11:02 PM Today
Iran executed at least 975 people in 2024, the highest number since 2015, according to a UN report.
There was also an increase in the number of women executed: of at least 31, 19 were reportedly killed by homicide, including nine who killed their husbands in contexts of domestic violence, forced marriages or child marriages.
Iran carried out executions at an “alarming rate” last year, with at least 975 people put to death, the UN secretary-general said in a report that also exposed other human rights violations, including obstacles to freedom of expression, the use of torture and arbitrary detention.
10:21 PM Today
The U.S. State Department's latest travel warning places Israel in the maximum risk category as the military confrontation with Iran, which was already under a Level 4"Do Not Travel" alert, intensifies.
10:15 PM Today
The United States evacuates non-essential diplomats in Israel amid military escalation with Iran.
A U.S. government plane removed several officials and members of their families who requested to leave the country.
The U.S. State Department has begun evacuating non-essential diplomats and their families from the U.S. embassy in Israel as hostilities between Israel and Iran escalate and the possibility of direct U.S. involvement in the conflict looms, two U.S. officials said.
9:53 PM Today
The United States is deploying naval power in Europe and the Middle East as tensions between Israel and Iran escalate.
The U.S. Department of Defense continues to expand its military presence in the Middle East and Europe as tensions with Iran and its allied groups rise. The announcement of the upcoming deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to European waters, along with the recent repositioning of warships and combat aircraft to strategic locations, marks a new phase of deterrence by the Pentagon in the face of a potential larger regional conflict.
9:33 PM Today
Putin says a mutually beneficial Iran-Israel deal is possible
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that an agreement to end the conflict between Israel and Iran is possible, and he said the Israeli bombings"consolidate" Iranian support for his government.
"We see that today in Iran (...) there is a consolidation of society towards the country's political leaders," Putin told foreign journalists at a televised event.
"It's a delicate matter, and of course we must be very cautious on this point, but in my opinion, a solution can be found," he added, referring to a possible agreement that would benefit both Israel and Iran.
8:54 PM Today
Israel has launched"three major waves of attacks" in the last 24 hours.
The first wave took place overnight, with Israeli warplanes attacking"approximately 40 targets in the Tehran area," according to the IDF. Among these targets was a"centrifuge production center."
The second wave "began this afternoon" with attacks against 20 military and security targets "in the Tehran area," it said.
The third wave of attacks “began recently” and is focused on western Iran.
8:45 PM Today
As Iranian attacks decline, daily life in Israel begins to return to normal.
The Home Front Command has relaxed guidelines for the civilian population in much of the country, following several days of near-total lockdown.
With the decrease in Iranian attacks , daily life in Israel is beginning to return to normal, gradually and with some caution.
8:27 PM Today
Israel attacked 20 nuclear and weapons production facilities in Tehran
The Israeli Air Force has completed a wave of airstrikes against some 20 Iranian nuclear and weapons production sites in Tehran, the military announced.
Some 60 warplanes took part in the strikes, which the IDF said hit “weapons production sites, centrifuge production sites, as well as research and development sites for the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons development project.”
The nuclear-related sites"were designated to enable the Iranian regime to expand the scale and pace of its uranium enrichment for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons," the military said in a statement.
Other targets included"factories producing raw materials and components for missile assembly, as well as sites for the production of Iran's air defense systems," the IDF said.
8:26 PM Today
New UN Security Council meeting on Friday on Israel-Iran conflict
The UN Security Council will hold another meeting Friday morning on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, the Guyanese mission, which presides over the council in June, announced Wednesday.
After an initial emergency meeting last week, this new session, scheduled for Friday at 10:00 a.m. (2:00 p.m. GMT), was requested by Iran, a request supported by Russia, China, and Pakistan, a diplomatic source told AFP.
