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Iran has carried out a barrage of missile attacks against Israel, hours after the United States attacked key Iranian nuclear sites.

Loud explosions were heard in coastal hub Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Sunday shortly after the Israeli military reported incoming Iranian missiles and activated air defences.

Sirens rang in Israeli cities, with rescue services and media reports saying at least 20 people were injured.

Israeli police reported “the fall of weapon fragments” in an area near the northern port of Haifa, where local authorities said emergency services were heading to an “accident site”.

Tel Aviv, Haifa, and the southern city of Beersheba have been the three Israeli areas targeted by Iran frequently.

Reporting on missile strikes is subject to strict military censorship rules in Israel, where at least 50 impacts have been officially acknowledged nationwide and 25 people have been killed since the war started on June 13, according to official figures.

Iran has warned of “everlasting consequences” after President Donald Trump claimed the US attacks “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz.

Meanwhile, Iran’s National Nuclear Safety System Centre and the United Nations nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), say there has been no increase in radiation levels following the US strikes.

President Donald Trump has announced that United States forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites in a “very successful attack”, adding that the heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility is “gone”.

Trump’s decision on Saturday to join Israel’s military campaign against Iran represents a major escalation of the conflict.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the military planes were now on their way home.

“NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!” he added.

Later, in a televised Oval Office address that lasted just more than three minutes, Trump said that Iran’s future held “either peace or tragedy”, and that there were many other targets that could be hit by the US military.

“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to the attacks, accusing Washington of breaching international law.

“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” Araghchi said in a social media post.

“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.”

He added that Iran “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people”.

The strikes came as Israel and Iran have been engaged in more than a week of aerial combat, with deaths and injuries in both countries.

Israel launched the attacks on Iran, saying that it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

‘Will not stop’

Iran’s nuclear agency on Sunday said that radiation system data and field surveys do not show signs of contamination or danger to residents near the sites.

“Following the illegal US attack on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites, field surveys and radiation systems data showed: No contamination recorded,” the organisation said in a social media post.

“There is no danger to residents around these sites. Safety is in a stable state.”

Shortly after the attacks, the agency insisted that its work would not be stopped.

“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the great Iranian nation that despite the evil conspiracies of its enemies, with the efforts of thousands of its revolutionary and motivated scientists and experts, it will not allow the development of this national industry, which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, to be stopped,” it said in a statement.

CBS News reported that the US reached out to Iran diplomatically on Saturday to say the strikes were all it planned and that the US did not intend on regime change efforts.

Trump told Fox News that six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on the Fordow nuclear site, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against the others, Esfahan and Fordow.

US B-2 bombers were involved in the strikes, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

‘Awesome and righteous US might’

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said that Trump was advised that the bombings would allow for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme.

“Donald Trump has been advised that, as commander-in-chief, this will not lead to escalation,” Halkett reported from Washington, DC. “But he knows there is a chance that there could be an escalation as a result of his action.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

“Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,” Netanyahu said.

Israeli military officials said earlier on Saturday that they had completed another series of strikes on dozens of military targets in southwestern Iran.

Israel launched attacks on June 13, saying that Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that Iran does not plan to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed” by the “dangerous escalation” of the US strikes.

“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said in a statement.

At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the Ministry of Health.

In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks, according to local authorities, in the worst direct conflict between the longtime enemies. More than 450 Iranian missiles have been fired towards Israel, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Israeli officials said that 1,272 people have been injured since the beginning of the hostilities, with 14 in serious condition.

June 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump announced successful attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran and said all planes have exited Iranian airspace.

Trump announced the military intervention after returning to the White House on Saturday and scheduling a meeting with his national security team on Sunday. He also has scheduled a televised address at 10 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz and Eshafan,” Trump said in a Truth Social post at 6:50 p.m. EDT.

“All planes are safely on their way home,” Trump said. “Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the world that could have done this.”

The U.S. military has moved several B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and refueling aircraft to Guam, which may be a precursor to aerial strikes against Iran’s most important nuclear facility.

The deployment comes after President Donald Trump announced a two-week pause to allow for potential cease-fire negotiations to end the hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Trump also has said the U.S. knows where Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is sheltering but won’t target him with a military strike for the time being.

