Saturday, June 14, 2025
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Saturday, June 14, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/iran-vows-retaliation-after-israeli-bombing/

World

Iran vows retaliation after Israeli bombing

The escalation in the Middle East

Published yesterday 11:46
– By Editorial Staff
It is not yet clear exactly how many people were killed in last night's Israeli attacks.
4 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

During the night, the Israeli Air Force carried out extensive attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran, killing several high-ranking military officials and scientists.

The operation has provoked strong reactions from both Iran and the international community, and fears of a large-scale regional war have now increased significantly.

According to reports, the Israeli attacks targeted nuclear facilities, residential areas, and military command centers. According to Iranian state media and the AFP news agency, several high-ranking officials were killed, including Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, Defense Minister Mohammad Bagheri, and six prominent nuclear scientists.

According to a spokesperson for the Israeli military, a total of over 100 targets were hit by around 200 fighter jets. Iranian state television reports that at least five people were killed and 50 injured, including women and children.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation in a televised speech overnight. He claimed that the attack was “necessary for Israel’s security” and said:

– A targetet military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.

Netanyahu emphasized that nuclear facilities in Iran were the primary targets and that Israel would not back down until the alleged threat was eliminated.

The US denies involvement

The UN’s atomic energy agency, the IAEA, confirmed on Friday that the nuclear facility in Natanz was hit on two occasions. In a statement on X, the organization announced that it is cooperating with Iran to monitor radiation levels. According to Reuters, which cites both the IAEA and Iranian authorities, no elevated radiation levels have been measured. The nuclear power plant in Bushehr was not a target.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear that the US had not been involved in Israel’s attacks.

– Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region, Rubio said, according to ABC News and TT.

He added that Israel had informed the US in advance that the operation was considered an act of self-defense. President Donald Trump is expected to lead a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday afternoon, Swedish time, to discuss the escalating situation.

Iranian drone attacks

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned the attack in a statement on X and promised revenge.

“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see”, he wrote.

He confirmed that several high-ranking military officials and nuclear scientists had been killed and promised that Israel would face severe punishment. In retaliation, Iran has fired over 100 drones at Israel, according to Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin.

– In recent hours, Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, all systems are engaged to thwart the threats. Hard times lie ahead, he told Reuters.

The Israeli defense forces are now working to neutralize the drones, partly with the help of defense systems active in Saudi Arabian airspace, according to TV channel Keshet 12.

State of emergency declared

In response to the risk of further retaliation from Iran, Israel has declared a state of emergency. Prime Minister Netanyahu has warned that civilians may need to spend long periods in shelters. Army chief Eyal Zamir urged Israelis to prepare for a new situation:

– Because the time had come; we’d reached the point of no return

He further claimed that Iranian weapons of mass destruction pose “an existential threat to the State of Israel and a significant threat to the wider world”. Schools are closed and Friday’s pride parade in Tel Aviv has been canceled.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-vows-to-defend-israel-against-iranian-retaliation/

World

Trump vows to defend Israel against Iranian retaliation

The escalation in the Middle East

Published yesterday 15:15
– By Editorial Staff
Trump has been described as the most pro-Israel president in modern times.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Donald Trump promises that the US will “defend itself and Israel” if Iran retaliates after Israel’s latest “preemptive” attacks on Iranian targets.

The statement was made in a phone call with Fox News host Bret Baier on Friday morning, according to the television network.

During the night, Israel’s defense forces (IDF) carried out attacks on a large number of targets in Iran, including residential areas, military installations, and the nuclear facility in Natanz. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the purpose of the attack was to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iranian media reports that at least five people were killed and 20 injured in Tehran.

Among the dead were Hossein Salami, a top general in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, army chief of staff Gholam Ali Rashid, and nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi.

The attack occurred two days before planned nuclear talks between the US and Iran in Oman.

“Not involved militarily”

Trump said that he had spoken with Netanyahu several times in the days leading up to the attack and knew about the plans in advance. However, he emphasized that “the US was not involved militarily” and expressed hope for new talks in the future.

– Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back.

Iran’s army has warned that “a bitter lesson awaits Netanyahu”, and the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said that Israel “should expect severe punishment”.

Trump added that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) is on high alert:

“CENTCOM is on high alert, the US will defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates”, according to Fox.

Trump comments on the attack on Truth Social. Photo: facsimile/Truth Social

Deeply aligned with Israel

Prior to the attack, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US “remain committed to a diplomatic resolution to the Iran nuclear issue”, but that the country’s leadership “first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon”.

Trump has previously been described as the most pro-Israel president in modern American history and has repeatedly been praised by Benjamin Netanyahu as an indispensable ally. Many Republicans in the president’s staff and inner circle are also staunch supporters of Israel, often for religious reasons.

Furthermore, the US provides billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Israel every year. The Israel lobby, led by influential organizations such as AIPAC, plays a significant role in US domestic and foreign policy and has for decades influenced the US position on issues relating to the Middle East.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/salafist-regime-massacres-alawites-in-syria/

World

Salafist regime massacres Alawites in Syria

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 11 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Images spread of civilians in Alawite areas being randomly executed and humiliated by regime soldiers, including being forced to crawl like dogs before being killed.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

At least 1,000 people are reported to have been killed in Syria in recent days – many belonging to the Alawite community, the same ethnic group as Syria’s ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.

The UN warns that children, women and entire families are being massacred in Alawite towns and villages and that fathers are being executed in front of their families.

Western media describe the massacres as “clashes” between Syrian security forces loyal to the new Syrian Islamist regime and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad.

