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Sec. of State Marco Rubio: “Why does Hamas exist? Because of Iran… Who built the IEDs that maimed and killed American soldiers in Iraq? Iran. They’re behind every problem in this region… Imagine those people having a nuclear weapon… That is unacceptable.”

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of three hostages from Gaza.

The hostages were identified as Yonatan Samerano, Shay Levinson, and Ofra Keidar. All three had been held by Hamas since the deadly onslaught of October 7, and their deaths were confirmed by the IDF.

Ofra Keidar, age 71, was killed alongside her husband, Sami, during the Hamas massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri. Her body was abducted and taken into Gaza. She was a mother of three. In December 2023, the military officially confirmed her death.

Keidar had been one of only two known female hostages still held by Hamas at the time. The other, Inbar Haiman, also died in captivity, a fact her family confirmed in December 2023.

Yonatan Samerano, 21, had been attending the Nova Music Festival near Re’im when the attacks unfolded. He escaped toward Kibbutz Be’eri, where he was killed and subsequently taken into Gaza by Hamas gunmen.

Shay Levinson served as a tank commander in the IDF’s 77th “Oz” Battalion, part of the 7th Armored Brigade. Although he was killed during the Hamas incursion on October 7, the military was only able to confirm his death in January 2024.

Reports indicate that Levinson was stationed in a tank unit that came under attack during Hamas’s early-morning infiltration that day. Before his crew was overrun, they managed to fire multiple shells and eliminate roughly 15 terrorists.

In a formal statement, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu extended condolences to the bereaved families and expressed gratitude to those involved in the mission.

“Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their profound sorrow,” he said.

“I thank our commanders and soldiers for a successful operation, for their determination, and their courage,” Netanyahu added.

He reaffirmed Israel’s ongoing efforts to secure the return of all hostages. “The campaign to return the hostages continues without pause and is being carried out alongside the campaign against Iran.”

“We will not rest until all our hostages—both the living and the fallen—are brought home,” Netanyahu concluded.

Later that day, the military reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir had commended the forces involved in the recovery operation, which is taking place alongside the broader Operation Rising Lion.

He noted that “the IDF shares in the sorrow of the bereaved families and will continue to operate utilizing all available efforts to bring the hostages home.”

{Matzav.com}

Bill O’Reilly joins Leland Vittert on NewsNation to discuss the U.S. striking Iran nuclear facilities, and react to President Trump’s statement.

WATCH:

US airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility appear to have left at least six large craters, pointing to the use of bunker busting bombs, a CNN analysis of satellite imagery found. The images captured by satellite company Maxar showed six visible, separate impact craters in two nearby locations at Fordow — a highly secretive site buried deep in the mountains. The craters can be seen along a ridge running over the underground complex. Earlier Sunday, a US official confirmed to CNN the US had used B-2 bomber planes to drop more than a dozen massive “bunker buster” bombs as part of the attack on Fordow and two other nuclear sites. These weapons can penetrate deep underground before detonating and are seen as essential for targeting the facility, much of which is buried beneath the ground. Satellite imagery also showed significant changes to the color of the mountainside where the site is housed, indicating a vast area was covered with a layer of grey ash in the aftermath of the strikes. As of yet, the level of damage to the underground facility is unclear.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar revealed on Motzei Shabos that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to murder Israelis in Cyprus. Ynet reported that Cypriot police thwarted the plan by arresting a man suspected of planning an imminent terror attack against Israelis on the island. “Thanks to the activity of the Cypriot security authorities, in cooperation with Israeli security services, the terror attack was thwarted,” Sa’ar wrote on X. Israel’s Channel 12 reported last week that Israeli intelligence officials received information indicating that Iran is attempting to attack Israeli targets abroad, including the locations where Israeli airplanes were evacuated. The Shin Bet increased forces in Europe in order to thwart potential attacks. The suspect also allegedly gathered intelligence on British military bases on the island. Ynet reported last week that intelligence officials of an unnamed country had information indicating that Iran may fire missiles at British bases in Cyprus. Iran has accused the UK of aiding Israel with gathering intelligence and intercepting Iranian missiles. According to Cypriot media, the suspect is a UK citizen of Azerbaijani origin with ties to the IRGC who arrived in Cyprus in April and began spying on foreign military forces on the island country. In recent days, Cypriot police have increased security patrols in areas where Israeli tourists are staying out of fears they will be targeted for an attack. Tens of thousands of Israelis who were stranded abroad when the war with Iran began traveled to the island to await rescue flights or ships to bring them home. Security has been bolstered in shuls and hotels, mainly in Larnaca and Paphos, and at international airports, Ynet reported. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

‘Special Report’ executive editor Bret Baier analyzes the impact of the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites on ‘Hannity.’

