Saudi displays arms, says drone attack sponsored by Iran

Agencies
September 19, 2019

Riyadh, Sept 19: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday displayed remnants of what it described as Iranian drones and cruise missiles used in an attack on Saudi oil facilities, saying they were "undeniable" evidence of Iranian aggression.

A total of 25 drones and missiles were launched at two oil plants in last weekend's strikes, including Iranian Delta Wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and "Ya Ali" cruise missiles, Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said.

"The attack was launched from the north and unquestionably sponsored by Iran," he told a news conference. "The evidence ... that you have seen in front of you, makes this undeniable."

Saudi Arabia has claimed Iranian cruise missiles and drones were used to attack the kingdom's oil industry, showing journalists the remains of the weapons but stopping short of directly accusing Tehran of launching the assault. Iran denies being...

Authorities were still working to determine the exact launch point, Malki said, repeatedly declining to answer reporters questions about whether Iran actually carried out the attack.

Iran has denied any involvement in the assault that initially halved Saudi Arabia's oil production. An adviser to Iran's president tweeted that the press conference proved Saudi Arabia "knows nothing".

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which has been battling a Saudi-led military coalition, has claimed responsibility for the strikes.

On Wednesday, the group gave details of the type of drones it said were used in the Sept. 14 attack and warned that the United Arab Emirates was also in its sights.

Malki reiterated that the attack could not have come from Yemen, south of Saudi Arabia, and that the Houthis were "covering up" for Iran.

"The precision impact of the cruise missile indicate advanced capability beyond Iran proxy capacity," he said. "The targeting direction of the site indicate north to south direction of travel."

Eighteen drones and three missiles were launched at Abqaiq, home to the world's largest oil processing facility, but the missiles "fell short", Malki said. He said four missiles targeted Khurais, adding that the Ya Ali missiles have a range of 700 km and have been used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

HOUTHIS THREATEN UAE

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria reiterated that the movement had carried out the strike, saying it possessed new drones, powered by normal and jet engines, that could reach targets deep inside the "enemy".

The group had launched "Samad 3", "Qassef 3", jet-powered and other drones, including some carrying bombs, at the Saudi oil plants from three sites, he said in a televised speech.

"Today and for the first time we announce that we have dozens of targets within our range in the UAE, some are in Abu Dhabi and can be attacked at any time," he said.

The Western-backed, Sunni Muslim coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against the Houthis after they ousted the internationally recognised government from power in the capital Sanaa in late 2014.

The UAE in June scaled down its military presence in Yemen as Western allies pressed for an end to the ruinous war and as rising tensions with Iran raised fears of a war in the Gulf.

The Yemen conflict, seen as proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has killed tens of thousands and pushed millions to the brink of famine in the poorest Arabian Peninsula nation.

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Agencies
July 1,2025

Tehran, July 1: Iran’s Judiciary has announced that the death toll from the recent Israeli military onslaught—backed by the United States—has risen to at least 935, including dozens of women and children.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir cited updated figures from the Forensic Medicine Organization, saying that the victims include 38 children and 102 women, several of whom were pregnant. The 12-day assault by the “illegitimate Zionist regime,” he said, constituted a clear act of aggression against a sovereign nation.

Jahangir highlighted that the attack on Tehran’s Evin Prison alone resulted in 79 deaths, including prisoners' family members, aid workers, and prison employees.

“The world saw who started this war. Iran was attacked in the middle of diplomatic negotiations and had every right to defend itself on the battlefield,” Jahangir said.

He accused both Israel and the United States of violating international law, particularly by targeting Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities—despite Iran being a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Jahangir warned that Iran remains vigilant and ready to deliver a “proportionate response” to any future aggression. He also accused foreign powers of attempting to stir unrest inside Iran by targeting key figures, including military commanders and scientists. However, he said that Iran's internal stability was preserved through national unity and swift action by authorities.

“Despite assassination campaigns and sabotage plots, the enemy failed to break Iran’s resilience. Under the guidance of Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, capable successors were quickly appointed and infiltration networks were dismantled,” he added.

The crisis escalated on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise military operation against Iran, killing numerous military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians. Days later, the US joined the assault by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites—a move Tehran labeled a serious breach of the UN Charter and the NPT.

In retaliation, Iran targeted strategic Israeli positions and struck the US-operated al-Udeid air base in Qatar.

