Israeli chief of staff says 'ground commandos' operated in Iran during war | LIVE

Iranian cooperation with IAEA is 'an obligation,' says its director general

Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its nuclear program remains “an obligation,” its Director General, Rafael Grossi, said on Wednesday, after the Iranian parliament voted to suspend this collaboration.

“Iran's cooperation with us is not a favor, it's a legal obligation, as long as Iran remains a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” said Grossi on the France 2 television channel, at a time when questions are being raised about the whereabouts or possible destruction of some 400 kg of highly enriched uranium in the Israeli strikes.

Israeli chief of staff claims 'ground commandos' acted in Iran

Israel's chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir, asserted on Wednesday evening that “ground commandos” acted in Iran during the 12-day war between the two countries.

Hailing his troops' successes, Zamir said they had been achieved by “our air forces and ground commandos,” adding that “these forces operated secretly in the heart of enemy territory and allowed us complete operational freedom.”

Eyal Zamir, speaking in a video released by the Israeli army, is the first to say publicly that Israeli soldiers took part in the war in Iran on the territory of the Islamic Republic.

In the video, Zamir said that while the operation was over, “the campaign is not over yet, we must remain vigilant, many challenges lie ahead.”

Death of General Shadmani: Tehran promises 'severe vengeance'

The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's command center, General Ali Shadmani, died of wounds sustained during Israeli strikes on Iran, official Iranian media announced on Wednesday.

In the wake of this, the Guardians' command center promised “severe vengeance” in retaliation for his death, according to the same source.

The Israeli army had declared on June 17 that it had killed General Shadmani, whom it presented as Iran's chief of operational staff and one of its most senior military officials.

Donald Trump has said that the United States will hold talks with Iran “next week,” hinting at a possible deal over Tehran's nuclear program.

“We're going to talk next week with Iran, we might sign a deal, I don't know,” the U.S. president said at a press conference after the NATO summit in The Hague.

US President Donald Trump says Iran, Israel 'tired, exhausted' by war, reports AFP

Steve Witkoff says talks with Iran are underway and 'promising'

Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said that talks are already underway between the US and Iran and that he finds them “promising.”

According to Witkoff, the Trump administration's chief negotiator, Washington is hoping for a long-term peace agreement.

"We're already talking to each other, not only directly, but also through interlocutors. I think the conversations are promising. We hope that we can reach a long-term peace agreement that will resurrect Iran," Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News' The Ingraham Angle.

“Now it's up to us to sit down with the Iranians and reach a comprehensive peace agreement, and I'm confident that we will,” he added.

Paris says it was 'assured' that French detainees were not injured

French authorities have “been assured” that Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, detained in Tehran's Evine prison, “were not injured” in an Israeli strike on Monday, Laurent Saint-Martin, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, said on Wednesday, quoted by AFP.

“We have been assured that they were not injured in the Israeli attack, which we condemned because it obviously put them in direct danger of death,” Laurent Saint-Martin told MPs.

“We have also reiterated the request for consular access, and more than that, what France demands is their immediate release,” he asserted.

Iran calls Rutte's congratulations to Trump after US strikes 'shameful'

Iran has described as “shameful” the NATO Secretary General's congratulations to Donald Trump following the weekend's U.S. strikes on key nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.

It is “shameful, despicable and irresponsible for the NATO Secretary General to hail as ‘truly extraordinary’ a criminal act of aggression against a sovereign state,” reacted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, quoted by AFP.

Anyone who “supports a crime is considered an accomplice,” he added in a message on X.

Witkoff says talks with Iran underway and 'promising'

Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said early today (Beirut time) that talks were already underway between the United States and Iran and that he found them "promising." According to Witkoff, the Trump administration's chief negotiator, Washington is hopeful for a long-term peace deal.

"We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising. We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran," Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" show.

"Now it's for us to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace agreement, and I am very confident that we are going to achieve that," he added.

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Iran Foreign Ministry confirms bill on suspended IAEA cooperation

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed his country's Parliament has voted to suspend – but not end – cooperation with the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

The legislation “talks about suspending, not putting an end to the cooperation,” Baghaei explained. “Don’t you think it is only natural for the representatives of a nation that has come under an egregious act of aggression to reconsider the way they have been dealing with the IAEA?”

Baghaei went on to say that the bill sets conditions for Iran’s future engagement with the watchdog, including guarantees for the safety and security of Iranian scientists and nuclear facilities.

It also calls for respect for Iran’s rights under the NPT – the international treaty under which non-nuclear-weapon states commit not to pursue nuclear arms but have the right to develop peaceful nuclear energy, he said. “If we are going to be a responsible member of the NPT, we have to be able to enjoy the rights that are afforded to every state of this treaty.”

Trump says 'great progress' in ending Gaza war

U.S. President Donald Trump said this afternoon that he believed that "great progress" was being made to bring an end to Israel's war on Gaza, Reuters reports, as health authorities in the Strip report dozens of people killed by Israel so far today in a death toll that has now topped 56,000 people.

