Israel says it struck Tehran’s Evin prison and Fordo access routes
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Murder arrests after woman found dead in Portsmouth
Murder arrests after woman found dead in property in Southsea. Two men, 42 and 39, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. A woman aged in her 40s was pronounced dead at the scene.
Image source, Google Image caption, Police were called to Hollam Road in the early hours of Saturday morning
1 hour ago
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead.
Hampshire police were called at shortly after 02:30 BST on Saturday to an address in Hollam Road, Southsea.
A woman aged in her 40s was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspects – a 42-year-old man from Southsea and a 39-year-old man from Gosport – have been released on bail until 21 September while the police investigation continues.
The 39-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of resisting a constable in execution of duty.
Police said the woman’s death was being treated as suspicious and her next of kin had been informed.
Israel says it struck Tehran’s Evin prison and Fordo access routes
Israel says it struck Tehran’s Evin prison and Fordo access routes. Israel’s defence minister said it hit “regime targets and agencies of government repression” across Tehran, including Evin. France’s foreign minister said the strike on the prison was “unacceptable” because it endangered the lives of two of its citizens held there. Israel launched an air campaign against Iran, saying it aimed to remove what it called the “existential threats” of the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Iran’s health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed around 500 people so far, although one human rights group has put the death toll at 950. Iranian ballistic missiles meanwhile struck various locations across Israel, including an industrial area in the coastal city of Ashdod, close to a power station. The Israeli military said its fighter jets had targeted several military command centres – including the IRGC’s “ThAllah” facility, which is designated to defend from threats from Tehran security threats. It came a day after US aircraft dropped “bunker-busting” bombs on the underground facility.
1 hour ago Share Save David Gritten BBC News Share Save
WANA via Reuters Evin prison has thousands of detainees, including dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists and dual nationals (File photo)
Israel has struck Tehran’s notorious Evin prison and damaged parts of the facility, which holds many political detainees, Iran’s judiciary says. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported that the situation was “under control” following the attack, which it said violated international law. State TV footage showed first responders carrying a casualty on a stretcher and searching for survivors under a flattened building. Israel’s defence minister said it hit “regime targets and agencies of government repression” across Tehran, including Evin. France’s foreign minister said the strike on the prison was “unacceptable” because it endangered the lives of two of its citizens held there.
The Israeli military also said on Monday that it had struck access routes to the Fordo uranium enrichment plant, which is south of the capital. It came a day after US aircraft dropped “bunker-busting” bombs on the underground facility. Iranian ballistic missiles meanwhile struck various locations across Israel, including an industrial area in the coastal city of Ashdod, close to a power station. Ten days ago, Israel launched an air campaign against Iran, saying it aimed to remove what it called the “existential threats” of the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Iran’s health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed around 500 people so far, although one human rights group has put the death toll at 950. Iranian missile strikes on Israeli cities have killed 24 people, according to Israeli authorities.
IRIB NEWS State TV footage showed first responders searching for survivors under a flattened building
Evin prison houses thousands of men and women, including prominent political dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, and dual and foreign nationals. Residents of the densely populated surrounding area told BBC Persian that there was a powerful explosion on Monday that shattered the windows of nearby homes. One verified video showed damaged vehicles and debris scattered across a street, while another showed significant damage to the Shahid Moghaddas Prosecutor’s Office, a special security branch located inside the prison complex. It is not clear how many casualties there were, and whether civilians were among them. However, the prosecutor’s office is usually filled during working hours with inmates’ relatives, lawyers, as well prosecutors and judges. Images reviewed by BBC Persian were said to show injured people who had been visiting imprisoned relatives at the time of the strike. Inmates at Evin’s women’s section reportedly told their families that the ceiling was damaged and that panic broke out among prisoners, although they did not report any injuries. However, in Section 4, the shockwave from the explosion was said to have caused injuries to several men who were inside the prison library.
