Trump-Iran latest: Israel’s military strikes in southern Lebanon while UN assesses nuclear facility damage
It comes as Iran’s supreme leader warned the country would not hesitate to bomb more US air bases if provoked
Israel’s military has struck at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, days after a ceasefire deal with reached with Iran.
The Israeli air force said it was targeting the militant group’s underground defence assets in an intense barrage of strikes on Friday morning.
Meanwhile experts are still assessing the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities after Donald Trump claimed they were “obliterated” and his defence secretary said they were “destroyed” in US attacks on the weekend.
It comes after Iran’s increasingly isolated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned in his first televised appearance since the US bombed Tehran’s nuclear facilities that Iran would not hesitate to bomb more US air bases in the Middle East if provoked.
Earlier, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said Iran’s nuclear facilities have been decimated in a complex operation, while railing against the media for reporting on a leaked Defence Intelligence Agency assessment that found that Donald Trump's airstrikes had only set back the country's nuclear program by a matter of a few months.
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Recap: Senators diverge sharply on damage done by Iran strikes after classified briefing
Earlier on Thursday, US senators emerged with sharply different assessments of the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, with Republicans calling the mission a clear success and Democrats expressing deep skepticism.
CIA director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came to Capitol Hill to give the classified briefings, originally scheduled for Tuesday.
Many Republicans left satisfied, though their assessments of how much Iran's nuclear program was set back by the bombing varied.
Sen Tom Cotton said a "major blow" and "catastrophic damage" had been dealt.
"Their operational capability was obliterated. There is nobody working there tonight. It was highly effective. There's no reason to hit those sites anytime soon," Sen Lindsey Graham said.
The 3 lingering questions Trump and Hegseth must answer
Here, we take a look at the questions both US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump must answer over the attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The 3 lingering questions Trump and Hegseth must answer about Iran nuke strikes
Watch: White House explains how the Bunker Buster bombs dropped on Iran work
What do the markets know about the Israel-Iran conflict that we don’t?
What do the markets know about the Israel-Iran conflict that we don’t?
Trump may have just compromised Israeli secrets – again
Trump may have just compromised Israeli secrets – again
Bombs ‘went exactly where they were intended to go’, General says
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Dan Caine said the bunker-buster bombs “went exactly where they were intended to go”.
“Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater, because they're designed to deeply bury and then function. I know there's been a lot of questions about that all six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go,” he said.
Iran denies any meeting with US next week, foreign minister says
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump's statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the U.S. attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear programme is solely geared toward civilian use.
Mr Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites were “not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear programme, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
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