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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024 [MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed a “much harsher” response to any future attack by Iran following a brief escalation between the two sides, Anadolu reports.
In a video message, Netanyahu claimed Iran and Hezbollah had sought to impose what he described as a “new and unacceptable equation” through attacks against Israel.
“They thought they could fire at Israel from Lebanon and Iran and that we would not act. That did not happen, and it will not happen as long as I am in office,” he said.
Netanyahu claimed that Israel had Iran and Hezbollah under pressure and warned that any new attack would be met with a “much harsher” response.
His remarks came after Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had agreed, at the request of US President Donald Trump, to halt attacks on Iran while continuing military operations in Lebanon.
Tensions escalated on Sunday when Israel carried out an airstrike on the Lebanese capital Beirut, claiming it targeted a Hezbollah command and planning center.
Iranian officials condemned the strike and launched three waves of missile attacks that triggered air raid sirens across northern Israel.
The Israeli military said it subsequently carried out strikes in western and central Iran, while Tehran responded with additional missile launches.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters later announced a halt to military operations against Israel, while warning that any continuation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon would prompt a stronger response.
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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
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Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on 11 April, 2026. [Iranian Foreign Ministry/Handout – Anadolu Agency]
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Monday that negotiations with the United States are aimed at ending the war and establishing lasting security rather than normalizing relations between the two countries, Anadolu reports.
In an audio message on his official social media accounts, Qalibaf said recent tensions stemmed from ceasefire violations and what he described as a maritime blockade.
“The military field, diplomacy, public participation and service to the people are all parts of a single integrated framework,” he said.
Qalibaf said diplomacy does not prevent military operations and military operations do not prevent diplomacy, arguing that both tools should be employed when necessary.
“The goal of negotiations is ending the war and creating lasting security, not normalizing relations with the United States,” he said.
He added that diplomacy should not be viewed merely as closed-door talks and diplomatic gestures, saying Iran must pursue what he described as “a carefully engineered victory based on strength and rationality.”
According to Qalibaf, developments in Lebanon demonstrated that diplomacy and military action can work together, with some attacks prevented through diplomatic pressure and others through military measures.
He also said successes in both diplomatic and military arenas had enabled support for Lebanon and efforts to counter the “maritime blockade.”
“The choice is not between war and negotiations; each should be used when appropriate,” he said.
The parliament speaker said recent remarks by US President Donald Trump regarding a memorandum of understanding contradicted previously agreed provisions, arguing that they showed Washington was “neither seeking a ceasefire nor dialogue.”
Qalibaf added that Iran’s armed forces have maintained freedom of action and called for unity, resilience, public trust and vigilance against narratives aligned with adversaries.
Tensions escalated on Sunday when Israel bombed the Lebanese capital Beirut despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to launch missiles toward northern Israel in retaliation.
Israel subsequently carried out several waves of airstrikes against Iran, while Tehran responded with additional missile launches.
Iran’s military said early Monday it was halting attacks on Israel while warning of a “crushing” response if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued.
Israeli media, citing unnamed officials, reported that Israel had agreed to halt airstrikes on Iran but would continue military operations in southern Lebanon.
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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
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U.S. President Donald Trump (R) welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, United States on December 29, 2025. [Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Handout – Anadolu Agency]
Israel agreed to halt airstrikes on Iran upon a request from US President Donald Trump, but will continue its offensive in Lebanon “at full force,” a senior Israeli official said Monday, Anadolu reports.
“At Trump’s request, we are halting strikes on Iran,” the official said in statements carried by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
“We are continuing in Lebanon at full force according to the equation that if they fire toward the settlements – we will strike in Dahieh” in Beirut.
The official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conversion with Trump over the phone “was overall good.”
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, citing an unnamed Israeli official, also said the army “will cease fire in Iran, but not in southern Lebanon.”
Iran’s military said early Monday it was halting attacks on Israel, warning of a “crushing” response if Israeli attacks against Lebanon continued.
Tensions escalated on Sunday, when Israel bombed the Lebanese capital Beirut, despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to launch missiles at northern Israel in retaliation, with Israel launching several waves of airstrikes against Iran.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 3,600 people, injured over 11,000 others and displaced more than 1.6 million since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.
In a post on his Truth Social platform early Monday, Trump called on Israel and Iran to stop fighting “immediately” in the wake of their tit-for-tat airstrikes.
The region has been on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.
A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.
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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
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Missiles launched from Iran toward Israel are seen in the sky over the West Bank city of Hebron on June 7, 2026. [Wisam Hashlamoun – Anadolu Agency]
Iran on Monday announced an end to its attacks on Israel, warning of a “crushing” response if Israeli attacks against Lebanon continued.
