(LONDON) — Two Malaysian navy helicopters have collided in mid-air killing all 10 crew members aboard the two aircraft, according to a statement from the Royal Malaysian Navy on Tuesday.
Video on social media shows the moment of impact between the two helicopters as parts of both helicopters, including the rotor, flying off.
The circumstances that led up to the crash are currently unclear.
There are no known survivors from the crash.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(LONDON) — Prince Louis, the youngest child of Prince William and Kate, the princess of Wales, and younger sibling of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, is 6.
Six years ago, on April 23, 2018, the prince, whose full name is Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Wales, was born at 11:01 a.m., local time.
The young prince, a grandson of King Charles III, made his first public appearance just seven hours after his birth, when William and Kate brought him outside St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
In the years since, Louis has been known to steal the spotlight at royal events.
In 2022, Louis captured the public’s eye when he animatedly stood next to his great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during her Platinum Jubilee.
Later on at the jubilee’s Platinum Pageant, Louis’ display of facial expressions, waving and even at times screaming, prompted William and Kate to caption a video montage of the event, “We all had an incredible time, especially Louis…,” followed by an emoji of watchful eyes.
The next year, in 2023, Louis had his turn in the spotlight again at Charles’ coronation, where he was seen dancing, waving and, at times, yawning.
Just after the coronation, in early May, Louis marked a royal milestone, attending his first royal engagement.
The then-5-year-old was seen trying archery and shoveling alongside Kate as they were joined by William, George and Charlotte in helping to renovate a hut for a scout troop during the Big Help Out, a coronation event meant to encourage people to volunteer in their communities.
Louis’ birthday this year comes at a less celebratory time for the royal family, which has two members battling cancer.
Louis’ mom, Kate, announced in March that she was diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
Just one month earlier, in February, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles was diagnosed with cancer and had begun treatment.
The palace has not specified Charles’ type of cancer, the stage of cancer or the type of treatment.
Likewise, Kensington Palace has not shared details on the type of cancer Kate was diagnosed with. She said in a video message that the cancer was discovered in post-operative tests after her planned abdominal surgery in mid-January.
In announcing her cancer, Kate asked for privacy for her family. The palace has said only that Kate will return to public duties once she is medically cleared to do so.
After taking time off during their children’s Easter school holiday, William returned to work on April 18, visiting a food charity in his first royal engagement back since Kate’s announcement.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) — Israel, early Friday morning local time, launched a retaliatory strike against Iran, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The strike follow Iran’s attack last Saturday, where the country sent a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials previously said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
Iran’s attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s war cabinet have met several times since the Iran strikes, and as ABC News previously reported, at least two strikes were previously aborted.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 19, 12:22 PM
G7 foreign ministers: Iran should be held accountable for ‘malicious and destabilizing actions’
The foreign ministers at the G7 meeting in Capri, Italy, issued a lengthy statement condemning Iran’s weekend attack on Israel.
“We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel of April 13-14, which Israel defeated with the help of its partners. This was a dangerous escalation, as Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones,” the leaders said.
“We will hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions and we stand ready to adopt further sanctions or take other measures, now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives,” the leaders said.
They added, “In light of reports of strikes on April 19th [from Israel to Iran], we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation.”
The G7 leaders also called on Israel to do more to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Apr 19, 11:24 AM
House votes to advance foreign aid bills, including $26B for Israel
The House on Friday cleared a key procedural hurdle in passing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, despite dozens of Republican defections, with Democrats helping Speaker Mike Johnson avoid a defeat.
The Israel bill would provide roughly $26 billion in aid.
Its passage means the House will debate the bills Saturday morning before voting Saturday afternoon to send it to the Senate.
Apr 19, 11:08 AM
Israelis fired 3 missiles in limited strike
Three missiles were fired from Israeli fighter aircraft outside of Iran in Friday morning’s very limited strike, according to a senior U.S. official.
The Israelis were targeting an air defense radar site near Isfahan that’s part of the protection of the Natanz nuclear facility, the official said. The first assessment is that the strike took out the site, but assessment hasn’t been completed, the official said.
The strike was intended to send a signal to Iran that Israel has these capabilities, but was not looking to escalate the situation, according to the official.
Apr 19, 7:46 AM
Blinken says US ‘not involved’ in Israel’s strike on Iran
United States Secretary of State Antony has denied any U.S. involvement in Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran.
Blinken was asked at a press conference early Friday morning if Israel told the United States in advance of the strikes in Iran.
“I’m not going to respond,” Blinken said. He went on to say that “the U.S. was not involved in any U.S. offensive.”
Apr 19, 4:14 AM
No damage to Iran’s nuclear sites after Israeli strike: IAEA
Iran’s nuclear sites have not been damaged by Israel’s strike on Iran early Friday morning, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a statement released on social media, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says he “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts.”
Apr 19, 12:49 AM
Flight operations resume in Iran: State media
After suspending flights at several airports following reports of an explosion in Iran, Iranian state media said early Friday normal operations have resumed.
Apr 18, 10:31 PM
Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz suspended after reports of explosion in Iran: Iranian state media
Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz have been suspended following reports an explosion was heard in the city of Qahjavaristan, Iranian state media reported.
The city of Qahjavaristan is located near Isfahan Airport and the 8th Shekhari Base of the Army Air Force in the northwest of Isfahan.
Apr 18, 9:27 PM
Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran. The official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well.
Apr 18, 4:19 PM
In meeting with Israelis, US officials ‘expressed concerns’ over Rafah
In a Thursday meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials, the two sides discussed the attack by Iran as well as the Israeli military’s plans for an operation in Rafah in Gaza, according to the White House.
During the meeting, the “U.S. participants expressed concerns with various courses of action in Rafah,” according to a White House readout.
“Israeli participants agreed to take these concerns into account and to have further follow up discussions between experts, overseen by the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group,” and the officials agreed to meet again “soon,” according to the White House.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan convened the meeting and the Israeli side was led by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Apr 18, 2:38 PM
Israel makes significant process in preparations for Rafah evacuations: Source
Israel has made significant progress in preparations for the evacuation of around 1 million civilians from Rafah ahead of the Israeli military’s impending operation in the southern Gaza city, according to an Israeli source.
Preparations have been ongoing for over a month, including repairing water and sewage pipes and amassing thousands of tents, the source said
There are around 1.5 million Palestinians estimated to be in the Khan Younis and Rafah areas in southern Gaza. It’s believed around 1 million people would evacuate north. The evacuation process, which could take weeks, would not start until after Passover.
State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed to reporters that “any kind of forced relocation or displacement of the Palestinian people within Gaza cannot and should not be part of any plan or an operation.”
Apr 18, 12:52 PM
US, Israeli officials to hold high-level meeting on Rafah plans
U.S. and Israeli officials will hold a high-level, virtual meeting on Thursday about alternative plans for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
The official said that it will be a secure video meeting that will follow up on discussions from earlier this month. National security adviser Jake Sullivan will lead the meeting for the U.S. side, the official said.
The meeting was first reported by Axios.
“The main purpose really is to talk about Rafah … and also share our continued concerns over a major ground offensive there,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said.
Apr 18, 9:41 AM
US sanctions 16 people, two groups after Iran attacks
The U.S. is sanctioning two groups and 16 people it says enabled Iran’s drone production following Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend.
“Today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and in consultation with partners and allies, we are taking swift and decisive action to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. “We’re using Treasury’s economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism.”
The Treasury Department said it’s sanctioning Khuzestan Steel Company, Iran’s largest steel producer. The Treasury Department said Iran’s metals sector generates “several billion dollars in revenue annually.”
The U.S. is also targeting the Iranian carmaker Bahman Group for its role in making vehicles used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for military operations.
