Iran-Israel war Highlights: The US House passed $61 billion in fresh aid for Ukraine on Saturday, ending a six-month political impasse during which Kyiv’s stockpiles dwindled in its war against Russia. The Ukraine aid will be combined with funding for Israel and Taiwan, for a foreign assistance package totaling $95 billion. Iran and Israel appeared to step back from the brink of broader conflict as lawmakers in the United States approved new Israeli military aid on Saturday despite growing criticism of its ally's war in Gaza. Iran downplayed Israel's reported retaliation for its unprecedented drone and missile attack, tamping down fears that escalating attacks between the arch enemies could tip over into a broader war in the Middle East.
On April 20, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 20 April has requested Palestinians to unite in Gaza, following hours-long talks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, AFP reported his office as saying. Reports arrived that a person was killed and eight wounded in an overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base on Friday night, AFP reported officials as saying.
According to report, the blast hit the Kalsu military base in Babylon province south of Baghdad. This is a base where regular army, police and members of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, or Hashed al-Shaabi, are stationed.
With United States vetoed a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership, President Mahmoud Abbas in a recent interview with the official WAFA news agency said that that the Palestinian Authority will reconsider bilateral relations with the U.S.
Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran, ABC News reported, citing a US official. The "sounds were heard over the city" in Isfahan, adding that "several miniature UAVs were shot down," Al Jazeera cited Mehr news agency. However, the official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well. The attack was said to be a “retaliatory strike" on Iran less than a week after Tehran's drones and missiles attack. Following this, Iran fired air defense batteries and shut down flight operations in several cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan, which were later lifted.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, however, said that Tehran was investigating an overnight attack on Iran, adding that so far a link to Israel had not been proven as he downplayed the strike. Amirabdollahian told NBC News the drones took off from inside Iran and flew for a few hundred meters before being downed. However, he compared that reported Israeli retaliation with 'child's play'.
Israel had said it would retaliate after a strike on April 13, the first ever direct attack on Israel by Iran, which caused no deaths after Israel and its allies shot down hundreds of missiles and drones. Tehran had launched those attacks in response to a presumed Israeli airstrike on April 1 that destroyed a building in Iran's embassy compound in Damascus and killed several Iranian officers including a top general.
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21 Apr 2024, 10:03:21 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: 'Knowledge of enemy's methods should be on agenda,' says Iran's supreme leader
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Innovation in weapons and methods, knowledge of enemy's methods should be on agenda."
21 Apr 2024, 09:42:11 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Watch as leader of Islamic Revolution praises Iranian Armed Forces
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution praised the Iranian Armed Forces for displaying a commendable image of strength and military prowess in the wake of Operation True Promise, stating they created a feeling of glory about the Islamic nation. Here's a video shared by local news channel Press TV.
21 Apr 2024, 07:07:03 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: 'Iran's Armed Forces displayed a commendable image of strength'
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said his country's armed forces displayed a commendable image of strength, PTV News reported.
21 Apr 2024, 05:01:26 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Palestinian Red Crescent says 14 dead in Israeli West Bank raid
Palestinian Red Crescent said 14 dead in Israeli West Bank raid. According to Associated Press, Israel conducted airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnigh. As many as 18 people, including 14 children, were killed, health officials said Sunday.
21 Apr 2024, 04:27:55 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Iran's supreme leader Khamenei calls upon armed forces to 'learn enemy's tactics'
Iran's supreme leader Khamenei calls upon Iranian armed forces to 'ceaselessly pursue military innovation' and learn 'enemy's tactics', state media reported.
