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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Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
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The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