Israel has gained aerial superiority in the skies over Iran, but Israel’s conventional munitions can’t effectively penetrate the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant site in a mountainous area in central Iran, according to reports.

B-2 bombers armed with bunker-buster bombs, however, can penetrate the site and the deployment of B-2 bombers and refueling aircraft to Guam raises the potential for eventual U.S. military intervention in Iran.

Guam is about 5,900 miles from Tehran, and B-2 bombers have a range of nearly 6,900 miles with a cruising speed of 559 mph, according to the U.S. Air Force.

When supported by refueling aircraft, the bombers have plenty of range to target Iran’s remaining nuclear facilities, or they could be moved to forward bases that are closer to Iran.

Each bomber can carry bomb loads of up to 40,000 pounds, which makes them capable of deploying 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs against the Fordow site.

The bunker-buster bombs can penetrate “any mixture of earth, rock and concrete before the bomb itself then explodes” deep beneath the Earth’s surface and obliterate a target, cause its support structure to collapse, or both.

It’s unknown if the B-2s flying to Guam also are carrying bunker-buster bombs or if such munitions might have been shipped there or to other regional bases.

Formidable Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant site

Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is located near Qom in central Iran and about 100 miles south of Tehran.

The facility has 3,000 centrifuges that are located about 300 feet beneath the area’s mountains, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday said Iran refuses to reduce its nuclear enrichment “under any circumstances,” The New York Times reported.

Iran is “ready to talk and cooperate” with world leaders but will continue its retaliatory attacks against Israel, Pezeshkian said.

The Iranian president’s position runs counter to that of Trump’s and other U.S. leaders.

Trump “hates nuclear proliferation, [and] I hate nuclear proliferation,” Vice President JD Vance told attendees at the Munich Leaders Meeting held in Washington, D.C., on May 7.

Vance advocated for meeting with Chinese and Russian officials to reduce the number of nuclear arms in the world.

“There is no way you get to that conversation if you allow multiple regimes all over the world to … enter this sprint for a nuclear weapon,” Vance said,

“If the Iran domino falls, you’re going to see nuclear proliferation all over the Middle East,” he added. “That’s very bad for us. It’s very bad for our friends, and it’s something that we don’t think can happen.”

Vance asked attendees which nation has “civil nuclear power” but does not also have nuclear weapons. “The answer is: No one,” Vance said.

“We don’t care if people want nuclear power,” he said. “But you can’t have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon, and that’s where we draw the line.”

Houthis would resume attacks on U.S. vessels

If the U.S. attacks the Fordow site or otherwise intervenes in the war between Israel and Iraq, the Houthis have said they will resume attacks on U.S.-flagged commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea.

“Any U.S. aggression or attack in support of the Israeli enemy against Iran serves this goal and therefore cannot go unanswered,” the Houthis said in a statement on Saturday.

“Remaining silent would mean surrendering the freedom and dignity of the [Iranian] nation and allowing its wealth to be plundered,” the statement continued.

“This is a battle for the entire nation and a salvation for all its people.”

The Houthis agreed to stop targeting U.S.-flagged vessels in May after enduring a weeks-long aerial campaign by the U.S. military against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Iranian officials also have threatened to target U.S. bases in the Middle East if the U.S. military intervenes in the war.

An Iranian missile slammed into the main hospital in southern Israel, wounding people and causing “extensive damage,” according to the medical facility.

However, IRNA, the Islamic Republic News Agency, has said on Telegram that the “main target” of the missile attack early on Thursday “was the large [Israeli army] Command and Intelligence (IDF C4I) headquarters and the military intelligence camp in the Gav-Yam Technology Park”.

It said that this facility is located next to Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva.

IRNA claimed that the hospital only suffered minor damage from the shockwave resulting from the missile attack.

“The military infrastructure was a precise and direct target,” it said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and promised a response, saying: “We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.”

Another missile hit a high-rise building and several other residential buildings in at least two sites near Tel Aviv. At least 47 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.

Israel, meanwhile, carried out strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor in its latest attack on the country’s sprawling nuclear programme, on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli air strikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists.

