🗣US lulled Iran to sleep using nuclear talks deception, allowing Israel to strike - Scott Ritter

The talks essentially gave "Israel the opportunity for maximum surprise to achieve maximum damage," with the strikes effectively amounting to "a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran," the veteran ex-US Marine intelligence officer told Sputnik.

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🇮🇷 Iranian military confirms the death of the IRGC Aerospace Force commander Hajizadeh

Previously, IDF announced that Hajizadeh was killed as a result of the Israeli strike.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh was the Iranian commander responsible for organizing and carrying out Operation True Promise-1 and Operation True Promise-2 in retaliation strikes against Israel last year.

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🇮🇱💥🇮🇷 IDF confirms strike on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility

The Israeli forces released footage of the operation.

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🗣 Iran, perhaps, has 'a second chance' - Trump

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🚨🇷🇺Russia tests advanced LASER SYSTEMS against drones

Russia has performed successful tests of cutting-edge laser systems designed to SMASH ENEMY'S DRONES EVEN HARDER.

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🗣Trump: US supports Israel, calls strikes on Iran ‘very successful’

Iran should now come to the negotiating table, the US President told CNN.

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🇮🇱📍🇮🇷 WHERE DID ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN?

The IDF launched the large-scale Operation Rising Lion targeting Iranian military assets and nuclear facilities. At least 60 sites across eight provinces in Iran were hit, preliminary reports say.

Iran has vowed retaliation will come swiftly.

🔍Explore Sputnik’s infographic for a detailed breakdown.

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Israel has carried out an unprecedented, multi-wave surprise attack against Iran involving 200 jets, plus drones operating inside the Islamic Republic.

🎯 TARGETS HIT:

🟧 the Tabriz research site besides the Natanz uranium enrichment facility

🟧 Tehran & at least 9 other urban areas. 320+ injured, nearly 80 killed

🟧 Air defense & missile launchers

🟧 Top IRGC & Armed Forces leaders, nuclear scientists, a senior aide to the Supreme Leader

🇮🇷 IRAN'S REACTION:

🔶 Ali Khameini vowed “severe punishment,” while President Pezeshkian promised to make Israel “regret” its “reckless” actions

🔶 Iran cancelled a new round of nuclear talks with the US, owing to US “complicity” in the attacks

🔶 Assassinated leaders are being replaced, with Mohammad Pakpour taking Hossein Salami’s place as IRGC chief, & Abdolrahim Mousavi replacing Mohammad Bagheri as Chief of General Staff

💥 HAS IRANIAN COUNTERSTRIKE OCCURRED?

🔹 Initial reports suggested Iran launched 100-200 drones toward Israel

🔹 Other reports said up to 800 projectiles, including cruise & ballistic missiles, were launched

🔹 But Fars News says Iran hasn’t carried out ANY substantive retaliatory attacks yet

🇺🇸 TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM

🔸 The US president wrote a mob boss-style Truth Social post boasting about the murder of “certain Iranian hardliners.”

🔸 He warned that the next attacks will be “even more brutal” unless Iran makes a deal. Later, he issued a post about his “60-day ultimatum,” signaling direct knowledge of Israel’s plans.

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🇷🇺💥WATCH Russian warriors LIBERATE Komar village in DPR

The Russian Ministry of Defense has shared footage from Komar, a settlement recently freed by the Russian forces.

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⚡️Russia has handed over 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine today, a source told Sputnik.

By transferring the bodies of the dead Ukrainian soldiers, Russia continues to fulfill the Istanbul agreements, the source noted.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has not returned any bodies to Russia.

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🇺🇸 US deploying additional warships to Middle East - report

The US Navy has reportedly ordered the USS Thomas Hudner Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean, and ordered a second, unnamed destroyer to “begin moving forward.”

Trump is meeting with his National Security Council to discuss the situation, two officials told AP.

The US last beefed up its naval presence in the region in October 2024, using destroyers to intercept Iranian missiles fired as part of Operation True Promise II, in response to a series of Israeli assassinations of IRGC and allied militia leaders.

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🇮🇱⚔️🇮🇷 Target by target: Israel played LONG GAME against Iran

Israel's strike on Iran was the climax of years of deep intelligence work targeting top generals, nuclear sites and scientists, the New York Times reports, quoting unnamed 'sources’.

The operation was a joint effort between Israeli military intelligence and Mossad.

Israel would have needed detailed information about the whereabouts and the movements of the officials and scientists, the newspaper noted.

It added that the recent strikes are just the latest in a long-term plan, including:

🔸 The assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020

🔸 Helping the US kill IRGC Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani in 2020

🔸 Planting a bomb that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in 2024

🔸 Hits on Hezbollah in 2024, including an airstrike that killed its leader Hassan Nasrallah

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💥 Israel strikes Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment plant - reports

A nuclear facility is located there several hundred meters underground.

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🇮🇷 Iran's capital targeted in new wave of Israeli strikes

Explosions are being heard in various parts of Tehran, a Sputnik correspondent reports.

Also, according to media reports, Israel has carried out strikes on the town of Fardis in Iran's Alborz province.

Explosions were heard in the Iranian cities of Karaj and Mohammadshahr in Alborz province, Mehr news agency says.

Iranian air defense systems are intercepting missiles launched from Israel over Tehran, according to Press TV.

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📞 Putin holds phone calls with Iran's President and Israel's Prime Minister - Kremlin

Key statements from the Kremlin:

🔸 Russia condemns Israel's actions, which were carried out in violation of the UN charter and international law

🔸 Putin expressed condolences to the leadership and people of Iran over the numerous human casualties resulting from the Israeli strikes

🔸 Russia has consistently supported efforts to resolve the situation around Iran’s nuclear program by peaceful means, Putin said

🔸 Russia will continue close contacts with the leadership of Iran and Israel aimed at resolving the situation, which carries the risk of grave consequences

🔸 Putin stresses importance of return to negotiation process in talks with Netanyahu

🔸 Iran's president tells Putin Tehran will give appropriate response to Israeli strikes

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🇮🇷 Iran’s Supreme Leader pledges to ‘make the vile Zionist regime miserable’

In his televised address to the nation, Ayatollah Khamenei said:

‘The armed forces will act with force and will make the vile Zionist regime miserable’

The Zionist regime will not remain unharmed after this crime

The Iranian people can be assured that there will be no leniency in this regard

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🇮🇱📹🇮🇷 Mossad flaunts footage supposedly showing commandos OPERATING INSIDE IRAN

Video shows partially blurred black and white night vision footage of commandos crouching in a desert, purportedly somewhere inside Iran, mixed with overhead shots of drones’ targeting cams of an Iranian air defense system, radar and Scud-type missile launcher.

Previously, a security source told Israel’s Channel 12 that besides the use of up to 200 aircraft during its overnight strikes, Israel used drones launched from inside Iran to target the country’s defenses.

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