SpaceX’s Starship vehicle was destroyed in a fiery blast late Wednesday evening during a testing procedure at the company’s launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
At approximately 11 p.m. local time, SpaceX confirmed that “the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,” according to a statement posted on X.
The company emphasized that safety protocols were in place during the event. “A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” the statement continued. “Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”
Multiple livestreams covering activity at Starbase captured the moment the vehicle exploded, with footage circulating online shortly after the blast.
“Whoa! Whoa! No,” a startled voice is heard reacting in real time. “Oh, my God.” Text at the bottom of the broadcast indicated: “SpaceX is expected to perform a static fire test of ship 36. The second in this series of testing for flight 10.”
Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, responded with apparent nonchalance early Thursday morning. “Just a scratch,” he wrote on X.
{Matzav.com}
In an interview with Kan News on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu disclosed that Israel’s military offensive against Iran nearly didn’t go forward, with the mission being on the verge of cancellation at the last minute.
When asked whether Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is a potential target, Netanyahu made it clear that no one in Iran is exempt. “I instructed that no one in Iran has immunity. It is inappropriate and unnecessary to add more than that. We need to let the actions speak more than the words.”
Commenting on whether Israel is actively seeking to topple the Iranian regime, Netanyahu emphasized that neutralizing the nuclear threat remains the highest priority. “Our top goal is the removal of the nuclear threat. Second, is the removal of the threat of ballistic missiles. As that happens, it’s clear that the regime will be undermined.” While he noted that regime change is not the objective, he acknowledged it could be a consequence. “That’s the matter of the Iranian people,” he added.
Netanyahu also offered insight into the timing of the military campaign, saying Iran’s network of regional power had already crumbled. “We broke the Iranian axis. Hezbollah collapsed, Assad collapsed. All that Tehran had left was the nuclear and ballistic missile threat. We didn’t leave it for the next generations, because maybe there won’t be any.”
Reflecting on past challenges in securing backing for major operations, Netanyahu noted a shift. “In the past, I couldn’t enlist the security forces and the Mossad, to put it lightly. This time, everyone came.” He also stated that Israel did not wait for a go-ahead from Washington before acting, though he acknowledged the support of the Trump administration: “They help us wonderfully with defense. American pilots are intercepting UAVs.”
Netanyahu sharply criticized the Biden administration’s stance, contrasting it with Trump’s backing. He accused the current U.S. government of attempting to stop Israel from responding to Iran’s allied groups. According to Netanyahu, the Biden team tried to block Israeli actions against “Iranian proxies.”
Pressed about Israel’s broader war strategy and specific targets, Netanyahu declined to reveal operational details. “We’re at war, we won’t give schedules. We will achieve all the goals, we will hit all the nuclear facilities, we have the ability to do so,” he stated.
He also highlighted that Israel had taken early steps to prepare for domestic defense and commended Israeli citizens for their resilience. Netanyahu praised the public, saying they were “standing strong.”
Responding to concerns about the missile threat and reported shortages of interceptors, Netanyahu downplayed the issue. “It doesn’t matter how many missiles Iran has. We are striking launchers, I think we destroyed half of them.”
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The White House has issued a stark warning about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, stating that the country could be mere weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb. This revelation comes as President Donald Trump continues to weigh the possibility of launching a military response against the Iranian regime.
“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the press, underscoring the immediacy of the threat.
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President Trump announced on Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to authorize military action against Iran, as he remains optimistic about a potential diplomatic breakthrough.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting Trump during her press briefing.
Speaking the day before, Trump mentioned that Iranian officials were expressing interest in meeting with him directly at the White House.
“If there’s a chance for diplomacy, he’s not afraid to grab it,” Leavitt said.
The proposed agreement under discussion would require Iran to completely halt its uranium enrichment activities.
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During a tour of the IDF Intelligence Directorate’s Targeting Center on Wednesday, Major General Shlomie Binder, who heads the Intelligence Directorate, stated that Israel’s current military actions are effectively shifting Iran’s status from a remote strategic issue to a direct and immediate concern.
“We struck the Quds Force very hard on the first night. This includes roughly 30 commanders; the names that were published are those of the more senior ones. But we’re talking about Chiefs of Staff and Air Force Commanders,” said Binder.