Amnesty International said it was “extremely distressed” by the reports from Evin. “Deliberately attacking civilian objects is prohibited under international humanitarian law and would amount to a war crime,” the human rights group warned. Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s foreign minister, also condemned the strike as “unacceptable”, saying it had endangered two French nationals “held hostage” at the prison on spying charges. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who was imprisoned for years at Evin, told the BBC she felt “sick” with concern following the strike. “When you are in prison, it becomes your home. When I heard this morning that Evin prison was bombed, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. When I was released, I left a piece of my heart there.” She said she had made “the most incredible friendships” with fellow inmates. She added: “For me, thinking that those people who are stuck in prison are scared, traumatized, worried for themselves, but also for the people who are outside – who probably don’t know what they are going through – it makes me feel sick.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military attacked “regime targets and repressive authorities in the heart of Tehran with unprecedented force” on Monday. He said the targets included Evin, the headquarters of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force, which helps suppress domestic dissent, the internal security headquarters of the powerful Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as what he described as the “ideology headquarters” and the “Israel Destruction” clock in Palestine Square. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that the clock – which counts down the days until 2040, based on a 2015 prediction by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that within 25 years the Jewish state would “cease to exist” – was not damaged. The Israeli military said its fighter jets had targeted several military command centres – including the IRGC’s “Thar-Allah” facility, which is designated to defend Tehran from security threats.
MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS President Donald Trump said Sunday’s US strikes on Fordo “obliterated” the underground uranium enrichment plant
What we know about Iranian attack on a US military base in Qatar
Iranian missiles targeted the largest US military base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. About 8,000 US citizens are based there, and it is home to US military’s headquarters for all its air operations in the region. It is unclear whether any of the missiles hit the base, or if there has been material damage. The attack was first confirmed by Iranian state media, and later by the military. The US had previously warned Iran not to respond to its strikes on nuclear facilities and urged leaders in Tehran to agree to a diplomatic end to hostilities. The White House is yet to response to the latest attack.
1 hour ago Share Save Sean Seddon BBC News Share Save
Video shows air defences over Qatar as Iran attacks US base
Iran has launched missiles at a US military base in Qatar, in what it said was retaliation for American strikes against its nuclear sites over the weekend. Witnesses reported hearing loud bangs in the sky above the capital, Doha, while videos showed bright flashes in the sky as air defence systems attempted to intercept missiles. It is the latest escalation in a conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US which has seen tensions in the Middle East soar to unprecedented levels in recent days. Details of this latest attack are still emerging. Here is what we know so far.
What did Iran target and why?
Iranian missiles targeted the largest US military base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. About 8,000 US citizens are based there, according to the State Department, and it is home to US military’s headquarters for all its air operations in the region. Some British military personnel also serve at the base on rotation. The Qatari government said no one had been killed or injured in the attack, and that the base had been evacuated beforehand. It is unclear whether any of the missiles hit the base, or if there has been material damage. Iran launches missiles at US base in Qatar in response to strikes The attack was first confirmed by Iranian state media, and later by the military. A statement from the IRGC, the most powerful branch of the Iranian military, said that “Iran will not leave any attack on its sovereignty unanswered”, and added: “US bases in the region are not strengths but vulnerabilities.” The US had previously warned Iran not to respond to its strikes on nuclear facilities and urged leaders in Tehran to agree to a diplomatic end to hostilities in the region. The White House is yet to respond to the latest attack.
How did the US and others prepare?
There were indications on Monday that the US suspected Iran was preparing to launch missiles into Qatar. Hours before the attack, Qatar said it was temporarily closing its airspace. That came shortly after the US and UK told their nationals in the country to take shelter until further notice. Those warnings did not give a clear indication an attack was imminent: the US said it issued the order “out of an abundance of caution”, while the UK said it was following the lead of the Americans. However, around an hour before the attack, the BBC learned of “a credible threat” to the base. Separately, some US media outlets quoted anonymous US officials as saying Iranian missile launchers had been positioned for a potential launch towards Qatar. Flight tracking websites showed planes had already started diverting to other airports ahead of the launch. According to Flightradar24, there were 100 flights bound for Doha shortly before missiles were detected. Hamad International Airport is one of the world’s top 10 busiest for international traffic, with around 140,000 passengers passing through per day. Other countries in the region, including Bahrain and Kuwait, also closed their airspaces.