"I think great progress is being made on Gaza, I think because of this attack that we made," said Trump, suggesting the U.S. strikes on Iran could have a positive impact on the Middle East.

Israeli university reports extensive damage from Iranian strike

Six research facilities at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba were wrecked by Iranian missiles on June 19, The Times of Israel reports, citing the institution.

The university said the attack, which also caused damage to the nearby Soroka Hospital, “wiped out years of work on diverse research projects in medicine and biology” and estimated the cost of the damage could be tens of millions of dollars.

Residences housing nearly 100 students, faculty and staff were also hit, with dozens forced to evacuate, said the report.

Trump likens strikes on Iran to Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Donald Trump compared the U.S. army's strikes on Iran to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — prefacing the metaphor with "I don't wanna use an example of Hiroshima... Nagasaki," before saying: “This was essentially the same thing: that ended that war; this ended the war.”

Trump’s comments, reported by The Guardian, came after news broke of a Pentagon assessment that found, according to initial intelligence, that the strikes, which involved fourteen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, had only set Iran's program back by a few months. Trump has rejected these claims.

He also said, "We're actually getting along with them [Iran] very well right now."

Trump insists 'total obliteration' from US strikes on Fordow

Israel sent agents into Iran’s Fordow nuclear site after U.S. strikes on Saturday, Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in The Hague, according to a Times of Israel report. “You know they have guys that go in there after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration,” Trump said.

“Israel is doing a report on it now, I understand, and I was told that they said it was total obliteration.”

“I believe it was total obliteration,” he reiterated, “and I believe they didn’t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast.”

However, shortly after Trump's comments were reported, Israeli officials told the Israeli Kan public broadcaster that they are unaware of any Israeli operation inside the Fordow nuclear facility after the U.S. strike over the weekend. 

Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks ramped up

A senior Hamas official told AFP this afternoon that talks for a Gaza cease-fire with Israel have "intensified in recent hours" with mediator countries. "Our communications with the brother mediators in Egypt and Qatar have not stopped and have intensified in recent hours," Taher al-Nunu said, adding that the group had "not yet received any new proposals" to bring an end to the war now in its 21st month.

Israel kills dozens in Gaza since morning, including aid seekers

Sources in Gaza hospitals have told Al Jazeera that the Israeli army has killed 41 people in the Strip since the early hours of this morning, including 14 people who were near aid distribution centers.

The aid sites are run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which yesterday issued a complaint to the Israeli military over “possible harassment by Israeli soldiers directed at our convoys” heading to its center in the Wadi Gaza area.

South Lebanon: Israeli drone attacks engineers and residents inspecting destroyed houses

An Israeli drone dropped two sound bombs on a team of engineers from the South Lebanon Council and a number of citizens and locals while they were inspecting the destroyed houses in the Balloul neighborhood of the town of Houla (Marjayoun district), in the presence of Lebanese Army and UNIFIL forces, our correspondent in the South reports.

This attack resulted in one citizen being slightly injured and transferred for treatment.

Previously, engineers from the South Lebanon Council and inspection committees had been directly attacked by Israeli forces. The Israeli army is still firing at the truck loaded with rubble, which is working for the South Lebanon Council at the outskirts of Mais al-Jabal (Bint Jbeil), preventing anyone from approaching it.

The gunfire has ignited a fire at the site, and the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL are expected to arrive to move the truck and extinguish the fire.

U.S. President Donald Trump said today that "great progress" was being made to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

"I think great progress is being made on Gaza, I think because of this attack that we made," said Trump, suggesting the U.S. strikes on Iran could have a positive impact on the truce deal.

IAEA director still optimistic about re-engagement with Iran

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, told reporters in Vienna this morning that his inspectors' top priority is returning to Iran's nuclear facilities to assess the impact of recent military strikes on Tehran's nuclear program, Reuters reports.

"My idea is to re-engage with Iran, why not," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director said, following news from Iran that its Parliament had voted almost unanimously to suspend coordination with the IAEA until security of its nuclear facilities is guaranteed."There's a chance for a diplomatic solution, an opening, we shouldn't miss that opportunity."

Addressing news that the Pentagon had U.S. strikes on Saturday had only set back the Iranian nuclear program a few months, Grossi responded saying, "I don't like this hourglass approach. It's in the eye of the beholder."

"In any case," he added, "the technological knowledge is there, the industrial capacity is there. That, no one can deny."

Trump suggests US would strike if Iran attempts rebuilding nuclear program

According to comments reported by Reuters, Trump has not ruled out further attacks by the U.S. military against Iran, following his declaration and adamant promotion of a cease-fire between Israel and Iran yesterday.

Asked by reporters in the Hague, where NATO leaders are gathered for a summit, if the U.S. would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment program, Trump said simply: "Sure."

Trump also addressed conflicting intelligence reports on the results of Saturday's U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying the intelligence was inconclusive, suggesting the damage could have been severe.

"The intelligence was very inconclusive," Trump told reporters. "The intelligence says we don't know. It could've been very severe. That's what the intelligence suggests."

"It was very severe. There was obliteration," he added.