The sanctions also target people who work for Iran-based drone manufacturers, including executives of the Mado Company, which the U.S. says produced drone engines used in Iran’s Shahed UAVs. The U.S. also sanctioned members of the IRGC who it says help supply proxy groups, like the Houthis in Yemen, with drones that have attacked U.S. service members in the Red Sea.
Yellen added that the U.S. would “continue to deploy” sanctions to counter any further action by Iran, with the goal of making it harder and more expensive for Iran to undertake destabilizing actions.
Apr 17, 6:16 PM
Israel not likely to carry out strike until after Passover: US official
Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran until after Passover, a senior U.S. official told ABC News, although that could always change.
Passover begins on Monday and ends after nightfall on April 30.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other leadership are still on a high state of alert, with some in safe houses and underground facilities, the official said.
Apr 17, 5:50 PM
Israel aborted strikes against Iran 2 nights this week: Sources
Israel prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week, three Israeli sources told ABC News.
Iran attacked Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night into Sunday morning local time in Israel. Israel has been weighing how and when to respond to Iran’s attack since then, holding war cabinet meetings on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The members of the Israeli war cabinet are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A range of responses have been presented to the Israeli war cabinet. The potential responses include options ranging from attacking Iranian proxies in the region but not on Iranian soil to a potential cyber attack, sources told ABC News.
There was no war cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but Netanyahu told his government cabinet that while he appreciates the advice from allies, Israel will “make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Jordana Miller
Apr 17, 3:02 PM
Iranian president: Israel invasion would be met with ‘massive’ response
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at an army parade Wednesday that “the tiniest invasion” from Israel will be met with a “very massive and harsh response.”
Apr 17, 2:26 PM
House GOP package totals $14.1 billion for Israel
House Republicans have posted the legislative text for three national security bills, addressing Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific.
For Israel, lawmakers have crafted a package totaling $14.1 billion, including: $4 billion for missile defense; $1.2 billion for Iron Beam; $4 billion replenishment of stocks to the Department of Defense; and $3.5 billion for Israel to purchase U.S. weapons.
“The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
Apr 17, 1:12 PM
Netanyahu: Israel ‘will make our own decisions’ on how to respond to Iran
After meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciates their advice, but added, “We will make our own decisions and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
Cameron told reporters after the meeting in Jerusalem, “It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act.”
“We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible, and in a way that — as I said yesterday — is smart as well as tough,” Cameron added.
Cameron also reiterated that the “real need is to refocus back on Hamas, back on the hostages, back on getting the aid in, back on getting a pause in the conflict in Gaza.”
“That’s why I’m here today to talk to the Israeli government, to talk to the Palestinian Authority to try and push those things forward,” Cameron said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Apr 16, 7:04 PM
US says it will impose new sanctions on Iran in coming days
The United States announced Tuesday it will impose new sanctions targeting Iran in the coming days following its “unprecedented air attack against Israel.”
The sanctions include targeting Iran’s missile and drone program and new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry, according to the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
“We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions,” Sullivan said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions.”
The U.S. is telegraphing its sanction plan in advance to underscore the large international response that the U.S. is coordinating and to signal to Iran there will be diplomatic costs to what they’ve done, a senior administration official told ABC News. The official said they believe this will have an impact, in part, by bringing other countries on board.
Apr 16, 4:08 PM
IDF’s conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers’ social media posts
Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.
Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.
In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.
Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian activist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving improperly.
“You can see all the soldiers liking their posts,” Tirawi told ABC News.
Apr 16, 3:48 PM
Blinken to Israeli war cabinet: ‘We do not want to see further escalation’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, during which Blinken “continue[d] to send the same messages in all his conversations — which is we do not want to see further escalation of the conflict,” according to spokesperson Matt Miller.
Miller declined to say whether the U.S. assessed the threat of escalation had fallen, but an administration official said the amount of time that has already elapsed since Iran’s weekend attack had boosted hopes that Israel would exercise constraint.
Miller batted down reports that Iran and the U.S. were communicating through intermediaries in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel.
“There have not been such messages delivered. It’s been days since we’ve communicated — since we’ve sent messages to the government of Iran,” Miller said. “And I say that as a reminder of something we’ve said before: Oftentimes, the Iranian government has misled the world about either messages they’ve passed to us or messages that we have passed to them.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 16, 3:36 PM
UK prime minister ‘gravely concerned’ about humanitarian situation in Gaza
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. While Netanyahu thanked Sunak for the U.K.’s support to counter Iran’s weekend attack on Israel, Sunak also had harsh words for Netanyahu about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“On Gaza, the Prime Minister said he remained gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “The U.K. wanted to see a massive step change in aid access to flood Gaza with vital supplies, including Israel opening up new aid routes as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister said it was deeply disappointing that Hamas blocked a deal at the weekend that would have saved Palestinian lives and secured the safe release of hostages.”
Apr 16, 3:23 PM
Israeli war cabinet meeting ends again with no final decision on response: Source
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet met for the third day in a row on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
But Tuesday’s meeting ended with no final decision made about an Israeli response, according to an Israeli source with knowledge of the meeting. A variety of options are still being considered, the source said.
Apr 16, 2:13 PM
Iran foreign minister says ‘no intention of further escalating the situation’
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a call that “Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the conversation.
Apr 16, 1:56 PM
More than 19,000 children orphaned in Gaza
Over 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to a report from UN Women, the United Nations’ entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Out of those 10,000 women, 6,000 were mothers, who have left behind 19,000 orphaned children, according to the report.
-ABC News’ Kori Skillman
Apr 16, 11:18 AM
Israel focused too intensely on Iran’s nuclear threat at expense of ballistic threat: IDF
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel focused too intensely on the Iranian nuclear threat at the expense of its ballistic threat.
A senior U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. also relied too heavily on the misguided conception that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was cautious and would never order a direct attack on Israel, and that this weekend’s attack and the general U.S. assessment of Iran now requires study and reassessment.
Sima Shine, a former head of the Iran desk at Israeli espionage agency Mossad, also said Israel’s assessment was wrong, and said “the rules of the game” have changed. A huge barrage of missiles was considered possible, but highly unlikely, Shine said.
Shine said any Israeli response under the new conception requires the assumption that Iran will follow up with its threat of another salvo of missiles. That said, Shine believes that Iran and the supreme leader do not want a full-scale war because it would be unpopular in Iran and the U.S. could get involved.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
Apr 16, 9:18 AM
Yellen to Iran: US ‘will not hesitate’ to issue new sanctions
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning Iran that the U.S. “will not hesitate” to impose new sanctions in response to Iran’s “unprecedented attack” on Israel.
“Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity,” Yellen is expected to say at a Tuesday press conference. “The attack by Iran and its proxies underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity.”
Yellen’s message follows President Joe Biden’s Sunday meeting with the G7 nations, during which the leaders discussed a coordinated effort on sanction measures.
Apr 16, 6:31 AM
Israeli war cabinet to consider response again Tuesday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet is expected to meet again on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
“We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness,” Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions.”
Halevi added Israel would “choose our response accordingly.”
Apr 16, 6:14 AM
UN watchdog calls for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict
United Nations officials called on Tuesday for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, saying the retaliatory military attacks “violate the right to life and must cease immediately.”
“All countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism,” the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press release, quoting U.N. officials described as “experts.”
The retaliatory strikes by both countries may constitute the “international crime of aggression by civilian and military leaders responsible,” those officials said, according to the statement.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) — Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran early Friday morning local time, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The strike followed Iran’s attack on Saturday, when Tehran sent a volley of more than 300 drones and missiles toward targets in Israel, according to Israeli military officials. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
Iran’s weekend attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of Gaza.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 22, 5:36 AM
Israeli intelligence chief resigns over Oct. 7
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, has submitted his resignation in the wake of the Oct. 7 surprise terror attack, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday.
