Reported from the source

Quick summary: The first German evacuation flight carrying over 250 citizens from the Gulf region has landed in Frankfurt, as the conflict involving Iran intensifies. This comes amidst Iran’s announcement of retaliation for the sinking of its frigate ‘Dena’ by a US submarine, and Israel’s reported ‘large-scale’ attacks on Tehran. Meanwhile, the US Senate rejected a resolution to give Congress more oversight on military action against Iran.

The first German evacuation flight, operated by Lufthansa, has landed in Frankfurt am Main, bringing more than 250 German citizens from the Gulf region. The passengers, selected by the German government with a focus on vulnerable groups such as pregnant individuals, the sick, and children, were initially stranded due to the US attack on Iran and transported overland to Muscat, Oman, from where the flight departed. Amidst these evacuations, Iran has vowed retaliation for the sinking of its frigate ‘Dena’ in international waters off Sri Lanka. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi stated that the US would “bitterly regret” the incident, which reportedly involved a US submarine and resulted in the deaths of dozens of Iranian sailors. Concurrently, the Israeli military announced a series of “large-scale” attacks on the infrastructure of the Iranian regime in Tehran, with Iranian news agencies reporting explosions and the activation of defense systems in the capital. In the United States, the Senate voted against a resolution that would have granted Congress more say in military actions against Iran, with the measure failing by a vote of 47 to 53. Other nations are also taking steps to evacuate their citizens. Australia has deployed two military aircraft to the Middle East for emergency evacuation planning, while New Zealand plans to send two military planes for its approximately 3,000 citizens in the region. Canada is organizing the departure of over 2,000 of its citizens, utilizing commercial flights, charters, and ground transport. Further regional developments include Iran denying it attacked Turkey, despite NATO forces intercepting a ballistic missile heading towards Turkish territory. Iran also claimed renewed attacks on Kurdish groups in neighboring Iraq. A tanker was damaged and began leaking after an explosion off the coast of Kuwait, with the crew reported safe. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not rule out his country’s involvement in the conflict, stating Canada would stand with its allies. The Israeli government claims to have achieved “historic successes” in the war against Iran, citing Iran’s nuclear program and alleged plans to attack Israeli and American forces. US President Donald Trump also expressed satisfaction with the conflict’s progress. On the humanitarian front, the head of the UN migration agency (IOM) warned Europe of a potential migration crisis, drawing parallels to the situation in Ukraine. However, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner reported no major movements at Iran’s borders, with Turkey assuring it had closed its borders with Iran. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have attacked Hezbollah positions in Beirut, targeting the pro-Iranian militia’s infrastructure in response to rocket fire on Israel following the killing of Iran’s head of state. An expert noted that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is well-connected with the Revolutionary Guards but “hated by large parts of the population” and is not expected to be open to compromises.

Source: www.tagesschau.de