War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The Israeli military has claimed it killed several “armed terrorists” a day earlier in southern Syria, AFP reports.

“Yesterday (Saturday), IDF soldiers eliminated several armed terrorists in the Security Zone in southern Syria,” it said in a statement.

The Israeli army has occupied what it calls a “security zone” in southern Syria since late 2024 and said it would remain in place there “in order to remove any threat to Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers”.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier this month that it planned to keep its troops in Syria “for an unlimited period”, as well as in Lebanon and Gaza.

Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli army chief and leader of the opposition Yashar Party, has criticised Netanyahu’s performance and expressed support for an inquiry into decisions on Gaza and Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

“A prime minister who has blindly dragged the country to its lowest point in history, who works day and night to fuel division and incitement, who invests all his energy in encouraging draft dodging, is unworthy of this nation and certainly not fit to preach morals about unity,” Eisenkot wrote in a post on X.

The politician, whose popularity is surging as Israel prepares for elections, said Netanyahu had “continued to lie about Gaza and Lebanon” at his press conference earlier.

“We will establish a government with a Zionist and national majority that will safeguard Israel’s interests. We will reconnect the people of Israel. Because Israel must win,” he wrote.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry has expressed its “strongest condemnation” of Iran’s latest ballistic missile and drone attacks, saying they violate the Gulf nation’s sovereignty, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency, the ministry said the strikes also undermine “opportunities for de-escalation and stability in the region”.

It called on the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to address the situation in hopes of “putting an end to this ongoing aggression and holding its perpetrators accountable”.

The ministry added that Bahrain “affirms its full legitimate right to defend its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity in accordance with international law, and holds the Iranian regime fully responsible for any escalation resulting from its continued aggression”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has left for an official visit to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on Telegram, Araghchi said he would meet with senior Iraqi officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, among other issues.

Iran has said airstrikes targeted several monitoring and surveillance facilities on Iran’s southern coast, calling the attacks a violation of an interim deal meant to end the four-month-old war between the two countries, AFP reports.

“These brutal attacks … show that the U.S. does not place the slightest value and credibility on its commitments, and breaking promises is part of its nature,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Kuwait came under attack from “hostile” missiles and drones, the country’s army said, while air-raid sirens sounded in Bahrain following fresh US strikes against Iran, AFP reports.

“Kuwaiti air defences are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks. Everyone is urged to adhere to the safety and security instructions issued by the relevant authorities,” the army wrote on X.

Air raid sirens sounded for a second time in Bahrain on Sunday, the Interior Ministry says, according to AFP.

Iran announced earlier that it had launched strikes against the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain and another base in Kuwait, in retaliation for US strikes on its territory.

“The siren has been sounded… Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” the Interior Ministry said on X.

The IRGC’s Navy command has issued a statement on the escalation with the US, Al Jazeera reports.

It said the US’s attack on the city of Sirik “does not solve the mystery of our dominance over the strait, but our firing at the violators reminds the rest of the vessels of the clear path of passage”.

“The American bases in the region are a separate matter. They will experience hell in these days,” it added.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has said that no US casualties, major impacts, or damage to US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait have been reported as of yet, but the situation is still unfolding, Reuters reports.

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran that it will be forced to “militarily complete the job” in the country if strikes continue.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “US aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!

“It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”

CENTCOM says that strikes have been carried out by US fighter jets “at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz,” Al Jazeera reports.

It also shared a grainy, black-and-white video on social media, showing some of the apparent attacks.

Iran’s IRNA and Tasnim news agencies have shared a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying it carried out attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, Al Jazeera reports.

The IRGC said its navy and air force launched ballistic missiles and drones at the US Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait and the US Fifth Naval Fleet at Port Salman in the Bahraini capital, Manama.

The statement said the attacks were in response to the US bombing of five coastal locations in Iran.

The IRGC reiterated that, under the US-Iran interim deal, “the arrangements for controlling traffic in the Strait of Hormuz” are with Tehran.

“And from now on, violating ships will be dealt with more forcefully than in the past,” it said.

The IRGC also warned that “any possible enemy aggression, under any pretext” — such as the US attacks carried out over the past few days — will be met with “a crushing response”.

Violating the ceasefire contravenes the MoU, “and will result in a complete halt to the processes”, the statement added.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has launched attacks in response to an Iranian drone attack on a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

It said a Panama-flagged tanker was attacked by a one-way Iranian drone as it was “transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two million barrels of crude oil”.

“CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“US military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities,” it said, without specifying where the attacks occurred.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has denounced the US-brokered agreement with Lebanon, saying the Lebanese government cannot be trusted to disarm Hezbollah, AFP reports.

“The agreement with Lebanon is a big mistake … Indeed, we are staying in most of the territory for now, but the state of Lebanon will not disarm Hezbollah,” he says on his Telegram channel.

