Talk of the Town
(LONDON) — Israel is considering taking military action against Iran in the coming days, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
The sources were not aware of a specific U.S. role in an Israeli strike on Iran, though it is possible the U.S. could play a logistical role and share intelligence with Israel that could be used for such a strike.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(KYIV, Ukraine) — Massive overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv killed 15 people, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow launched hundreds of drones and missiles at targets across the country.
The strikes wounded at least 177 others in the Ukrainian capital, according to officials. A United States citizen was among the 15 killed, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Nearly 150 residential buildings were damaged in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said, with search and rescue efforts ongoing.
“Rescuers and police officers continue to work at the sites where residential infrastructure was hit,” Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. “The rescue operation is ongoing at two locations in Kyiv. There are still people trapped under the rubble, so the work will not stop until everyone is found.”
At a residential building in the Solomianskyi district, “an entire entrance collapsed,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in an update on Telegram.
The mayor posted a video to Telegram showing what he said were Russian cluster munitions found at one of the impact sites in the capital. Klitschko later declared Wednesday a day of mourning for the victims of the attack.
Ukraine’s air force said in a post to Telegram that the attack consisted of 440 drones and 32 missiles — of which 402 drones and 26 missiles were shot down or otherwise neutralized. The air force reported impacts in 10 locations and downed debris in 34 locations. The attack is believed to have been one of the largest on the capital in several months.
Kyiv bore the brunt of the strikes, Zelenskyy said, with impacts also reported in Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv.
At least two people were killed and 18 injured in Odesa, according to officials. The deceased were recovered from under rubble, Klymenko said.
“Such attacks are pure terrorism,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “And the whole world, the U.S. and Europe must finally react the way a civilized society reacts to terrorists.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy said, “is doing this solely because he can afford to continue the war. He wants the war to continue. It is bad when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to this. We are contacting all partners at all possible levels to ensure an appropriate response. It is the terrorists who should feel the pain, not normal, peaceful people.”
The attacks came as G7 leaders gathered in Canada, where Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine is one of several key topics of discussion. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that Russia — previously a member of the group when it was known as the G8 — should not have been expelled from the bloc in 2014 after its invasion and annexation of Crimea.
Putin “sends a signal of total disrespect to the United States and other partners who have called for an end to the killing,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. “Putin’s goal is very simple: make the G7 leaders appear weak. Only strong steps and real pressure on Moscow can prove him wrong.”
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
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(TOKYO) – -A U.S. CV-22 Osprey made what Japanese officials called an emergency landing Thursday at Hanamaki Airport in northeastern Japan, about 300 miles north of Tokyo.
Airport officials say the tilt-rotor aircraft touched down safely after reporting a mechanical issue mid-flight. The U.S. Air Force said the craft made a “precautionary landing” during a flight from Misawa Air Base to its home base, Yokota Air Base.
No injuries were reported. Operations for commercial flights continued as normal. Video from Japanese broadcaster NHK shows the aircraft taxiing to the apron where uniformed personnel could be seen on top of the aircraft, near the center, inspecting the aircraft.
Japan’s Defense Ministry says it has dispatched staff to the site and is in contact with U.S. forces.
The landing came six days after another U.S. Osprey set down in Akita Prefecture for a safety inspection, according to Japanese officials. That aircraft remained on the ground for over seven hours.
A U.S. military public affairs officer described the Thursday incident as a “precautionary landing.” The V-22 Osprey has been involved in several incidents in recent years, including a crash off Yakushima, in southern Japan, in 2023 that killed eight and grounded the fleet for months.
Cullen Drenkhahn, a 1st lieutenant serving as a public affairs advisor for the 353d Special Operations Wing Kadena AB, told ABC News, “I can confirm a U.S. CV-22 Osprey conducted a precautionary landing today at Iwate Hanamaki Airport at 9:45 a.m.”
“The landing was executed safely and in accordance with policies. An assessment is ongoing to gather additional information. No injuries or damages occurred. There were no interruptions to airport operations,” Drenkhahn said. “The aircraft is assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing and was flying from Misawa Air Base to its home base, Yokota Air Base.
He added, “No further information at this time. the safety of our pilots and aircrew, as well as the men and women of Japan is our foremost priority.”
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(LONDON) — A Russian drone hit a civilian minibus in Bilopillia, northeastern Ukraine early Saturday morning local time, killing nine people and injuring four others, according to the Sumy regional military administration.
The bus was en route to Sumy, not far from the Russian border and was struck at approximately 6:17 a.m.
Ukrainian national police condemned the attack as a “cynical war crime”, stating that Russia once again deliberately targeted a civilian object, violating international humanitarian law as regional governor Oleh Hryhorov called the strike “inhumane.”
The attack occurred just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since March 2022 in Istanbul. While the negotiations did not produce a ceasefire, both sides agreed to a mutual exchange of 1000 prisoners of war in the coming days.
Russia has not directly commented on the civilian bus strike, but the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have hit a “military staging area” in the Sumy region.
Meanwhile, Russian official Kirill Dmitriev praised yesterday’s peace talks in Istanbul — calling the outcome a “good result” –while highlighting the largest prisoner-of-war exchange, possible ceasefire options and a better understanding of each side’s position.
He credited the progress to Donald Trump’s team and the U.S. delegation sent to help negotiations, saying the talks wouldn’t have happened without their help.
However, many key issues remain unresolved.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine give up control of parts of its territory — something Ukrainian officials say is unacceptable. and have accused Russia of using the talks to buy time and avoid more international sanctions.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, meanwhile, expressed disappointment and urged Ukraine’s allies to keep up pressure on Moscow to reach a meaningful peace deal.
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