US-Israel-Iran conflict: List of key events, June 23, 2025

Published

11 months ago

June 23, 2025

Press Room

Here are the key events on day 11 of the Israel-Iran conflict.

Here’s where things stand on Monday, June 23:

Fighting

Iran has fired ballistic missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the United States’ largest military installation in the Middle East. Doha said the attack was intercepted and there were no casualties.
Fellow Gulf countries Bahrain and Kuwait – which also host US facilities – joined Qatar in closing their airspace, then reopened them.
Earlier, Israel had struck Tehran’s Evin Prison, notorious for holding political activists. Iranian state television shared surveillance footage of the strike, which reportedly blew the facility’s gate open.
Explosions were heard on the western outskirts of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz, capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province, the Fars news agency reported.
Tasnim news agency reported a strike at an electricity feeder station in the Evin neighbourhood in north Tehran.
Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country had attacked “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran”, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centres.
Israel also carried out a strike on the Fordow enrichment facility, a day after the US hit the underground site south of Tehran with so-called “bunker buster” bombs.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation threat to residents of Tehran, telling them to stay away from weapons production centres and military bases.
Iranian state television said on Monday that the country had targeted the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv. It claimed the majority of its projectiles fired since the early hours of the day had successfully reached their targets.
Sirens sounded across Israel before noon on Monday, with a large number of impacts recorded in several areas, including the Ashdod area in southern Israel and the Lachish area, south of Jerusalem.

Casualties and disruptions

Eleven days into the conflict, large numbers of Tehran’s 10 million population have reportedly fled.
After Israel’s strike on Evin Prison, Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster released video showing rescue workers combing the flattened wreckage of a building at the prison, carrying a wounded man on a stretcher.
Iranian power company Tavanir said there were power cuts in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
In Qatar, prior to Iran’s attack on Al Udeid, the US and the United Kingdom had urged their citizens in the country to “shelter in place”.
Britain said on Monday that a Royal Air Force flight carrying 63 British nationals and their dependents out of Israel had left Tel Aviv.
A number of airlines, including Kuwait Airways, Finnair and Singapore Airlines, have suspended operations in the Middle East. Air India said it was not only halting operations to the region, but also stopping flights to and from the US east coast and Europe.

Politics and diplomacy

After Iran’s attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, US President Donald Trump thanked Tehran for giving him ”early notice” of the attack, which he described as a ”very weak response” to the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. In a separate post, he thanked the emir of Qatar for his peace efforts.
A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that the country considered the Iranian attack to be a “surprise”, announcing the situation in the country was safe.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted on his Farsi-language X account: “We have not violated anyone’s rights, nor will we ever accept anyone violating ours, and we will not surrender to anyone’s violation; this is the logic of the Iranian nation.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement posted by his ministry on Telegram that Iran would be ready to respond again in case of further action by the US.
Earlier in the day, Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Khamenei, said bases used by US forces “in the region or elsewhere” could be attacked – that evening, Iran targeted Al Udeid in Qatar.
Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, pledged that the country would take “firm action” in response to US strikes on key nuclear sites the day before. “This crime and desecration will not go unanswered,” he said on state television.
Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, addressed US intervention in the war in a video statement, saying: “Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said a parliamentary committee had approved a general plan to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the US, the UK, France, Israel and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi were responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians and the destruction of infrastructure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed attacks on Iran as “unprovoked” and “unjustified” in a Moscow meeting with Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, “Our strategic partnership with Iran is unbreakable,” but was not drawn on the question of whether Iran had requested military help – or whether any help would be forthcoming.
After Israel’s attack on Tehran’s Evin Prison, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote “Viva la libertad!”, Spanish for “long live liberty”, on X.
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the Israeli strike on Tehran’s Evin Prison, which holds some French prisoners, was unacceptable.
China’s UN ambassador, Fu Cong, said US credibility was “damaged” after its bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, warning the conflict could “go out of control”, according to the state broadcaster.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said of Sunday’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites: “Yes, it is not without risk, but leaving it as it was wasn’t an option either.”
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said his country stood ready to “defend our personnel, our assets and those of our allies and partners”.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said alliance members had “long agreed that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon” and called an Iranian atomic bomb his “greatest fear”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to help deter Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for one-fifth of the world’s oil supply and a potential lever for retaliatory action.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said closing the strait would be “extremely dangerous”.
US President Trump posted an online message on oil production to the US Department of Energy, encouraging it to “drill, baby, drill”, and saying, “I mean now.”
Reza Pahlavi, the long-exiled son of Iran’s toppled shah, but not seen as a player with any real influence in Iran itself, warned the US and Europe not to throw a “lifeline” to Iran’s current leadership. “This is our Berlin Wall moment,” he said in an interview with the AFP news agency.