Israel’s military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to stop it from being used to produce plutonium.

Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz that it described as being related to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iranian state TV said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” from the attack on the Arak site.

Israel is the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East – but does not acknowledge having such weapons.

Israel’s military killed more than 70 Palestinians and wounded hundreds when it fired tank shells, machine guns and drones on a crowd seeking aid in Gaza, making it the deadliest day so far around sites of the Israel- and US-backed aid group GHF.

Israel and Iran are engaged in attacks for a fifth straight day, with Israel targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites, oil and gas facilities, and state TV headquarters.

The escalation has raised fears of a widening conflict and turmoil in global energy markets.

Iran is one of the top global producers of oil and gas and holds the world’s second largest proven natural gas reserves and the thirdlargest crude oil reserves, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.

How big is Iran’s oil industry?

With about 157 billion barrels of proven crude oil, Iran holds about a quarter (24 percent) of the Middle East’s and 12 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves.

Iran is the ninth largest oil producer globally and the fourth largest within OPEC, producing about 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day. It exports roughly 2 million barrels of crude and refined fuel each day.

In 2023, Iran’s net oil export revenues were estimated at $53bn, up sharply from $37bn in 2021. While Iran’s economy is relatively diversified compared with many of its neighbours, oil continues to be a critical source of government income.

However, years of limited foreign investment and international sanctions have kept Iran’s oil production well below its full potential.

After Israel’s attacks on Iran began on Friday, fears of a wider Middle East conflict sent oil prices soaring nearly 7 percent in a single day. Prices have held steady about that level since.

Where are Iran’s oil facilities?

Iran’s oil facilities are spread across several regions, mainly in the south and west of the country. These include onshore oilfields, offshore platforms, refineries, export terminals and pipelines.

Nearly all of Iran’s crude oil flows through Kharg Island, the country’s main export terminal, which handles close to 1.5 million barrels per day.

More than 20 percent of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow maritime chokepoint between Iran and Oman.

Major onshore oilfields include:

• Ahvaz Field – Iran’s largest oilfield and one of the biggest globally
• Gachsaran Field – second-largest Iranian field, producing light crude
• Marun Field – another high-output field near Ahvaz
• Agha Jari, Bibi Hakimeh and Karanj fields – located mostly within Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran, a key oil-producing region

Major offshore fields include:

• Abuzar, Foroozan, Doroud and Salman fields – located in the Gulf and shared with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

Its main refineries include:

• Abadan Refinery – one of the oldest and largest refineries in the Middle East
• Tehran Refinery – supplies the capital and nearby provinces
• Isfahan, Bandar Abbas, Arak and Tabriz refineries – process various crude types for domestic use and export

How big is Iran’s gas industry?

Iran has the world’s second largest proven natural gas reserves after Russia. They are estimated at 1,200 trillion cubic feet (34 trillion cubic metres), which accounts for 16 percent of global reserves and 45 percent of OPEC’s total.

Iran is the third highest producer of natural gas behind the US and Russia with production reaching 9,361 billion cubic feet (265 billion cubic metres) in 2023, accounting for at least 6 percent of global production.

Like oil, Iran relies heavily on domestic companies to develop its gasfields due to international sanctions, which have limited foreign investment and technology access.

Where are Iran’s gas facilities?

Iran’s gas facilities are concentrated primarily in the south, especially along the Gulf, with major gasfields and processing plants.

Iran’s largest gasfield, and the largest in the world, is the South Pars field, which it shares with Qatar, where it’s known as the North Field.

Other important gasfields are the North Pars, Golshan, Ferdowsi, Kangan and Nar fields.

Iran’s main gas-processing centre is the South Pars Gas Complex, located in Bushehr province.

Which facilities has Israel attacked?

Israel has struck multiple energy facilities, including the South Pars gasfield, Fajr Jam gas plant, Shahran oil depot, Shahr Rey oil refinery and Tehran fuel depots.

When and where did the strikes happen?

Reuters

What has Israel said?

How has Iran responded?

What has the US said?

What is Iran’s nuclear programme?

Who has been killed?

