Iran will pay 'very heavy price' for targeting Israeli civilians: Israeli PM Netanyahu
Jerusalem, Jun 15 (PTI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned that Iran will pay a “very heavy price” for targeting civilians in Israel.
He made the comments while visiting the site of an early morning Iranian missile strike in the city of Bat Yam, close to Tel Aviv. At least seven people were killed and several dozen others wounded in the strike.
“Iran will pay a very heavy price for the murder of civilians - women, children — that it carried out deliberately. We will achieve our objectives, and we will strike them with overwhelming force," the Prime Minister's Office quoted Netanyahu as saying.
Israel launched Operation Rising Lion early Friday, targeting Iran's nuclear, missile and military infrastructure. Iran later launched retaliatory strikes on Israel, which has threatened even greater force after some Iranian missiles struck buildings in the heart of the country.
In a separate incident, four people were killed in the northern Arab town of Tamra, raising the death toll to 14 since Israel launched the operation, which it says aims to deny Iran achieving nuclear capabilities and to foil its missile development programme.
Several dozen people were injured in an attack on the city of Rehovot, but there were no fatalities.
“We are here because we are in an existential battle — one that is now clear to every citizen of Israel. Think about what would happen if Iran had a nuclear weapon to drop on Israel’s cities,” Netanyahu said.
“Think about what would happen if Iran had 20,000 missiles like this one — not one, but 20,000. That is an existential threat to Israel. That is why we launched a war of salvation against a double threat of annihilation, and we are doing so with strength. Our soldiers, our pilots, are above the skies of Iran,” he added.
He advised citizens to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command during Iranian missile attacks.
Meanwhile, at a press conference, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said that more Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel are expected in the coming days.
“Challenging days are ahead. There will be more launches and impacts in the coming days,” Defrin said, adding that the Israeli Air Force is “not stopping striking (in Iran) for a moment”.
“Even at this hour, we are striking dozens of targets in Tehran. We are deepening the damage to (Iran's) nuclear programme and military capabilities, to disrupt and reduce the risk to the home front,” the IDF spokesperson said.
In a post on X, the IDF said that contrary to Iran, which it said is targeting the civilian population, Israel has been trying not to harm the Iranian population.
"This is the message we spread to Iranian citizens. While Iran chooses to strike without warning, we choose to warn innocent people even if it means giving up the element of surprise. We warn them, in Persian, across many channels," the IDF wrote. "Because human life comes first to us. That’s the difference between us and our enemy," it added.
Official sources in Israel said that 270 missiles have been fired by Iran since Friday, impacting 22 sites, killing 13 people, including three minors and 10 adults, and injuring 390 people.
Among the injured, nine are in serious condition, 30 in moderate condition and 351 have minor injuries, they said.
Iran has also fired more than a hundred drones since Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on June 13.
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Women''s Bill: Stalin says proposal amid polls raises suspicion; backs 33 per cent reservation
Chennai (PTI): Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged that the proposed amendment to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the midst of polls in states including Tamil Nadu appeared to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives.
Stalin alleged the timing for the proposed amendment led to serious suspicion.
"Why push such a far-reaching decision in the middle of state elections. This appears to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives, much like earlier attempts to influence women voters ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections," he alleged in a statement titled "This is not reform, this is reengineering power."
Further, he said: "Let me be unequivocal: we strongly support 33 per cent reservation for women. Our support is absolute. But it must be implemented without increasing seats and without punishing states that acted responsibly. If the intent is genuine, nothing prevents immediate implementation within the existing framework."
Demanding fair delimitation, he alleged there was complete opacity on the basis for delimitation and asked would the exercise rely on 1971 figures from a pre–population control era or the 2021 Census. "Conflicting signals and vague assurances only deepen suspicion." This move would also impose a massive financial burden on states, forcing them to expand or rebuild Legislative Assemblies, all without proper consultation.
"This is a direct assault on cooperative federalism. This is not reform, it is a unilateral, politically driven exercise designed to concentrate power, weaken Parliament, marginalise the South, and undermine social justice," he alleged. "The nation deserves answers: why this undue haste, why shift the goalposts, and who truly stands to benefit."
The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is systematically eroding the very foundations of Parliament, he alleged.
The Dravidian party chief claimed: "What should be a vibrant forum for debate and accountability is being reduced to a hollow ritual, a stage where members may not even get fair time to speak or represent their people. This proposal to increase seats is a direct contradiction of their own slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. It will only inflate expenditure, burden taxpayers, and dilute the quality of parliamentary functioning."
This also went against the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines India as a Union of States. Ignoring the voices of states and bypassing meaningful consultation is not democratic - it is unitary overreach that undermines the country's federal and plural character.
More alarmingly, this exercise will blatantly skew representation and tilt the balance of power in favour of northern states dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while silencing the voice of south India, he claimed.
"As forcefully pointed out by veteran leader Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM), this is not a neutral exercise; it is a calculated political restructuring. Northern states stand to gain nearly double the (Parliamentary) seats, while the South’s share stagnates at around 24 per cent. This is nothing short of penalising states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Telangana for their success in population control."
Chief Ministers across the South, including Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan and A Revanth Reddy have rightly warned that this move will distort federalism and concentrate power in a few regions, the DMK president alleged.
PM Modi said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Women Reservation Act are not just a legislative exercise but a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India and urged all MPs to come together to support this significant move.
He had last week announced an extension of the Budget session of Parliament by three days, from April 16 to 18, so that the Women's Reservation Act can be amended for its implementation from 2029.