“Following the aggressions and evils of the brutal Zionist regime in South Lebanon and the Dahiya region, which took place with the support of the criminal America, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran gave a painful response to this regime in order to support the oppressed people of Lebanon,” the Khaatm al-Anbiya Central Headquartes said in a statement carried by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.
Israel and its supporters “should have learned” lessons from Tehran’s response, the military added.
“On this basis, the cessation of armed forces operations is announced.”
It, however, warned that “if the aggressions and evils continue, including in South Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures will be on the way.”
Tensions escalated on Sunday, when Israel bombed the Lebanese capital Beirut, despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to launch missiles at northern Israel in retaliation, with Israel launching several waves of airstrikes against Iran.
Meanwhile, Israeli newspaper Israeli Hayom reported that Tel Aviv and Washington sent a message to Tehran stating that no further attacks will be launched by Israel if Iran does not resume firing.
In a post on his Truth Social platform early Monday, US President Donald Trump called on Israel and Iran to stop fighting “immediately” in the wake of Monday’s tit-for-tat airstrikes.
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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
People pray during an interfaith service, held adjacent to the Miami Immigration Court, on behalf of immigrants, on November 13, 2025 in Miami. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“This ruling reaffirms a basic principle: The federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from,” said one advocate.
A federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday struck down a series of President Donald Trump’s policies that he ruled were rooted in “anti-immigrant sentiments” and ordered the administration to resume processing of asylum grants and immigration benefit applications of people from 39 targeted countries.
Last November, US Citizenship and Immigration Services indefinitely suspended asylum adjudications and froze immigration applications for people affected by a travel ban implemented after a man from Afghanistan allegedly shot two National Guard troops in Washington, DC.
Trump vowed to “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries” and expedite the removal of people his administration doesn’t consider “a net asset” to the United States. The administration’s move halted the ability of people from affected nations to obtain green cards, US citizenship, and other benefits.
US District Judge John J. McConnell Jr., an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said in his ruling that the administration’s policies are rooted in “anti-immigrant sentiments that it is forbidden from letting influence its decision-making” and have placed immigrants living in the United States in “indeterminate legal limbo.”
“The challenged policies placed the lives of countless individuals on hold—solely by virtue of their countries of birth,” McConnell wrote. “Over six months later, many of those individuals remain without work, without legal status, and without any meaningful ability to plan for their futures.”
“The government effectively invites the court to shut its eyes and ignore the strong evidence of anti-immigrant animus before it,” the judge added. “Doing so would require profound naiveté on the court’s part. Unfortunately for the government, that is an invitation that this court will have to decline.”
US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) General Counsel James Percival slammed McConnell’s ruling in a social media post accusing “the Left” of “running the same gambit with so-called ‘animus’ claims since 2017.”
“It is sabotage dressed in legal clothing,” Percival added. “It goes like this: (1) the admin is racist, (2) therefore a policy I don’t like is motivated by race, (3) therefore it is invalid. They have used it on virtually every Trump-era DHS policy.”
Plaintiffs and others involved in the case welcomed McConnell’s decision.
“This ruling reaffirms a basic principle: The federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from,” Democracy Forward president and CEO Skye Perryman said in a statement.
“These unlawful policies caused enormous harm to families, workers, asylum seekers, and communities across the country who were left in limbo, unable to work, access protections, or move forward with their lives,” Perryman added. “We are pleased that the court recognized the devastating human consequences of these policies. Our communities deserve a fair process governed by law, not political targeting rooted in fear-mongering and discrimination.”
Milagro Sique, CEO at the Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, said: “Today is a good day. On behalf of the thousands of immigrants we serve, we are grateful to Judge McConnell for his ruling.”
“These policies were wrong, plain and simple, and caused profound fear and uncertainty for so many of our friends, neighbors, and coworkers,” Sique added. “Having the judicial process work as intended—by upholding the rule of law—gives us some reassurance that all is not lost and allows those who have been impacted to move forward with their lives in a meaningful way.”
Abbey Koenning-Rutherford, staff attorney at Muslim Advocates, said that “today’s decision is an unsparing rejection of the government’s discriminatory and unlawful actions to gut access to immigration benefits under the false pretext of national security.”
“These policies unjustly revived the discriminatory logic of the first Muslim and African bans and expanded them widely to millions of community members already inside the United States,” she continued, referring to policies enacted during Trump’s first term.
“In vacating these unlawful policies, the court makes it unmistakably clear that the Trump administration cannot hold the lives of immigrants in legal limbo based on their countries of birth, and must continue processing their applications for status and benefits as required by law,” Koenning-Rutherford added.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)—an immigrant from India—was among the Democratic lawmakers who applauded Friday’s ruling, writing on social media that “this is a BIG win.”
“A judge has now reaffirmed that Trump’s freeze on processing immigration applications for 39 countries is illegal and that processing must restart immediately,” she added. “Today’s ruling is not the end of the fight, but it is a major step in the right direction.”
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