The Israeli military said on Monday it had gained control of airspace over Tehran and destroyed a third of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launch pads.The casualties mounted on the fourth day of the conflict between the two regional powers.Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said that more than 50 Israeli fighter jets and precision missiles were involved in the strikes overnight.

This was targeted and destroyed over 120 Iranian launch pads. Missile depots and production facilities were also hit, he said.According to Defrin, Iran launched 65 missiles and dozens of drones at Israel overnight apparently only about half of what Iran’s military had intended to fire.“We thwarted a significant portion of the planned attack.“We can now say that we have achieved full air superiority in the skies over Tehran,’’ he said.He added that Israeli forces were continuing to target units actively attempting to launch missiles or engage Israeli aircraft.Since Friday, Israel has carried out widespread strikes on Iranian territory, including nuclear sites, defence installations, urban targets, and oil and gas infrastructure.According to the military, the attacks have also killed several high-ranking officers and nuclear scientists.Defrin reiterated that the operation’s central aim is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.He said strikes would now expand further east into Iran.“We still have difficult days ahead,but we will get through them together and emerge victorious,” he said.Iranian strikes kill eightIsrael’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday promised harsh retaliation against Tehran following a fresh wave of deadly Iranian rocket attacks on Israeli cities overnight.Iran had carried out targeted shots at the civilian home front in Israel, he said, adding that “residents of Tehran will pay the price and soon.’’According to emergency services, eight people were killed and 92 injured in the overnight attacks.The total number of fatalities in Israel since Friday now stands at 23.Emergency officials reported four strikes in the Tel Aviv area.U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the embassy’s branch office in Tel Aviv sustained “minor damage from concussions’’ caused by a nearby impact, but no injuries were reported.Iran casualties mountAt least 224 people have been killed in Iran since the Israeli attacks began last week, the Health Ministry said.Some 1,277 had been injured, a ministry official wrote on X on Sunday. More than 90 per cent of the casualties were civilians, the spokesman said.Iranian media reported that an Israeli strike hit a hospital in the western city of Kermanshah, with a video from the Shargh newspaper showing a damaged intensive care unit and a blood-stained bed.An Israeli army spokesman said the reports are under investigation.Under international humanitarian law, hospitals are protected civilian sites and may only be targeted if clearly used for military purposes. (dpa/NAN)

 For the first time in years, a passenger plane from the European Union landed in Damascus on Monday.

The Dan Air flight from Bucharest arrived in the morning with 138 passengers on board, according to a representative of the airline in Syria Mohammed al- Raz.

Mohammed al- Raz, said that the flight carrying 138 passengers, including Syrians and foreigners, and that the flight would take off from Damascus to Bucharest with 125 passengers.

This marks the first commercial flight by a European Union-based airline to Syria since early 2012, when EU airlines suspended operations due to escalating unrest and the closure of European embassies in Syria.

Starting in July, it would also be possible to travel from Berlin to Damascus with a connecting flight, according to the airline’s booking form.

Additional connections from Frankfurt and Stockholm would reportedly follow.

“Dan Air is reopening the door to trade relations with Syria,” Dan Air boss Matt Ian David said in a statement.

Dan Air is a small budget airline from Romania that currently operates only three aircraft.

According to a media report, the route between Bucharest and Damascus is to be served four times a week. (dpa/NAN)

U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his tough stance on immigration, demanding a sweeping expansion of arrests and deportations by federal agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, the Republican president called on ICE and other agencies to do all in their power to carry out what he described as the single largest Mass Deportation Programme in History.

Trump specifically targeted Democrat-led cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, urging the federal agents to step up enforcement efforts.

The president’s hard-line approach has sparked widespread protests across several U.S.

cities.

Demonstrations in the U.S intensified recently after Trump deployed National Guard troops and marines to Los Angeles, a move strongly opposed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prominent Democrat and potential 2028 presidential contender.

Mass deportations were a central promise during Trump’s election campaign, and since taking office, his administration has staged raids accompanied by press releases, photographs and regular updates on deportations to showcase their efforts.

An estimated 11 million people currently live in the U.S. without valid papers.

Many work in sectors vital to the economy, such as agriculture, construction and hospitality.

Against this backdrop, Trump has recently made a notable adjustment.

Earlier on Thursday, he suggested exempting the agriculture and hotel industries from the immigration crackdown.

“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The New York Times reported, citing government officials, that the change came after Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins called Trump and told him of growing concern among farm owners.(dpa/NAN)

U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his tough stance on immigration, demanding a sweeping expansion of arrests and deportations by federal agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, the Republican president called on ICE and other agencies to do all in their power to carry out what he described as the single largest Mass Deportation Programme in History.

Trump specifically targeted Democrat-led cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, urging the federal agents to step up enforcement efforts.

The president’s hard-line approach has sparked widespread protests across several U.S. cities.

Demonstrations in the U.S intensified recently after Trump deployed National Guard troops and marines to Los Angeles, a move strongly opposed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prominent Democrat and potential 2028 presidential contender.

Mass deportations were a central promise during Trump’s election campaign, and since taking office, his administration has staged raids accompanied by press releases, photographs and regular updates on deportations to showcase their efforts.

An estimated 11 million people currently live in the U.S. without valid papers.

Many work in sectors vital to the economy, such as agriculture, construction and hospitality.

Against this backdrop, Trump has recently made a notable adjustment.

Earlier on Thursday, he suggested exempting the agriculture and hotel industries from the immigration crackdown.

“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The New York Times reported, citing government officials, that the change came after Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins called Trump and told him of growing concern among farm owners.(dpa/NAN)