“The Chief of the General Staff thanked Major General Aharon Haliva for his 38 years of service in the IDF, during which he made significant contributions to the security of the State of Israel as both a combat soldier and commander,” IDF officials said in a post on social media.
Apr 22, 5:19 AM
US drops 50,000 meals over Northern Gaza
The U.S. military on Sunday dropped 50,688 ready-to-eat meals into northern Gaza, Central Command said.
The humanitarian aid, which was dropped from four Air Force aircraft, brings the total U.S. assistance supplied by air to about 1,001 tons, CENTCOM said.
“The DoD humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. and partner-nation government efforts to alleviate human suffering,” CENTCOM said on social media. “These airdrops are part of a sustained effort, and we continue to plan follow-on aerial deliveries.”
Apr 22, 3:29 AM
Three injured in ‘ramming terror attack’ in Jerusalem, police say
Three people were “lightly” injured after being struck by a vehicle in a “ramming terror attack,” Israeli police said on Monday morning. The two suspects allegedly fled the scene.
The pedestrians were struck at about 8 a.m. on Mordechai Tekhelet Street, police said.
“Immediately afterward, two terrorists emerged from the vehicle armed with ‘Carlo’ type weapon, and attempted to open fire, unsuccessfully,” police said.
Investigators recovered a weapon from the area following the incident, police said.
Apr 21, 6:09 PM
Israeli Defense Minister responds to potential US sanctions on IDF battalion
Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant held a discussion with IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi regarding the developing report on U.S. intentions to impose sanctions against the IDF’s Netzach Yehuda battalion, an Israeli military unit operating in the West Bank.
“Any attempt to criticize an entire unit casts a heavy shadow on the actions of the IDF, which operates to protect the citizens of Israel,” Gallant said in a statement. “Damage to one battalion, affects the entire defense establishment – this is not the right path for partners and friends.”
Gallant urged the U.S. not to impose sanctions on the unit.
“Our friends and our enemies are closely watching the ties between Israel and the United States, now more than ever,” Gallant said. “I call on the U.S. Administration to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions on the Netzach Yehuda battalion.”
Amid reports of possible sanctions, Gallant recently completed a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Earlier today, Minister Gallant also held a discussion with the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew.
Apr 21, 1:38 PM
22 reported dead in strikes on Rafah: Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry
Two strikes were launched on the southern Gaza town of Rafah, killing 22 people, including 18 children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
At least one blast occurred at the Al-Shabora refugee camp in Rafah, a spokesperson for the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah told ABC News.
The hospital spokesperson told ABC News doctors were able to rescue an unborn baby whose mother was killed in the blast at Al-Shabora camp. Officials identified the mother as Sabreen Mohamed Al-Sakani.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strikes, telling ABC News, “At the given times, the IDF struck several military targets of the terrorist organizations in Gaza including military compounds, launch posts and armed terrorists.”
Apr 21, 11:23 AM
14 ‘terrorists’ killed in dayslong West Bank raid: IDF
Israeli forces have withdrawn after a dayslong raid in the Nur Shams area of the Tulkarm camp in the West Bank left 14 “terrorists” dead, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel Border Police forces “completed extensive counterterrorism activity based on IDF and ISA (Israel Security Authority) intelligence in the area of Nur Shams,” the IDF said in a statement.
During the raid, which began Friday, “the forces eliminated 14 terrorists in close-quarters combat, apprehended 15 wanted suspects, seized numerous weapons, and destroyed dozens of explosive devices as well as two terror explosives laboratories,” according to the IDF statement.
The IDF said all of the terrorists were killed during fire exchanges with Israeli forces.
Since the raid started, nine IDF soldiers and an Israel Border Police officer were “lightly to moderately” injured in the fighting, according to the IDF.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society, the first responder service in the West Bank, also said 14 people were killed as a result of the raid.
Apr 20, 6:05 PM
Netanyahu responds after Blinken says US may impose sanctions on IDF
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the department will be announcing his determinations regarding the Israel Defense Forces under the Leahy Law — which empowers the secretary of state to withhold funding from units of a foreign military accused of human rights violations — “in the coming days.”
The State Department could announce sanctions against the IDF and withhold aid to the military.
“I think it’s fair to say that you’ll see results very soon. I’ve made determinations, you can expect to see them in the days ahead,” he told press gathered for G7 meetings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a statement on X saying sanctions must not be imposed on the IDF.
“In recent weeks, I have been working against the imposition of sanctions on Israeli citizens, including in my conversations with senior American government officials. At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose a sanction on a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low,” Netanyahu said Saturday.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) — Israel, early Friday morning local time, launched a retaliatory strike against Iran, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The strike follow Iran’s attack last Saturday, where the country sent a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials previously said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
Iran’s attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s war cabinet have met several times since the Iran strikes, and as ABC News previously reported, at least two strikes were previously aborted.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 19, 12:22 PM
G7 foreign ministers: Iran should be held accountable for ‘malicious and destabilizing actions’
The foreign ministers at the G7 meeting in Capri, Italy, issued a lengthy statement condemning Iran’s weekend attack on Israel.
“We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack against Israel of April 13-14, which Israel defeated with the help of its partners. This was a dangerous escalation, as Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones,” the leaders said.
“We will hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions and we stand ready to adopt further sanctions or take other measures, now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives,” the leaders said.
They added, “In light of reports of strikes on April 19th [from Israel to Iran], we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation.”
The G7 leaders also called on Israel to do more to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Apr 19, 11:24 AM
House votes to advance foreign aid bills, including $26B for Israel
The House on Friday cleared a key procedural hurdle in passing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, despite dozens of Republican defections, with Democrats helping Speaker Mike Johnson avoid a defeat.
The Israel bill would provide roughly $26 billion in aid.
Its passage means the House will debate the bills Saturday morning before voting Saturday afternoon to send it to the Senate.
Apr 19, 11:08 AM
Israelis fired 3 missiles in limited strike
Three missiles were fired from Israeli fighter aircraft outside of Iran in Friday morning’s very limited strike, according to a senior U.S. official.
The Israelis were targeting an air defense radar site near Isfahan that’s part of the protection of the Natanz nuclear facility, the official said. The first assessment is that the strike took out the site, but assessment hasn’t been completed, the official said.
The strike was intended to send a signal to Iran that Israel has these capabilities, but was not looking to escalate the situation, according to the official.
Apr 19, 7:46 AM
Blinken says US ‘not involved’ in Israel’s strike on Iran
United States Secretary of State Antony has denied any U.S. involvement in Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran.
Blinken was asked at a press conference early Friday morning if Israel told the United States in advance of the strikes in Iran.
“I’m not going to respond,” Blinken said. He went on to say that “the U.S. was not involved in any U.S. offensive.”
Apr 19, 4:14 AM
No damage to Iran’s nuclear sites after Israeli strike: IAEA
Iran’s nuclear sites have not been damaged by Israel’s strike on Iran early Friday morning, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a statement released on social media, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says he “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts.”
Apr 19, 12:49 AM
Flight operations resume in Iran: State media
After suspending flights at several airports following reports of an explosion in Iran, Iranian state media said early Friday normal operations have resumed.
Apr 18, 10:31 PM
Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz suspended after reports of explosion in Iran: Iranian state media
Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz have been suspended following reports an explosion was heard in the city of Qahjavaristan, Iranian state media reported.