WATCH:

Iran has spent decades building multi-tiered military capabilities at home and across the region that were at least partly aimed at deterring the United States from attacking it. By entering Israel’s war, the U.S. may have removed the last rationale for holding them in reserve. That could mean a wave of attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East, an attempt to close a key bottleneck for global oil supplies or a dash to develop a nuclear weapon with what remains of Iran’s disputed program after American strikes on three key sites. A decision to retaliate against the U.S. and its regional allies would give Iran a far larger target bank and one that is much closer than Israel, allowing it to potentially use its missiles and drones to greater effect. The U.S. and Israel have far superior capabilities, but those haven’t always proven decisive in America’s recent history of military interventions in the region. Ever since Israel launched the war with a surprise bombardment of Iran’s military and nuclear sites on June 13, Iranian officials from the supreme leader on down have warned the U.S. to stay out, saying it would have dire consequences for the entire region. Here’s a look at what Iran’s next move might be. Targeting the Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which some 20% of all oil traded globally passes, and at its narrowest point it is just 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide. Any disruption there could send oil prices soaring worldwide and hit American pocketbooks. Iran boasts a fleet of fast-attack boats and thousands of naval mines that could potentially make the strait impassable, at least for a time. It could also fire missiles from its long Persian Gulf shore, as its allies, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, have done in the Red Sea. The U.S., with its 5th Fleet stationed in nearby Bahrain, has long pledged to uphold freedom of navigation in the strait and would respond with far superior forces. But even a relatively brief firefight could paralyze shipping traffic and spook investors, causing oil prices to spike and generating international pressure for a ceasefire. Attacking US bases and allies in the region The U.S. has tens of thousands of troops stationed in the region, including at permanent bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Arab Gulf countries just across the Persian Gulf from Iran — and much closer than Israel. Those bases boast the same kinds of sophisticated air defenses as Israel, but would have much less warning time before waves of missiles or swarms of armed drones. And even Israel, which is several hundred kilometers (miles) further away, has been unable to stop all of the incoming fire. Iran could also choose to attack key oil and gas facilities in those countries with the goal of exacting a higher price for U.S. involvement in the war. A drone attack on two major oil sites in Saudi Arabia in 2019 — claimed by the Houthis but widely blamed on Iran — briefly cut the kingdom’s oil production in half. Activating regional allies Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance — a network of militant groups across the Middle East, is a shadow of what it was before the war ignited by […]

U.S. forces have attacked three Iranian nuclear and military sites, further upping the stakes in the Israel-Iran war. President Donald Trump said the strikes, which he described as “very successful,” had hit the Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan sites, with Fordo being the primary target. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed there were attacks early Sunday at all three nuclear sites. Israel launched a surprise barrage of attacks on sites in Iran on June 13, which Israeli officials said was necessary to head off what they claimed was an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs. The U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel’s war aimed at decapitating the country’s nuclear program. The U.S. and Iran had been in talks that could have resulted in the U.S. lifting some of its crushing economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran drastically limiting or ending its enrichment of uranium. Until Saturday, Washington had helped shoot down Iranian strikes on Israel but had not launched direct attacks on Iran. Here’s a look at the sites Trump said the U.S. struck and their importance to Iran’s nuclear program. Natanz enrichment facility Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz, located some 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, is the country’s main enrichment site and had already been targeted by Israeli airstrikes. Uranium had been enriched to up to 60% purity at the site — a mildly radioactive level but a short step away from weapons grade — before Israel destroyed the aboveground part of the facility, according to the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Another part of the facility on Iran’s Central Plateau is underground to defend against potential airstrikes. It operates multiple cascades, or groups of centrifuges working together to more quickly enrich uranium. The IAEA has said it believes that most if not all of these centrifuges were destroyed by an Israeli strike that cut off power to the site. The IAEA said those strikes caused contamination only at the site itself, not the surrounding area. Iran also is burrowing into the Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, or Pickax Mountain, which is just beyond Natanz’s southern fencing. Natanz has been targeted by the Stuxnet virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation, which destroyed Iranian centrifuges. Two separate attacks, attributed to Israel, also have struck the facility. Fordo enrichment facility Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordo is located some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran. It also hosts centrifuge cascades, but isn’t as big as Natanz. Its construction began at least in 2007, according to the IAEA, although Iran only informed the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the facility in 2009 after the U.S. and allied Western intelligence agencies became aware of its existence. Buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries, Fordo appears designed to withstand airstrikes. Military experts have said it could likely only be targeted by “bunker buster” bombs — a term for bombs that are designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding — such as the latest GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb in the American arsenal. The roughly 30,000 pound (13,600 kilogram) precision-guided bomb is designed to attack deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels. The U.S. has only configured and programmed its B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to deliver […]