21 Apr 2024, 01:53:57 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Two terror attacks in Judea, Samaria since morning
IDF forces successfully thwarted an attempted terrorist attack earlier this morning in the Hebron area. Two terrorists arrived at the Beit Anon junction, with one attempting to stab IDF soldiers at the location, while another one opened fire on the troops. Prompt action by the forces resulted in neutralising both terrorists without any casualties among the troops. Simultaneously, another terror event unfolded between Kohav HaShahar and Malachei Shalom in Binyamin region. Initial reports indicated an explosion in the area, prompting the dispatch of large forces to the scene. Further investigation revealed that the incident was a pull attack, triggered when a charge connected to a Palestinian Authority flag on the roadside was activated. As a resident of East Binyamin approached to remove the flag, the charge detonated, causing light injuries. The injured resident, who is on IDF active reserve service, received on-site treatment and declined hospitalisation.
21 Apr 2024, 01:11:30 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Israeli minister Gantz condemns US sanctions on IDF soldiers, calls it 'dangerous precedent'
Israeli war Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz joined a growing chorus of criticism by fellow politicians over US President Joe Biden's administration decision to impose sanctions on a unit of Israel Defence Forces, calling it a 'dangerous precedent'. He said it 'conveys the wrong message'. In a post on X, Benny Gantz wrote, "I have great appreciation for our American friends, but the decision to impose sanctions on an IDF unit and its soldiers sets a dangerous precedent and conveys the wrong message to our shared enemies during wartime."
21 Apr 2024, 12:58:56 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Oil, LNG prices to shoot up if Tehran blocks Strait of Hormuz
Oil and LNG prices are likely to shoot up if Iran is to block Strait of Hormuz, through which countries like India import crude oil from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and UAE, leading to a spike in inflation, analysts said on the Iran-Israel conflict. The Iran and Israel conflict has escalated over the last few days. Iran first launched drone and rocket attacks on Israel, which retaliated by firing a missile. Crude oil prices have hovered around USD 90 per barrel since the conflict.
21 Apr 2024, 12:58:29 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Israeli strikes on southern Gaza city of Rafah kill 13, mostly children, as US advances aid package
Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 13 people, including nine children, health officials said Sunday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to its close ally. Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the U.S. The House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package on Saturday that includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.
21 Apr 2024, 10:25:31 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Israel holds Palestinian economy captive, say analysts
The Gaza war is speeding up Israel's "annexation" of the Palestinian economy, say analysts, who argue it has been hobbled for decades by agreements that followed the Oslo peace accords. While the Israel-Hamas war raging since October 7 has devastated swathes of Gaza, it has also hit the public finances and wider economy of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel is tightening the noose on the Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the West Bank, by withholding tax revenues it collects on its behalf, economist Adel Samara told AFP. Palestinian livelihoods have also been hurt by bans on labourers crossing into Israel, and by a sharp downturn in tourism in the violence-plagued territory, including a quiet Christmas season in Bethlehem.
21 Apr 2024, 09:43:40 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: 'War against women': Iran ramps up crackdown as regional tensions rage
Executions of convicts, arrests of dissidents and a resurgence in patrols enforcing the obligatory wearing of hijabs: Iran is stepping up repression at home as tensions flare with its arch-foe Israel, activists say. Iranians in the Islamic republic have endured increased repression since nationwide protests were sparked from September 2022 by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly flouting the mandatory dress rules for women. But the crackdown has entered a new phase as fears of a regional conflict surge, with Israel launching an apparent strike on Iran on Friday.
21 Apr 2024, 07:25:55 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Iran, Israel appear to pull back from brink as US approves military aid
Iran and Israel appeared to step back from the brink of broader conflict as lawmakers in the United States approved new Israeli military aid on Saturday despite growing criticism of its ally's war in Gaza. Iran downplayed Israel's reported retaliation for its unprecedented drone and missile attack, tamping down fears that escalating attacks between the arch enemies could tip over into a broader war in the Middle East. However a deadly blast at an Iraqi military base underlined the persisting tensions in the region, as did more deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza and intensifying clashes in the West Bank.
21 Apr 2024, 06:59:27 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: An Israeli airstrike in Gaza's south kills at least 9 Palestinians in Rafah, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory. Israel's war against the Islamic militant group Hamas has led to a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, notably between Israel and Iran in recent weeks. Now attention returns to Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of about 2.3 million people are sheltering, many displaced by fighting elsewhere.
21 Apr 2024, 06:59:04 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: US House Passes $95 Billion in Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
The US House passed $61 billion in fresh aid for Ukraine on Saturday, ending a six-month political impasse during which Kyiv’s stockpiles dwindled in its war against Russia. The Ukraine aid will be combined with funding for Israel and Taiwan, for a foreign assistance package totaling $95 billion. Speaker Mike Johnson worked with Democrats and overcame fierce objections from within his own party to funding Ukraine, ultimately pushing that legislation to passage on a 311 to 112 bipartisan vote. “We did our work here and history will judge us well," Johnson said after the vote.
20 Apr 2024, 09:40:48 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Source close to Hezbollah says three fighters killed in Israel strike
Three Hezbollah fighters were killed Saturday in an Israeli strike on a house in southern Lebanon, a source close to the Iran-backed group told AFP.
"Three Hezbollah fighters were killed and two others seriously wounded in an Israeli air strike on a house in the area of Al-Jebbayn", the source, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported earlier on Saturday that "enemy aircraft carried out a strike targeting a house in Al-Jebbayn, and rescue teams were headed to the area."
20 Apr 2024, 09:07:48 PM IST
Israeli army claim they have killed 10 militants in West Bank's Nur Shams
In an ongoing raid around Nur Shams, a refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank, Israeli army claimed that they have killed 10 militants, reported news agency AFP.
Ever since the war broke out in Gaza on 7 October, the violence has flared in the West Bank further.
20 Apr 2024, 08:40:46 PM IST
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urges Palestinians to unite in Gaza
Amid the Israel-Hamas tensions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 20 April has requested Palestinians to unite in Gaza, following hours-long talks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul, AFP reported his office as saying.
Despite trying to establish a foothold as a mediator in the Gaza conflict –- roiled the Middle East since 7 October, he couldn't do much.
With a reported Israeli attack on Iran, the tensions in the region have escalated. However, this time Erdogan called on Palestinians to unite. "It is vital that Palestinians act with unity in this process. The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity," Erdogan said according to a Turkish presidency statement.
20 Apr 2024, 06:59:40 PM IST
Palestinians to reconsider US ties after veto of bid for full UN membership, says President Mahmoud Abbas
With United States vetoed a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership, President Mahmoud Abbas in a recent interview with the official WAFA news agency said that that the Palestinian Authority will reconsider bilateral relations with the U.S.
20 Apr 2024, 06:20:19 PM IST
Ending Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is 'first priority', says Turkey
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturdday said that the first priority of the international community should be ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, reported Reuters. Speaking in Istanbulduring a visit by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Fidan urged Iran and Israel to exercise restraint. Both Fidan and Shoukry expressed concern in the region over the ongoing escalation. "We've warned of the expansion of the conflict from the very beginning," Fidan said, adding, "We've called on both parties (Iran and Israel) to exercise restraint." With agency inputs.
20 Apr 2024, 05:16:55 PM IST
Iraq probes blast at base of Iran-allied militias, US denies involvement
Following the late Friday explosion at a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces that killed one person and injured eight others, Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were probing the incident, reported AP.
The report claimed that Militia officials had initially described the explosion at the Kalsu military base north of Babylon as an airstrike. They also had baccused US forces, but later US Central Command denied in a statement that it had carried out any airstrikes in Iraq.
20 Apr 2024, 04:52:07 PM IST
Israel-Iran tensions: Deadly blast at Iraq army base, 1 killed
Amid the Israel-Iran tensions, reports arrived on 20 April that a person was killed and eight wounded in an overnight explosion at an Iraqi military base . It was housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, news agency AFP quoted officials as saying.
Though full details remain unclear hours after the blast hit the Kalsu military base in Babylon province south of Baghdad. This is a base where regular army, police and members of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, or Hashed al-Shaabi, are stationed.
With agency inputs
20 Apr 2024, 03:47:24 PM IST
Egypt's FM opens up on Iran-Israel tensions, says, ‘Called on both parties to exercise restraint’
Amid the ongoing Iran-Israel tensions, Egypt's foreign minister had commented, as quoted by Reuters, “We are concerned about ongoing escalation in the region, we have called on both parties to exercise restraint."
20 Apr 2024, 03:41:21 PM IST
US House all set to vote for providing security assistance of $95 billion to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
The US House of Representatives on Saturday is all set to vote on a $95 billion legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Its been over two months that hat the Democratic-majority Senate passed a similar measure and U.S. leaders from Democratic President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell requested embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it up for a vote.
According to details, as reported by Reuters, the unusual four-bill package also includes funds for Israel, security assistance for Taiwan and allies in the Indo-Pacific and the potential transfer of seized Russian assets to Ukraine.
With agency inputs.
20 Apr 2024, 03:26:11 PM IST
Iran's Foreign Minister downplays Israeli retaliation, compares it with 'child's play'
A day after Iran's state media reported explosions were heard after small drones were successfully shot down, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian downplayed the Israeli retaliation.
Speaking to NBC News in a Friday interview, Abdollahian said, as quoted by AFP, "What happened last night was no attack." "It was the flight of two or three quad-copters, which are at the level of toys that our children use in Iran", he added , saying, "As long as there is no new adventure on behalf of the Israeli regime against Iran's interests, we will have no response."
Earlier, the US media had quoted officials as saying that Israel had carried out strikes in retaliation for Tehran's drone and missile barrage that were fired at Israel last weekend.
With agency inputs.
20 Apr 2024, 01:17:39 PM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Hamas condemns Iraq blast
“We hold the Biden administration responsible for the escalation in the region through its supply and support for the Nazi war of extermination against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," the group said in a statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
20 Apr 2024, 11:52:14 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: 276 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Friday, says Israeli military
Israel's COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) said on Friday that 276 aid trucks carrying humanitarian supplies underwent inspection and were permitted entry into Gaza on Friday, CNN reported. COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for administering Israeli policy in Gaza and the West Bank, disclosed this information. In an official post on X, COGAT disclosed the information while sharing the video of trucks entering Gaza carrying humanitarian supplies.
20 Apr 2024, 11:19:53 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Israel and Iran's apparent strikes and counterstrikes give new insights into both militaries
Israel demonstrated its military dominance over adversary Iran in its apparent precision strikes that hit near military and nuclear targets deep in the heart of the country, meeting little significant challenge from Iran's defences and providing the world with new insights into both militaries' capabilities. The international community, Israel and Iran all signalled hopes that Friday's airstrikes would end what has been a dangerous 19-day run of strikes and counterstrikes, a highly public test between two deep rivals that had previously stopped short of most direct confrontation.
20 Apr 2024, 10:15:43 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: US Defence Secy, Israeli counterpart discuss developments in Gaza
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin held talks with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant and discussed efforts to maintain regional stability and the latest developments in Gaza. The readout from Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder reads, "Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to discuss efforts to maintain regional stability, the latest developments in Gaza, and measures to accelerate humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza." This comes a day after reports claimed that Israel carried out strikes in Iran. The readout makes no mention of the Israeli strikes, as the Biden administration has refrained from commenting on it.
20 Apr 2024, 10:04:04 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Hamas leader Imsail Haniyeh to hold Turkey talks
Hamas political leader Imsail Haniyeh will meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday with Middle East tensions at a high after Israel's reported attack on Iran and Gaza bracing for a new Israeli offensive. Erdogan has sought but failed to establish a foothold as a mediator in the Palestinian conflict. And he has remained discreet about his meetings with the Hamas head. "We will keep the agenda between us and Mr Haniyeh," Erdogan said when questioned by journalists on Friday.
20 Apr 2024, 09:52:57 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Ukraine needs at least seven Patriot air defence systems, Zelenskiy tells NATO
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told NATO members on Friday that Ukraine needed a minimum of seven Patriot or other high-end air defence systems to counter Russian air strikes, exhorting them to step up their military assistance for Kyiv. In an emotional speech by video link to the NATO-Ukraine Council, the Ukrainian leader described the current level of foreign aid as "very limited" and said Israel had not been left to fend for itself during Iran's massive air strike on Saturday. "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin must be brought down to earth, and our sky must become safe again.. And it depends fully on your choice... (the) choice whether we are indeed allies," Zelenskiy said in his speech.
20 Apr 2024, 09:43:54 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: 'Don't have any comment': White House mum on reports of Israeli strikes in Iran
The US has refrained from commenting on reports of Israeli attacks in Iran overnight, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre abstaining from taking any questions about the strikes. "I know there's a lot of interest in reports from the Middle East overnight and we understand that we get that. I'm going to say it now, though I know you all will certainly ask me about that. We do not have any comment on the reports at this time," Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing on Friday.
20 Apr 2024, 09:38:29 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Israel PM Netanyahu says 'internal discord needs to disappear now'
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who visited the Mossad headquarters (Israel's international intelligence agency) where he met with Director David Barnea. Both spoke on importance of doing everything possible - to return the hostages home as soon as possible and of the need for unity in the country at this time of war.
"We are also committed to defeating the terrorist axis in Gaza, to freeing the hostages and to repelling the threat including that from Iran," he added. "These are very major tasks that require two things. The first thing that it requires is determination and the second is unity."
Speaking on internal divisions in Israel, he said, "Nations crumble, first of all, from within, not from external pressure, but from internal discord. The internal discord needs to disappear now because we are under existential threat, and in the face of an existential threat we must unite forces and not divide them."
20 Apr 2024, 09:34:42 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Was India informed about Iran's April 13 attack in Israel? Iranian ambassador Iraj Elahi says...
Iranian ambassador Iraj Elahi said Iran had informed a few neighbouring countries about its April 13 airstrike in Israel “to maintain the safety of passenger planes". In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times, he said, "Before carrying out the attack, we had informed the neighbouring countries that were in the path of the missiles because of maintaining the safety of passenger planes." Elahi further informed that the minister of foreign affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, had spoken with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar after the operation in Israel.
20 Apr 2024, 09:33:08 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: World leaders call for calm after reported Israeli strike on Iran
World leaders appealed for calm Friday after reported Israeli retaliation against Iran added to months of tense spillover from the war in Gaza, with Iranian state media reporting explosions in a central province. Israeli officials made no public comment on the attack and Iranian officials played down its significance. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Israeli micro-drones used in the operation had caused no deaths or damage, dismissing it as a "desperate attempt to make a victory out of their repeated defeats".
20 Apr 2024, 09:32:11 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Explosions rock pro-Iran military base in Iraq, three injured
At least three people were injured following five explosions at a pro-Iran military base in Iraq on Saturday, CNN reported, citing a security official. However, the reason behind the explosions is not known as yet. The blasts, notably, took place at a site belonging to the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), as per Muhannad al-Anazi, a member of the Security Committee in Babylon Governorate, south of Baghdad.
20 Apr 2024, 09:30:14 AM IST
Iran-Israel war LIVE: Iran warns Israel, 'Our next response will be at maximum level if...'
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned on Friday that the country will respond at an immediate and "maximum level" if Israel acts against its interests. "If Israel wants to do another adventurism and acts against the interests of Iran, our next response will be immediate and will be at the maximum level, and will cause them to regret it," Amirabdollahian said in an interview with NBC News. He added that Iran was not planning to respond unless Israel launches a significant attack. "As long as there is no new adventurism by Israel against our interests, then we are not going to have any new reactions," Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.
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