The city of Qahjavaristan is located near Isfahan Airport and the 8th Shekhari Base of the Army Air Force in the northwest of Isfahan.
Apr 18, 9:27 PM
Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran. The official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well.
Apr 18, 4:19 PM
In meeting with Israelis, US officials ‘expressed concerns’ over Rafah
In a Thursday meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials, the two sides discussed the attack by Iran as well as the Israeli military’s plans for an operation in Rafah in Gaza, according to the White House.
During the meeting, the “U.S. participants expressed concerns with various courses of action in Rafah,” according to a White House readout.
“Israeli participants agreed to take these concerns into account and to have further follow up discussions between experts, overseen by the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group,” and the officials agreed to meet again “soon,” according to the White House.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan convened the meeting and the Israeli side was led by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Apr 18, 2:38 PM
Israel makes significant process in preparations for Rafah evacuations: Source
Israel has made significant progress in preparations for the evacuation of around 1 million civilians from Rafah ahead of the Israeli military’s impending operation in the southern Gaza city, according to an Israeli source.
Preparations have been ongoing for over a month, including repairing water and sewage pipes and amassing thousands of tents, the source said
There are around 1.5 million Palestinians estimated to be in the Khan Younis and Rafah areas in southern Gaza. It’s believed around 1 million people would evacuate north. The evacuation process, which could take weeks, would not start until after Passover.
State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed to reporters that “any kind of forced relocation or displacement of the Palestinian people within Gaza cannot and should not be part of any plan or an operation.”
Apr 18, 12:52 PM
US, Israeli officials to hold high-level meeting on Rafah plans
U.S. and Israeli officials will hold a high-level, virtual meeting on Thursday about alternative plans for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
The official said that it will be a secure video meeting that will follow up on discussions from earlier this month. National security adviser Jake Sullivan will lead the meeting for the U.S. side, the official said.
The meeting was first reported by Axios.
“The main purpose really is to talk about Rafah … and also share our continued concerns over a major ground offensive there,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said.
Apr 18, 9:41 AM
US sanctions 16 people, two groups after Iran attacks
The U.S. is sanctioning two groups and 16 people it says enabled Iran’s drone production following Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend.
“Today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and in consultation with partners and allies, we are taking swift and decisive action to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. “We’re using Treasury’s economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism.”
The Treasury Department said it’s sanctioning Khuzestan Steel Company, Iran’s largest steel producer. The Treasury Department said Iran’s metals sector generates “several billion dollars in revenue annually.”
The U.S. is also targeting the Iranian carmaker Bahman Group for its role in making vehicles used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for military operations.
The sanctions also target people who work for Iran-based drone manufacturers, including executives of the Mado Company, which the U.S. says produced drone engines used in Iran’s Shahed UAVs. The U.S. also sanctioned members of the IRGC who it says help supply proxy groups, like the Houthis in Yemen, with drones that have attacked U.S. service members in the Red Sea.
Yellen added that the U.S. would “continue to deploy” sanctions to counter any further action by Iran, with the goal of making it harder and more expensive for Iran to undertake destabilizing actions.
Apr 17, 6:16 PM
Israel not likely to carry out strike until after Passover: US official
Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran until after Passover, a senior U.S. official told ABC News, although that could always change.
Passover begins on Monday and ends after nightfall on April 30.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other leadership are still on a high state of alert, with some in safe houses and underground facilities, the official said.
Apr 17, 5:50 PM
Israel aborted strikes against Iran 2 nights this week: Sources
Israel prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week, three Israeli sources told ABC News.
Iran attacked Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night into Sunday morning local time in Israel. Israel has been weighing how and when to respond to Iran’s attack since then, holding war cabinet meetings on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The members of the Israeli war cabinet are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A range of responses have been presented to the Israeli war cabinet. The potential responses include options ranging from attacking Iranian proxies in the region but not on Iranian soil to a potential cyber attack, sources told ABC News.
There was no war cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but Netanyahu told his government cabinet that while he appreciates the advice from allies, Israel will “make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Jordana Miller
Apr 17, 3:02 PM
Iranian president: Israel invasion would be met with ‘massive’ response
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at an army parade Wednesday that “the tiniest invasion” from Israel will be met with a “very massive and harsh response.”
Apr 17, 2:26 PM
House GOP package totals $14.1 billion for Israel
House Republicans have posted the legislative text for three national security bills, addressing Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific.
For Israel, lawmakers have crafted a package totaling $14.1 billion, including: $4 billion for missile defense; $1.2 billion for Iron Beam; $4 billion replenishment of stocks to the Department of Defense; and $3.5 billion for Israel to purchase U.S. weapons.
“The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
Apr 17, 1:12 PM
Netanyahu: Israel ‘will make our own decisions’ on how to respond to Iran
After meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciates their advice, but added, “We will make our own decisions and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
Cameron told reporters after the meeting in Jerusalem, “It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act.”
“We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible, and in a way that — as I said yesterday — is smart as well as tough,” Cameron added.
Cameron also reiterated that the “real need is to refocus back on Hamas, back on the hostages, back on getting the aid in, back on getting a pause in the conflict in Gaza.”
“That’s why I’m here today to talk to the Israeli government, to talk to the Palestinian Authority to try and push those things forward,” Cameron said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Apr 16, 7:04 PM
US says it will impose new sanctions on Iran in coming days
The United States announced Tuesday it will impose new sanctions targeting Iran in the coming days following its “unprecedented air attack against Israel.”
The sanctions include targeting Iran’s missile and drone program and new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry, according to the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
“We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions,” Sullivan said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions.”
The U.S. is telegraphing its sanction plan in advance to underscore the large international response that the U.S. is coordinating and to signal to Iran there will be diplomatic costs to what they’ve done, a senior administration official told ABC News. The official said they believe this will have an impact, in part, by bringing other countries on board.
Apr 16, 4:08 PM
IDF’s conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers’ social media posts
Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.
Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.
In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.
Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian activist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving improperly.
“You can see all the soldiers liking their posts,” Tirawi told ABC News.
Apr 16, 3:48 PM
Blinken to Israeli war cabinet: ‘We do not want to see further escalation’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, during which Blinken “continue[d] to send the same messages in all his conversations — which is we do not want to see further escalation of the conflict,” according to spokesperson Matt Miller.
Miller declined to say whether the U.S. assessed the threat of escalation had fallen, but an administration official said the amount of time that has already elapsed since Iran’s weekend attack had boosted hopes that Israel would exercise constraint.
Miller batted down reports that Iran and the U.S. were communicating through intermediaries in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel.
“There have not been such messages delivered. It’s been days since we’ve communicated — since we’ve sent messages to the government of Iran,” Miller said. “And I say that as a reminder of something we’ve said before: Oftentimes, the Iranian government has misled the world about either messages they’ve passed to us or messages that we have passed to them.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 16, 3:36 PM
UK prime minister ‘gravely concerned’ about humanitarian situation in Gaza
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. While Netanyahu thanked Sunak for the U.K.’s support to counter Iran’s weekend attack on Israel, Sunak also had harsh words for Netanyahu about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“On Gaza, the Prime Minister said he remained gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “The U.K. wanted to see a massive step change in aid access to flood Gaza with vital supplies, including Israel opening up new aid routes as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister said it was deeply disappointing that Hamas blocked a deal at the weekend that would have saved Palestinian lives and secured the safe release of hostages.”
Apr 16, 3:23 PM
Israeli war cabinet meeting ends again with no final decision on response: Source
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet met for the third day in a row on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
But Tuesday’s meeting ended with no final decision made about an Israeli response, according to an Israeli source with knowledge of the meeting. A variety of options are still being considered, the source said.