Israeli army says killed head of key Hezbollah financial system

The Israeli army announced that a strike by its air force on southern Lebanon killed Haitham Abdallah Bakri, the head of the "al-Sadiq" exchange network, which served as a key financial infrastructure for Hezbollah. According to the Israeli army spokesperson, the network facilitated the storage and transfer of funds from Iran's Quds Force to Hezbollah. Bakri's two sons were also killed in the attack.

Israeli attacks against Lebanon since the ostensible cease-fire came into effect in November have killed nearly 200 people.

Over the weekend, the Israeli army confirmed the killing of Behnam Shahriyari in Iran, who was responsible for managing the financial systems that enabled the flow of money to the Quds Force and its affiliates, including Hezbollah.

Read the full report here. 👈

Southern Lebanon: Israeli drone drops bomb on Aita al-Shaab

An Israeli drone launched a missile this morning on farm land in the Bint Jbeil district village of Aita al-Shaab, in the vicinity of agricultural workers tending to tobacco crops, our correspondent in the region, Muntasser Abdallah reports. No one was injured in the attack. Drones continue to fly low over southern Lebanon, particularly in Sour district.

Court finds Australia's ABC wrongly fired journalist over Gaza post

Australia's public broadcaster ABC unlawfully dismissed a radio journalist over re-posting a Human Rights Watch video about Israel's deadly onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza, AFP reports, citing a court ruling handed down today.

ABC, seen by many Australians as a bastion of fair reporting, apologized after being ordered to pay Antoinette Lattouf Aus$70,000 (US$45,000) in compensation.

The broadcaster broke employment law by terminating her "for reasons including that she held political opinions opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza," Federal Court Justice Darryl Rangiah said in his ruling.

Lattouf had re-posted to Instagram a Human Rights Watch video report on the Gaza conflict with the comment: "HRW reporting starvation as a tool of war." ABC senior management's consternation over the post turned into a "state of panic," the judge said, and a decision was made to take her off the air "within the hour."

Rubio says Iran 'much further away' from nuclear weapon after US attacks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Politico that Iran is "much further away from a nuclear weapon" after a U.S. strike on Iran's three main nuclear sites over the weekend, Reuters reports, following news of a classified Pentagon report that contradicted Israeli and American claims that Iran's nuclear program had been completely destroyed.

"The bottom line is, they are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action," Rubio told Politico. "Significant, very significant, substantial damage was done to a variety of different components, and we’re just learning more about it,” he added.

Iranian Parliament votes to cut ties with IAEA

Iran's Parliament approved a bill this morning to suspend cooperation with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reuters reports, citing Iran's Nournews agency. The country's Supreme National Security Council now needs to give final approval to the move, the report added.

The Parliament's national security committee spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei said yesterday that according to the bill, installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections, and submitting reports to the IAEA would be suspended as long as the security of nuclear facilities is not guaranteed.

Read the full report here. 👈

Netanyahu claims 'historic victory' in war with Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a video statement released yesterday that he had “achieved a historic victory” that would “abide for generations” following the U.S.-brokered truce ending a 12-day conflict sparked by Israeli strikes against Iran with the publicly stated goal of destroying its nuclear capabilities.

Netanyahu said Israel had removed “two existential threats — the threat of destruction via nuclear weapons and the threat of destruction via 20,000 ballistic missiles,” two claims Israel used as the basis of its attacks, despite American intelligence — regarding the nuclear weapons — to the contrary.

He said Trump acted “in an unprecedented fashion” when he ordered the U.S. military to attack Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel, adding that it was “the fruit of a diplomatic campaign I led with [Strategic Affairs] Minister Ron Dermer.”

“Israel has never had a friend like President Trump in the White House, and I thank him greatly for our joint work,” Netanyahu said, mere hours after a livid Trump blasted Israel for striking Iran both immediately after the truce was announced and the next day in response to a single, intercepted missile which Iran denied firing.

Classified US assessment finds Iran's nuclear program set back 'a few months, tops'

Several media reports revealed that the U.S. has conducted an initial intelligence assessment of the results of Saturday's strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, which involved fourteen 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs, that found the program's core components were not destroyed and stocks of enriched uranium were moved prior to the attacks.

The Pentagon's intelligence arm used intel collected by CENTCOM post-strikes to analyze the targeted sites, concluding that Iran could repair the damage in a few months, contradicting the Trump administration's claims of having “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities. The White House acknowledged the report but said they disagreed with it.

Read the full report here.  👈

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of events in the region for today. After a tumultuous first 24 hours after Donald Trump declared an end to what he dubbed "The 12 Day War," Iran and Israel have both released statements to the tune of complying with the truce, so long as the other side doesn't violate it.

In the aftermath of a frenzied diplomatic marathon and fear that the United States' bombing of Iranian nuclear sites would pull it into a drawn-out conflict in the Middle East likely resulting only in the degradation of the quality of life for everyday people — all three countries have claimed victory amid a fragile calm.

In Gaza, however, conditions are some of the worst they've been since the Israeli onslaught first began 19 months ago.

☕ Read our Morning Brief here, to fill yourself in on everything you need to know this Wednesday.  👈