‘Peace has a new guardian’: Home Minister formally launches SAF to battle communal unrest

Tel Aviv, June 27: Israel's war minister (known as "defence" minister), Israel Katz, said on Thursday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was marked for assassination during the recent 12-day conflict, but evaded elimination by going underground. 

“If Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz told Kan public television, adding that the Iranian leader “went very deep underground and broke off contacts with commanders,” making a strike “not realistic”, according media reports.

Speaking in a round of televised interviews, Katz reiterated that Israel actively searched for Khamenei throughout the war. “We searched a lot,” he told Channel 13, explaining that Israel’s goal was not regime change but to destabilise Iran’s leadership and apply pressure mid-conflict.

The war, which began on June 13 and concluded with a US-brokered ceasefire on June 25, saw Israel launch airstrikes that killed several top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists. Katz said Israel maintained aerial superiority and enforced what he described as a policy of “enforcement actions against Iran,” designed to prevent the country from rebuilding its nuclear and missile capabilities, as per the Times of Israel.

Asked if Israel had sought US approval to target Khamenei, Katz told Channel 13, “We don’t need permission for these things.” 

He also compared Khamenei to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed last year, advising the Iranian leader to remain in hiding, “I wouldn’t recommend that he stay tranquil,” Katz told Kan.

“He should learn from the late Nasrallah… I recommend that he do the same thing. ”US President Donald Trump had also threatened Khamenei’s life during the conflict. On June 17, Trump wrote on social media: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding… We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.” 

However, days later, Trump walked back the statement, saying regime change was not advisable. Despite his earlier stance, Trump ordered the launch of Operation Midnight Hammer, a series of precision strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the strikes were a “total obliteration” and successfully degraded Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. 

“It was a total success… Not only does our own intelligence say that, but even the Iranian foreign minister and the United Nations agreed,” she said at a briefing Leavitt also confirmed that the Trump administration remains focused on diplomacy and peace, with US and Iranian officials set to hold talks next week. She said the US is in close communication with intermediaries like Qatar to explore pathways for Iran to adopt a “non-enrichment civil nuclear program.”

The ceasefire has shifted priorities. Katz said Israel will no longer pursue Khamenei's life post-ceasefire but warned that any future provocations would be met with force. “There’s a difference, before the ceasefire, after the ceasefire,” he said. He also acknowledged that while Israel destroyed Iran’s enrichment capabilities, it does not know the location of all enriched uranium. However, Katz claimed that the strikes have delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions “by long years” and vowed that “we won’t let that happen.”

Mangaluru, July 4: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested a key accused, who had been living abroad for the last two years, in connection with its probe into the sensational murder of BJP leader Praveen Nettaru in Karnataka, officials said.

The accused, Abdul Rahaman, was taken into custody by the NIA team at the Kannur International Airport in Kerala on his arrival from Qatar, they said.

A total of four accused, including Rahaman and two other absconders, were chargesheeted by the NIA in the case in April this year, taking the total chargesheeted in the case to 28.

The NIA had also declared rewards for information relating to six absconders. Rahaman was carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh for this arrest. He is the 22nd accused to be arrested in the case.

Investigation officers claim that Rahaman, on directions of PFI leadership, harboured the main assailants and others involved in the case, the agency said in a statement, adding that he fled to Qatar after the attackers were arrested.

Nettaru was killed with sharp weapons by assailants on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, the statement said.

According to NIA, the killing was part of a larger conspiracy aimed at striking terror among the people and unleashing communal hatred and unrest in the society.

The NIA, which re-registered the case on August 4, 2022, is trying to track down the remaining absconders.

Washington, July 1: In a major policy shift, President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order lifting most US economic sanctions on Syria — a move widely seen as legitimizing the country's new interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist commander with deep ties to extremist groups.

From Terrorist to President

Ahmed al-Sharaa — better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani — was once a top commander in al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, which later rebranded as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The US had designated HTS a terrorist group, and Julani himself was listed as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." His transformation from militant leader to interim president has raised eyebrows globally.

Trump Fulfills Pledge After Saudi Meeting

In May 2025, Trump met al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia and promised to lift economic restrictions — a pledge fulfilled with Monday’s executive order. The order ends the national emergency declared in 2004 under President George W. Bush and repeals five other Syria-related executive orders.

Key Sanctions Still in Place

Sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act — targeting Bashar al-Assad, his top aides, and others responsible for war crimes, drug trafficking, or chemical weapons — remain in place and can only be lifted by Congress. Sanctions also continue against groups and individuals linked to the production of Captagon, the amphetamine fueling much of the region’s drug trade.

“Reintegration into Global Markets”

The US Treasury's Brad Smith said the move would “reintegrate Syria into the international financial system” and pave the way for investment from neighboring Arab states and the US itself. The White House described the shift as part of a broader effort to promote "stability and peace" in Syria.

Syria Quietly Assists Israeli Airstrikes on Iran

Critics say al-Sharaa's regime has already begun aligning with US and Israeli regional interests. During Israel's airstrikes on Iran in mid-June 2025 — part of a campaign dubbed Operation Rising Lion — Syrian airspace was reportedly used by Israeli jets en route to Iranian targets. According to All Israel News and The Jerusalem Post, Syria “quietly opened its airspace” for the mission. One analyst remarked, “Every blow to Iran is pure benefit to al-Sharaa’s regime.”

State Sponsor of Terrorism Label Under Review
Despite the rollback, Syria remains officially listed as a state sponsor of terrorism, and the group formerly led by al-Sharaa is still designated as a foreign terrorist organization. A State Department official confirmed that both designations are currently under review.

EU Follows Suit on Sanctions

The European Union has also reportedly moved to lift nearly all remaining sanctions on Syria, signaling a broader normalization of ties between Western powers and Damascus’ new leadership — a leader who, until recently, was considered one of the world’s most wanted jihadists.