Apr 16, 2:13 PM
Iran foreign minister says ‘no intention of further escalating the situation’
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a call that “Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the conversation.
Apr 16, 1:56 PM
More than 19,000 children orphaned in Gaza
Over 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to a report from UN Women, the United Nations’ entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Out of those 10,000 women, 6,000 were mothers, who have left behind 19,000 orphaned children, according to the report.
-ABC News’ Kori Skillman
Apr 16, 11:18 AM
Israel focused too intensely on Iran’s nuclear threat at expense of ballistic threat: IDF
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel focused too intensely on the Iranian nuclear threat at the expense of its ballistic threat.
A senior U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. also relied too heavily on the misguided conception that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was cautious and would never order a direct attack on Israel, and that this weekend’s attack and the general U.S. assessment of Iran now requires study and reassessment.
Sima Shine, a former head of the Iran desk at Israeli espionage agency Mossad, also said Israel’s assessment was wrong, and said “the rules of the game” have changed. A huge barrage of missiles was considered possible, but highly unlikely, Shine said.
Shine said any Israeli response under the new conception requires the assumption that Iran will follow up with its threat of another salvo of missiles. That said, Shine believes that Iran and the supreme leader do not want a full-scale war because it would be unpopular in Iran and the U.S. could get involved.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
Apr 16, 9:18 AM
Yellen to Iran: US ‘will not hesitate’ to issue new sanctions
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning Iran that the U.S. “will not hesitate” to impose new sanctions in response to Iran’s “unprecedented attack” on Israel.
“Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity,” Yellen is expected to say at a Tuesday press conference. “The attack by Iran and its proxies underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity.”
Yellen’s message follows President Joe Biden’s Sunday meeting with the G7 nations, during which the leaders discussed a coordinated effort on sanction measures.
Apr 16, 6:31 AM
Israeli war cabinet to consider response again Tuesday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet is expected to meet again on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
“We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness,” Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions.”
Halevi added Israel would “choose our response accordingly.”
Apr 16, 6:14 AM
UN watchdog calls for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict
United Nations officials called on Tuesday for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, saying the retaliatory military attacks “violate the right to life and must cease immediately.”
“All countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism,” the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press release, quoting U.N. officials described as “experts.”
The retaliatory strikes by both countries may constitute the “international crime of aggression by civilian and military leaders responsible,” those officials said, according to the statement.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(LONDON) — For the second time this week, Russian strikes have caused significant civilian casualties in a key Ukrainian city as Russian missiles hit areas around the southeastern city of Dnipro on Friday, killing at least 8 people — including two children — and wounding nearly 30 more.
Two days earlier, Russian missiles struck the center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, killing at least 18 and injuring nearly 80 more — one of the deadliest strikes in months.
Friday’s strikes in Dnipro damaged several floors of a residential building as well as the station, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement.
The strikes underline a shift in the war that has intensified in the past few weeks that has seen far more Russian airstrikes start to get through and Russian bombing broaden in scale as Ukrainian air defenses run out.
Russian bombing using missiles and drones now hit Ukrainian cities virtually every night, and in some cities, appear to have become once again more indiscriminate. The number of civilians dying has dramatically risen as have the number of successful Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Pennsylvania board’s cancellation of gay actor’s school visit ill-advised, education leaders say
The United Nations says it has recorded a steep rise in the number of civilian casualties as the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring mission says it has verified at least 604 civilians killed or injured in March, a 20% increase from February.
Russia has improved its tactics for launching air attacks at the exact same time as Ukraine’s air defense has become far more porous as the are now short on ammunition with American military aid stalled in Congress.
While Ukraine has been largely able to protect Kyiv and Lviv, it lacks sufficient air defense systems to cover most keys cities outside the capital. Some experts and Ukrainian officials have expressed particular fear for Kharkiv, saying they worry Russia hopes to use constant strikes to make Ukraine’s second largest city — home to a million people — unlivable.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky has urged Ukraine’s allies to provide more air defense support urgently.
He and other Ukrainian officials have also noted that the U.S. and other western countries had intervened with their own militaries to protect Israel from the massive missile and drone attack launched by Iran on Sunday, suggesting the same could be done to shield Ukraine.
Zelensky on Friday, again, said Ukraine’s partners had the means to help stop Russian strikes.
“The world can guarantee this, the partners have the necessary capabilities. This has been proven particularly in the skies of the Middle East, and it should work in the skies of Europe,” Zelensky wrote in a post on his Telegram account.
The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to vote on the long-stalled security package worth tens of billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine this weekend after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson moved to put it forward along with separate aid bills for Israel and Taiwan.
The vote’s outcome still hangs in the balance, however, with far right, pro-Trump Republicans threatening to try to oust Johnson if he goes ahead with it. Johnson has vowed to put the measures to a vote even if it costs him his job.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) — Israel, early Friday morning local time, launched a retaliatory strike against Iran, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The strike follow Iran’s attack last Saturday, where the country sent a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials previously said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
Iran’s attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s war cabinet have met several times since the Iran strikes, and as ABC News previously reported, at least two strikes were previously aborted.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 19, 4:14 AM
No damage to Iran’s nuclear sites after Israeli strike: IAEA
Iran’s nuclear sites have not been damaged by Israel’s strike on Iran early Friday morning, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a statement released on social media, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says he “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts.”
Apr 19, 12:49 AM
Flight operations resume in Iran: State media
After suspending flights at several airports following reports of an explosion in Iran, Iranian state media said early Friday normal operations have resumed.
Apr 18, 10:31 PM
Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz suspended after reports of explosion in Iran: Iranian state media
Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz have been suspended following reports an explosion was heard in the city of Qahjavaristan, Iranian state media reported.
The city of Qahjavaristan is located near Isfahan Airport and the 8th Shekhari Base of the Army Air Force in the northwest of Isfahan.
Apr 18, 9:27 PM
Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran. The official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well.
Apr 18, 4:19 PM
In meeting with Israelis, US officials ‘expressed concerns’ over Rafah
In a Thursday meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials, the two sides discussed the attack by Iran as well as the Israeli military’s plans for an operation in Rafah in Gaza, according to the White House.
During the meeting, the “U.S. participants expressed concerns with various courses of action in Rafah,” according to a White House readout.
“Israeli participants agreed to take these concerns into account and to have further follow up discussions between experts, overseen by the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group,” and the officials agreed to meet again “soon,” according to the White House.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan convened the meeting and the Israeli side was led by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Apr 18, 2:38 PM
Israel makes significant process in preparations for Rafah evacuations: Source
Israel has made significant progress in preparations for the evacuation of around 1 million civilians from Rafah ahead of the Israeli military’s impending operation in the southern Gaza city, according to an Israeli source.
Preparations have been ongoing for over a month, including repairing water and sewage pipes and amassing thousands of tents, the source said
There are around 1.5 million Palestinians estimated to be in the Khan Younis and Rafah areas in southern Gaza. It’s believed around 1 million people would evacuate north. The evacuation process, which could take weeks, would not start until after Passover.
State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed to reporters that “any kind of forced relocation or displacement of the Palestinian people within Gaza cannot and should not be part of any plan or an operation.”
Apr 18, 12:52 PM
US, Israeli officials to hold high-level meeting on Rafah plans
U.S. and Israeli officials will hold a high-level, virtual meeting on Thursday about alternative plans for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
The official said that it will be a secure video meeting that will follow up on discussions from earlier this month. National security adviser Jake Sullivan will lead the meeting for the U.S. side, the official said.
The meeting was first reported by Axios.
“The main purpose really is to talk about Rafah … and also share our continued concerns over a major ground offensive there,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said.