He went on to describe a recent Israeli operation that zeroed in on a hidden Iranian command post nestled in a mountainous region. “Some of the commanders managed to flee to a secondary location. Twelve hours later, we succeeded in striking the Chief of Staff of Khatam al-Anbiya, who had fled to the same secondary location in another mountain ridge in Tehran,” he noted.
Binder stressed the critical nature of sustained pursuit and pressure. “We need to hunt them down wherever they flee. And you are succeeding in turning Iran, as I said earlier, from some distant place, 1,500 kilometers from here, into an army that we know how to deal with, with the sense of it being a first-circle threat.”
He closed his remarks by reinforcing the strategic imperative behind the operation. “Your ability to deliver high-value results in the coming days is integral. We need to deliver, increase the pace, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Because this is the kind of threat that, I emphasize, the State of Israel cannot tolerate. Period. That’s the reason we launched this campaign, and that’s the reason you are working hard.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have held several phone conversations in recent days, according to a Reuters report released Thursday. These communications came in the wake of Israel’s June 13 air offensive against Iran and represent the most extensive contact between the two officials since April, three diplomats familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Speaking anonymously, the diplomats said that Araghchi made it clear that Iran would refuse to come back to the negotiating table unless Israel put a stop to its military actions. The discussions also reportedly included a brief mention of a U.S. initiative first floated in late May that proposed establishing a uranium enrichment program managed by a regional consortium outside Iran’s borders—an idea that Tehran has so far turned down.
The article states that the U.S. placed the initial call, using the opportunity to offer a revised proposal intended to break the diplomatic impasse. A regional source with ties to Iran suggested that Araghchi might be open to compromise on the nuclear issue if Washington could influence Israel to suspend its attacks.
Reuters also cited a European diplomat who said Araghchi signaled a readiness to reengage in nuclear talks, but only if the Israeli strikes came to a halt. Until this latest communication, Araghchi and Witkoff had only spoken briefly on the sidelines of five indirect negotiation sessions held since April.
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s dramatic initial strike against Iran was a significant achievement in terms of military coordination and intelligence execution, but it will not be enough to entirely eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities without American involvement, said Sima Shine, a former senior Mossad official.
Shine expressed genuine admiration for the precision and synchronization displayed by both the Mossad and the IDF in launching Operation Rising Lion. She described the attack as a masterclass in planning and execution. Nevertheless, she emphasized that dismantling the entirety of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure would require active U.S. participation.
Now heading the Iran and Shiite Axis research program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Shine had previously led the Mossad’s Research Division. She offered her insights during a briefing following the surprise Israeli campaign on June 13, which struck more than 100 military and nuclear targets across Iran.
Although Tehran has already begun its retaliation, Shine warned that much more is likely to come. “Everything in their capacity will be used,” she cautioned, urging the Israeli public to closely follow directives issued by the Home Front Command.
She said that Iran’s response might not be conventional, and could include asymmetric attacks by dormant terror networks stationed internationally—especially in Europe—something the regime has attempted before. Iran might also take steps on the diplomatic front, such as quitting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and expelling international inspectors.
Since Israel’s opening strike, Iran has been launching daily barrages of missiles and drones, some of which have inflicted serious damage on major Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa. A state of emergency has been declared, and the country’s defense systems—both civilian and military—remain in a heightened state of readiness.
Shine warned that Tehran’s vengeance may be intense enough to spark a broader regional war. She noted that attacks from the Houthis in Yemen are expected to persist despite recent mixed signals from Iran’s network of allied groups. Hezbollah, for instance, issued a rare public statement: “Hezbollah will not initiate its own attack on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s strikes.”
She pointed out that Iran’s affiliates in Iraq are in a precarious position, especially after Iraq’s Prime Minister made it clear that his government has no interest in joining the current conflict. This is a stark departure from the atmosphere last year when Iran’s so-called “ring of fire” was fully ablaze.
“Israel cannot probably take out completely the nuclear project on its own without the American participation,” she said. “If the US will not be a part of the war, I assume that Iran will have some parts of the nuclear project remain from my point of view, this is a huge point of question mark to what will happen after.”
