Israeli security officials have concluded that Iran’s ruling establishment remains functionally intact and shows no immediate signs of collapse despite sustaining substantial losses from coordinated US-Israeli military strikes, according to a report by Walla news. A military source within Israeli security forces indicated that Iranian authorities have adapted strategies based on lessons learned during the June 2025 conflict with Israel. While acknowledging Tehran’s military capabilities operate at a ‘moderate to weak’ level with evident operational confusion and significant challenges, the source emphasized that Iran maintains sufficient operational continuity and possesses ready replacements for any eliminated figures. The assessment notes Iran has encountered substantial difficulties in directing precision missile attacks against Israeli targets, resulting in a strategic shift toward increased attacks on Arab Gulf nations. This evaluation emerges amid conflicting statements from US and Israeli leadership regarding ultimate war objectives. President Donald Trump reiterated his administration’s commitment to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran while explicitly encouraging citizens to overthrow their government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed similar sentiments predicting a ‘quick and decisive’ action to enable democratic government transition. Conversely, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth contradicted this narrative, denying regime change constitutes official war policy. Military officials confirmed approximately 3,500 combined strikes against Iranian targets, while Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies reported Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles and 100 drones toward Israel across 123 attack waves, alongside significantly larger deployments—500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones—targeting Gulf Arab states, particularly the UAE, indicating Tehran prioritizes regional neighbors despite identifying Israel as its primary adversary.
标签： Asia
亚洲
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Families of Iranian political prisoners fearful of bombs, illness and secret executions
Amid ongoing US-Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian military installations, grave concerns are mounting for the safety of political prisoners detained across the Islamic Republic. Multiple detention facilities, including the infamous Evin Prison in Tehran, are situated perilously close to military bases and Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) compounds, placing inmates directly in the line of fire.
The collateral damage extends beyond immediate bombardment risks to include severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. Families express additional terror that authorities might exploit the wartime chaos to carry out unreported executions, echoing the 1988 mass killings during the Iran-Iraq conflict.
Case studies highlight the desperation: The families of Jaber and Mokhtar Alboshoka, Ahwazi Arab cultural rights activists serving life sentences since 2011, have lost contact amid the attacks. Their cousin Kamil, based in London, articulated the dual fear of neglect and covert executions, noting that Sheiban Prison—where Jaber is held—adjoints an IRGC base making it particularly vulnerable.
Prison conditions, already critical before the conflict, have deteriorated dramatically. The Narges Mohammedi Foundation reports dwindling medical access and food shortages in facilities from Qezel-Hesar to Lakan Prison. Kiana Rahmani, daughter of imprisoned rights campaigner Narges Mohammedi, pleaded for international attention, stating prisoners are ‘trapped between regime brutality and the thunder of explosions.’
Former inmates confirm catastrophic overcrowding and health crises, with influenza spreading among 4,000 inmates at Sheiban Prison serviced by a single doctor. Minority groups, including Ahwazi Arabs and Kurds, face particular vulnerability, with both US and Israeli leaders attempting to leverage their grievances for geopolitical aims.
The Kurdish women’s group KJAR expressed skepticism about Western intervention bringing genuine democracy, noting intensified security measures and worsening conditions. With civilian casualties from bombardment already exceeding 1,000, families of political prisoners fight to keep their loved ones from becoming forgotten casualties of war.
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North Korean leader Kim inspects new warship, claims progress toward nuclear-armed navy
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has personally overseen a significant naval modernization initiative, conducting two consecutive days of inspections of his country’s newest destroyer and witnessing live-fire cruise missile tests from the warship. According to state media reports released Thursday, Kim visited the Nampo shipyard on Tuesday and Wednesday to evaluate the Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton destroyer first unveiled in April 2025, which he hailed as a transformative asset for expanding North Korea’s maritime strike capabilities.
During the comprehensive inspection, Kim also examined progress on a third destroyer of the same class currently under construction at the Nampo facility, scheduled for completion by October to coincide with the ruling Workers’ Party founding anniversary. The Choe Hyon represents a technological leap for North Korea’s navy, designed to integrate multiple weapons systems including anti-aircraft defenses, anti-ship weaponry, and nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles.
South Korean military analysts have noted the likely involvement of Russian technical assistance in the destroyer’s development, given deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. However, questions remain about the vessel’s operational readiness despite Kim’s declaration that it has met all sea trial requirements.
The naval demonstration comes amid a strategic pivot in North Korea’s military development priorities. After years of concentrated ballistic missile testing, Kim has increasingly emphasized naval power projection, including ongoing development of nuclear-powered submarines. At last month’s Workers’ Party congress, the leader outlined ambitious five-year goals that include deploying intercontinental ballistic missiles from underwater platforms.