Apr 18, 9:41 AM
US sanctions 16 people, two groups after Iran attacks
The U.S. is sanctioning two groups and 16 people it says enabled Iran’s drone production following Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend.
“Today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and in consultation with partners and allies, we are taking swift and decisive action to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. “We’re using Treasury’s economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism.”
The Treasury Department said it’s sanctioning Khuzestan Steel Company, Iran’s largest steel producer. The Treasury Department said Iran’s metals sector generates “several billion dollars in revenue annually.”
The U.S. is also targeting the Iranian carmaker Bahman Group for its role in making vehicles used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for military operations.
The sanctions also target people who work for Iran-based drone manufacturers, including executives of the Mado Company, which the U.S. says produced drone engines used in Iran’s Shahed UAVs. The U.S. also sanctioned members of the IRGC who it says help supply proxy groups, like the Houthis in Yemen, with drones that have attacked U.S. service members in the Red Sea.
Yellen added that the U.S. would “continue to deploy” sanctions to counter any further action by Iran, with the goal of making it harder and more expensive for Iran to undertake destabilizing actions.
Apr 17, 6:16 PM
Israel not likely to carry out strike until after Passover: US official
Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran until after Passover, a senior U.S. official told ABC News, although that could always change.
Passover begins on Monday and ends after nightfall on April 30.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other leadership are still on a high state of alert, with some in safe houses and underground facilities, the official said.
Apr 17, 5:50 PM
Israel aborted strikes against Iran 2 nights this week: Sources
Israel prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week, three Israeli sources told ABC News.
Iran attacked Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night into Sunday morning local time in Israel. Israel has been weighing how and when to respond to Iran’s attack since then, holding war cabinet meetings on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The members of the Israeli war cabinet are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A range of responses have been presented to the Israeli war cabinet. The potential responses include options ranging from attacking Iranian proxies in the region but not on Iranian soil to a potential cyber attack, sources told ABC News.
There was no war cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but Netanyahu told his government cabinet that while he appreciates the advice from allies, Israel will “make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Jordana Miller
Apr 17, 3:02 PM
Iranian president: Israel invasion would be met with ‘massive’ response
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at an army parade Wednesday that “the tiniest invasion” from Israel will be met with a “very massive and harsh response.”
Apr 17, 2:26 PM
House GOP package totals $14.1 billion for Israel
House Republicans have posted the legislative text for three national security bills, addressing Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific.
For Israel, lawmakers have crafted a package totaling $14.1 billion, including: $4 billion for missile defense; $1.2 billion for Iron Beam; $4 billion replenishment of stocks to the Department of Defense; and $3.5 billion for Israel to purchase U.S. weapons.
“The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
Apr 17, 1:12 PM
Netanyahu: Israel ‘will make our own decisions’ on how to respond to Iran
After meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciates their advice, but added, “We will make our own decisions and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
Cameron told reporters after the meeting in Jerusalem, “It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act.”
“We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible, and in a way that — as I said yesterday — is smart as well as tough,” Cameron added.
Cameron also reiterated that the “real need is to refocus back on Hamas, back on the hostages, back on getting the aid in, back on getting a pause in the conflict in Gaza.”
“That’s why I’m here today to talk to the Israeli government, to talk to the Palestinian Authority to try and push those things forward,” Cameron said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Apr 16, 7:04 PM
US says it will impose new sanctions on Iran in coming days
The United States announced Tuesday it will impose new sanctions targeting Iran in the coming days following its “unprecedented air attack against Israel.”
The sanctions include targeting Iran’s missile and drone program and new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry, according to the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
“We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions,” Sullivan said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions.”
The U.S. is telegraphing its sanction plan in advance to underscore the large international response that the U.S. is coordinating and to signal to Iran there will be diplomatic costs to what they’ve done, a senior administration official told ABC News. The official said they believe this will have an impact, in part, by bringing other countries on board.
Apr 16, 4:08 PM
IDF’s conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers’ social media posts
Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.
Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.
In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.
Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian activist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving improperly.
“You can see all the soldiers liking their posts,” Tirawi told ABC News.
Apr 16, 3:48 PM
Blinken to Israeli war cabinet: ‘We do not want to see further escalation’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, during which Blinken “continue[d] to send the same messages in all his conversations — which is we do not want to see further escalation of the conflict,” according to spokesperson Matt Miller.
Miller declined to say whether the U.S. assessed the threat of escalation had fallen, but an administration official said the amount of time that has already elapsed since Iran’s weekend attack had boosted hopes that Israel would exercise constraint.
Miller batted down reports that Iran and the U.S. were communicating through intermediaries in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel.
“There have not been such messages delivered. It’s been days since we’ve communicated — since we’ve sent messages to the government of Iran,” Miller said. “And I say that as a reminder of something we’ve said before: Oftentimes, the Iranian government has misled the world about either messages they’ve passed to us or messages that we have passed to them.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 16, 3:36 PM
UK prime minister ‘gravely concerned’ about humanitarian situation in Gaza
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. While Netanyahu thanked Sunak for the U.K.’s support to counter Iran’s weekend attack on Israel, Sunak also had harsh words for Netanyahu about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“On Gaza, the Prime Minister said he remained gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “The U.K. wanted to see a massive step change in aid access to flood Gaza with vital supplies, including Israel opening up new aid routes as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister said it was deeply disappointing that Hamas blocked a deal at the weekend that would have saved Palestinian lives and secured the safe release of hostages.”
Apr 16, 3:23 PM
Israeli war cabinet meeting ends again with no final decision on response: Source
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet met for the third day in a row on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
But Tuesday’s meeting ended with no final decision made about an Israeli response, according to an Israeli source with knowledge of the meeting. A variety of options are still being considered, the source said.
Apr 16, 2:13 PM
Iran foreign minister says ‘no intention of further escalating the situation’
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a call that “Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the conversation.
Apr 16, 1:56 PM
More than 19,000 children orphaned in Gaza
Over 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to a report from UN Women, the United Nations’ entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Out of those 10,000 women, 6,000 were mothers, who have left behind 19,000 orphaned children, according to the report.
-ABC News’ Kori Skillman
Apr 16, 11:18 AM
Israel focused too intensely on Iran’s nuclear threat at expense of ballistic threat: IDF
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel focused too intensely on the Iranian nuclear threat at the expense of its ballistic threat.
A senior U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. also relied too heavily on the misguided conception that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was cautious and would never order a direct attack on Israel, and that this weekend’s attack and the general U.S. assessment of Iran now requires study and reassessment.
Sima Shine, a former head of the Iran desk at Israeli espionage agency Mossad, also said Israel’s assessment was wrong, and said “the rules of the game” have changed. A huge barrage of missiles was considered possible, but highly unlikely, Shine said.
Shine said any Israeli response under the new conception requires the assumption that Iran will follow up with its threat of another salvo of missiles. That said, Shine believes that Iran and the supreme leader do not want a full-scale war because it would be unpopular in Iran and the U.S. could get involved.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
Apr 16, 9:18 AM
Yellen to Iran: US ‘will not hesitate’ to issue new sanctions
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning Iran that the U.S. “will not hesitate” to impose new sanctions in response to Iran’s “unprecedented attack” on Israel.
“Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity,” Yellen is expected to say at a Tuesday press conference. “The attack by Iran and its proxies underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity.”
Yellen’s message follows President Joe Biden’s Sunday meeting with the G7 nations, during which the leaders discussed a coordinated effort on sanction measures.
Apr 16, 6:31 AM
Israeli war cabinet to consider response again Tuesday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet is expected to meet again on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
“We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness,” Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions.”
Halevi added Israel would “choose our response accordingly.”
