Saturday, December 27, 2025
type here...
Home Blog Page 585

Israel has broken all rules of war in Gaza: UNRWA head

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

Philippe Lazzarini highlighted the ongoing violations in the enclave, where Israel has continued its attacks for the past 14 months.

“Escalation over the past 24 hours. More civilians are reported killed and injured,” he said in a post on his X account.

“Attacks on schools and hospitals have been commonplace. The world must not become numb. All wars have rules. All of those rules have been broken,” he added.

Lazzarini also emphasized that a cease-fire in Gaza is “long overdue,” calling for a halt to the attacks to protect civilians.

Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 that has killed more than 45,200 people, mostly women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the enclave.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

Historic all-Women flight lands in Mashhad

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The flight, named “Iran Banoo,” was piloted by Captain Shahrazad Shams, Iran’s first female pilot.

The Aseman Airlines flight touched down at 10:15 AM at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport in Mashhad on Sunday, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatimah Zahra, the daugther of Prophet Mohammad, marked as Mother’s Day and Women’s Day in Iran.

The passengers, distinguished women excelling in various fields, traveled to Mashhad to visit the holy shrine of Imam Reza, the 8th Shia Imam.

This milestone marks the first all-women flight, both in terms of passengers and crew, to land at Mashhad International Airport.

Mashhad Airport is the second-busiest airport in Iran after Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, handling an average of 180 flights daily and up to 250 flights during peak travel periods.

Tehran Cyber Police shut down 40 Instagram accounts of harassers 

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Instagram

Brig. Gen. Goudarzi stated on Sunday that the investigation began following widespread public complaints about individuals exploiting social media for fame and followers. These individuals allegedly created disruptive and provocative content, often leading to street altercations.

The suspects, collectively amassing over five million followers, were summoned for investigation after preliminary inquiries. Following judicial procedures, all implicated accounts were deactivated.

The police chief emphasized that cyber police would not tolerate such activities that disrupt public peace and mental security. “We will strictly enforce the law against those exploiting the digital space for selfish motives at the expense of citizens’ well-being,” he said.

Goudarzi urged the public to report similar incidents to the Cyber Police.

Qatar warns may stop gas shipments to EU amid Russia-Ukraine war

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gas station Europe

If any EU country imposes penalties on Qatar under the bloc’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, Doha would stop exporting its liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the bloc, al-Kaabi told the outlet on Sunday.

QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, has long-term LNG contracts with several EU countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

The EU’s corporate due diligence rules, adopted in May 2023, are part of the bloc’s strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The legislation states that non-compliance is punishable with fines of up to 5% of the company’s annual global revenue.

Al-Kaabi argued that such fines would significantly impact QatarEnergy’s revenue, which directly supports the state of Qatar and its citizens.

”If the case is that I lose 5% of my generated revenue by going to Europe, I will not go to Europe… I’m not bluffing,” Kaabi said.

“I cannot lose that kind of money – and nobody would accept losing that kind of money,” he pointed out.

It would be impossible for an energy producer like QatarEnergy to align with the EU’s net-zero target as stipulated by the directive because of the amount of hydrocarbons it produces, the minister explained.

If slapped with hefty penalties, QatarEnergy would not break its LNG contracts but would try and find legal avenues.

”I will not accept that we get penalized,” he continued, adding, “I will stop sending gas to Europe.”

Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the EU started replacing Russian pipeline gas with more expensive LNG from the Middle East and the US. The bloc still gets pipeline gas from Russia via Ukraine’s transit network but the agreement between Moscow and Kiev is set to expire on December 31. The authorities in Kiev have repeatedly stressed that the deal will not be renewed.

UK armed forces struggling for recruits: Telegraph

By
IFP Media Wire
-
UK Army

The daily noted that more than half of 15,119 people who left the country’s military forces during the specified time-frame had resigned voluntarily. However, during the same period, they reportedly recruited some 12,000 personnel, resulting in a net shrinkage of the military.

In July, the Ministry of Defense announced a 6% pay raise, the largest in more than two decades, in an effort to tackle the raging recruitment crisis.

