'Tehran will burn' if Iran continues firing missiles: Israeli Defence Minister
Jerusalem, Jun 14 (PTI): Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned Iran that “Tehran will burn” if it continues firing missiles at Israel as tensions escalated between the two nations.
His comments came after Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel following Israel's attack on Iran’s nuclear, missile and military complex.
“The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and creating a reality in which they, especially the residents of Tehran, will pay a heavy price for the criminal attack on Israeli civilians,” Katz said during a situation assessment with Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Mossad director David Barnea, and other top military officials.
“If (Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn,” the Israeli defence minister asserted.
Israel has so far kept its attacks limited to Iranian nuclear and military installations and has targeted key officials attached to them.
Iran has fired some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in several barrages since last night, the IDF said.
Most of the missiles were intercepted by air defences, it claimed.
Around 25%, less than 50, were not intercepted “according to protocol” allowing them to strike open areas without causing damage to any critical infrastructure.
A “small number” of missiles made it through air defences and caused casualties and damage, including in residential areas in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rishon Lezion in central Israel, the Army said.
Three Israelis are said to have been killed and some 70 others wounded in the Iranian missile attacks.
The IDF said that all of its bases, including air bases, are operating as usual with no harm to their functionality.
Several drones fired at Israel overnight, in addition to the 100 fired on Friday, were shot down by the Israeli Air Force and Navy.
Meanwhile, Zamir and Israeli Air Force chief, Tomer Bar, have said that “the way to Tehran has been paved”, stressing that the Israeli jets can now freely operate in the Iranian capital.
“According to the plans, air force fighter jets will begin to carry out strikes on targets in Tehran,” the Israeli army said.
The statement follows the Israeli Army's claim last night that its jets struck air defence systems in Tehran, enabling the military more freedom of aerial action above the Islamic Republic's capital.
"The strikes over the skies of Tehran have operational and national significance. We chose to act in the face of an existential threat to the security of our citizens, with professionalism, determination and precision," Bar was quoted on the IDF's social media handle on X as saying.
Dozens of (Israeli) Air Force fighter jets attacked dozens of targets in Tehran overnight, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of an effort to dismantle the Iranian regime's air defence capabilities in the Tehran area, the IDF said.
"After a powerful day in which we attacked hundreds of targets, including dozens of anti-aircraft targets, we carried out a wave of precise attacks of operational and national significance over the skies of Tehran, which improves our air superiority and freedom of action in Iran," Bar was quoted as saying.
"For the first time since the beginning of the war, dozens of Air Force fighter jets flew over the skies of Tehran, more than 1,500 kilometres from the territory of the State of Israel, and attacked defence systems in the Tehran area," he emphasised.
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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.
