Trump to negotiate with Iran Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni stressed “the opportunity to reopen the road of negotiations” with Iran during a bilateral meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G-7 meeting in Canada, her office said in a statement Tuesday. She also underlined “the necessity in this moment” of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel is accused of the gravest war crimes – how governments respond could haunt them for years to come

8 June 2025 Share Save Jeremy Bowen • @BowenBBC International Editor Share Save

BBC

Even wars have rules. They don’t stop soldiers killing each other but they’re intended to make sure that civilians caught up in the fighting are treated humanely and protected from as much danger as possible. The rules apply equally to all sides. If one side has suffered a brutal surprise attack that killed hundreds of civilians, as Israel did on 7 October 2023, it does not get an exemption from the law. The protection of civilians is a legal requirement in a battle plan. That, at least, is the theory behind the Geneva Conventions. The latest version, the fourth, was formulated and adopted after World War Two to stop such slaughter and cruelty to civilians from ever happening again. At the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva (ICRC) the words “Even Wars Have Rules” are emblazoned in huge letters on a glass rotunda. The reminder is timely because the rules are being broken.

AFP/ Getty Images An estimated 14,500 Palestinian children in Gaza had been killed by January this year, according to Unicef

Getting information from Gaza is difficult. It is a lethal warzone. At least 181 journalists and media workers have been killed since the war started, almost all Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Israel won’t let international news teams into Gaza. Since the best way to check controversial and difficult stories is first hand, that means the fog of war, always hard to penetrate, is as thick as I have ever experienced in a lifetime of war reporting. It is clear that Israel wants it to be that way. A few days into the war I was part of a convoy of journalists escorted by the army into the border communities that Hamas had attacked, while rescue workers were recovering the bodies of Israelis from smoking ruins of their homes, and Israeli paratroopers were still clearing buildings with bursts of gunfire. Israel wanted us to see what Hamas had done. The conclusion has to be that it does not want foreign reporters to see what it is doing in Gaza.

Getty Images On 7 October 2023 Hamas broke into Israel, killing 1,200 people, many of them at the Nova Music Festival site

To find an alternative route through that fog, we decided to approach it through the prism of laws that are supposed to regulate warfare and protect civilians. I went to the ICRC headquarters as it is the custodian of the Geneva Conventions. I have also spoken to distinguished lawyers; to humanitarians with years of experience of working within the law to bring aid to Gaza and other warzones; and to senior Western diplomats about their governments’ growing impatience with Israel and nervousness that they might be seen as complicit in future criminal investigations if they do not speak up about the catastrophe inside Gaza. In Europe there is also now a widely held belief, as in Israel, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war not to safeguard Israelis, but to preserve the ultra-nationalist coalition that keeps him in power. As prime minister he can prevent a national inquiry into his role in security failures that gave Hamas its opportunity before 7 October and slow down his long-running trial on serious corruption charges that could land him in jail. Netanyahu rarely gives interviews or news conferences. He prefers direct statements filmed and posted on social media. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar declined a request for an interview. Boaz Bismuth, a parliamentarian from Netanyahu’s Likud party, repeated his leader’s positions: that there is no famine in Gaza, that Israel respects the laws of war and that unwarranted criticism of its conduct by countries including the UK, France and Canada incites antisemitic attacks on Jews, including murder. Lawyers I have spoken to believe that there is evidence that Israel followed war crimes, committed by Hamas when it attacked Israel, with very many of its own, including the crime of genocide.

BBC / Matt Goddard The latest version of the Geneva Conventions, pictured, was formulated after World War Two to stop cruelty to civilians

It is clear that Israel has hard questions to answer that will not go away. It also faces a legal process alleging genocide at the International Court of Justice and has a prime minister with limited travel options as he faces a warrant for arrest on war crimes charges issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Rival politicians inside Israel accuse Netanyahu of presiding over war crimes and turning Israel into a pariah state. He has pushed back hard, comparing himself – when the warrant was issued – to Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish officer wrongly convicted of treason in an antisemitic scandal that rocked France in the 1890s.

Evidence in the numbers

The evidence of what is happening in Gaza starts with the numbers. On 7 October 2023 Hamas broke into Israel, killing 1,200 people. More than 800 were Israeli civilians. The others were members of Israel’s security forces, first responders and foreign workers. Around 250 people, including non-Israelis, were dragged back into Gaza as hostages. Figures vary slightly, but it is believed that 54 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 31 are believed to be dead. Collating the huge total of Palestinian casualties inside Gaza is much more difficult. Israel restricts movement inside Gaza and much of the north of the strip cannot be reached. The latest figures from the ministry of health in Gaza record that Israel killed at least 54,607 Palestinians and wounded 125,341 between the 7 October attacks and 4 June this year. Its figures do not separate civilians from members of Hamas and other armed groups. According to Unicef, by January this year 14,500 Palestinian children in Gaza had been killed by Israel; 17,000 are separated from their parents or orphaned; and Gaza has the highest percentage of child amputees in the world.

Anadalou/ Getty Images Gaza’s civilians had some respite during a ceasefire earlier this year but negotiations on a longer-term deal have failed

Israel and the US have tried to spread doubt about the casualty reports from the ministry, because like the rest of the fragments of governance left in Gaza, it is controlled by Hamas. But the ministry’s figures are used by the UN, foreign diplomats and even, according to reports in Israel, the country’s own intelligence services. When the work of the ministry’s statisticians was checked after previous wars, it tallied with other estimates. A study in medical journal The Lancet argues that the ministry underestimates the numbers killed by Israel, in part because its figures are incomplete. Thousands are buried under rubble of destroyed buildings and thousands more will die slowly of illnesses that would have been curable had they had access to medical care. Gaza’s civilians had some respite during a ceasefire earlier this year. But when negotiations on a longer-term deal failed, Israel went back to war on 18 March with a series of huge air strikes and since then a new military offensive, which the prime minister says will finally deliver the elusive “total victory” over Hamas that he promised on 7 October 2023. Israel has put severe restrictions on food and aid shipments into Gaza throughout the war and blocked them entirely from March to May this year. With Gaza on the brink of famine, it is clear that Israel has violated laws that say civilians should be protected, not starved. A British government minister told the BBC that Israel was using hunger “as a weapon of war”. The Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said openly that the food blockade was a “main pressure lever” against Hamas to release the hostages and accept defeat. Weaponising food is a war crime.

A failure of humanity

War is always savage. I was in Geneva to see Mirjana Spoljaric, the Swiss diplomat who is president of the ICRC. She believes it can get even worse; that there is no doubt that both parties are flouting the Geneva Conventions, and this sends a message that the rules of war can be ignored in conflicts across the world. After we walked past glass cases displaying the ICRC’s three Nobel peace prizes and handwritten copperplate reproductions of the Geneva Conventions, she warned that “we are hollowing out the very rules that protect the fundamental rights of every human being”. Gaza now worse than hell on earth, humanitarian chief tells BBC We sat down to talk in a room with one of Europe’s most serene views: the tranquillity of Lake Geneva and the magnificent sprawl of the Mont-Blanc massif. But for Ms Spoljaric, constantly aware of the ICRC’s role as custodian of the Geneva Conventions, the view beyond the Alps and across the Mediterranean to Gaza is alarming. She has been in Gaza twice since 7 October and says that it is worse than hell on earth. “Humanity is failing in Gaza,” Ms Spoljaric told me. “It is failing. We cannot continue to watch what is happening. It’s surpassing any acceptable, legal, moral, and humane standard. The level of destruction, the level of suffering.”

Anadalou/ Getty Images A British government minister told the BBC that Israel was using hunger “as a weapon of war”

More importantly, she says, the world is watching an entire people, the Palestinians, being stripped of their human dignity. “It should really shock our collective conscience… It will haunt us. We are seeing things happening that will make the world an unhappier place far beyond the region.” I asked her about Israel’s justification that it is acting in self-defence to destroy a terrorist organisation that attacked and killed its people on 7 October. “It is no justification for a disrespect or for a hollowing out of the Geneva Conventions,” she said. “Neither party is allowed to break the rules, no matter what, and this is important because, look, the same rules apply to every human being under the Geneva Convention. “A child in Gaza has exactly the same protections under the Geneva Conventions as a child in Israel.”

BBC / Matt Goddard Swiss diplomat Mirjana Spoljaric, who is president of the ICRC, said “humanity is failing in Gaza”

Mirjana Spoljaric spoke quietly, with intense moral clarity. The ICRC considers itself a neutral organisation; in wars it tries to work even-handedly with all sides. She was not neutral about the rights all human beings should enjoy, and is deeply concerned that those rights are being damaged by the disregard of the rules of war in Gaza.

‘We will turn them into rubble’

On the evening of 7 October 2023, while Israel’s troops were still fighting to drive Hamas invaders out of its border communities, Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a brief video address to the Israeli people and the watching world. Speaking from Israel’s military command centre in the heart of Tel Aviv, he chose words that would reassure Israelis and induce dread in their enemies. They were also a window into his thinking about the way that the war should be fought, and how Israel would defend its military choices against criticism. The fate of Hamas was sealed, he promised. “We will destroy them and we will forcefully avenge this dark day that they have forced on the State of Israel and its citizens. “All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble.” Netanyahu praised allies who were rallying around Israel, singling out the US, France and the UK for their “unreserved support”. He had spoken to them, he said, “to ensure freedom of action”.

AFP/ Getty Images It is believed that 54 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 31 are believed to be dead

But in war freedom of action has legal limits. States can fight, but it must be proportionate to the threat that they face, and civilian lives must be protected. “You’re never entitled to break the law,” says Janina Dill, professor of global security at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School. “How Israel conducts this war is an entirely separate legal analysis… The same, by the way, is true in terms of resistance to occupation. October 7 was not an appropriate exercise [by Hamas] of the right of resistance to occupation either. “So, you can have the overall right of self-defence or resistance. And then how you exercise that right is subject to separate rules. And having a really good cause in war legally doesn’t give you additional licence to use additional violence. “The rules on how wars are conducted are the rules for everybody regardless of why they are in the war.”

The headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva

What a difference time and death make in war. Twenty months after Netanyahu’s speech, Israel has exhausted a deep reservoir of goodwill and support among many of its friends in Europe and Canada. Israel always had its critics and enemies. The difference now is that some countries and individuals who consider themselves friends and allies no longer support the way Israel has been fighting the war. In particular, the restrictions on food aid that respected international assessments say have brought Gaza to the brink of famine, as well as a growing stack of evidence of war crimes against Palestinian civilians. “I’m shaken to my core,” Jan Egeland, the veteran head of the Norwegian Refugee Council and former UN humanitarian chief, told me. “I haven’t seen a population like this being so trapped for such a long period of time in such a small, besieged area. Indiscriminate bombardment, denied journalism, denied healthcare. “It is only comparable to the besieged areas of Syria during the Assad regime, which led to a uniform Western condemnation and massive sanctions. In this case, very little has happened.”

But now the UK, France and Canada want an immediate halt to Israel’s latest offensive. On 19 May, prime ministers Sir Keir Starmer and Mark Carney, and President Emmanuel Macron, stated, “We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate… We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions.” Sanctions may be coming. The UK and France are actively discussing the circumstances in which they would be prepared to recognise Palestine as an independent state.

War and revenge

Netanyahu quoted from a poem by Hayim Nahman Bialik, Israel’s national poet, in his TV speech to the Israeli people on 7 October as they wrestled with fear, anger and trauma. He chose the line: “Revenge for the blood of a little child has yet been devised by Satan.” It comes from In the City of Slaughter, which is widely regarded as the most significant Hebrew poem of the 20th Century. Bialik wrote it as a young man in 1903, after he had visited the scene of a pogrom against Jews in Kishinev, a town then in imperial Russia and now called Chişinǎu, the capital of present-day Moldova. Over three days, Christian mobs murdered 49 Jews and raped at least 600 Jewish women. Antisemitic brutality and killing in Europe was a major reason why Zionist Jews wanted to settle in Palestine to build their own state, in what they regarded as their historic homeland. Their ambition clashed with the desire of Palestinian Arabs to keep their land. Britain, the colonial power, did much to make their conflict worse. By 1929 Vincent Sheean, an American journalist, was describing Jerusalem in a way that is grimly familiar to reporters there almost a century later. “The situation here is awful,” he wrote. “Every day I expect the worst.” He added that violence was in the air, “The temperature rose – you could stick your hand out in the air and feel it rising.” Sheean’s account of the 1920s illustrates the conflict’s deep root system in the land that Israelis and Palestinians both want and have not found a way, or a will, to share or separate.

Getty Images Palestinians see a direct line between the Gaza war and the destruction of their society in 1948 when Israel became independent

Palestinians see a direct line between the Gaza war and the destruction of their society in 1948 when Israel became independent, which they call the Catastrophe. But Netanyahu, and many other Israelis and their supporters abroad connected the October attacks to the centuries of persecution Jews suffered in Europe, which culminated with Nazi Germany killing six million Jews in the Holocaust. Netanyahu used the same references to hit back when Macron said in May that the Israeli blockade of Gaza was “shameful” and “unacceptable”. Netanyahu said that Macron had “once again chosen to side with a murderous Islamist terrorist organisation and echo its despicable propaganda, accusing Israel of blood libels”. The blood libel is a notorious antisemitic trope that goes back to medieval Europe, falsely accusing Jews of killing Christians, especially children, to use their blood in religious rituals. After a couple who worked for the Israeli embassy in Washington DC were shot dead, the gunman told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.” Netanyahu connected the murders with the criticisms of Israel’s conduct made by the leaders of the UK, France and Canada. In a video posted on X, he declared: “I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you’re on the wrong side of justice. You’re on the wrong side of humanity, and you’re on the wrong side of history. “For 18 years, we had a de facto Palestinian state. It’s called Gaza. And what did we get? Peace? No. We got the most savage slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.”