The Telegraph noted that the move, however, failed to alter the current predicament, with new recruits to the forces remaining among the worst-paid public servants in the UK.

Inflation-adjusted pay for army privates has reportedly increased only 1.9% since 2011, versus the 13.39% and 10.14% increases recorded for new junior doctors and train drivers, correspondingly.

In May, satisfaction with the basic rate of pay in the military hit the lowest level on record, according to an armed forces survey, as quoted by the paper. The poll, conducted prior to the government’s raises, showed that only 32% of respondents said they were happy with their remuneration packets.

Earlier this month, Alistair Carns, the defense minister and former Royal Marine, claimed that the regular British army could be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict.

As of October 2024, there were 181,550 members of the country’s armed forces, including total full-time trained and untrained UK service personnel, according to the latest Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures. This marks a decrease of 2% since October 1, 2023.

In November, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense said that the current government “inherited” a recruitment crunch, adding that targets had been missed annually for the past 14 years.

“We have already given personnel the largest pay raise in decades and scrapped 100 outdated policies that block and slow down recruitment,” the ministry stressed.

Nearly 85k Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Russian Army

Since the media outlets’ last update in early December, the names of 2,711 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties.

The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports, and statements from local authorities.

According to the outlets’ conclusions for the year, 2024 will likely mark the “war’s deadliest year”, with a current count of over 20,000 confirmed deaths over the past 12 months — although final conclusions cannot yet be made as data on casualties continues to emerge.

The confirmed figures comes as the UK announced its casualty estimates earlier in the week, estimating that Russian losses have exceeded 750,000 Russian soldiers, and are expected to surpass 1 million Russian troops within six months.

The UK’s latest estimate are in line with figures from Ukraine’s General Staff, which, as of Dec. 21, sits at 772,280 troops lost since the start of the war. The figures do not specify killed or wounded, though the overall consensus is that it includes dead, wounded, missing, and captured.

Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine and Kursk Oblast in recent months but at the cost of heavy casualties.

Russian losses reached record highs in November and December, with a daily high of 2,030 troops lost in November, marking the highest daily loss since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Russian losses exceeded 45,000 troops and $3 billion worth of equipment in November.

Moscow does not disclose its casualty figures, though a Defense Ministry official recently let slip that the department received 48,000 requests to identify missing soldiers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed in a rare statement that Ukraine had lost 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

US downs own warplane while bombing Yemen: Pentagon

By
IFP Media Wire
-
US Air Force

The F/A-18 was shot down by the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg after taking off from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed early Sunday morning. The two Navy pilots were able to eject from the jet and were recovered safely, although one sustained minor injuries.

The incident occurred just as American and British aircraft conducted new bombing raids targeting alleged missile storage sites and command facilities in Sanaa to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, according to a CENTCOM press release issued earlier on Saturday night.

“During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea,” the US military stated.

“The operation involved US Air Force and US Navy assets, including F/A-18s,” it noted.

Hours later, the US military admitted that the USS Gettysburg had “mistakenly fired on” the F/A-18 but did not specify which weapon was used to shoot it down. An investigation is currently underway to determine the exact circumstances of the incident. The commander of the cruiser serves as the air defense commander for the strike group, responsible for detecting and neutralizing incoming threats.

American forces, along with several allies, have been conducting Operation Prosperity Guardian, a mission to protect merchant traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from Houthi threats, for the past 14 months.

The group claims to have downed several MQ-9 Reapers, but the loss of the F/A-18 marks the first time a crewed American aircraft was lost during the mission.

China brands US as ‘war-addicted’

By
IFP Media Wire
-
US China Flags

The US Department of Defense report, issued this week, misinterpreted China’s defense policies, speculated about its military capacity, pried in the country’s domestic affairs, and “desperately slandered” Beijing in order to exaggerate the so-called Chinese threat, according to ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang.

“The ‘war-addicted’ United States has become the biggest destroyer of international order and the greatest threat to global security,” Zhang stated.

Beijing “strongly deplores and firmly opposes” the contents of the 182-page report, Zhang said, claiming that the US was only seeking excuses for the development of its own military capacity.