Kim characterized these advancements as representing ‘satisfactory progress’ in nuclear armament of naval forces, claiming they would ‘constitute a radical change in defending our maritime sovereignty.’ Analysts suggest this language may foreshadow a formal declaration of expanded maritime boundaries that could challenge South Korea’s control over disputed waters.
The developments occur against a backdrop of heightened inter-Korean tensions, with Kim repeatedly rejecting the legitimacy of the Northern Limit Line sea boundary established after the Korean War. While maintaining aggressive rhetoric toward South Korea, the North Korean leader has simultaneously left open the possibility of dialogue with the United States, contingent on Washington abandoning its denuclearization prerequisites for negotiations.
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Names and ages of children killed in strike on Iranian school
A devastating aerial assault on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, has resulted in the deaths of at least 165 individuals, predominantly young children, according to multiple sources. The attack, attributed to joint US-Israeli military operations, employed a controversial ‘double tap’ tactic where a second strike targets first responders and survivors shortly after the initial explosion.
Eyewitness accounts from Red Crescent medics describe a horrific scene where school administrators attempted to protect students by moving them to a prayer hall following the first impact. As parents arrived to retrieve their children, a subsequent missile struck the same shelter area, dramatically increasing the casualty count. School staff reported being rendered speechless by the overwhelming sounds of children’s screams and cries amidst the devastation.
Middle East Eye has independently verified 61 victims through cross-referencing sources including Iran’s Gymnastics Federation, handwritten casualty lists, and Tasnim news agency reports. The documented fatalities include 25 boys, 26 girls, eight women, one man, and a two-month-old infant. Among the youngest confirmed victims were Sara Shayesteh (5), Ehsan Saleminia (6), and Salma Zakeri (6).
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth acknowledged the incident days after the strike, stating that an investigation was underway. The attack has sparked international condemnation and widespread mourning across Iran, with mass funerals attended by thousands of grieving community members.
The extensive victim list includes:
– Hana Dehqani, 8
– Arya Bahadori, 9
– Ahmad Soltani, 8
– Athena Chamani-nezhad, 6
– Mahna Zarei, 2 months
– Mohammadreza Shahsavari, 8
– Reza Ranjbar, 6
– And numerous other children whose ages range from 5 to 12 years oldThis incident represents one of the deadliest attacks on an educational facility in recent Middle Eastern conflict, raising serious questions about targeting protocols and the protection of civilian infrastructure in warfare.
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Fidan reveals failed Turkish attempts to stop Iran war
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has disclosed extensive diplomatic efforts by Ankara to prevent military confrontation between the United States and Iran, revealing that Tehran fundamentally misjudged Washington’s determination during critical negotiations.
In a comprehensive briefing, Fidan detailed how Turkey initiated backchannel diplomacy following a historic January 27 phone conversation between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump. During this exchange, Trump expressed support for Erdogan’s proposal to facilitate direct talks with newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian via teleconference—an offer Tehran ultimately declined.
“Had the proposal for a trilateral meeting between the United States, Turkey and Mr. Pezeshkian been accepted by the Iranian side, it would have been a game-changing development,” Fidan stated, emphasizing that negotiations had reached a critical impasse requiring innovative diplomatic solutions.
The minister described January’s security environment as particularly volatile, with Washington facing intense decision-making pressure regarding potential military action against Iran. “Those were truly dark days,” Fidan recalled. “Talk of war breaking out, of an imminent strike, was everywhere.”
Three days after the Trump-Erdogan discussion, Turkey hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul, where Turkish diplomats developed a novel negotiation architecture. The proposal involved separating four contentious issues into two categories: two matters for direct US-Iran discussion and two for resolution through regional mediation involving Turkey and other Middle Eastern nations.
While American officials immediately accepted this framework, Iranian representatives requested consultation with senior leadership in Tehran. Turkish officials later learned that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—recently deceased—opposed multilateral negotiations in Istanbul.
Iran instead opted for bilateral talks in Oman, excluding regional powers Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan from the process. By February 27, Fidan recognized the negotiations were stalling, though he believed extended dialogue might have produced agreements absent American military timetables and substantial Israeli pressure.
Fidan suggested Iran’s misreading of Trump’s decision-making constraints ultimately weakened their diplomatic position. He expressed Ankara’s preference for limited military de-escalation rather than regime change, which would introduce “far more complex risks” regionally.
