International

Iran launches missiles against Israeli territory and alarms sound throughout the country

Iran launched a missile attack against Israeli territory on Tuesday afternoon, confirmed the military spokesman in Arabic, Avichay Adraee, activating anti-aircraft alarms throughout the country.

“Recently, missiles have been launched from Iran towards the State of Israel. They are asked to remain alert and follow precisely the instructions of the Internal Front Command,” the Israeli Army said in a statement.

In Jerusalem, in addition to the sound of the alarms, which continue at this time, it was also possible to see missiles intercepted in the sky and the noise they made when they exploded.

This fulfills the warning that the United States had launched minutes earlier. A US government official warned that Iran would be preparing an imminent attack with ballistic missiles.

“We have indications that Iran is preparing an imminent launch of ballistic missiles against Israel,” he said.

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“The United States is actively supporting defense preparations to defend Israel against this attack,” the source told EFE.

“Serious consequences” for Iran in case of attack

Likewise, the White House official warned Iran of “serious consequences if it decides to attack with direct military attack.”

An attack with ballistic missiles would complicate interception by the Israeli anti-aircraft defenses, since the projectiles follow a ballistic trajectory after reaching great heights, sometimes reaching the outermost layers of the atmosphere.

According to a US official told CNN, the US expects the Iranian attack to have a similar scale and objectives to the attack with hundreds of drones and missiles on April 13.

Israel foresaw large-scale attack

The spokesman for the Israeli Army, Daniel Hagari, had warned that the retaliatory attack with ballistic missiles from Iran could have a “large-scale” character.

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“We are following the threat seriously. We ask the public to follow the guidelines of the Interior Front Command. Iran’s fire could be on a large scale,” Hagari said at a press conference, in which he asked the Israelis to take refuge in bunkers in case the anti-aircraft sirens are activated.

Hagari confirmed that the United States had informed Israel that Iran was preparing to attack in the coming hours, after the murder on Friday of the top leader of Hezbulah, Hassan Nasrala.

“We have faced this type of threat before and we will do it now too,” Hagari said in a previous message, which urged the Israelis to act “responsibly as they have done throughout the war” and recalled that air defense systems are prepared.

Iran already attacked Israel in April

This Monday, when Israel began an incursion into southern Lebanon, the United States had not yet detected the movement of military equipment in Iran, although this could change due to the Iranian ability to mobilize quickly, according to US sources told NBC.

This would be Iran’s first attack on Israel since April, when Iran attacked two Israeli air bases on the Negev with missiles and drones and reached points of the occupied territory of the Golan Heights, although Israel, the United States or Arab countries over which they flew managed to intercept most of the Iranian projectiles.

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International

Trump Floats “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is considering what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as Washington continues to increase pressure on the island’s communist government.

“The Cuban government is talking to us and they have very serious problems, as you know. They have no money, they have nothing at this moment, but they are talking to us and maybe we will see a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba needed a “radical change,” shortly after Washington eased restrictions on oil exports to the island for what officials described as “humanitarian reasons,” amid a deep economic crisis.

The United States has imposed an energy blockade on Cuba since January, citing what it calls an “extraordinary threat” posed by the communist-run island, located roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Florida, to U.S. national security.

International

Argentina’s Senate Reviews Milei-Backed Labor Overhaul

Argentina’s Senate on Friday began reviewing the Labor Modernization Law promoted by the administration of President Javier Milei, a proposal that would significantly reshape labor rules across the country.

The upper chamber opened its final discussion of the contentious initiative, which revises the method used to calculate severance payments — lowering the amounts owed in dismissal cases — and introduces an “hour bank” mechanism that allows overtime to be offset with paid leave rather than extra wages.

The legislation also broadens the classification of essential services, a change that would place new limits on the right to strike in designated sectors.

The bill was initially approved by the Senate on February 11 and then moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers passed it with amendments. It has now returned to the Senate for definitive approval.

Outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires, workers, trade unions and left-wing organizations staged demonstrations beginning at midday. The gathering later thinned out amid reports of disturbances and a strong police presence. Security forces had secured the area surrounding the legislature since early morning hours.

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Union leaders contend that the reform weakens labor protections, while many business representatives back the measure but stress that sustainable formal employment will require economic expansion, improved credit conditions, greater investment and a more dynamic domestic market.

International

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Policy Allowing Deportations to Third Countries

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the policy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration allowing immigration authorities to deport foreign nationals to third countries without prior notice or the opportunity to object is unlawful. The decision marks another legal setback for the administration on immigration matters.

Judge Brian Murphy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down the regulation issued last year, which stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was not required to notify migrants if they were to be sent to countries other than the one listed in their removal order, provided that receiving nations offered assurances they would not face persecution or torture.

Murphy ordered the measure vacated but granted a 15-day delay before the ruling takes effect, giving the Trump administration time to file an appeal.

In his decision, the judge concluded that the policy violates federal immigration law and migrants’ due process rights. He also questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the alleged assurances provided by receiving countries, stating that “no one really knows anything about these supposed ‘assurances.’” He added, “It is not right, and it is not lawful.”

The ruling follows several legal disputes involving deportations to third countries. Last year, the executive branch deported more than 200 Salvadorans to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, invoking an old wartime law. The White House also held talks with Costa Rica, Panama, and Rwanda about receiving migrants who are not citizens of those countries.

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In May, the same judge determined that the government violated a court order when it attempted to remove a group of immigrants with criminal records to South Sudan without prior notice or an opportunity to raise claims of fear of persecution.

Although President Donald Trump took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which temporarily allowed the deportations to resume while a final decision was pending, the White House is expected to again appeal to higher courts to overturn this latest judicial ruling.