On Sunday, it was reported that 745 civilians were killed along with 125 government soldiers and 148 militants “affiliated with Assad” and a large number of Alawites were executed in or outside their homes in Syria’s coastal region before their homes were set on fire.

In the town of Baniyas, residents testify that heavily armed men arrived and killed people in their shops and homes, allegedly in retaliation for the Alawites’ past support for Assad’s secular rule. Many of the killers were reportedly foreigners.

“Summary executions”

Human rights groups and analysts warn that these appear to be purely ethnic cleansing campaigns, with victims selected on the basis of their ethno-religious affiliation.

– In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families – including women, children and individuals hors de combat – were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular, said Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office.

– Many of the cases documented were of summary executions. They appear to have been carried out on a sectarian basis… In some cases, men were shot dead in front of their families, he continued.

In the small town of Sanobar, the mayor and his three sons were executed in front of the wife/mother – and the killers threatened to kill the grandchildren too if the family did not give up their gold. In several other incidents, the killers have come by car to smaller communities, searched all the houses, and executed all the men they found.

Murder of Christians

While representatives of the Syrian Islamist regime claim that “no one is above the law” and say they intend to investigate the massacres, they claim that Alawites loyal to Assad are to blame for the killings.

– Today, as we stand at this critical moment, we find ourselves facing a new danger – attempts by remnants of the former regime and their foreign backers to incite new strife and drag our country into a civil war, aiming to divide it and destroy its unity and stability, said Syria’s interim president and former wanted al-Qaeda leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani during a press conference.

Many Alawites have taken refuge in the Russian-controlled Khmeimi airbase and there are reports that drones and tanks have been used to shell towns and villages. Although a large proportion of those killed are believed to belong to the Alawite minority, several Syrian Christians are also reported to have been killed by the jihadists.

A large number of clips are circulating on social media showing Alawites being forced to crawl around, bark like dogs or otherwise humiliate themselves before being tortured or killed. Often, the killers themselves appear to have filmed their abuse and can be heard laughing in some of the videos.

Expected development

The Nordic Times has previously reported on how Syria’s new regime is de facto made up of fundamentalist and militant Islamists with a background in al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Although analysts warned early on that mass killings, oppression and repression of ethnic and religious minorities are expected to increase sharply under the new regime, those in power in the West have rather tried to portray Syria’s new regime as a moderate force, a legitimate partner and a positive change compared to the overthrown leader Assad, who represented the Arab socialist secular Baath Party.

In large part, the friendly attitude from the West is seen as a result of the Syrian jihadists’ pledge to open up Syria to foreign exploitation and to become an “open economy”.

– We plan to attract foreign investment and establish partnerships with all countries around the world, said Syria’s foreign minister, for example, during a discussion with notorious globalist Tony Blair at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/iran-shows-off-underground-naval-base/

World

Iran shows off underground naval base

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 29 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Photos from the Iranian naval base.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Iran has unveiled an underground naval base, located 500 meters below the surface in the Persian Gulf.

The base, whose exact location has not been disclosed, is designed to house advanced ships equipped with long-range missiles and conduct operations with very high precision and range.

The underground construction is unique in its deep location and security against air strikes and other types of attacks. According to Iranian state media reports, the base contains Taregh-class radar-evading speedboats capable of firing cruise missiles. These boats are also said to have the capacity to destroy US warships and destroyers.

General Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guards, recently visited the facility during a military exercise and described the development as an important step in the country’s defense strategy. He commented that the base is one of several underground facilities built to strengthen Iran’s naval capabilities.

– We assure the great nation of Iran that their young people are capable of coming out honorable and victorious from a battle on the seas against enemies big and small, the general commented.

The purpose of showcasing the base in this way is believed to be to send a clear signal to the outside world – and hostile nations like the US and Israel in particular. The location in the Persian Gulf is also said to strengthen Iran’s position in a strategically important region for world trade, through which a large part of global oil exports pass.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/mostly-civilian-casualties-in-israeli-strike-on-terrorist-command-center/

World

Mostly civilian casualties in Israeli Strike on “terrorist command center”

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 25 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Israel's military claims that it always ensures that the number of civilian casualties “is not disproportionate to the military advantage expected from the attack”.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

At least 73 people were killed when the Israeli military bombed a six-storey building in the Lebanese village of Ain El Delb in late September last year – the deadliest Israeli attack in the country in the last 18 years.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) quickly claimed the building was a “terrorist command center” and that “the overwhelming majority” of those killed were terrorists – but a review shows that almost all the victims were civilians.

The BBC’s thorough investigation has identified 68 of the 73 victims, of whom at least 62 were civilians, including 23 children. Only six victims could be linked to Hezbollah’s military wing, and none of these appear to have been in a senior position.

The investigation has revealed details that have provoked grief and outrage on social media. A small infant, just months old, was killed in apartment 2B; in apartment 1C, teacher Abeer Hallak lost her life along with her husband and three children; and three floors up, three generations of the Hakawati family were wiped out.

 

The IDF has chosen not to comment on whether the six identified Hezbollah fighters were the intended targets. However, the IDF claims that it constantly makes assessments to ensure that the number of civilian casualties “is not disproportionate to the military advantage expected from the attack”.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombings and attacks have claimed thousands of civilian lives and caused widespread destruction in Lebanon. Numerous attacks have also been carried out against hospitals and other health facilities and nearly 1.5 million Lebanese have been forced to leave their homes.

As usual, the Israeli military attributes the civilian casualties to the use of human shields by their enemies, who attack Israeli targets from densely populated locations – such as hospitals or residential complexes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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