“Food has become an opportunity for killing, I’ve never heard of such a thing”

Former UN aid chief Martin Griffiths slammed Israel’s killing of Palestinians seeking aid. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was luring people to their deaths.

At least 13 Palestinians have been killed and more than 150 injured after Israeli troops and American security contractors opened fire on crowds waiting for food near two aid distribution sites in Gaza, one east of Rafah and another near the Wadi Gaza Bridge.

Sunday’s killings are the latest in a series of attacks on civilians seeking food at aid centres operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-led initiative backed by Israel in Israeli-controlled zones.

More than 130 people have now been killed and more than 700 wounded by Israeli troops while desperately trying to access meagre food parcels for their hungry families from the aid sites since the GHF programme began on May 27.

At least nine people are still missing.

In a statement, Gaza’s Government Media Office condemned the distribution sites as “human slaughterhouses”, accusing Israeli forces of luring desperate civilians to their deaths.

“These are war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the statement said, urging an independent international probe and an immediate suspension of GHF’s delivery model.

The drive backed by Israel and the United States has faced growing criticism from human rights organisations and the United Nations for violating basic humanitarian standards and bypassing organisations that have decades of experience distributing aid to the entire population of the besieged enclave.

‘This is a trap for us, not aid’

The latest bloodshed reportedly began around 6am local time (03:00 GMT), as hundreds of Palestinians stalked by starvation gathered near the aid point in the al-Alam area of Rafah.

Witnesses said people had started forming queues as early as 4:30am, desperate to get food before the site became overwhelmed.

“After about an hour and a half, hundreds moved toward the site, and the army opened fire,” said witness Abdallah Nour al-Din.

The Israeli military later said its troops opened fire on individuals who “continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers”, and claimed the area had been designated an “active combat zone” at night. However, survivors insist the shooting took place after sunrise.

“This is a trap for us, not aid,” said Adham Dahman, speaking to the Associated Press from Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza with a bloodied bandage on his chin. He said a tank fired towards the crowd, and people were left scrambling for cover.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that 13 wounded individuals and one person who was dead on arrival came to its clinic in the al-Mawasi area of southern Khan Younis today.

MSF said the injured and dead were “carried in donkey carts, on bicycles, or on foot”.

The wounded were all men between the ages of 17 and 30. The victims said they were shot in the Shakoush area while travelling to a food distribution site in Saudi village.

Footage from outside the hospital showed mourning families weeping over blood-soaked shrouds, as emergency workers rushed to treat the wounded.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese called the GHF operation “humanitarian camouflage” and “an essential tactic of this genocide”.

In a post on social media, Albanese blamed “the moral and political corruption of the world” for enabling the destruction of Gaza.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said the GHF’s delivery model has proven woefully inadequate. “Today’s deadly attacks in the south show that the GHF is insufficient in the way it’s running aid delivery,” he said.

“In the north, living conditions are becoming even more difficult. People are not just spending hours searching for water and food — they are spending the entire day. By the end of it, many are completely exhausted and dehydrated, simply because they could not find anything.”

An unnamed GHF official claimed there has been no violence in or around its aid distribution sites, all three of which delivered food on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

Hospitals overwhelmed

The violence comes as Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that the total death toll from Israel’s ongoing war has reached 54,880, with more than 126,000 injured since October 7, 2023. Since Israel ended a ceasefire on March 18, 4,603 Palestinians have been killed and more than 14,000 injured.

In just the last 24 hours, Israeli strikes have killed at least 108 people and wounded nearly 400 more across the besieged enclave, the ministry said.

Hospitals are overwhelmed and on the brink of collapse, the ministry said.

Rafah’s Red Cross Field Hospital has declared 12 mass casualty emergencies in just two weeks, with more than 900 wounded arriving during that period — 41 of them already dead. Most of those treated had been trying to reach food distribution sites when they were shot or injured.

A spokesman at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah warned that fuel supplies for Gaza’s health facilities may run out within 48 hours, leaving patients without care. “The hospital’s artificial kidney department is out of service due to the occupation’s attacks,” he told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the director of al-Shifa Hospital told Al Jazeera that the lives of 300 kidney failure patients hang in the balance. “We are facing a real disaster in the hospital if electricity is not provided,” he warned.

