US-Israel Iran War Live Updates

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has posted a cryptic message on X, stating “Back to the Stone Age”, a phrase previously employed by Trump in a warning to Iran.

Breaking news from the Israeli Defense Forces: two urgent alerts have been issued, signaling incoming projectiles fired from Iranian soil, heading straight for Israel.
According to Channel 12, the anticipated strikes have set off air raid sirens throughout northern Israel, with one of the missiles reportedly equipped with a fragmentation warhead.

According to Stephane Dujarric, the UN is anticipating a prolonged investigation period, citing the complexities of the situation on the ground and difficulties in accessing the crime scenes. Dujarric noted that a comprehensive probe requires meticulous examination of physical evidence and thorough verification of information, which can be a time-consuming process.

For those who have recently tuned in, here’s a quick rundown of what you’ve missed so far:

China’s key Shanghai Composite index SSEC dipped 0.53 percent by midday, according to Reuters, with the CSI300 Index CSI300 experiencing a 0.74 percent decline.
The news service noted that Hong Kong’s main Hang Seng Index HSI dropped 1.1 percent, with a notable decline of 2.2 percent in shares of the technology firm HSTECH.
As previously reported, stock markets in Japan and South Korea are also experiencing a downturn, while oil prices have surged by more than $5 a barrel following President Donald Trump’s commitment to intensify pressure on Iran over the next two to three weeks.

In a recent development, the Saudi Defence Ministry has confirmed that its air defence systems successfully neutralized four drones that had been detected in the vicinity.

The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) has issued a scathing rebuke of Trump’s inflammatory comments towards Iran, labelling them as “anti-Muslim, racist, and dehumanising”. The organisation took particular umbrage with Trump’s assertion that the US would send Iran “back to the Stone Ages”, decrying it as a gross affront to human dignity.

CAIR went on to condemn the Trump administration’s handling of the conflict, accusing it of allowing Israel to precipitate a “war of aggression” against the will of the American people. In a call to action, the group urged lawmakers to take swift and decisive action upon their return next week, including the passage of a War Powers Resolution, the cessation of funding for military escalation, and a thorough investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s alleged involvement in war crimes.

Reports from Channel 12 indicate a sudden escalation in the region, with a barrage of rockets launched from Lebanon targeting the northern Israeli town of Metula. Although some of the incoming projectiles were successfully intercepted by Israel’s defense systems, others landed in open areas, sparking concerns among local residents.

The essence of Trump’s speech remains unchanged, striking a discordant note for Iranians who are accustomed to a similar tone. His use of a confrontational tone, a hallmark of his rhetoric, has become all too familiar for the Iranian people. Beyond the tone, Trump made sweeping assertions about the war’s trajectory and its duration, but these claims are met with skepticism by Iranians, who insist that Tehran will dictate the course of action and determine the length of the confrontation.

The ambiguity of Trump’s language has left many wondering whether it stems from a lack of strategic planning or a deliberate attempt to maintain a veil of uncertainty. For the majority of Iranians, the impression is that Trump’s administration has been lacking a clear plan from the outset. Furthermore, Trump’s comments about the destruction of Iran and its people have been interpreted as a form of collective punishment by the Iranian public. The ongoing airstrikes have targeted critical infrastructure, including power plants, which has had a devastating impact on the civilian population. It is the ordinary citizens, comprising more than 90 million people, who are bearing the brunt of the conflict, not the country’s political elite.

In a scathing rebuke to President Trump’s foreign policy, Joe Kent, a former top security official who resigned in protest over the US-Iran conflict, is now urging Trump to bring an immediate end to the war. Kent’s comments came in response to Trump’s national address, in which he emphasized the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. However, Kent countered that the US should learn from past mistakes and only engage in military action when its own national security is at stake. “We must draw lessons from our fallen heroes and avoid further bloodshed by extricating ourselves from this conflict as soon as possible,” Kent stated. To achieve a swift exit, Kent believes that Trump must rein in Israeli military actions, which he sees as a major obstacle to a quick resolution. “Israel’s interests are at odds with our own, and we must act accordingly to bring an end to this war,” Kent emphasized. As the first high-ranking official to resign from Trump’s administration over the US-Iran conflict, Kent’s words carry significant weight and highlight the deep divisions within the administration over its foreign policy strategy.