BBC / Matt Goddard

Netanyahu has also referred to the long history of antisemitism in Europe when warrants calling for his arrest, along with his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, who was defence minister for the first 13 months of the war, were issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The court had also issued arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, considered the mastermind behind 7 October. All three have since been killed by Israel. A panel of ICC judges decided that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bore criminal responsibility. “As co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.” In a defiant statement, Netanyahu rejected “false and absurd charges”. He compared the ICC to the antisemitic conspiracy that sent Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, to the penal colony on Devil’s Island for treason in 1894. Dreyfus, who was innocent, was eventually pardoned but the affair caused a major political crisis. “The antisemitic decision of the International Criminal Court is a modern Dreyfus trial – and will end the same way,” the statement said. “No war is more just than the war Israel has been waging in Gaza since October 7th 2023, when the Hamas terrorist organisation launched a murderous assault and perpetrated the largest massacre against the Jewish People since the Holocaust.”

The legacy of persecution

British barrister Helena Kennedy KC was on a panel that was asked by the ICC’s chief prosecutor to assess the evidence against Netanyahu and Gallant. Baroness Kennedy and her colleagues, all distinguished jurists, decided that there were reasonable grounds to go ahead with the warrants. She rejects the accusation that the court and the prosecutor were motivated by antisemitism. “We’ve got to always remember the horrors that the Jewish community have suffered over centuries,” she told me at her chambers in London. “The world is right to feel a great compassion for the Jewish experience.” But a history of persecution did not, she said, give Israel licence to do what it’s doing in Gaza.

BBC / Matt Goddard British barrister Helena Kennedy KC said a history of persecution did not give Israel licence to do what it’s doing in Gaza

“The Holocaust has filled us all with a high sense of guilt, and so it should because we were complicit. But it also teaches us the lesson that we mustn’t be complicit now when we see crimes being committed. “You have to conduct a war according to law, and I’m a firm believer that the only way that you ever create peace is by behaving in just ways, and justice is fundamental to all of this. And I’m afraid that we’re not seeing that.” Stronger words came from Danny Blatman, an Israeli historian of the Holocaust and head of the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Prof Blatman, who is the son of Holocaust survivors, says that Israeli politicians have for many years used the memory of the Holocaust as “a tool to attack governments and public opinion in the world, and warn them that accusing Israel of any atrocities towards the Palestinians is antisemitism”. The result he says is that potential critics “shut their mouths because they’re afraid of being attacked by Israelis, by politicians as antisemites”.

EPA Lord Sumption believes Israel should have learned from its own history

Lord Sumption, a former justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, believes Israel should have learned from its own history. “The terrible Jewish experience of persecution and mass killing in the past should give Israel a horror of inflicting the same things on other peoples.” History is inescapable in the Middle East, always present, a storehouse of justification to be plundered.

America: Israel’s vital ally

Israel could not wage war in Gaza using its chosen tactics without American military, financial and diplomatic support. President Donald Trump has shown signs of impatience, forcing Netanyahu to allow a few cracks in the siege that has brought Gaza to the edge of famine. Netanyahu himself continues to express support for Trump’s widely condemned proposal to turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Mediterranean”, by emptying it of Palestinians and turning it over to the Americans for redevelopment. That is code for the mass expulsion of Palestinians, which would be a war crime. Netanyahu’s ultra-nationalist allies want to replace them with Jewish settlers. Trump himself seems silent about the plan. But the Trump administration’s support for Israel, and its actions in Gaza, looks undiminished.