IAEA head Grossi describes the new government as ‘committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation’.

Syria’s new government has agreed to give inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, according to the agency’s chief, as Damascus makes further inroads to rejoining the international fold.

Rafael Grossi, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog’s director-general, was speaking Wednesday to The Associated Press news agency in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and other officials.

The visit was a key part of the IAEA’s efforts to restore access to sites associated with Syria’s nuclear programme since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December.

The agency’s aim is “to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgement of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons”, Grossi said. He described the new government as “committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation” and said he is hopeful of finishing the inspection process within months.

Grossi’s visit also marks another step towards international acceptance of Syria’s new government after the United States and European Union lifted sanctions on the country last month. Israel has taken an opposite approach to its Western allies, launching more than 200 air, drone or artillery attacks across Syria over the past six months, despite the two countries holding indirect talks in early May.

An IAEA team visited some sites of interest last year. Syria under al-Assad is believed to have operated an extensive clandestine nuclear programme, which included an undeclared nuclear reactor built by North Korea in eastern Deir ez-Zor province.

The IAEA described the reactor as being “not configured to produce electricity” — raising the concern that Damascus sought a nuclear weapon there by producing weapons-grade plutonium.

The reactor site only became public knowledge after Israel, the region’s only nuclear power, launched air strikes in 2007, destroying the facility. Syria later levelled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA’s questions.

Grossi said inspectors plan to return to the reactor in Deir az Zor and three other related sites. Other sites under IAEA safeguards include a miniature neutron source reactor in Damascus and a facility in Homs that can process yellow-cake uranium.

While there are no indications that there have been releases of radiation from the sites, Grossi said, the watchdog is concerned that “enriched uranium can be lying somewhere and could be reused, could be smuggled, could be trafficked”.

He said al-Sharaa had shown a “very positive disposition to talk to us and to allow us to carry out the activities we need to”.

Grossi revealed that the IAEA is also prepared to transfer equipment for nuclear medicine and help rebuild the radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and oncology infrastructure in a health system severely weakened by nearly 14 years of civil war.

“And the president has expressed to me he’s interested in exploring, in the future, nuclear energy as well,” Grossi added.

A number of other countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, are pursuing nuclear energy in some form.

Israel has killed at least 32 Palestinians waiting to get food at two aid distribution sites in Gaza, leaving more than 200 others injured.

Israeli tanks opened fire on thousands of civilians gathered at a distribution site in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Sunday morning, killing at least 31 people, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Soon after, a Palestinian was reportedly killed in a shooting at a similar distribution point south of the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza City.

The aid is being distributed by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial group backed by Israel and the United States, which has completed a chaotic first week of operations in the enclave.

The United Nations and other aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, accusing it of lacking neutrality and suggesting the group has been formed to enable Israel to achieve its stated military objective of taking over all of Gaza.

‘Killed for seeking one meal for children’

Ibrahim Abu Saoud, who witnessed the attack on aid seekers in Rafah, told The Associated Press news agency that Israeli forces opened fire on people as they moved towards the distribution point.

Abu Saoud, 40, said the crowd was about 300 metres (328 yards) away from the military. He said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who died at the scene.

“We weren’t able to help him,” he said.

Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said Palestinians are being killed while trying to secure “one meal for their children”.

“This is why Palestinians have been going to these distribution points, despite the fact that they know that they are controversial. They [distribution points] are backed by the US and Israel, but they do not have any other option,” she said.

“[Even] the food parcels that were distributed to Palestinians are barely enough. We are talking about one kilo of flour, a couple of bags of pasta, a couple of cans of fava beans – and it’s not nutritious. It’s not enough for a family in Gaza nowadays.”

The GHF told the AP that Israeli soldiers fired “warning shots” as Palestinians gathered to receive food. The group denied reports that dozens of people were killed, describing them as “false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos”.

The Israeli army said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that it was “currently unaware of injuries caused by [Israeli] fire within the humanitarian aid distribution site” and that the incident was still under review.

