Trump says he would bomb Iran again if provoked
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he would consider ordering another military strike against Iran if the country intensifies its nuclear activities.
"Without a question. Absolutely," Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room.
Trump also confirmed that his administration has dropped a plan to ease sanctions on Iran, which had previously been discussed as part of a potential diplomatic opening.
Later Friday, the U.S. Senate voted against a resolution that would have limited the president's authority to launch further military action against Iran without congressional approval.
13 killed, 29 others injured in terror attack in NW Pakistan
At least 13 soldiers were killed and 29 others, including 19 civilians, injured in a terror attack on Saturday in North Waziristan district of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, security sources told Xinhua.
According to the security sources, a terrorist group attacked a military unit that was on its bomb disposal duties in the Khadi Market of the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.
The suicide bomber rammed an explosive vehicle into a vehicle of the bomb-disposal unit, followed by indiscriminate firing by the terrorists at the security personnel, leaving 13 soldiers dead and 10 others injured.
The indiscriminate firing also caused injuries to 19 civilians, including women and children, in the area.
2 killed, 1 injured in Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon
Two people were killed and one injured on Saturday evening in an Israeli drone strike on the town of Mahrouna in southern Lebanon, according to a Lebanese security source and official media.
The security source, speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, said the strike targeted a man riding a motorcycle, killing him on the spot. A woman in a passing vehicle was also killed, while her husband, who was in the same vehicle, was injured.
The source identified the man on the motorcycle as Abbas Wahbi, a Hezbollah member from Mahrouna. The woman was identified as a resident of the village of Jwaya in southern Lebanon.
The incident occurred despite a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, brokered by the United States and France, which has been in place since Nov. 27, 2024. The deal was intended to end more than a year of cross-border clashes triggered by the war in the Gaza Strip.
Iran's FM urges Trump to stop "disrespectful tone" towards Iranian top leader
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said early Saturday that if U.S. President Donald Trump is sincere about seeking to reach an agreement with Tehran, he should put aside his "disrespectful tone" towards the Iranian supreme leader.
He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X while condemning the U.S. president's several instances of using "disrespectful" language when speaking about Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
"If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran's Supreme Leader ... and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers," he said, noting that "good will begets good will, and respect begets respect."
"The complexity and tenacity of Iranians is famously known in our magnificent carpets, woven through countless hours of hard work and patience," he stressed, adding that however, "as a people, our basic premise is very simple and straightforward: we know our worth, value our independence, and never allow anyone else to decide our destiny."
4 giant pandas at western Japan zoo depart for China
Four giant pandas in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama departed for China on Saturday.
The giant pandas, 24-year-old Rauhin and her three daughters, eight-year-old Yuihin, six-year-old Saihin and four-year-old Fuhin, left Adventure World amusement park in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China's Sichuan Province.
Early in the morning, park staff waved flags to bid farewell to the giant pandas, while many fans, wearing T-shirts with pictures of the four giant pandas on them, waited at the intersection outside the park to wave goodbye when the pandas' transport truck passed by.
The zoo's director Koji Imazu said in an interview with the media that although the giant pandas have left, the amusement park still hopes to retain the panda element as an important part of attracting visitors.■