Apr 16, 6:14 AM
UN watchdog calls for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict
United Nations officials called on Tuesday for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, saying the retaliatory military attacks “violate the right to life and must cease immediately.”
“All countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism,” the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press release, quoting U.N. officials described as “experts.”
The retaliatory strikes by both countries may constitute the “international crime of aggression by civilian and military leaders responsible,” those officials said, according to the statement.
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(LONDON) — In the wake of Iran’s unprecedented airstrikes on Israel, dozens of Iranians gathered in Tehran’s Palestine Square earlier this week to celebrate what the Iranian regime described as a retaliatory attack.
But interviews with women on the ground indicate that the scene, broadcast by Iranian state-run media in a country that lacks a free press, is not representative of how many other Iranians — particularly women — are feeling as Israel weighs its response.
ABC News spoke to several women in Iran who said the fear of an imminent war has been added to a long list of worries and hardships they have been grappling with for years. Their names have been changed due to concerns for their safety.
“The fear of the war is so crippling,” Ramesh, a 30-year-old designer and architect, told ABC News via telephone on Wednesday. “And imagine on top of that is the anxiety of getting arrested by the hijab police and the stress of not being able to afford the rent for our flat every single month.”
Iran sent a barrage of more than 300 different types of drones and missiles toward Israel late Saturday, days after a suspected Israeli airstrike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. The strike on the consulate killed seven people, including a top Iranian commander. Israel has not confirmed that it was behind the attack on the Iranian consulate but has not denied it.
All but a few of Iran’s missiles and drones were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
The incident over the weekend came six months into a brutal war between Israel and Hamas, an Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas led a surprise incursion into neighboring Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 others hostage, with 129 believed to still remain in captivity in Gaza, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Since Oct. 7, Israeli forces have killed almost 34,000 people and injured more than 76,000 others in Gaza amid ongoing ground operations and aerial bombardment of the strip, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.
A few hours after Saturday’s retaliatory attack on Israel, Iranian authorities launched a new operation to arrest women who refuse to abide by the country’s law mandating they wear a hijab, covering their entire body except for their face, hands and feet. The operation, introduced by the police and dubbed “The Light Plan,” aims to detain women who have ignored previous warnings about their dress from the country’s so-called morality police, who regularly patrol the streets of Tehran and other cities, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported.
Images and videos of the latest hijab crackdown have surfaced on social media, with several Iranian women posting photos of what they say are bruises from being beaten by the morality police. One video purportedly shows Iranian police officers surrounding a woman and forcing her into a white van during a patrol.
“Imagine you turn on your TV to get news about the war and the danger you are living, and what you see is the news about the new round of the morality police operation,” Ramesh said. “It seems what the regime cares about most is that if there is a war and my house collapses over my head, my corpse is dragged out of the rubble with a scarf covering my hair.”
“We are on the verge of an all-out war and what is it that the state media tells us? A new round of the hijab police activities,” she added. “Iran says its attack on Israel was a retaliation for the 12 people Israel killed in Syria. But we know at the end we, 80 million Iranians, will be paying the price.”
Azam, a 35-year-old housewife and mother, said she “couldn’t sleep” the night she saw the news about Iran’s strikes on Israel.
“I went to my daughter’s room and held her and grabbed her from sleep, and then I went to my son’s room and held him,” Azam told ABC News via telephone on Tuesday. “All I am worried about now is that if there is a war and they attack us, we may get hurt or separated.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel “will make our own decisions [about its response to Iran’s attack] and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.” U.S. and U.K. officials have said they don’t wish to see the situation escalate.
Maral, a 28-year-old website developer, said she and her family are living in “a horrible atmosphere of distress and anxiety,” fearing they are “just tools in the hands of those in power.”
“I am in shock and very worried about Israel’s response,” Maral told ABC News via telephone on Tuesday, adding that she has urged relatives who live in a town near one of Iran’s nuclear facilities to pack their things and come stay with them in case Israel decides to target such sites.
“Another bitter thing here is the divide between people,” she said. “The minority that are still supporters of the regime keep saying we need to stick together if the war happens, but many others are tired of the regime. Everything is so expensive and I am afraid of things getting even more expensive.”
Iran’s economy and, subsequently, its people have suffered under years of widespread corruption and international sanctions. The value of the country’s currency, the rial, has plummeted 22 times in the past 10 years. In 2019, following the failure of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, one U.S. dollar was equal to 130,000 Iranian rials. This week, after the Iranian strikes on Israel, the rial fell to 650,000 per dollar.
The high inflation rate and currency devaluation have left many Iranians struggling to afford basic necessities, including food. Zahra, a 65-year-old housewife and grandmother, said a kilogram (just over 2 pounds) of beef currently costs 7 million rials (about $11), which is expensive for a household that only earns 100 million rials (about $150) per month.
“We don’t buy red meat or even chicken as much,” Zahra told ABC News via telephone on Wednesday.
Zahra said she fears things will get worse if Israel’s war in Gaza, which the United Nations warns has triggered a humanitarian crisis and imminent famine, spreads to her own doorstep in Iran. The concern of a wider war in the Middle East has been echoed by many regional analysts and experts.
“I have seen how innocent children are being killed, I have seen the hospitals being targeted in Gaza,” Zahra added. “I told my granddaughter that everything was going to be alright and I kept telling myself the same, too.”
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(NEW YORK) — A Polish citizen was arrested for allegedly spying for the Russian government as part of a potential assassination attempt against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the top prosecutors in Poland and Ukraine said Thursday.
The Polish citizen, identified as Pawel K., was charged with readiness to act for foreign intelligence against the Republic of Poland, the Polish National Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.
The suspect allegedly “proactively established contact” with Russian military command representatives and “informed them of his readiness to cooperate” with the Russian Federation’s foreign military intelligence agency, according to Andriy Kostin, the Ukrainian prosecutor general.
The suspect’s alleged tasks for the Russian government included collecting and providing the agency with information on the security of the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, an international airport in Jasionka in southeastern Poland, Polish and Ukrainian officials said.
“This was to help Russian special services plan a possible assassination attempt on the Ukrainian President during his presence in Poland,” Kostin said in a statement on X.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine forwarded information about the suspect to their Polish counterpart and “key evidence” was obtained by Ukraine during the investigation, the Polish National Prosecutor’s Office said in the release. The suspect was detained on Wednesday and the investigation is ongoing, the office said.
If convicted, the suspect could face up to eight years in prison, the office said.
“This case underscores the persistent threat Russia poses not only to Ukraine and Ukrainians but to the entire free world,” Kostin said. “The Kremlin’s criminal regime is constantly trying to undermine European and global security. It organizes and carries out sabotage operations on the territory of other sovereign states.”
Zelenskyy last visited Poland in April 2023, receiving a massive welcome from its citizens and President Andrzej Duda. Poland lies on the western border of Ukraine and took in many refugees who fled from Ukraine in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion.
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(NEW YORK) — Iran on Saturday night unleashed a retaliatory strike against Israel, sending a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
The attack on Israel came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded the country on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 18, 10:25 AM
US, Israeli officials to hold high-level meeting on Rafah plans
The official said that it will be a secure video meeting that will follow up on discussions from earlier this month. National security adviser Jake Sullivan will lead the meeting for the U.S. side, the official said.
The meeting was first reported by Axios.
Apr 18, 9:41 AM
US sanctions 16 people, two groups after Iran attacks
The U.S. is sanctioning two groups and 16 people it says enabled Iran’s drone production following Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend.
“Today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and in consultation with partners and allies, we are taking swift and decisive action to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. “We’re using Treasury’s economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism.”