The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the attacks, describing the GHF’s distribution points as “mass death traps, not humanitarian relief points”.

“We confirm to the entire world that what is happening is a systematic and malicious use of aid as a tool of war, employed to blackmail starving civilians and forcibly gather them in exposed killing points, managed and monitored by the occupation army and funded and politically covered by … the US administration,” it said in a statement.

Speaking from Gaza City, Bassam Zaqout of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society said the current aid distribution mechanism had replaced 400 former distribution points with just four.

“I think there are different hidden agendas in this aid distribution mechanism,” he told Al Jazeera. “The mechanism does not cater to the needs of the people, such as the elderly and people with disabilities.”

Palestinian group Hamas, which runs the enclave’s government, released a statement, saying the Israeli shootings were a “blatant confirmation of premeditated intent” as it held Israel and the US fully responsible for the killings.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the killings were a “full-fledged war crime” and demanded international intervention to “stop this ongoing massacre and impose strict accountability mechanisms”.

Sunday’s killings capped a deadly first week for the project’s operations, coming on the back of two earlier shootings at two distribution points in the south – the first in Rafah, the second west of the city – which saw a combined total of nine Palestinians killed.

In Gaza, crucial aid is only trickling in after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, which brought more than two million of its starving residents to the brink of a famine.

More aid distribution sites are being set up in Gaza with US support, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He described “some loss of control” after Palestinians desperately swarmed a new aid hub in Rafah following nearly three months of Israeli blockade.

Developers who leave housing sites unfinished for years could see their land handed over to local councils under new rules aimed at getting new homes built faster.

Under government plans, housebuilders will have to commit to delivery time frames before they get planning permission, and will also have to submit annual reports to councils showing their progress.

The new rules form part of the government’s plan to address the housing crisis, with 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.

The Conservative Party said it supported measures to speed up housebuilding, but accused the government of “adding so many burdens on builders” that its housing targets “already seem like a distant memory”.

As well as losing their land, the government said housebuilders who repeatedly fail to hit their targets could also be denied future permissions.

They may also face penalties worth thousands of pounds per unbuilt home, paid directly to local planning authorities.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the government was continuing to back “the builders not the blockers”, adding it was “time for developers to roll up their sleeves and play their part”.

Rayner, who also serves as housing secretary, said: “We’re going even further to get the homes we need. No more sites with planning permission gathering dust for decades while a generation struggle to get on the housing ladder.”

A Planning Reform Working Paper setting out the proposals will be published on Sunday.

Housing charity Shelter welcomed the plans.

Alicia Walker, the charity’s assistant director of advocacy and activism, said developers “drag their heels” when housebuilding “to keep prices high and make bigger profits”.

She accused them of “often dodging their responsibility to build social housing altogether”.

“Meanwhile, thousands of families who are bearing the brunt of the housing emergency, homeless in temporary accommodation or crushed by skyrocketing rents, cannot afford to wait.”

Ms Walker also said that while building housing faster was important, “the only way to end the housing emergency for good is to get councils and housing associations building social housing as well”.

The government says that 1.3 million families are on social housing waiting lists, while a record number – including 160,000 children – are in temporary accommodation. Millions of people also cannot afford to buy their first home.

The government’s aim is for 370,000 new homes to be built in England every year to hit its promise of 1.5 million by 2029. To aid this, local authorities are being told to give developers permission to build.

Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) figures released in March suggested housebuilding would fall short of the 1.5 million target, even with planning reforms previously outlined in the Spring Statement.

The government argued that further reforms not reflected in the OBR forecast would help it reach the number.

Separate OBR figures previously showed housebuilding was set to hit a 40-year high and boost the economy by £6.8bn by 2029.

The government said large housing developments, producing more than 2,000 homes, can take at least 14 years to build, but those with more affordable homes can be built twice as fast.

It said it would therefore test a new requirement for large developments to be mixed tenure – meaning a range of housing options – by default in an effort to build homes, including more affordable homes, quicker.

Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake claimed that “many hardworking Brits will be shut out of the housing market forever” as “Labour’s open door border policy” meant “many of these houses will end up going to migrants”.