The foreign minister indicated that Iran’s temporary leadership council—including President Pezeshkian—might present new opportunities for conflict resolution, describing the Iranian leader as someone Ankara could productively engage with on American concerns.
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Israel ‘approved Lebanon attack’ hours before Hezbollah rocket fire
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated dramatically following a series of preemptive military actions, bringing the region to the brink of renewed full-scale conflict. According to intelligence reports from Israel’s Channel 12 News, the Israeli security cabinet approved offensive operations against Lebanon on Sunday night after receiving intelligence indicating imminent Hezbollah attacks. This decision came shortly before Hezbollah launched rocket barrets into Israeli territory, which the group characterized as both retaliatory for recent targeted assassinations and preemptive against anticipated Israeli aggression.
Sources close to Hezbollah leadership revealed to Middle East Eye that the militant organization detected preparations for significant Israeli military action and opted to strike first to disrupt attack plans and facilitate civilian evacuations from vulnerable areas. The group’s leadership viewed this move as strategically necessary to mitigate potential casualties from an expected Israeli assault.
In response to Hezbollah’s rocket attacks, Israel has intensified aerial bombardments across southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, particularly targeting the Dahiyeh area. Lebanese health authorities report at least 61 fatalities and 335 injuries resulting from the ongoing military operations. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued stark warnings on social media platform X, declaring that “Hezbollah will pay a heavy price” and threatening further escalation.
The conflict has triggered massive displacement, with approximately 65,000 Lebanese citizens registering at emergency shelters and an additional 10,000-20,000 believed displaced but not yet registered. Israel’s Northern Command has ordered widespread evacuations south of the Litani River, affecting an estimated 300,000 residents.
In a significant political development, the Lebanese government has moved to ban Hezbollah’s military and security operations, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam demanding the group surrender its “illegal” weapons. Meanwhile, Israeli military leadership, including Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, has emphasized that operations will continue until Hezbollah’s military capabilities are substantially degraded, asserting that the Lebanese government has failed to adequately disarm the organization.
Rafi Milo, commander of Israel’s Northern Command, claims Hezbollah has “fallen into a strategic trap” as Israel implements attack plans developed over the past eight months. Israeli forces report striking approximately 250 targets across Lebanon and eliminating several senior Hezbollah commanders. Military officials have vowed to intensify operations in coming days regardless of Hezbollah’s actions, with potential targeting expanding to include major population centers such as Beirut, Tyre, and Sidon.
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Forty nations meet in The Hague to discuss measures against Israel’s West Bank annexation
In a significant diplomatic mobilization, representatives from forty nations assembled in The Hague on Wednesday to formulate coordinated international responses to Israel’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. The conference, orchestrated by The Hague Group—a coalition established in January 2025 to address legal accountability for Israel’s actions—marked the largest gathering since the group’s inception.
Convened against the backdrop of Israel’s controversial E1 settlement approval and recent governance overhaul in the West Bank, the meeting brought together diverse nations from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Co-chaired by South Africa and Colombia, the assembly focused on translating political condemnation into concrete state-level actions regarding what participants characterized as de facto annexation of Palestinian lands.
Participants unanimously reaffirmed commitment to fundamental international principles including the UN Charter, prohibition of territorial acquisition by force, and the right to self-determination. The conference yielded three specific measures for further development: enhanced accountability protocols for alleged international crimes including military service screening mechanisms, non-recognition policies through settlement goods import bans and corporate activity restrictions, and arms transfer halts with revised public contracting procedures.
Colombian Vice-Minister of Multilateral Affairs Mauricio Jaramillo framed the discussion as addressing systemic impunity, stating Israel was ‘carrying out dispossession in plain sight.’ Palestinian Ambassador Ammar Hijazi welcomed the initiative as a rare operationalization of legal obligations, emphasizing that ‘the legal framework is not in dispute’ but implementation remains lacking.
The meeting builds upon previous actions including The Hague Group’s July 2025 emergency summit in Bogotá, which demanded international sanctions against Israel. Recent months have seen several nations including Turkey, Spain, and Ireland implement independent sanctions aligned with the group’s objectives.
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Turkey says Iranian missile over its airspace destroyed by Nato defences
Turkish defense authorities confirmed on Wednesday that NATO air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile transiting toward Turkish airspace. The incident represents a significant escalation in regional tensions and demonstrates NATO’s active defensive posture in the Eastern Mediterranean.
According to official statements from Ankara, the projectile had traversed Iraqi and Syrian airspace before being neutralized by NATO’s integrated air and missile defense network. Ministry officials reported that missile fragments recovered in Hatay province’s Dortyol district confirmed the successful interception. The incident resulted in no casualties or property damage.