By June 24, Iranian armed forces had carried out a series of retaliatory operations, ultimately forcing a halt to what Tehran called “illegal and unjustified aggression.”

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News Network
June 28,2025

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Tehran, June 28: Iran is holding a grand funeral service for those martyred in the 12-day aggression by Israel and the US against the Islamic Republic.

The funeral in capital Tehran for 60 nuclear scientists, military commanders and civilians martyred in Israeli strikes began at 8:00 am (0430 GMT) in Enqelab Square on Saturday, proceeding to Azadi Square, about 11 kilometers across the sprawling metropolis.

A huge crowd of mourners is participating in the procession, accompanying coffins with chants of "death to Israel" and "death to America" and carrying placards.

"Boom boom Tel Aviv," read one banner, referring to Iranian missiles fired at Israel during the conflict in retaliation for its attacks on Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with other senior government officials and military commanders including head of the Quds Force Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani are also attending the event.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, who attended the procession, paid flowing tributes to the martyrs in a message on X.

“Today, the zealous people of Iran carry on their shoulders, with heavy sorrow but standing steadfast and powerful, some of their purest and most patriotic sons and daughters - commanders, elites, athletes, women and children of this land - who were martyred during the war imposed by the aggressor Zionist regime, and with indescribable respect, they lay them to rest on the soil of their homeland like mythical heroes; so that each one may become a seed for the growth of other heroes," he wrote.

Images showed coffins draped in Iranian flags and bearing portraits of the martyred commanders in uniform near in the iconic Enqelab Square in central Tehran.

Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran's Islamic Development Coordination Council, called it a "historic day for Islamic Iran and the revolution".

Among the martyrs is Mohammad Bagheri, a major general and the second-in-command of the armed forces after the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

He will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist for a local media outlet, all martyred in an Israeli attack in Tehran.

Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, also martyred in the savage aggression, will be buried with his wife.

Chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami, who was martyred on the first day of the unprovoked aggression, will also be laid to rest after Saturday's ceremony — which will also honor at least 30 other top commanders.

Of the 60 people who are to be laid to rest after the ceremony, four are children.

Iranian officials say more than 600 people, mostly civilians, were martyred in Israeli and US aggression against Iran.

The ceremony coincides with the second day of the Islamic month of Muharram, which commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam, and his 72 companions.

In 680 AD, Imam Hussein (AS) and his followers fought bravely for justice against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid I, in the Battle of Karbala, in southern Iraq.

“Iranians have proven that they are the nation of Imam Hussein; a nation that, in the battle of truth against falsehood, relying on faith, steadfastness, and national solidarity, has the ability to overcome any evil," Baghaei wrote.

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News Network
June 30,2025

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Palestinian authorities in Gaza have released alarming figures on the starving civilians killed by Israeli live fire while waiting in line for humanitarian aid.

The Palestinian authorities condemned the regime forces’ ongoing attacks on Palestinians seeking aid across the territory.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said approximately 580 Palestinians have been killed and over 4200 others injured as a result of Israeli attacks on civilians seeking aid.

It held Israel and its allies, particularly the US, the UK, France, and Germany, legally and morally responsible for supporting the systematic extermination of civilians in Gaza.

The office also urged the international community to pressure Israel to open Gaza’s crossings, lift its blockade, and allow the immediate entry of humanitarian aid before it is too late.

The new revelation came after Israeli media reported that soldiers have deliberately shot at unarmed Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza after being “ordered” to do so by their commanders.

UN agencies have also condemned the so-called US-Israeli food distribution system in Gaza, calling it a death trap.

Researchers have found that almost 100,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The figure was published in a new study led by University of London economist Professor Michael Spagat and Palestinian political scientist Khalil Shikaki, who surveyed 2,000 households in the besieged Gaza, comprising almost 10,000 people.

The researchers concluded that, as of January 2025, some 75,200 people died a violent death in Gaza during the Israeli aggression, the vast majority caused by Israeli munitions, along with 8,540 killed via a non-violent death.

Since January, more than 10,000 people have also been reported killed by the Gaza Health Ministry, bringing the combined fatality count to nearly 100,000.

The new death toll shows that the Gaza Health Ministry understates the true scale of the crisis caused by the Israeli aggression, compounded by hunger, disease, and gunfire at food distribution centers

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