White House: Trump to decide within two weeks on US participation in Israeli strikes on Iran

Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether American participation in Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced on Thursday evening.

An Israeli official said earlier that the United States would decide within 24 to 48 hours whether to participate."The expectation is that they will participate, but no one is pressuring them," the official told The Times of Israel.

Trump has spoken out several times in recent days about the possible participation of the US in attacks on Iran. In passing, the Republican seemed to hint that he would be interested in that participation.

Key points:

• Israeli military reports attack on Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, southern Israel, reportedly causing extensive damage to the hospital in several areas.
• Israel is carrying out airstrikes around Tehran and other Iranian cities, with calls for evacuations in Arak and Khondab.
• Iranian forces have again fired rockets into Israel, with no injuries reported by Magen David Adom.
• Israel previously claimed to have hit more than 20 targets in Tehran, including uranium enrichment and missile production facilities.
• According to Iranian human rights group HRANA, 585 people have been killed in the conflict so far, including 239 civilians. There have been 24 civilian casualties in Israel.

35 minutes ago

Trump denies he has already given approval to attack Iran: 'They have no idea'

Donald Trump denies reports by The Wall Street Journal, that the president approved US plans to attack Iran. According to Trump, the newspaper has"no idea" what he thinks about Iran.

On Wednesday evening, the WSJ reported, based on three anonymous insiders, that Trump had given his aides his approval for the US attack plans, but wanted to wait to see whether Iran would halt its nuclear program.

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Today 16:47

Netanyahu: Iranian regime change not a goal, but could be a result of Israeli military campaign

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that changing or falling the Iranian regime is not a goal in itself, but could be the result of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

"The issue of changing the regime or its fall is primarily a matter for the Iranian people. There is no alternative to it. And that is why I did not present it as a goal. It could be an outcome, but it is not a formal goal of ours," Netanyahu told Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

Today 16:36

'US to decide within 24 to 48 hours whether to participate in Israeli strikes on Iran'

Israel expects the United States to decide within 24 to 48 hours whether to join in the attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.

"The expectation is that they will participate, but no one is pressuring them," the official said."They have to make the decision themselves. We will know within 24 to 48 hours," the official expected.

US President Donald Trump has spoken out several times in recent days about possible US participation in attacks on Iran. In passing, the Republican seemed to hint that he would be interested in participating.

Today 16:27

Today 16:18

Iraqi PM to discuss nuclear threat in neighboring Iran

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has met with experts to discuss the risk of a nuclear disaster caused by Israeli attacks on Iran. The meeting was held by the"Radiological and Nuclear Emergency Staff" and focused on the question of how well prepared Iraq is for this.

According to official reports, it has been established that no radiation has been measured anywhere in Iraq. Experts also now consider it unlikely that a major problem in an Iranian nuclear facility that has been attacked will immediately mean major risks for Iraq.

Iraq and Iran share a border of about 1,600 kilometers. Major Iraqi cities are relatively close to the Iranian border, Baghdad 120 kilometers from the border, Basra 20 kilometers and Arbil 100 kilometers.

Today 15:51

Dutch soldiers cannot leave Iraq due to war

Soldiers of the Airmobile Brigade in Iraq cannot leave the country because of the war between Israel and Iran. They are there to provide security for the NATO mission. The Dutch contribution will last until the end of this month, but some of the soldiers are already due to leave. They will continue with their work for the time being.

For the mission, a maximum of 145 'Red Berets' are in Iraq. The soldiers cannot leave because the airspace above Iraq is closed due to the war, according to Defense on Thursday. How long that will take is still unknown. In the meantime, the ministry is looking at alternative options to leave the country.

Today 15:51

Diplomats: Iran, US have held telephone talks

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi several times on the phone during the Israeli attacks on Iran, according to anonymous diplomatic sources. Araqchi reportedly said that Iran could be"flexible" on its nuclear program if the US persuaded Israel to stop the attacks. Iran would return to the negotiating table once the Israeli attacks stopped.

President Donald Trump has called for a diplomatic deal on the issue and wants Iran to stop enriching uranium altogether. This is unacceptable to the Iranian regime at this time.

The talks between Witkoff and Araqchi would be a striking direct contact between the two countries. Witkoff spoke very briefly with Araqchi in Oman and Italy earlier this year on the sidelines of the indirect negotiations between the US and Iran. They have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.

Today 15:28

'Dozens reported dead in Israeli attacks in Gaza'

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Thursday, Gazan authorities said. More than 20 people were killed at food distribution points in southern and central Gaza, according to civil defense officials, and more than 50 people were killed in various airstrikes.

The Israeli military said warning shots were fired at"suspects" approaching soldiers near the Netzarim corridor, which divides Gaza into northern and southern halves. But it was not aware of any injuries. The military did not comment on the incident in the south.

A witness to the shooting at the Netzarim corridor told AFP that thousands of people had gathered there overnight in the hope of receiving food. The US- and Israeli-backed distribution point was due to open in the morning. He said that around 1 a.m., fire was opened but that the large crowd made it difficult for people to get away.

Recently, there have been many more reports of Israeli army shootings at distribution points in Gaza.

Today 15:16

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Today 15:10

Almost all of Iran has been without internet for 24 hours

Almost all of Iran has been without internet for 24 hours, independent internet watchdog Netblocks reports. According to Netblocks, this is the most serious disruption to the internet since 2019, when the connection for many Iranians went down during violent protests against the Iranian government.

Amnesty International said Iranian authorities imposed internet restrictions following the Israeli attacks, leaving"millions of people caught up in the conflict unable to access vital information".

Iran's Communications Ministry said Wednesday night it was restricting the internet because Israel uses it for military purposes.

Today 14:28

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Today 13:54

Iran arrests 24 people accused of spying for Israel

Iranian police have arrested 24 people on suspicion of working as spies for Israel and accusing them of influencing public opinion and"tarnishing and destroying" Iran's image.

It is not known what kind of espionage activities they would have carried out. According to the police, the espionage took place both online and offline.

Israeli media reported earlier that the secret service, the Mossad, had long prepared the attacks on Iran from Iranian territory. Since then, there have also been multiple cyber attacks. For example, Iranian state television was briefly hacked on Wednesday and there was an attack on a crypto exchange.

Today 12:48

Putin, Xi condemn Israeli attacks in Iran, call for diplomacy

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have strongly condemned the Israeli attacks in Iran and called for a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict, the Kremlin announced on Thursday after a telephone conversation between the Russian and Chinese presidents.

“Moscow and Beijing both operate on the principle that the current situation cannot be resolved by force and that this can and should be achieved exclusively through political and diplomatic means,” Vladimir Putin's diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov said at a press briefing.

"Promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is a priority. Violence is not the right way to resolve international disputes," Xi Jinping said during the meeting, the state news agency New China reported.