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Ukraine’s attack on Iran vessel

The spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in an exclusive interview with Press TV says Ukraine's targeting of an Iranian vessel in Caspian Sea will not go unanswered. The spokesman also outlined extensive damage inflicted on US military assets in the region in recent weeks. He said the IRGC destroyed 11 American fighter jets and helicopters on the ground over a 15day period. Brigadier General Mohebi also said over a dozen drones, an F15 fighter jet, and a C17 transport aircraft were destroyed. According to the spokesman, radar command centers, satellite communications systems, and several Patriot air defense systems were also taken out. Brigadier General Mohebi further said IRGC estimates that strikes killed over 200 -S service members and wounded many more during the recent war. He also condemned US attacks on Iran’s infrastructure including hospitals and water desalination facilities. He said such attacks amount to war crime. The spokesman also warned that any country supporting military action against Iran is considered a legitimate target.

No to US talks

Iran’s foreign ministry says the US has been acting like a mafia group and needs to learn to act responsibly for a reasonable diplomatic process to take shape. The ministry’s spokesman said Washington has stayed committed to no law or regulation over the past two years. Esmaeil Baghaei also rejected media reports about ongoing negotiations with the US. He said Iran is now holding talks only with Oman, and on a mechanism for transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The aim, he said, is ensuring safe navigation that does not impinge on the sovereignty rights of the two littoral states. Baghaei also said the US is by no means in control of the war and is caught in a quagmire of its own creation. The spokesman stressed that they must pay for the ignominy of their war. He said Iran will continue its defense as long as its national interests require.

Israel West Bank raids

A human rights organization says Israeli forces have arrested over 120 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank over the past two days in a crackdown it launched after Friday’s settler attacks. According to a report by the Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy, arrests were concentrated in Nablus, Tulkarem and al Khalil. It expressed grave concern over the dangerous escalation. The group said the campaign forms part of a systematic retaliatory policy accompanied by serious violations against Palestinian civilians and their property. It called on the UN, the Red Cross and rights organizations to provide urgent protection for Palestinians in the West Bank. The military crackdown follows Friday’s settler attacks on Palestinians in the village of TELL, southwest of Nablus that killed four Palestinians and two Israelis. The settlers were accompanied by Israeli soldiers and military vehicles.

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