“Members of the Lebanese government are Hezbollah ministers, and Lebanon cannot be trusted to take Hezbollah’s weapons … Only IDF soldiers will destroy Hezbollah, no other party will do it for us.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the US-brokered agreement with Lebanon, calling it a historic achievement that dealt a blow to Iran and Hezbollah, AFP reports.

“Yesterday … we achieved a historic deal for the state of Israel after direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,” Netanyahu says in a televised briefing. “This is a blow to Iran and Hezbollah.”

France says it is “ready to contribute” to the framework agreement signed the day before by Lebanon and Israel, adding it should pave the way for the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty, AFP reports.

“Committed to the security of Israel as well as that of Lebanon and engaged in maintaining peace in South Lebanon, France stands ready to contribute to the implementation of this framework agreement, and to the achievement of all these objectives,” the French foreign ministry says in a statement.

It adds that the agreement must pave the way for the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty and backs the Lebanese government’s “full monopoly on weapons”, as well as the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory.

The Lebanese military has vowed to maintain public order after Hezbollah supporters staged street protests against the government’s signing of an agreement with Israel, AFP reports.

“The army command will not allow any breach of security or threat to civil peace through actions with unpredictable consequences, road blockages, or attacks on public or private property,” the army says.

Israeli warplanes carried out an air strike on the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon at about 1530GMT, according to Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) has also reported the attack, which follows an earlier Israeli strike near the town.

Israel’s defence minister vows to respond with “great force” if Iran attacks the country in an attempt to prevent the implementation of an agreement with Lebanon aimed at securing peace, AFP reports.

“If Iran tries to attack Israel to prevent the implementation of the agreement, we will act against it with great force,” Israel Katz says in a video statement, adding that the agreement with Lebanon has dealt a “strategic blow to the Iranian axis”.

Israel’s defence minister says his forces have been ordered to prepare for an extended stay in the so-called security zone in southern Lebanon, after Israel and Lebanon agreed on a framework to end hostilities, AFP reports.

“The prime minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended stay in the security zone,” Israel Katz says in a video statement, referring to an area up to 10 kilometres inside Lebanese territory.

“The important principle established in the agreement is that there will be no redeployment by Israel in southern Lebanon, no withdrawal, as long as the terrorist organisation Hezbollah is not disarmed throughout Lebanon,” he adds.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has chaired a meeting of senior Foreign Office (FO) officials, where “matters relating to upcoming visits, as well as developments in the region and foreign policy priorities were discussed”.

“DPM/FM instructed the team to develop strategies to cope with emerging challenges and ensure protection and preservation of national interest, and continued contribution to regional and global peace and security,” the FO writes on X.

Saudi Arabia has condemned and denounced in the “strongest terms the Iranian attacks on Bahraini territories with several drones” early this morning, its foreign ministry says.

It affirmed its “categorical rejection of these attacks as a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations” and reiterated that such “violations undermine international efforts to restore security and stability in the region”.

It also reiterated its solidarity with Bahrain and its “full support for all measures it takes to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and stability”.

Inflation in Iran rose sharply in June, driven by the Middle East war, reaching a peak of 88.6 per cent year-on-year, according to official figures released today, AFP reports.

According to the Statistical Centre of Iran, during the Persian month of Khordad (May 22-June 21), food prices more than doubled year-on-year, in a country already long plagued by hyperinflation due to sanctions.

Bread and grain prices rose by 138.8pc, milk, cheese and eggs by 151.9pc, while the prices of red meat and poultry skyrocketed by 178.2pc.

By comparison, year-on-year inflation stood at 68pc in February, prior to the outbreak of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.

Iranian statistics are reported monthly based on the Persian calendar, with each year beginning in March.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has had a telephone conversation with his British counterpart, Yvette Cooper, in which he has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to “promoting dialogue, diplomacy, and constructive engagement” between the US and Iran.

“Foreign Secretary Cooper reiterated [the] UK’s appreciation for Pakistan’s sustained efforts for peace and stability in the region, leading to [the] signing of [the] Islamabad MoU by USA and Iran, mediated by Pakistan,” the Foreign Office says in a post on X.

Both sides have also agreed to remain in close contact.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed the US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement as a “critical step” away from conflict in the Middle East, AFP reports.

“I welcome the agreement between Israel and Lebanon. This is a critical step away from escalation. Because there can be no peace in the Middle East with Lebanon in flames,” she says in a statement posted on X, thanking Washington for its mediation role.

“Key next steps are the disarmament of non-state groups and preserving Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she stresses.

Von der Leyen adds that “the EU stands ready to support this path to lasting regional stability, also with the continued delivery of much-needed humanitarian aidm with €100 million mobilised for the displaced.”