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Drone Hits a Moscow High-Rise Days Before a Major Military Parade

Published

6 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Drone Hits a Moscow High-Rise Days Before a Major Military Parade

A drone slammed into a high-rise apartment building a few miles from the Kremlin on Monday, a rare attack on Moscow that came as Ukraine has expanded its long-range strikes inside Russia.

The breach of air defenses in the Russian capital occurred five days before the annual Victory Day parade, a major event on Red Square marking the Soviet contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Last week, Russia said that the parade would be significantly downsized, in an acknowledgment of the growing threat from Ukrainian drones.

In an effort to damage Russia’s oil-dependent economy, Ukraine has conducted several strikes in recent weeks on facilities deep inside Russian territory. Russia said on Sunday that Ukraine had attacked an important oil-exporting station on the Black Sea, and Ukraine said its forces had struck two ships in the Russian “shadow fleet” — vessels that surreptitiously transport oil in violation of sanctions — in another Black Sea port.

The drone strike on the Moscow apartment building took place in the early hours of Monday, the city’s mayor, Sergei S. Sobyanin, said in a statement. There were no casualties, he added. The Russian authorities did not directly attribute the attack to Ukraine, and Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the attack.

It was not clear whether the upscale apartment building, which soars 54 stories in a leafy, quiet neighborhood of low-rise buildings, was the intended target. The tower, the tallest in Moscow’s southwest, is about four miles from the city center, in an area named after Mosfilm, the Moscow film studio.

Videos and photos from the scene showed part of one floor in the tower gutted by the drone hit. The drone’s evasion of air defenses was an embarrassment for the Kremlin. In recent days, city officials had reported several interceptions of Ukrainian drones in the Moscow suburbs.

Last week, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called for a cease-fire on May 9, the day of the Victory Day parade. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine rejected the offer, saying his country would welcome a lasting cease-fire, not a day off for Russia to celebrate itself.

On Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Mr. Putin had declared a cease-fire for May 8 and 9, and that it hoped Ukraine would follow suit. Mr. Zelensky followed up hours later by announcing a cease-fire of his own — for May 6.

“We believe that human life is far more valuable than any anniversary ‘celebration,’” he said, adding that “it is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.”

Because of the threat of Ukrainian drones, Russia will hold the parade without heavy military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades. The Kremlin also canceled the participation of students from military secondary schools.

The Russian Defense Ministry statement said that if Ukraine attacked Moscow during the parade on Saturday, it would retaliate with a “massive” missile strike on the center of Kyiv.

Mr. Putin has portrayed Russia’s war in Ukraine as an extension of the Soviet Union’s struggle in World War II, falsely asserting that the government in Kyiv has been taken over by Nazis.

In the past, the Victory Day parade has been an important foreign policy event for Russia, attracting heads of state including President George W. Bush and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader. This year, Robert Fico, the Russia-friendly prime minister of Slovakia, is expected to be the main foreign dignitary.

Mr. Zelensky made a vague reference to the drone attack during a speech in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on Monday. He said that Russia’s decision to scale back the May 9 parade showed its weakness.

“They cannot afford military equipment,” Mr. Zelensky said, “and they fear drones may buzz over Red Square.”

Mr. Zelensky was in Armenia, a traditional ally of Russia, as it hosted a summit of leaders from a grouping known as the European Political Community. While Armenia is the site of a Russian military base, the country has been moving away from Moscow after the Kremlin did not come to its aid in a 2023 conflict with Azerbaijan.

Pro-war commentators in Russia have been seething over Armenia’s decision to welcome Mr. Zelensky and European leaders. Oleg Tsaryov, a former member of the Ukrainian Parliament who is now a pro-Kremlin blogger, asked in a post on the message service Telegram on Sunday what was stopping the 5,000 Russian troops in Armenia from arresting Mr. Zelensky on arrival.

World

Explosion at a fireworks plant in China kills at least 21 people, injures dozens more: report

Published

7 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Explosion at a fireworks plant in China kills at least 21 people, injures dozens more: report

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An explosion at a fireworks factory in a central Chinese province killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others, according to state media.

The blast happened at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, a city administered by Changsha in Hunan province, on Monday afternoon, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.

The plant was operated by Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co. in Liuyang, which is under the jurisdiction of Hunan’s capital, Changsha. Liuyang is home to a hub for fireworks manufacturing, state media China Daily reported.

MASSIVE FIRE DESTROYS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA LABORATORY BUILDING: ‘TOTAL LOSS’

Fire crews work to put out a fire after an explosion at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, Hunan Province of China. (Yang Huafeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

Aerial footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed white smoke still billowing on Tuesday in parts of the area, with facilities collapsed or damaged and debris scattered around.