He added: “In the same week that Angela Rayner has been caught red-handed plotting to raise everyone’s taxes, it’s clear she doesn’t have the interests of working people at heart.”

May 21 (UPI) — Microsoft, the Department of Justice and others have thwarted the use of the Lumma Stealer malware that globally has infected nearly 400,000 computers.

The tech giant’s Digital Crimes Unit seized and helped take down, suspend and block about 2,300 “malicious domains” that were the backbone of Lumma’s infrastructure, said Steven Masada, assistant general counsel for Microsoft’s DCU.

Microsoft on May 13 filed a federal lawsuit against Lumma Stealer in the U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia, itnews reported.

Microsoft says Lumma Stealer is a “malware as a service” that can steal data from browsers, cryptocurrency wallets and other applications by installing malware.

The tech firm from March 15 through Friday identified more than 394,000 Windows computers around the world that were infected with the Lumma malware.

The Department of Justice on Wednesday unsealed two warrants authorizing the seizure of five Internet domains used by cybercriminals to operate the Lumma malware service, which also is called “LummaC2.”

The Lumma malware “is deployed to steal sensitive information, such as user login credentials from millions of victims in order to facilitate a host of crimes,” said Matthew Galeotti, leader of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, in a news release.

Those crimes include fraudulent bank transfers and cryptocurrency theft, Galeotti said.

“The Justice Department is resolved to use court-ordered disruptions like this one to protect the public from the theft of their personal information and their assets,” he added.

The DOJ’s affidavit seeking the two seizure warrants accuses the administrators of LummaC2 of using the seized websites to distribute the malware to their affiliates and other cyber criminals.

Browser data, autofill info, login credentials for email and banking services, and cryptocurrency seed phrases that open crypto wallets were common targets affected by the malware, according to the DOJ.

FBI investigators also identified at least 1.7 million instances in which the malware enabled cybercriminals to steal such information.

The DOJ on Monday seized two online domains used to distribute the malware, which caused the Lumma operators to direct users to three new domains on Tuesday.

The DOJ seized the three new domains on Wednesday.

Europol’s European Cybercrime Center and Japan’s Cybercrime Control Center enabled the takedown of Lumma infrastructure within their respective jurisdictions, Microsoft officials said.

YOU may use price comparison sites to get the best deals for your broadband or car insurance – but probably don’t do the same when shopping.

Whether you’re looking for great buys for your home and garden, a good deal on a new summer outfit or simply to drive down the cost of your weekly shop, there are online tools that can help you get the best price.

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Check across different sites to make sure you get the best deal.

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Idealo is one that allows you to scan barcodes in store to check if a product is cheaper online

With the PriceRunner on the Klarna app, you can access an AI assistant who will interpret what you’re looking for and help you find the right item.

PAST PRICES: The sites’ price-tracking tools also help you to check if deals are as good as they look.

They show price history, so you can see how the cost of an item has gone up and down.

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If you’re shopping via Amazon, then CamelCamelCamel will show you how much items have previously sold for.

Use the tool to check out the offers during Amazon’s Everyday Essentials Week, starting on Wednesday.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: For grocery shopping, download the Trolley app or log on to trolley.co.uk.

You can search for any item you’d find in the big supermarkets, including own brands, to see the best prices.

On the app, you can scan barcodes, create shopping lists and get price alerts when an item changes price.

It shows Heinz Tomato Ketchup, 1.35kg, is currently £4.92 at Asda or £6 at Morrisons.

• Prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability

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A coordinated wave of violence has raged through Borno State in northeastern Nigeria between May 12 and 13, as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched its most sophisticated assault in recent memory. 

The group, wielding advanced drone capabilities and high mobility tactics, attacked military installations, key towns, and vital roadways, reigniting fears over the fragility of Nigeria’s counterinsurgency efforts and the evolving face of terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin.

The offensive targeted Marte, Dikwa, Rann (Kala-Balge LGA), and the Damboa–Maiduguri road in near-simultaneous strikes that signalled strategic coordination, technological evolution, and growing audacity. 

Before this latest wave, however, the Borno State government itself was the first to raise the alarm when the resurgence of attacks by ISWAP began to intensify in April. 

