Missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday trigger air raid sirens across large parts of Israel, with the military saying it was \u201coperating to intercept the threat\u201d
\nHundreds of stranded Irish citizens expected to board a flight from UAE to Dublin
\nTorpedo from US submarine sinks Iranian warship
\nSuccessor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is close to being chosen
\nIranians to bid farewell to late \u200bsupreme leader Ayatollah Ali \u200bKhamenei in a \u2060ceremony on Wednesday \u200cat \u200c10\u200bpm (6:30pm Irish time)<\/p>\n
A US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka\u2019s navy said on Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies<\/a> and rescued 32 people.<\/p>\n The Iranian vessel that was sunk in the Indian Ocean was the Islamic Republic\u2019s \u201cprize ship\u201d, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon news briefing.<\/p>\n Hegseth said it was the first sinking of an enemy ship with a torpedo by the US since the Second World War.<\/p>\n Sri Lanka\u2019s foreign minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that its navy received information that the Iris Dena, with 180 people on board, was in distress and sinking.<\/p>\n The Israeli air force says it has dropped 5,000 bombs on Iran in its current military operation, which began on Saturday, The Irish Times reports.<\/p>\n In a statement posted on X, it said: \u201cIsraeli air force fighter jets continue to deepen their air superiority throughout Iran, with an emphasis on the Tehran area.\u201d<\/p>\n Accompanying the message was a video, which the Israeli military said was footage of a missile strike on an Iranian air defence system in Tehran.<\/p>\n Defence secretary Pete Hegseth says a torpedo<\/a> from a US submarine sank an Iranian warship.<\/p>\n In a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, Mr Hegseth said that the Tuesday night strike on an Iranian warship was the first such attack on an enemy since the Second World War.<\/p>\n \u201cAn American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,\u201d Mr Hegseth said.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead, it was sunk by a torpedo.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking in Brussels, Barry Andrews MEP said Israel must ensure the safety of the 300 Irish troops in South Lebanon.<\/p>\n “Nearly 300 Irish troops in south Lebanon as part of the UNIFIL mission are now in clear danger,” he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF seems out of control, demanding that all Lebanese residents leave the area or risk their lives. The Israeli government must ensure the safety of all UN troops in south Lebanon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe EU must hold Israel accountable for any threats to their safety. All sides must adhere to UN resolution 1701 and deescalate immediately.”<\/p>\n An Emirates flight – carrying residents of Dubai – is taking off from Dublin this afternoon.<\/p>\n Another Emirates flight, carrying around 400 people, including Irish holidaymakers, is set to land here at 10:15pm tonight.<\/p>\n Dublin Airport spokesperson Graeme McQueen said the outlook for the coming days remains uncertain though.<\/p>\n “I know the airlines are working very hard to accommodate passengers as much as they can so two flights today – one out and one in – that’s progress,” he said.<\/p>\n “I would hate to say we can be guaranteeing anything for the days ahead.”<\/p>\n The Government has announced it is chartering a flight from Oman to bring around 280 Irish people home from the Middle East later this week – with the most vulnerable to being prioritised.<\/p>\n Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said her department will ensure everyone who wants to get home can get home.<\/p>\n “This is a very uncertain enviromemt to be in. It’s very frightening for people.<\/p>\n “I mean, they want to get home to their children…there are people with health conditions and reasons that they have to get home.”<\/p>\n The death toll<\/a> in Iran from the ongoing war with the United States and Israel has reached at least 1,045 people, an Iranian government agency said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs offered the toll, saying it represented the number of bodies so far identified and prepared for burial.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the United States and Israel hit Tehran and other cities in multiple airstrikes, the fifth day of the war with Iran.<\/p>\n Israel targeted the Iranian leadership and security forces as the Islamic Republic responded with missile barrages and drone attacks on Israel and across the region.<\/p>\n US president Trump has said his military is doing “a fantastic job”, and is warning of more intense strikes to come.<\/p>\n Former US national security official, Javed Ali, said: “Because the regime is in tact, so politically, and because the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), despite the fact they’ve lost dozens if not more senior leaders, as an opeartional organisation, they are still in the fight and this will probably continue for the next several days.”<\/p>\n