Nearly 500 firefighters, rescuers and medical personnel responded to the scene, according to the South China Morning Post. People in danger zones were evacuated because of what authorities described as high risks posed by two black powder warehouses at the site.

An explosion at a fireworks factory in Liuyang, Hunan Province of China, killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others. (Yang Huafeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to save injured victims and to search for people who remain unaccounted for, Xinhua reported. He called on authorities to probe the cause and pursue serious accountability. Xi also ordered effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.

Xi often issues “important instructions” to local officials after deadly accidents and disasters, according to reports.

CREWS RESPOND TO MASSIVE EXPLOSIONS AT FIREWORKS FACILITY IN CALIFORNIA

Fire rescue forces carry out rescue operations after an explosion at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, Hunan Province of China. (Yang Huafeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

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Authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the blast, and unspecified “control measures” were taken against those in charge of the company.

In an effort to avoid additional accidents during the search for survivors, rescuers adopted measures such as spraying and humidification to eliminate potential hazards. Robots were also used to assist with the search and rescue operation.

World

Amnesty accuses Congolese rebel group of ‘extensive brutality’

Published

8 hours ago

May 4, 2026

Press Room

Amnesty accuses Congolese rebel group of ‘extensive brutality’

ISIS-linked group has tortured, killed and abducted civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including children.

Amnesty International has accused a rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of mass war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In a damning new report published Monday, the rights group said the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) was behind multiple cases of murder, abductions, forced labour and marriage, sexual abuse of women and girls, and the exploitation of children.

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The report is entitled “I’d Never Seen So Many Bodies: War Crimes by the Allied Democratic Forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo”.

The ADF has been involved in a years-long military campaign against central authorities in Kinshasa and pledged allegiance to ISIS/ISIL, also known as ISIS-Central Africa, in 2019.

“Civilians in the eastern DRC have suffered extensive brutality at the hands of ADF fighters. They have been killed, abducted and tortured in a dehumanising campaign of abuse,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said.

“The ADF’s violence is contributing to an escalating humanitarian crisis… These abuses constitute war crimes which the world must not continue to ignore.”

The ADF largely operates in eastern DRC, near the Ugandan border, and has for years been in conflict with the government’s Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), along with the UN mission MONUSCO.

Repeated ADF attacks have led to mass displacement in parts of the DRC and limited the population’s access to healthcare, food and education.

A rebellion by the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement, better known as M23, has worsened the situation for civilians in the region, while the ADF has taken advantage of international and domestic focus on these attacks to intensify its own military operations in eastern DRC.

DRC soldiers search for ADF rebels near Beni in North-Kivu province [Kenny Katombe/Reuters]

Amnesty interviewed 71 people, including survivors of ADF attacks, as well as humanitarian workers and police officers, as part of its research in North Kivu province, eastern DRC, where the violence is most prominent.

In one notorious attack on Ntoyo village in September 2025, ADF fighters allegedly disguised themselves as mourners and used hammers, machetes, guns and axes to kill more than 60 people at a wake.

Another attack two months later in nearby Byambwe village saw at least 17 civilians killed, with four wards at a hospital set ablaze. A survivor told Amnesty that the fighters “shot anything that moved” at the church-run medical facility.

Forced marriage, child recruitment and abductions

Amnesty also spoke to five women and two girls who had been forced into marriages with ADF fighters, with interviewees indicating that members of the group were given “wives” as an incentive to fight the government. Under threat of death, victims were made to convert to Islam and suffered sexual and physical violence, with several women forced to watch the killings of others who had refused the group’s orders.

Amnesty documented 46 cases of abduction, including hostages being held for ransom, enduring torture, sexual slavery, forced labour, or they were murdered. Some were made to carry heavy loads for days, receiving beatings and given little food during their ordeal.

“They taught us how to kill with weapons and with blades,” a woman who escaped after two years told Amnesty. “In the bush, you had to do what you were told. You cannot be weak.”

‘Stronger action to ensure protection of civilians’

Amnesty has called on authorities in the DRC to do more to protect civilians and urged the government to work with the UN and local communities to improve early warning systems and to quickly respond to any attacks.

Witnesses said that security forces sometimes arrived late at the scenes of ADF attacks or not at all. Peace and reintegration programmes were also essential to help survivors and communities to cope with their trauma.

“The Congolese government must take far stronger action to ensure the protection of civilians,” Callamard said, warning that disregarding the ADF threat would undermine security and human rights in the country.

“The international community must steadfastly support the Congolese state in improving efforts to protect civilians, ensuring justice, and providing long-term, sustainable support to victims and survivors.”