She elaborated that several key nuclear sites in Iran are located deep underground, making them extremely difficult to destroy completely. “This does not mean that Israel will not attack it and will not damage them,” she said. “In order to make sure this program cannot be rebuilt, in the same places where it is now, there is a need for American involvement.”
On the diplomatic front, Shine noted an unusually strong consensus between Israel, the U.S., and Europe. “No question of daylight between us and the Europeans and the Americans about the evilness of the regime and the destabilizing role of Iran in the Middle East,” she remarked.
For the moment, Israel is pressing forward with momentum. But the question remains: Will Washington join the campaign directly? Shine suggests this decision will determine whether Iran’s nuclear program is merely disrupted—or fully dismantled. The real danger, she warned, lies in the possibility that the most threatening elements of the program will remain untouched.
Shine characterized Operation Rising Lion not as a singular operation, but as the opening chapter of a larger confrontation. She pointed out that the situation unfolding now deserves to be described as a full-scale war. The term “operation,” she explained, implies limited scope and duration, while this campaign was clearly designed to hit a broad set of targets over an extended period.
She expects tit-for-tat escalation going forward, noting: “Once Iran retaliates, Israel will again retaliate.”
Israel’s June 13 strikes hit Iran’s nuclear facilities, its missile and air defense systems, and command centers belonging to the IRGC and military. In the following days, the scope of the operation widened. On June 14 and 15, Israeli forces bombed Iranian oil and gas infrastructure. By the third day, strikes were hitting Tehran and surrounding regions, while diplomatic negotiations in Oman fell apart as a result of the ongoing escalation.
The attacks intensified further on June 16 and 17, with Israeli jets targeting Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). The IRIB compound was struck during a live broadcast, causing massive explosions.
Shine stated that Iran’s response calculus will depend largely on two factors: how its population reacts and whether the regime’s grip on power begins to show signs of stress.
International reactions to Israel’s operation have been varied. Shine views Iran as part of a strategic axis involving Russia and China, all of whom are seeking to challenge American influence globally.
“It is no question that Iran is part of the war in Ukraine,” she said, pointing to the well-documented supply chain of drones and other weapons from Tehran to Moscow that has kept the fighting alive. She also noted that China has recently supplied missile fuel to Iran. These partnerships, she added, are rooted in shared interests—but those interests are not necessarily identical. “These states have mutual interest but not all their interests are mutual.”
Initially, the U.S. distanced itself from the June 13 strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear: “Israel acted independently… we’re not involved.”
According to Shine, that statement was a deliberate move to shield American assets in the region from potential retaliation. “It was important for the US to make a statement distancing themselves to try to ensure that Iranians do not touch US interests in the region.”
Still, on June 17, Trump made headlines when he called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
In Shine’s view, even though Israel showcased exceptional operational prowess on the first day of strikes, eliminating Iran’s nuclear project in its entirety is beyond its solo capabilities. For that, U.S. cooperation is not just helpful. It’s essential.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi defended his country’s recent actions, describing them as acts of self-defense while reiterating Tehran’s dedication to diplomacy in a statement posted to X/Twitter.
“Even in the face of the most outrageous aggression against our people, Iran has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it,” Araghchi wrote on Thursday.
He directed sharp criticism at Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, accusing him of deliberately igniting conflict in order to derail any chance for diplomacy. Araghchi warned that the international community should take seriously “increasing attempts by the failing Israeli regime to get others to bail it out and to expand the flames to the region and beyond.”
Araghchi also insisted that Iran has no interest in developing nuclear weapons, but emphasized that the nation would not hesitate to defend itself. “Iran will continue to exercise its right to self-defense, with pride and bravery, and we will make the aggressor regret and pay for its grave error,” he wrote.
He closed his message with a reaffirmation of Iran’s diplomatic stance: “As before, we are serious and forward-looking in our outlook.”
According to a report published Wednesday by the New York Times, a high-ranking Iranian Foreign Ministry official revealed that Iran is preparing for a potential meeting with US President Donald Trump. The official stated that Abbas Araghchi would likely agree to sit down to discuss a possible ceasefire with Israel, though Trump reportedly wants any discussions to center around Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
{Matzav.com}