How did we get here?
Iran-Israel conflict: Iran threatens US bases in the Middle East; Worldwide travel alert for Americans issued
“America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences,” Iran’s supreme leader says. The U.S. launched a series of strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday. Iran says it will respond in kind, but the extent of the damage is not known.
International concern focused on fears that the unprecedented US attacks would deepen conflict in the volatile region after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month.
Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said bases used by US forces could be attacked in retaliation.
“Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,” he said in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency.
“America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences.”
President Donald Trump urged Iran to end the conflict after he launched surprise “bunker buster” strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.
“We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)” he said on social media.
UK prepared to defend interests in Middle East, Lammy says
UK prepared to defend interests in Middle East, Lammy says in House of Commons. Iran vowed to respond to US strikes on its nuclear facilities. Lammy urged Iran to “dial this thing down” and negotiate with the US immediately. But he did not explicitly say whether the UK government supported the US strikes in Iran, or whether he thought they complied with international law. The UK sent more military aircraft, including Typhoon jets and air-to-air refuelers, to the Middle East “for contingency support across the region” The BBC understands that there is “a credible threat” to the US-run Coalition Air Operations Centre at Al-Udaid in Qatar. One British national in Israel had been injured during Iranian missile attacks, the foreign secretary said.
2 hours ago Share Save Joshua Nevett Political reporter, BBC News Share Save
Lammy questioned on legality of US strikes on Iran
The UK is prepared to defend British interests in the Middle East, the foreign secretary has said, as attacks between Israel and Iran continue. David Lammy said the UK’s “force protection” in the region was at its highest level, after Iran vowed to respond to US strikes on its nuclear facilities. In a statement to MPs, Lammy urged Iran to “dial this thing down” and negotiate with the US immediately. The foreign secretary said the legality of the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear programme was a matter for the Trump administration and stressed the UK was not involved in the attack.
Lammy said Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and stated the US had “taken action to alleviate that threat”. But he did not explicitly say whether the UK government supported the US strikes in Iran, or whether he thought they complied with international law. The two strands of his statement to MPs demonstrated the balancing act the government is performing on the international stage and in domestic politics. “The situation presents serious risk to British interests in the region, having moved in additional assets on a precautionary basis, force protection is at its highest levels,” Lammy said in the House of Commons. “Be in no doubt, we are prepared to defend our personnel, our assets and those of our allies and partners.” Last week, the UK sent more military aircraft, including Typhoon jets and air-to-air refuelers, to the Middle East “for contingency support across the region”. In his statement, Lammy said an RAF aircraft had evacuated 63 British nationals from Tel Aviv in Israel, to Cyprus, from where they will be taken to the UK, adding that more flights would follow. He confirmed that one British national in Israel had been injured during Iranian missile attacks. And he said the UK was warning British citizens in Qatar to shelter in place “until further notice”, after the US issued the same alert. The BBC understands that there is “a credible threat” to the US-run Coalition Air Operations Centre at Al-Udaid in Qatar.
Lammy’s statement came after US President Donald Trump said American strikes had “totally obliterated” three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday night. The foreign secretary told MPs he was not able to give a clear assessment of the damage done to Iran’s nuclear programme and repeated his plea to resume negotiations. He added: “Strikes cannot destroy the knowledge Iran has acquired over several decades, nor any regime ambition to deploy that knowledge to build a nuclear weapon.” Lammy and other ministers have been focusing their efforts on de-escalating the situation through diplomatic means. Earlier he told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that it would be a “catastrophic mistake” for Iran to retaliate by firing at US bases, or by blockading the key shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz. But the government’s failure to clearly state whether they support the American and Israeli bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites has been pounced on by opposition parties. Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said the Labour government had “tried to hide and obfuscate on whether or not they support the US’ action”. She said “the British public deserve to know if their government supports degrading the threat of Iran to us and our allies, or whether it is all too happy to sit on the moral fence”. The Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller tried to pull Lammy in the other direction. He accused the US and Israel of adopting a “might is right” approach that he said undermined the international rules-based order and risked a “full-scale regional war”.