Reeves warned not to raise taxes to protect UK from Iran war economic shock
Ministers will next week hold an emergency meeting with Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, to discuss plans to help households with the soaring cost of living caused by the conflict.
Israel orders destruction of bridges in Lebanon and homes near Israeli border
Israel’s military has been ordered to destroy all bridges over Lebanon’s Litani River and to step up the demolition of Lebanese homes near the Israeli border, the country’s defence minister said on Sunday.
Earlier, an Israeli was killed in his car near the border with Lebanon after what the military described as a “launch” from Lebanese territory. It was the first Israeli civilian death linked to fire from Lebanon in the current war. Two Israeli soldiers have also been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon.
International law generally prohibits militaries from attacking civilian infrastructure, and the United Nations human rights chief has criticised Israel’s actions in Lebanon, particularly its use of widespread evacuation orders.
Defence minister Israel Katz said the military had been ordered to destroy all bridges over the Litani River used for “terrorist activity,” to prevent Hezbollah militants and weapons from moving south. He also said the military was ordered to accelerate the demolition of Lebanese homes in “frontline villages” to neutralize threats to Israeli communities.
Trump and Netanyahu say the war will be over ‘very soon’ – but Iran is preparing for a marathon
“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability,” Donald Trump declared on Truth Social earlier this week – despite failing to achieve his stated aim of instigating regime change and stopping Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The picture on the ground and the potential timeline of the war is more complex than Washington has portrayed, according to experts. Rather than a short, successful military operation, analysts suggest the conflict could drag on for weeks – or even months – if the US and Israel do not withdraw.
The tiny oil hub in Persian Gulf that Trump could seize
Despite its small size, the island holds around 94 per cent of the country’s crude oil for export, mostly bound for China, and its main oil export terminal.
It has now been reported that Donald Trump is considering putting American troops on the ground in Iran to seize the key oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.
Pope Leo says war in the Middle East is a ‘scandal to the whole human family’
Pope Leo on Sunday said death and suffering caused by the war in the Middle East are a “scandal to the whole human family”, renewing his plea for an immediate ceasefire.
As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week, the first US pope said that he continues to follow with “dismay” the situation in the Middle East and in other regions torn apart by war and violence.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenceless victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity,” Leo said at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
“I strongly renew my appeal for us to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way may finally be paved for peace,” he added.
Britain must be prepared for food and fuel shortages due to Iran war, minister warns
Asked if the government had a plan for shortages of petrol and food, he told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “Of course, we need to be prepared for any eventuality.”
Scores hurt after Iranian missiles hit Israeli desert towns
Southern Israeli towns woke to widespread damage on Sunday after air defences failed to intercept two Iranian missiles overnight that injured scores of civilians in one of the worst attacks of the war so far on Israeli soil.
As daylight broke, the scale of the damage in the desert town of Arad, where one of the strikes hit a multi-story apartment bloc, came into clearer view, with entire floors blown open by the blast.
Uri Shacham, the chief of staff of Israel’s ambulance service, said at least eight buildings were damaged by the missile, which left a crater not far from the apartment blocks.
Footage verified by Reuters showed flames engulfing the top floor of an apartment building shortly after the strike. Search and rescue teams moved from floor to floor inside the damaged buildings.
Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said both strikes had been carried out with conventional ballistic missiles. He declined to comment when asked about the initial findings of a military investigation into the failure to intercept the missiles.
Donald Trump claims ‘death of Iran’ on Truth Social
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump has claimed the “death of Iran” while taking aim at the Democrats.
From his Florida golfing retreat, he said: “Now with the death of Iran, the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democrat Party! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
The US president claimed victory over Tehran on Friday as the war enters its fourth week, with strikes continuing. Despite this, there has been no regime change and Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz with a significant knock-on effect to global trade.
Former diplomat questions evidence that Iran has longer distance missiles
A top former diplomat has thrown doubt over the credibility of Israel’s claims that Iran has missiles capable of reaching “deep into Europe”.
Simon McDonald told Times Radio: “They’re curious. I mean, we know that Iran has been developing a missile programme. They wanted longer and longer range missiles.
“But frankly, there’s no evidence that they have missiles of this capability apart from an Israeli source. And the Israeli agenda is to get Europe more concerned, more involved, more supportive of what they’re doing.
“But I note as a fact that Iran hasn’t tried to use a missile with this range, and it is in a pretty desperate state.”
When questioned if the UK could be vulnerable to an attack, he said: “True. But I repeat, apart from this Israeli report, I don’t see any evidence that Iran has this capability.
“And I also note that in the last three weeks, Israel and the United States have been very specifically targeting Iran’s missile programme. So what capabilities Iran had three weeks ago have been significantly degraded.
Trump’s 48 hour threat has caused ‘elevated uncertainty’ in financial markets
“President Trump’s threat has now placed a 48-hour ticking time bomb of elevated uncertainty over markets. If the ultimatum is not walked back, we will likely see a Black Monday reopening of global equity markets in free fall and oil prices spiking significantly higher,” said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore.
Tehran would likely strike Gulf energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which “would deepen and prolong the pain of higher energy prices”, Sycamore said.
Oil prices jumped on Friday and settled at their highest in nearly four years, after Iraq declared force majeure on all oilfields developed by foreign firms, Israel attacked a major gas field in Iran and Tehran responded with strikes on neighbours, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