He emphasized that China adheres to a path of peaceful development and national defense policy while fulfilling the international responsibilities expected of a major power.

The US, on the other hand, utilizes its military strength to maintain unilateral hegemony and frequently resorts to extreme pressure in order to forcibly promote “regime changes” and incite “color revolutions”, Zhang added. He cited the examples of illegal wars and military activity in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, that have resulted in severe civilian casualties and immense humanitarian disasters.

Zhang further criticized the US for its nuclear policies, noting that China’s reflects unparalleled stability, continuity, and predictability among all nuclear-armed states.

“We adhere to a nuclear strategy of self-defense and a no-first-use policy, ensuring that our nuclear capabilities remain at the minimum level required for national security,” he continued, according to the Global Times.

Washington’s nuclear policies, such as its AUKUS submarine cooperation with the UK and Australia, undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation system and significantly disrupt international and regional peace and stability, Zhang noted.

He urged the US to engage in serious self-reflection and provide a responsible account to the international community.

The spokesman also addressed the Taiwan question, warning that attempts to separate the island from mainland China will never be tolerated.

“The Chinese people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he stated, slamming Washington’s arms sales and military aid to Taipei as a violation of the one-China principle.

Despite his harsh criticism, Zhang emphasized that military relations form a crucial part of the broader China-US relationship, expressing hope that in the future, Washington will engage more constructively with Beijing.

“We aim to build a military relationship based on equality and respect, characterized by no conflict or confrontation, open and pragmatic cooperation, and gradually accumulating mutual trust,” he continued.

Iran Leader calls on Syrians to stand strong, predicts ‘better future’ for West Asia

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei

In a meeting with thousands of religious eulogists and poets on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatima Zahra, which marks Mother’s and Women’s Day, on Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei praised Hezbollah as a resilient and strong entity that emerged from the turmoil in Lebanon during the 1980s.

He emphasized that opportunities can arise from threats if people take responsibility and act on their beliefs.

The Leader mentioned the struggles of the Syrian youth, who face insecurity in their universities, schools, homes, and streets, leaving them with nothing to lose.

He urged the Syrians to stand firm against those who created the instability following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s government

Ayatollah Khamenei, however, asserted that Iran does not have proxy forces in the region, clarifying that groups such as Yemen’s resistance, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad fight independently.

He noted that Iran fights alongside them, aiming to remove the Israeli regime from the region.

The Leader also warned that the US is seeking dominance over world countries either through installing dictators or creating chaos, explaining that in Syria, it opted for the latter.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the US, Israel and their allies consider themselves victorious, but undermined the sense of triumph.

Citing an American official, who recently suggested that the US would help anyone who starts a riot in Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the Iranian people would “crush under their feet anyone who agrees to become a US mercenary.”

Sayyed Muhammad Mahdi Nasrallah, son of assassinated Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, also attended the meeting.

IRGC says disbanded terrorist team in western Iran

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Iran Police

In a statement released on Saturday, the IRGC announced that the Salafist terrorist elements were detected and captured in Sarpol-e Zahab County following an intricate surveillance operation.

The statement underscored that IRGC intelligence forces are closely monitoring anti-revolutionary elements, and will not hesitate to take appropriate judicial measures against them when needed.

In late October, IRGC Ground Force units smashed four teams of terrorists in the course of a military exercise, codenamed “Martyrs of Security”, in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, killing four.

The spokesperson for the drill, General Ahmad Shafaei, said IRGC servicemen had detected eight members of four teams of terrorists and outlaws during the war game.

He added the operational units of the IRGC Ground Force, in cooperation with the Intelligence Ministry’s provincial office and the Police forces, “dealt lethal blows” to the “terrorist teams acting as proxies for the enemy” in the southeastern province on October 31.

The general stated four terrorists were arrested and four others killed in the operation, noting that one of the main elements of a terrorist group that was involved in a fatal attack on police forces in Taftan County on October 26 was also captured.

The so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group claimed responsibility for the assault on Iranian security forces, which was one of the deadliest in the province in recent months.

1...584585586...5,127Page 585 of 5,127

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks