08/04/2026

WEDNESDAY | APR 8, 2026

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Iran defiant on eve of Trump ceasefire deadline

STRIKES DESTROY TEHRAN SYNAGOGUE TEHRAN: Israeli strikes yesterday destroyed a synagogue in Tehran. “The Rafi-Nia Synagogue was destroyed,” Shargh newspaper reported. Judaism is one of Iran’s legally recognised minority religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution. There are no publicly available official numbers, but there are thought to be a few thousand Jewish people in Iran. Shargh called the synagogue“one of the most important places for Khorasan Jews to gather and celebrate”, referring to the northeastern province of Iran. Shia Islam is the majority religion in Iran, but the constitution recognises Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity as minority sects, with each represented in parliament. – AFP U.S. LEADERSHIP ON THE LINE ROME: The Iran war has put US global leadership on the line, Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said, expressing fear of nuclear escalation. “This war is also putting the United States at risk in its global leadership,” Crosetto said. “It was human beings like us who decided that even Hiroshima and Nagasaki were acceptable to end a conflict. Unfortunately, we still possess nuclear weapons, and those who do not have them are seeking to acquire them. We have learnt nothing. The risk is madness, and what we are experiencing is a conflict in which every action triggers a reaction. He said Trump should have braver advisers. “One problem of this presidency is that no one dares contradict the boss.” – Reuters DETAINED JAPANESE JOURNO OUT ON BAIL TOKYO: A Japanese journalist, who had been detained by Iran since January, was released but cannot leave the country. The Tehran bureau chief of public broadcaster NHK has been charged with security-related offences and is expected to stand trial. The bureau chief is the second to be released after the government announced last month that two Japanese citizens had been detained. The first detainee returned home on March 22. Government spokesman Minoru Kihara said yesterday that the second person was released on bail on Monday, without providing the name of the individual. – Bernama FRENCH TGV COLLIDES WITH TRUCK LILLE: The driver of a high-speed TGV train was killed and 27 people injured in France yesterday when the train collided with a truck, officials said. The accident occurred at a level crossing between the towns of Bethune and Lens. “I am heading to the scene with the chief executive of the SNCF, Jean Castex,” Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said on X. Rail operator SNCF said rail services would be suspended between Bethune and Lens. In France, serious accidents involving high speed rail lines are rare compared with traditional railways. – AFP

BR I E F S

The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions, and reconstruction, IRNA news agency reported. On Monday, Trump said “the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night”. He vowed to destroy Iranian power plants and infrastructure if Tehran refused to agree before the deadline. Without a deal, Trump said “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” by midnight EDT on Wednesday (Thursday, noon in Malaysia) and “every power plant in Iran will be out of business”. Early yesterday, the Israeli military said it had completed a

other areas. It was operating air defence systems to intercept missiles launched from Iran. Israel also issued an advisory urging Iranians to avoid trains and stay away from railways. “Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life,” the military posted on its Persian language account on X. Saudi Arabia intercepted ballistic missiles heading towards its eastern region with debris falling near energy facilities, its Defence Ministry said without specifying who launched the projectiles. The kingdom has come under attack from hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb 28, most of which were taken down, authorities have said. Bahra i n , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab

Emirates issued public safety alerts yesterday, while the bridge that connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain was briefly closed as a precautionary measure following warning alerts. With civilian infrastructure under attack across the region, Trump has brushed off questions that his vow to wipe out Iranian power plants would constitute war crimes, saying he was “not at all” concerned about the prospect. “I hope I don’t have to do it,” he said. Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said on Monday Trump’s threat to strike was “direct incitement to terrorism and provide clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law.” Its top military command said Trump was “delusional”. Deputy Sports Minister Alireza Rahimi has called on artistes and athletes to form human chains at power plants. “We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime.” – Reuters

o Pakistani mediation efforts at critical stage DUBAI: Iran and Israel traded attacks yesterday as Tehran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept a ceasefire deal on the eve of a deadline set by President Donald Trump to agree to his demands or get “taken out”. But in what could be a sign of progress, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan said “positive and productive endeavours” by Islamabad to mediate an end to the war were “approaching a critical, sensitive stage”. Iran has rejected a US proposal brokered by Pakistan for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of its effective blockade of the strait, followed by talks on a broader peace settlement within 15 to 20 days, according to a source aware of the plan.

wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran and

Israeli airstrike kills at least 10 near Gaza school least 10 people and wounding several others, they said. video that they killed some five Hamas members. There was no immediate Palestinians console each other following an Israeli strike outside a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza. – REUTERSPIC

GAZA: An Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people and wounded several others outside a school housing displaced Palestinians on Monday, health officials said, the latest violence to overshadow the fragile US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal. Before the strikes, some Palestinians had clashed with members of an Israeli-backed militia, who they said attacked the school in an attempt to abduct some people, medics and residents said. In the midst of the clashes, east of the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli drones fired two missiles into the area, killing at

The Israeli military said they fired at the “unmarked vehicle”, which continued to accelerate towards troops despite “warning shots”. World Health Organisations chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a contractor in Gaza was killed during a security incident, prompting the organisation to suspend medical evacuations from Gaza via Rafah to Egypt until further notice. The Israeli military said two local employees of WHO were injured and that the incident was under review. WHO said that two of its staff members were present but were not injured in the incident. – Reuters

It was not clear how many civilians had been killed in the strikes, which hit a closely packed neighbourhood of mostly displaced Palestinians. Eyewitness Ahmed al-Maghazi said their area was attacked by members of the Israeli-backed militia who operate in the territory next to where the Israeli forces are in control, before the militia opened fire. “The residents tried to defend their homes but the occupation forces targeted them directly,”he said. Later on Monday, a leader of one of the Israeli-backed militias said in a

comment from Hamas, which brands those groups that operate in areas under Israeli control as “Israeli collaborators”. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed one Palestinian and wounded a child as they travelled on a motorcycle in Gaza City, medics said. Medics said that Israeli forces killed another Palestinian when they opened fire on a vehicle in central Gaza, taking Monday’s death toll to at least 12.