International

Netanyahu says that the attack on Iran affected its ability to develop missiles

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the attack launched against Iran in the early hours of Saturday affected its defensive capabilities and its ability to develop missiles.

The attack was “precise and powerful, fulfilling all its objectives,” said the president in what are his first public statements about the event, during a ceremony by the Israeli soldiers killed in the war in Gaza and collected by the Israeli press.

Saturday’s attack, in response to the launch of some 180 missiles by Iran in early October, caused the death of four soldiers and damage to some radars.

First time Israel recognizes an attack on Iran

It is the first time that Israel publicly admits to having attacked Iran, although there was already a reprisal, never officially recognized, after the first Iranian attack on the country in April.

“The regime must understand something very simple. Whoever hurts us, we will hurt him,” the president said, using one of his most repeated phrases in his messages to Iran.

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Before his statements, Israeli President Isaac Herzog (who already congratulated the air force last night for the attack), said that the “critical” task has not yet been achieved: rescue the Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.

“The elimination of the arch-terrorist (Yahya) Sinwar (leader of Hamas) and other enemies, and the impressive battle of the Army and security forces have created an opportunity that we cannot miss,” he said.

Netanyahu also spoke about the hostages in Gaza, assuring that bringing them back is a “sacred” mission, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made it clear that to achieve it will have to make “painful concessions.”

The minister, who has had some public encounters with Netanyahu about the management of the war, said that Hamas “has stopped operating” as a militia, while the Shiihite group Hezbula does not stop receiving blows, after the elimination of its leadership in a series of Israeli bombings against Lebanon in recent weeks.

The groups “are no longer an effective tool in the hands of Iran,” he said, adding that not all objectives can be achieved on the basis of military force, and that rescuing the kidnapped is Israel’s “responsibility”.

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Later, during a similar ceremony in honor of the civilians killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks and in the following war year, a group of protesters interrupted Netanyahu’s speech shouting “shame” and remembering his murdered loved ones.

Israel negotiates in Qatar the release of Hamas hostages

The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, arrived in Qatar this Sunday to participate in new negotiations on the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners imprisoned in Israel and the possibilities of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, sources close to the talks informed EFE.

Barnea “is in Qatar with the aim of holding new talks on the agreement of prisoners and hostages with Hamas” after the murder of the top leader of the Palestinian Islamist group, Yahya Sinwar, more than a week ago in southern Gaza, sources said on condition of anonymity.

They also pointed out that the head of the Mossad will meet in Doha with the heads of intelligence of the United States, William Burns, and Egypt, Hassan Rashad, as well as with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohamed bin Abderrahmán.

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International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.