BBC / Matt Goddard Nobel peace prize medal at ICRC headquarters

On 4 June, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an “unconditional and permanent” ceasefire, the release of all the hostages and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid. The other 14 members voted in favour. The next day the Americans sanctioned four judges from the ICC in retaliation for the decision to issue arrest warrants. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was protecting the sovereignty of the US and Israel against “illegitimate actions”. “I call on the countries that still support the ICC, many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices to fight this disgraceful attack on our nation and Israel.” Instead the ICC has had statements of support and solidarity from European leaders. A broad and increasingly bitter gap has opened up between the US and Europe over the Gaza war, and over the legitimacy of criticising Israel’s conduct. Israel and the Trump administration reject the idea that the laws of war apply equally to all sides, because they claim it implies a false and wrong equivalence between Hamas and Israel. Jan Egeland can see the split between Europe and the US growing. “I hope now that Europe will grow a spine,” he says. “There have been new tones, finally, coming from London, from Berlin, from Paris, from Brussels, after all these months of industrial-scale hypocrisy where they didn’t see that there was a world record in killed aid workers, in killed nurses, in killed doctors, in killed teachers, in killed children, and all while journalists like yourself have been denied access, denied to be witnessing this. “It’s something that the West will learn to regret really — that they were so spineless.”

The question of genocide

The question of whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza outrages Israel and its supporters, led by the United States. Lawyers who believe the evidence does not support the accusation have stood up to oppose the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging genocide against Palestinians. But it will not go away. The Netanyahu loyalist Boaz Bismuth answered the genocide question like this. “How can you accuse us of genocide when the Palestinian population grew, I don’t know how many times more? How can you accuse me of ethnic cleansing when I’m moving [the] population inside Gaza to protect them? How can you accuse me when I lose soldiers in order to protect my enemies?” It is hard to prove genocide has happened; the legal bar prosecutors have to clear has been set deliberately high. But leading lawyers who have spent decades assessing matters of legal fact to see if there is a case to answer believe it is not necessary to wait for the process started in January last year by South Africa to make a years-long progress through the ICJ. We asked Lord Sumption, the former Supreme Court justice, for his opinion. “Genocide is a question of intent,” he wrote. “It means killing, maiming or imposing intolerable conditions on a national or ethnic group with intent to destroy them in whole or in part. “Statements by Netanyahu and his ministers suggest that the object of current operations is to force the Arab population of Gaza to leave by killing and starving them if they stay. These things make genocide the most plausible explanation for what is now happening.”

BBC / Anastassia Zatopolskai Boaz Bismuth from Netanyahu’s Likud party, said: “How can you accuse me of ethnic cleansing when I’m moving [the] population inside Gaza to protect them?”

South Africa based much of its genocide case against Israel on inflammatory language used by Israeli leaders. One example was the biblical reference Netanyahu used when Israel sent troops into Gaza, comparing Hamas to Amalek. In the Bible God commands the Israelites to destroy their persecutors, the Amalekites. Another was Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s declaration just after the Hamas attacks when he ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip: “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.” Ralph Wilde, UCL professor of international law, also believes there is proof of genocide. “Unfortunately, yes, and there is now no doubt legally as to that, and indeed that has been the case for some time.” He points out that an advisory opinion of the ICJ has already determined that Israel’s presence in Gaza and the West Bank was illegal. Prof Wilde compares Western governments’ responses to the war in Gaza to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “There has been no court decision as to the illegality of Russia’s action in Ukraine. Nonetheless, states have found it possible already to make public proclamations determining the illegality of that action. There is nothing stopping them doing that in this case. “And so, if they are suggesting that they are going to wait, the question to ask them is, why are you waiting for a court to tell you what you already know?” Helena Kennedy KC is “very anxious about the casual use of the word genocide and I avoid it myself because I do think that there has to be a very high level in law, a very high level of intent necessary to prove it”. “Are we saying that it’s not genocide but it is crimes against humanity? You think that makes it sound okay? Terrible crimes against humanity? I think we’re in the process of seeing the most grievous kind of crimes taking place. “I do think we’re on a trajectory that could very easily be towards genocide, and as a lawyer I think that there’s certainly an argument that is being made strongly for that.” Baroness Kennedy says her advice to the British government if it was asked for would be, “We’ve got to be very careful about being complicit in grievous crimes ourselves.”

Getty Images Even people who have seen many wars say they find it hard to grasp the extent of the damage in Gaza

Eventually, a ceasefire will come. It will not end the conflict, or head off the certainty of a long and bitter epilogue. The genocide case at the ICJ guarantees that. So do the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. Once journalists and war crimes investigators can get into the Gaza Strip, they will emerge with more hard facts about what has happened. Those who have been into Gaza with the UN or medical teams say that even people who have seen many wars find it hard to grasp the extent of the damage; so many islands of human misery in an ocean of rubble. I keep thinking about something an Israeli officer said the only time I’ve been into Gaza since the war started. I spent a few hours in the ruins with the Israeli army, one month into the war, when it had already made northern Gaza into a wasteland He started telling me how they did their best to not to fire on Palestinian civilians. Then he trailed off, and paused, and told me no-one in Gaza could be innocent because they all supported Hamas.