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Iran rapidly rebuilds missile sites, key infrastructure despite months of airstrikes: report

Iran is swiftly rebuilding war-damaged infrastructure, from underground missile bases and bridges to production facilities and ports, according to Israeli and Western officials and satellite imagery, a recent report said. The rapid pace of reconstruction has raised concerns among some Israeli officials, who say it underscores Iran's resilience despite months of intensive airstrikes, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Thursday. Satellite imagery from western Iran showed damaged tunnel entrances and access roads to a missile base in March, but images taken weeks later revealed newly paved roads and rebuilt entrances. In another example, Iranian crews repaired a bridge hit by Israeli strikes within days, according to an Israeli military official, raising questions among Israeli officials about the effectiveness of the attacks. Meanwhile, satellite imagery from early July showed partial reconstruction at an IRGC-linked shipyard in the Caspian Sea port of Ba...
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Over 43,000 evacuated as wildfires tear through France's major tourist destination

More than 43,000 residents and tourists have been evacuated as wildfires continue to spread in southwestern France, authorities said Friday, broadcaster BFM reported. The largest fire, near Arcachon Bay and the Cap-Ferret peninsula in Gironde, has burned more than 8,700 hectares, according to the prefecture. French authorities ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a tourism hotspot on the Atlantic Coast, sending boats to remove people from an area threatened by a major wildfire. The order for a total evacuation of the area, which is home to many valuable properties and is currently full of tourists enjoying their summer vacations in camp sites and rental homes, underlined the severity of the fire. Authorities also launched maritime evacuation shuttles from the peninsula Friday morning, while road evacuations continued via the D106 highway. Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, said on ...
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China braces for heavy rain as tropical storm Noul edges closer

China on Friday warned of heavy rain and severe flood risks as the third tropical cyclone this month tracked closer to the country's southern coast, where it is expected to intensify over the weekend. As of Friday morning, Noul was northeast of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, moving west-northwest at around 25 to 30 kilometres per hour (16 to 19 mph). The tropical storm is forecast to move within 800 kilometres (497 miles) of Hong Kong by Friday evening, according to the city’s observatory. The observatory said it would raise the city's lowest typhoon signal, 1, by 8:40pm (12:40 GMT) local time on Friday, and assess the need to raise the warning as Noul drew nearer. Read: In China, people brave simulated typhoons to prepare for the real thing Local winds are expected to strengthen gradually across southern coastal areas, with squally showers intensifying through Saturday. ...
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What is Pickaxe Mountain, the Iranian nuclear-linked site threatened by Trump?

US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack a site linked to Iran's nuclear programme known as Pickaxe Mountain (Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La in Persian), a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran's main nuclear sites. The threat reflects escalating tensions as Tehran and Washington trade fire in the Gulf, setting back efforts to end the conflict. Here is what we know about Pickaxe Mountain: What is Pickaxe Mountain? Pickaxe Mountain is located 220 kilometres south of Tehran and 2km from the Natanz nuclear complex. The Natanz site, where two of Iran's uranium enrichment plants were located, was bombed during the war started by the United States and Israel on February 28, and during last year's 12-day war. The tunnel facility under construction at Pickaxe Mountain was not targeted in either of those wars, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a US-based think-tank focused on nuclear non-proliferation....
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Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role

Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted US intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or ​advanced drone technology, said four people familiar with US intelligence. These people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters, said US intelligence officials have ‌not yet reached firm conclusions about the possible Russian involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities. But they cited the strikes' effectiveness and apparent precision, as well as Russia's broader technical support for Iran, as possible evidence. Reuters and other media have reported — and US officials have acknowledged — that Russia has provided targeting and other support for Iran in its strikes on US targets in the Gulf region generally, but the intelligence community's investigation of ​possible Russian involvement in supporting the CIA facility attacks has ...
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Israelis fear Saudi nuclear deal could ignite Mideast arms race

A deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia allowing the kingdom to build nuclear reactors using American technology and to enrich ​uranium has fuelled fears in Israel of the start of an arms race ‌in the Middle East. The agreement, which still needs Congressional approval, that was announced on Wednesday and is meant to allow the Saudis to develop a civilian nuclear programme. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ​defence and foreign ministers have so far not commented on the deal, ​which critics say compromises Israel's long-term security interests. "The nuclear agreement that ⁠is coming together with Saudi Arabia, over Israel’s head, is a serious strategic ​failure that endangers our security," said former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is seeking ​to unseat Netanyahu in an October 27 election. "Nuclear enrichment on Saudi soil could lead to a regional nuclear race and a dangerous loss of control." Former def...
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Around 1,300 Israeli occupiers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem

Around 1,300 Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday morning as they marked the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, commemorating what they call the “destruction of the Temple,” according to the Jerusalem Governorate. The governorate said on Meta that Israeli police allowed the number of occupiers entering the compound in each group to increase to around 150. Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque’s gates and around Jerusalem’s Old City, deploying heavily across its courtyards and preventing Palestinian worshippers from entering, it added. Only a very limited number of Palestinians managed to reach the mosque for dawn prayers before Israeli forces assaulted several worshippers and other residents, the statement said. The governorate said occupiers “performed Talmudic rituals during the incursions, including wearing tefillin, carrying out full prostrations in the eastern section o...
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