Israeli president calls on world to 'stand up' in support of Israel: Video
Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Tuesday, June 17, the fifth day of strikes in their most intense confrontation in history, fuelling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
"I call upon the world to stand up and demand two things. Number one, immediately make clear Iran cannot have any nuclear capability. Number two, we want to see our hostages back home as soon as possible", Israeli President Isaac Herzog says as he visits a site which was hit by an Iranian missile on Friday night.
The adversaries have for years waged a shadow war through proxies and covert operations, with Israel fighting Iranian-backed groups such as Hamas since October 2023.
Here are the latest developments: - 'Complete give-up' - US President Donald Trump said he wanted a "real end" to the conflict, not just a ceasefire, and a "complete give-up" by Iran. "I'm not looking for a ceasefire, we're looking at better than a ceasefire," he told reporters on the plane home after cutting short his attendance at a Group of Seven summit in Canada.
Trump again warned Iran against targeting US troops and assets in the Middle East, saying "We'll come down so hard, it'd be gloves off". G7 leaders, including Trump, had issued a call on Monday for "de-escalation" of the conflict, but it was accompanied by criticism of Iran and support for Israel's right to defend itself, drawing a rebuke from Tehran.
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"The G7 must give up its one-sided rhetoric and tackle the real source of the escalation of Israel's aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that he risked "a fate similar to Saddam Hussein", the Iraqi president who was toppled and later executed. The conflict has rapidly escalated despite calls from world leaders to halt the attacks.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