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The IAF conducted strikes on missile and drone sites across Isfahan, Bushehr, Ahvaz, and Yazd in Iran, with 30 fighter jets dropping 60 munitions to hit dozens of targets, including missile launchers, air defense production sites, a drone regiment headquarters, and a drone storage facility, while an IDF drone eliminated Iranian soldiers arming missile launchers, the IDF reported.

CNN: “Do you assess that the nuclear program has been eliminated?” President of Israel Isaac Herzog: “I can’t say it’s been eliminated. I can say it’s been hit very hard, both by the Israeli attacks and absolutely by the American attacks overnight.”

CNN: “Is Israel seeking regime change?” President of Israel Isaac Herzog: “It’s not any of the official goals of this war. On the contrary, we leave it to the Iranian people. But it would be a very blessed side, a major side effect.”

VP VANCE: “We’re prepared in the event the that the Iranians do retaliate, but … if the Iranians want to enlarge this by attacking American troops, I think that would be a catastrophic mistake.”

Fox News host Sean Hannity revealed that he had a conversation with President Donald Trump, during which Trump disclosed that the United States deployed six bunker-buster bombs in an assault on Iran’s deeply buried nuclear complex in Fordo.

Prior to this, defense analysts had believed that a pair of bunker-busting munitions would be sufficient to neutralize the heavily fortified facility.

According to Hannity, American submarines positioned roughly 400 miles from their targets fired a total of 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles, striking Iran’s Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites.

Israel, for its part, reported that its initial strike on June 13 caused extensive destruction at the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.

WATCH:

VP VANCE: “We do not want war with Iran. We actually want peace, but we want peace in the context of them not having a nuclear weapons program — and that’s exactly what the President accomplished last night.”

VICE PRESIDENT VANCE: “We destroyed the Iranian nuclear program … and we did it without endangering the lives of American pilots. That’s an incredible thing.”

An Iranian state TV analyst issued a chilling message in the aftermath of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, declaring that American civilians and military personnel in the region had become “legitimate threat[s],” according to Arab affairs journalist Roi Kais.

The Iranian network, IRIB, broadcasted imagery showing the locations of U.S. military installations across the Middle East. During the segment, the anchor issued a pointed threat to President Donald Trump: “You started it, and we’ll finish it.”

President Trump revealed late last night that the United States had carried out precision airstrikes targeting three key nuclear installations in Iran — the Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan sites.

Trump was the first to publicly confirm the operation.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump stated in a message posted on social media.

“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

{Matzav.com}

President Trump gave the final go-ahead to strike Iran on Saturday afternoon at his private club in New Jersey, the Wall Street Journal reported. His order came after he said he would make a decision on the matter in two weeks. “The goal was to create a situation when everyone wasn’t expecting it,” said a senior administration official. The decision was made after direct coordination with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the report said. A U.S. official said that the Trump administration conveyed to Iran that the strikes were a one-time attack, not the start of a war. Last Tuesday, Trump approved plans to strike Iran but withheld a final order. “There was real debate earlier in the week about what we should do,” said the senior official. “But Trump signaled on Tuesday he was leaning toward going forward, so that changed everything.” According to the report, Trump made the decision to proceed with the operation after Iran continued to spurn his demands to drop its uranium enrichment program. Iran has vowed revenge on the US. Trump warned that he will carry out additional strikes on Iran if retaliatory strikes are carried out against US forces in the region. “Future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” he warned. “There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)