Turkey’s defense ministry issued a stern warning following the interception, emphasizing the nation’s capability to protect its territorial integrity against any threat regardless of origin. While reaffirming Turkey’s commitment to regional stability, the statement explicitly reserved the right to respond to hostile actions against Turkish sovereignty.
The incident occurs amid deteriorating regional security conditions following recent military actions against Iranian leadership. Iranian forces have employed a decentralized retaliation strategy, targeting Gulf nations with missile strikes that damaged infrastructure in Dubai and Saudi Arabia while disrupting Qatar’s LNG exports.
Ankara’s diplomatic efforts to mediate between Washington and Tehran have collapsed following recent military actions. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan acknowledged the failure of mediation attempts despite proposing creative solutions to nuclear and ballistic missile disagreements. Fidan emphasized that any successful negotiations would require multilayered engagement given the unpredictable nature of current hostilities.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party criticized external intervention in Iran, arguing that regime change should emerge from internal popular will rather than foreign imposition. The party expressed concern that current military actions fail to address the aspirations of Iran’s diverse ethnic communities while acknowledging the Iranian regime’s history of human rights abuses.
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Open University reverses UKLFI-influenced ‘ancient Palestine’ ban
The Open University (OU) has reversed its position on using the term ‘ancient Palestine’ in academic materials following significant scholarly backlash. This development comes after pressure from UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), who previously persuaded the university to abandon the terminology.
In November 2025, UKLFI argued that references to ‘ancient Palestine’ in an OU humanities module could create a ‘hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students’ and potentially violate equality legislation. The group claimed the term was historically inaccurate for periods before Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed the region ‘Syria Palaestina’ in the second century CE.
Initially, the university’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences head Adrienne Scullion acquiesced to these demands in December, promising to eliminate the term from future materials and contextualize its use in existing ones. UKLFI celebrated this as a victory on their website.
However, this decision triggered substantial academic opposition. Over 600 scholars and public figures, including prominent Israeli historians Ilan Pappe and Avi Shlaim alongside Palestinian historians Rashid Khalidi and Nur Masalha, signed an open letter demanding retraction. They argued the commitment threatened academic freedom, potentially violated the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, and represented complicity in ‘politically motivated attempts to erase Palestine from history.’
The OU has now clarified its position through a spokesperson, stating academics remain ‘free to use the term ‘ancient Palestine’ where scholarly appropriate’ without mandatory contextual notes. The university explained its previous commitment to UKLFI applied only to a single module ‘scheduled for replacement.’
This controversy occurs amidst broader patterns of institutional pressure. UKLFI has similarly targeted the British Museum and Encyclopaedia Britannica regarding Palestinian references, though the museum denied acting on UKLFI’s complaints. Academic experts maintain that ‘ancient Palestine’ is historically accurate, with OU classical studies lecturer Marchella Ward calling claims of its illegitimacy a ‘lie’ supporting ‘the erasure of Palestinians.’
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At least 87 killed in US attack on Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast
A devastating naval confrontation has escalated tensions globally after a U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 87 Iranian sailors, according to statements from the country’s deputy foreign minister on Wednesday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed American involvement during a Pentagon briefing, starkly declaring that ‘the Iranian navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf’ while presenting visual evidence of the strike. This operation marks the first direct military engagement against Iran’s forces outside the Middle Eastern theater since hostilities began.
The targeted vessel, the Iranian frigate Iris Dena, carried a complement of 180 personnel when it was struck. Sri Lankan naval authorities immediately launched search and rescue operations, managing to recover 32 survivors who were transported to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle for emergency medical treatment. Tragically, circulating images depicted emergency workers transferring deceased sailors to hospital mortuaries.
Navy Commander Buddhika Sampath reported that rescue teams arrived to find only an oil slick where the warship had submerged, with no other vessels or aircraft observed in the vicinity. ‘We are hopeful we can rescue more people and will continue operations until we are sure,’ Sampath stated, noting that 61 sailors remain unaccounted for.
The maritime tragedy occurred following a distress signal received by Sri Lankan forces from the Iranian ship. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath informed parliament that the rescue mission was initiated promptly upon receiving the emergency communication.
This naval engagement forms part of the fifth day of intensified military actions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with reported civilian casualties exceeding 1,000 individuals—including at least 153 schoolgirls according to witness-confirmed local reports. In retaliation for the ongoing offensive, Tehran has launched strikes against Israeli and U.S. military installations throughout the Middle East, significantly raising regional tensions and international concerns about broader conflict escalation.