Marte – 12 May, 3:00 a.m.

In the early hours of May 12, ISWAP fighters stormed Marte in northern Borno, dislodging the Nigerian military after a series of intense clashes. Local sources said several soldiers were captured, while others retreated toward Dikwa. The insurgents now control the town, which holds immense strategic value due to its access to Lake Chad smuggling corridors.

Rann and Dikwa – 13 May, midnight and afternoon

A dual strike followed just hours later. In Rann, ISWAP reportedly deployed drones, possibly for both surveillance and tactical strikes, before breaching the town’s defences, residents told a member of the civilian JTF. 

The incursion triggered mass civilian flight towards the Cameroonian border. Simultaneously in Dikwa, the group carried out another attack. The precision and timing of both attacks point to elevated operational planning and coordination. 

Damboa–Maiduguri Road – 13 May 

Later that day, an improvised explosive device (IED) ripped through the vital Damboa–Maiduguri corridor, disrupting civilian mobility. The route is a lifeline for economic activity; its compromise marks a major setback in efforts to stabilise southern Borno.

Damboa is a strategically important town in Borno State. It serves as a key pathway between Maiduguri and southern Borno, including Chibok and Biu local government areas. Damboa has been a hotspot in the Boko Haram insurgency, often targeted because of its role as a major food supply route. Its control is also vital for military operations and humanitarian access in the region.

Drones in the desert: a tactical turning point

ISWAP’s deployment of drones represents a major departure from the insurgency’s guerrilla roots. While aerial surveillance has long been the domain of state forces, the group’s apparent mastery of drone warfare introduces a new dimension to Nigeria’s protracted conflict.

These devices offer real-time intelligence and enhance battlefield accuracy, especially in isolated or under-supported military camps. In Rann, witnesses spoke of a buzzing sound in the sky before the town fell, suggesting a calculated dismantling of defensive positions.

The Nigerian military responded with aerial bombardments, but sources suggest some jets may have targeted already-abandoned facilities, raising questions about the accuracy of ground-to-air coordination.

The economic engine behind ISWAP’s resurgence

What enables ISWAP to sustain this scale and frequency of operations? HumAngle, over the past months, has documented a systematic, robust and diversified funding model that includes ransom payments targeting high-profile travellers. Taxation and extortion in ISWAP-held areas are enforced through mobile courts and checkpoints.

Cross-border smuggling networks, particularly those that deal with fuel, arms, and food, frequently pass through Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. Spoils from raided military bases replenish weapons and supplies.

“ISWAP is no longer distracted by clashes with its rival Boko Haram faction,” a source closely monitoring the situation informed HumAngle. He said the group has diminished its rival and successfully recruited many of its fighters to join their ranks.

The terror group hosts dozens of foreign fighters in the Bosso region, with Abu Musab, ISWAP leader, increasingly assuming regional roles and responsibilities, strengthening its recruitment drive, facilitating investments in drone and communication technologies, and enabling the maintenance of supply chains even in challenging terrains.

New wave of mass displacement

As Borno State is shutting down Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the state capital, thousands of resettled displaced communities continue to flee their homes in Marte, Dikwa, Rann, and surrounding communities. Aid groups are bracing for a new wave of IDPs. 

Newly resettled displaced people from the Muna camp in Maiduguri, who arrived in Dikwa about a day before the attack, said they heard sporadic gunshots throughout the night, with the women having to run into the nearby forest areas for cover. Large groups of people are fleeing the town again, barely 72 hours after being resettled in the town. They also told HumAngle that there are no security officials there to guard them. 

“We hardly sleep,” one resident said. “We are constantly worried about when the insurgents will come again, especially with the gunshots we hear. Yesterday, we could only sleep around 3 a.m.”

“Some individuals are seeking refuge in Cameroon, while others are relocating to any available host communities, as there are currently no provisions for IDP camps, unlike the situation five to ten years ago,” stated a member of the Civilian JTF.

The constant withdrawal of soldiers from their strategic outposts and their capture has rattled the ranks and file. Troops now face an opponent that not only improvises but also innovates.