Iran hits US F-35 stealth fighter jet, destroys Israeli oil refinery with missile and threatens ‘zero restraint’ if energy sites are hit again as oil price soars: Live updates

An Israeli oil refinery has been struck by a missile after it came under attack from Iran.

Israeli media outlets have shared footage of black smoke billowing from oil facilities at Bazan in the port city of Haifa.

According to reports, there have been no casualties.

Israel’s military insists there is no major damage at the site and stressed the impact was caused by debris as a result of a missile interception.

It marks the latest retaliation from Tehran after Israel bombed Iran’s South Pars gas field, the world’s biggest gas facility, yesterday.

Iran warned attacks on its energy infrastructure were a ‘big mistake’ and warned any repeat would lead to strikes on ‘your energy infrastructure and that of your allies until their complete destruction.’

An American F-35 fighter jet has been forced to make an emergency landing in the Middle East after it came under attack from Iranian fire.

The plane was taking part in combat operations over Iran when it was struck and damaged, causing the pilot to land at a nearby US air base.

Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said the aircraft landed safely, and the incident is under investigation

‘The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,’ Hawkins added.

The incident marks the first time an American F-35 jet has been hit since the war began.

The US and Israel are flying F-35s across the region, which cost upwards of $100 million.

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Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has boasted Iran’s retaliation to an attack on the South Pars gas field showed a ‘fraction’ of its power.

Araghchi added Tehran has held off from further attacks because of requests for de-escalation but insisted ‘zero restraint’ would be shown if other sites are attacked.

It comes after Donald Trump threatened to ‘massively blow up’ the South Pars field if Iran continues to strikes more energy facilities across the Gulf.

Denmark reportedly prepared for a full-scale war with the US as Donald Trump threatened to invade Greenland.

Copenhagen flew bags of blood to Greenland and explosives to blow up runways in case of an American invasion.

Danish soldiers carried explosives to destroy runways in the capital Nuuk to prevent US aircrafts from landing there if war broke out.

Shortly after Donald Trumps election, Denmark reportedly sought political support from France, Germany, and Nordic neighbours to form a European alliance defending Greenland against US takeover.

‘When Trump keeps saying he wants to take over Greenland, and then what happened in Venezuela happened, we had to take all scenarios seriously,’ a source told Danish public broadcaster

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Iran has claimed it should not be expected to ‘show restraint’ until the US and Israel stop their attacks.

A spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry said: ‘You cannot expect the country that is defending itself against this act of aggression to show an olive branch to those who know no boundary in targeting your country.’

Esmaeil Baghaei said the ‘killing spree’ has to stop and claimed Iran is facing ‘unprecedented’ aggression.

‘They started this aggression they have to stop.’

Asked if there was a way out of the war, he told Sky: ‘Do you think it’s realistic to offer an olive branch to those who want to behead you? To those who know no boundary in targeting your country.

Iran’s women’s football team have been given a heroes welcome in Tehran days after they returned to the Islamic Republic.

Six players and one backroom staff member who travelled to Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup sought asylum earlier this month after they were accused of being ‘war time traitors’ by hardliners for their failure to sing the national anthem before their first match.

Five of them later changed their minds and returned home along with the rest of the team, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, with their fate sparking international concern amid the war against Israel and the United States.

Activists have accused Iranian authorities of pressuring the women’s families, including summoning their parents for interrogations, while Tehran has alleged that Australia sought to force the athletes to defect.

Thousands, many holding Iranian flags, turned out for the welcome ceremony on Thursday evening in Valiasr Square in central Tehran where other pro-government rallies have taken place in recent weeks.

‘My Choice. My Homeland, read a slogan on a giant billboard on the square that showed the players in their national kit and mandatory hijabs saluting the Iranian flag.

Flanked by the team members, Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj said on the stage that ‘what is certain is that these athletes are loyal to the homeland, flag, leader and revolution.’

Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, one of the most high-profile women in Iranian politics, told the team members: ‘All Iranians were waiting for you; welcome to Iran.’

Israel is unaware of who is currently running Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu says.

Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named the country’s new Supreme Leader has not been seen since his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes which started the war.

‘Im not sure who is running Iran right now,’ Netanyahu said.

‘Mojtaba, the replacement ayatollah, [has] not shown his face.’

Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel acted by itself on its attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field.

‘Israel acted alone against the gas compound,’ Netanyahu said.

‘President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we’re holding out.’

Trump threatened to ‘massively blow up’ the field but claimed he was not made aware of the Israeli attacks which sparked a wave of furious retaliatory strikes by Iran on Gulf sites.

Iran vowed to show ‘zero restraint’ if its energy infrastructure comes under attack again.

Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi boasted the regime’s retaliation to the attack on the gas field only showed a ‘fraction’ of its power.

Suggestions that Israel dragged Donald Trump into the war with Iran are ‘fake news’, Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed

Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, quit his role on Tuesday, accusing Israel of pressuring the US into a conflict he says was built on lies.

The Israeli PM said those allegations were ‘ridiculous’.

He claimed the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have aggressively pressed on with his nuclear programme, which he suggested would be used to target US cities including California and Texas.

Benjamin Netanyahu claims the Middle East has changed ‘beyond recognition’ and Iran is ‘weaker than ever’.

The Israeli Prime Minister added his country is ‘stronger than ever’.

‘We have brought our friend the US to a cooperation never seen in history,’ he said.

‘The great collaboration between myself and my good friend Trump is unprecedented.’

Netanyahu added: ‘It’ll take as much as it needs, as much as necessary’.

Benjamin Netanyahu claims Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium following 20 days of war.

At a press conference in Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister said the regime is also unable to produce ballistic missiles.

He claimed Israel has three objectives

1. To ‘completely annihilate’ Iran’s nuclear programme
2. To ‘completely annihilate’ Iran’s ballistic missile programme
3. To create conditions that allow Iranians to ‘take their fate in their own hands’

by Phillip Nieto, US Political Reporter

Iran’s military claimed a symbolic victory on Thursday as it aired footage purporting to show a US F-35 stealth fighter being struck by anti-aircraft artillery.

A black and white video shows what appears to be a US jet being hit by a missile before the footage abruptly ends. It would mark the first time an American F-35 has been successfully struck by enemy fire in combat.

US Central Command confirmed that the fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing while ‘flying a combat mission over Iran.’

‘The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,’Captain Tim Hawkins said.It is unclear if the pilot was injured.

Less than an hour later, Donald Trump told reporters that Iran’s anti-aircraft weaponry was eliminated, adding: ‘Nobody is even shooting at us.’

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