The Treasury Department said it’s sanctioning Khuzestan Steel Company, Iran’s largest steel producer. The Treasury Department said Iran’s metals sector generates “several billion dollars in revenue annually.”
The U.S. is also targeting the Iranian carmaker Bahman Group for its role in making vehicles used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for military operations.
The sanctions also target people who work for Iran-based drone manufacturers, including executives of the Mado Company, which the U.S. says produced drone engines used in Iran’s Shahed UAVs. The U.S. also sanctioned members of the IRGC who it says help supply proxy groups, like the Houthis in Yemen, with drones that have attacked U.S. service members in the Red Sea.
Yellen added that the U.S. would “continue to deploy” sanctions to counter any further action by Iran, with the goal of making it harder and more expensive for Iran to undertake destabilizing actions.
Apr 17, 6:16 PM
Israel not likely to carry out strike until after Passover: US official
Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran until after Passover, a senior U.S. official told ABC News, although that could always change.
Passover begins on Monday and ends after nightfall on April 30.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other leadership are still on a high state of alert, with some in safe houses and underground facilities, the official said.
Apr 17, 5:50 PM
Israel aborted strikes against Iran 2 nights this week: Sources
Israel prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week, three Israeli sources told ABC News.
Iran attacked Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night into Sunday morning local time in Israel. Israel has been weighing how and when to respond to Iran’s attack since then, holding war cabinet meetings on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The members of the Israeli war cabinet are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A range of responses have been presented to the Israeli war cabinet. The potential responses include options ranging from attacking Iranian proxies in the region but not on Iranian soil to a potential cyber attack, sources told ABC News.
There was no war cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but Netanyahu told his government cabinet that while he appreciates the advice from allies, Israel will “make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Jordana Miller
Apr 17, 3:02 PM
Iranian president: Israel invasion would be met with ‘massive’ response
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at an army parade Wednesday that “the tiniest invasion” from Israel will be met with a “very massive and harsh response.”
Apr 17, 2:26 PM
House GOP package totals $14.1 billion for Israel
House Republicans have posted the legislative text for three national security bills, addressing Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific.
For Israel, lawmakers have crafted a package totaling $14.1 billion, including: $4 billion for missile defense; $1.2 billion for Iron Beam; $4 billion replenishment of stocks to the Department of Defense; and $3.5 billion for Israel to purchase U.S. weapons.
“The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
Apr 17, 1:12 PM
Netanyahu: Israel ‘will make our own decisions’ on how to respond to Iran
After meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciates their advice, but added, “We will make our own decisions and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
Cameron told reporters after the meeting in Jerusalem, “It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act.”
“We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible, and in a way that — as I said yesterday — is smart as well as tough,” Cameron added.
Cameron also reiterated that the “real need is to refocus back on Hamas, back on the hostages, back on getting the aid in, back on getting a pause in the conflict in Gaza.”
“That’s why I’m here today to talk to the Israeli government, to talk to the Palestinian Authority to try and push those things forward,” Cameron said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Apr 16, 7:04 PM
US says it will impose new sanctions on Iran in coming days
The United States announced Tuesday it will impose new sanctions targeting Iran in the coming days following its “unprecedented air attack against Israel.”
The sanctions include targeting Iran’s missile and drone program and new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry, according to the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
“We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions,” Sullivan said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions.”
The U.S. is telegraphing its sanction plan in advance to underscore the large international response that the U.S. is coordinating and to signal to Iran there will be diplomatic costs to what they’ve done, a senior administration official told ABC News. The official said they believe this will have an impact, in part, by bringing other countries on board.
Apr 16, 4:08 PM
IDF’s conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers’ social media posts
Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.
Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.
In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.
Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian activist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving improperly.
“You can see all the soldiers liking their posts,” Tirawi told ABC News.
Apr 16, 3:48 PM
Blinken to Israeli war cabinet: ‘We do not want to see further escalation’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, during which Blinken “continue[d] to send the same messages in all his conversations — which is we do not want to see further escalation of the conflict,” according to spokesperson Matt Miller.
Miller declined to say whether the U.S. assessed the threat of escalation had fallen, but an administration official said the amount of time that has already elapsed since Iran’s weekend attack had boosted hopes that Israel would exercise constraint.
Miller batted down reports that Iran and the U.S. were communicating through intermediaries in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel.
“There have not been such messages delivered. It’s been days since we’ve communicated — since we’ve sent messages to the government of Iran,” Miller said. “And I say that as a reminder of something we’ve said before: Oftentimes, the Iranian government has misled the world about either messages they’ve passed to us or messages that we have passed to them.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 16, 3:36 PM
UK prime minister ‘gravely concerned’ about humanitarian situation in Gaza
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. While Netanyahu thanked Sunak for the U.K.’s support to counter Iran’s weekend attack on Israel, Sunak also had harsh words for Netanyahu about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“On Gaza, the Prime Minister said he remained gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “The U.K. wanted to see a massive step change in aid access to flood Gaza with vital supplies, including Israel opening up new aid routes as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister said it was deeply disappointing that Hamas blocked a deal at the weekend that would have saved Palestinian lives and secured the safe release of hostages.”
Apr 16, 3:23 PM
Israeli war cabinet meeting ends again with no final decision on response: Source
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet met for the third day in a row on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
But Tuesday’s meeting ended with no final decision made about an Israeli response, according to an Israeli source with knowledge of the meeting. A variety of options are still being considered, the source said.
Apr 16, 2:13 PM
Iran foreign minister says ‘no intention of further escalating the situation’
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a call that “Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the conversation.
Apr 16, 1:56 PM
More than 19,000 children orphaned in Gaza
Over 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to a report from UN Women, the United Nations’ entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Out of those 10,000 women, 6,000 were mothers, who have left behind 19,000 orphaned children, according to the report.
-ABC News’ Kori Skillman
Apr 16, 11:18 AM
Israel focused too intensely on Iran’s nuclear threat at expense of ballistic threat: IDF
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel focused too intensely on the Iranian nuclear threat at the expense of its ballistic threat.
A senior U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. also relied too heavily on the misguided conception that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was cautious and would never order a direct attack on Israel, and that this weekend’s attack and the general U.S. assessment of Iran now requires study and reassessment.
Sima Shine, a former head of the Iran desk at Israeli espionage agency Mossad, also said Israel’s assessment was wrong, and said “the rules of the game” have changed. A huge barrage of missiles was considered possible, but highly unlikely, Shine said.
Shine said any Israeli response under the new conception requires the assumption that Iran will follow up with its threat of another salvo of missiles. That said, Shine believes that Iran and the supreme leader do not want a full-scale war because it would be unpopular in Iran and the U.S. could get involved.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
Apr 16, 9:18 AM
Yellen to Iran: US ‘will not hesitate’ to issue new sanctions
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning Iran that the U.S. “will not hesitate” to impose new sanctions in response to Iran’s “unprecedented attack” on Israel.
“Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity,” Yellen is expected to say at a Tuesday press conference. “The attack by Iran and its proxies underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity.”
Yellen’s message follows President Joe Biden’s Sunday meeting with the G7 nations, during which the leaders discussed a coordinated effort on sanction measures.
Apr 16, 6:31 AM
Israeli war cabinet to consider response again Tuesday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet is expected to meet again on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
“We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness,” Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions.”
Halevi added Israel would “choose our response accordingly.”
Apr 16, 6:14 AM
UN watchdog calls for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict
United Nations officials called on Tuesday for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, saying the retaliatory military attacks “violate the right to life and must cease immediately.”
“All countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism,” the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press release, quoting U.N. officials described as “experts.”
The retaliatory strikes by both countries may constitute the “international crime of aggression by civilian and military leaders responsible,” those officials said, according to the statement.
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