Category: World news

(TOKYO) — A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck on Monday off Japan’s northeastern coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting authorities to issue tsunami warnings and advisories along parts of the coast.

“Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters,” USGS said, “hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 km of the earthquake epicenter.”

The Japan Meteorological Agency said tsunami warnings were in place for some of the coast along the Pacific, along with lesser advisories and forecasts farther away from the quake’s center.

“Residents in areas where tsunami warnings have been issued should immediately evacuate to higher ground or evacuation buildings and other higher, safer locations,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.

The tsunami waves that were expected to have been the highest struck the coast within hours, with the largest one registering about 80 cm, or about 2.5 feet, but officials said they had not ruled out further waves. Official warnings were still in place, although the U.S. weather officials said in an update that, based on available data, “the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed.”

Preliminary U.S. data pinpointed the quake about 100 km, or about 62 miles, off the eastern coast of Miyako, USGS said. Light rumbling could be felt as far away as Tokyo. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck nearby about 40 minutes afterward, according to USGS data.

The Japanese agency held a press conference on Monday, during which it identified the quake as having been a 7.5 magnitude one. The depth was 10 km, or about 6.2 miles. It occurred at 4:53 p.m. local time, the agency said.

A tsunami warning was issued under twenty seconds after the initial earthquake, an official said. Officials warned people to stay on the alert for about week, as an equal or lesser than quake may occur. The risk was especially elevated for the next two or three days, officials said.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said a “destructive” Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected “and there is no threat to Hawaii.”

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(NEW YORK) — The daughter of Lynette Hooker, an American woman who is missing in the Bahamas, has arrived on the islands with her boyfriend to help with the search after her stepfather, Brian Hooker, left the country.

Karli Aylesworth and her boyfriend, Steve Hansen, said they gave a statement to Bahamian police and plan on retracing her mother’s last steps.

“They’re just not releasing information because it’s an ongoing investigation, which we understand,” Hansen told ABC News.

“We seem frustrated because of the fact that we haven’t found her yet, and we would hope by now we would have,” he added.

Aylesworth’s mother, Lynette Hooker, has been missing since the evening of April 4 when Brian Hooker said she went overboard. The couple had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for their yacht, Soulmate, in Elbow Cay, when bad weather caused her to fall off their dinghy, Brian Hooker told authorities.

Brian Hooker, 58, was arrested on April 8 and questioned by police. He was released on Monday without charges.

Brian Hooker told ABC News on Tuesday that he was staying in the Bahamas with a “sole focus” of finding his wife, “no matter how likely or unlikely that is.”

He said at the time that he planned “to go back to the boat, and then hire or beg people to help me go find some areas to search.”

But Brian Hooker then left the Bahamas, his attorney said on Wednesday, noting that his mother is not well.

Hansen said he and Aylesworth were surprised to learn her stepfather left.

“We’re not gonna say that he doesn’t deserve to see his mother before she dies, but we’re just saying Karli didn’t get that option. Karli didn’t get the option to see her mother before she died,” Hansen said.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force said in a statement Thursday that the search and recovery work is ongoing, with operations involving “extensive shoreline patrols, sea patrols, aerial drone surveillance, and submersible drone operations.”

ABC News’ Brian Andrews contributed to this report.

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(VENICE, Italy) — One of the world’s most iconic cities could be heavily impacted by climate change and sea level rise in the coming years, leading researchers to search for solutions on how to protect it.

Venice, the historic Italian city known for its canals that serve as water traffic corridors, has been said to be sinking for nearly a century. The site within the vicinity of the Venetian Lagoon has flooded increasingly over the past 150 years, according to a paper published in Scientific Reports on Thursday.

Historically, there have been 28 events in which seawater flooding impacted at least 60% of the city, according to the paper. Eighteen of those events have taken place in the last century.

Piero Lionello, a professor of atmospheric physics and oceanography at the University of Salento in Italy and native Venetian, has noticed an uptick in flooding events throughout his lifetime, he told ABC News.

“The rate has been quite impressive the last three decades,” he said.

Climate experts are now calling for long-term planning to protect the city from rising sea levels over the next several centuries.

The Venetian Lagoon is a “special system” because it is so connected to the Adriatic Sea, said Lionello, the lead author of the paper.

Proposed strategies to prevent flooding as sea levels rise include movable barriers, ring dikes — which are circular or oval-shaped embankments designed to protect localized areas from floodwaters — or even closing the Venetian Lagoon and relocating the city, according to the paper.

Currently, the city is defended by a trio of movable barriers at the edge of the Venetian Lagoon. The MOSE project, installed in the 1990s, is a system of mobile flood barrier shields as tall as a five-story building that can be raised to separate the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea during high tides.

The system allows the waterways of Venice to function normally during high tide and has prevented flood disasters from storm surge. But it won’t be sufficient in the future, Lionello said.

“The present system, it will certainly be become inadequate,” he said.

The existing movable barriers may be effective against sea level rise up to 1.25 meters, or about 4.1 feet, according to the paper. But this benchmark is likely to be exceeded by the year 2300 under a low-emissions scenario due to rising global temperatures and ground subsidence — the gradual sinking of the ground — the researchers said.

Dikes may be necessary to protect Venice’s city center from the rest of the lagoon, according to the paper. The dikes would consist of walls surrounding the city, separating it from the lagoon, Lionello said.

Construction of dikes could cost between $600 million and $5.3 billion, according to the paper.

A “super levee” that could cost more than $35 billion to construct may be needed to close the lagoon and protect the land that is already below sea level.

If sea levels rise enough, it may be necessary for the city’s residents and historic landmarks to be moved inland, the researchers said. Relocating the city could be necessary beyond a 4.5-meter, or nearly 15-foot, sea level rise, which is projected to occur after 2300 under a high emissions scenario, according to the paper. Relocating the city could cost up to $118 billion, according to the researchers.

This solution is the most “provocative” and would involve moving individual buildings and monuments inland, Lionello said.

“You can preserve a building. You can have different solution to keep people living there, but it will be a completely different Venice from the Venice that we have now,” Lionello said.

The system of mobile barriers has been working overtime, according to officials. The MOSE barriers were lifted from the seabed to stop water from the Adriatic Sea from entering the lagoon 31 times during a six-month period between October 2023 and April 2024.

Climate scientists have predicted a steady rise in sea levels in the Adriatic Sea — with the lagoonal ecosystem in Venice experiencing relative sea level rise of about 2.5 millimeters per year, a 2021 study found.

Over the past 60 years, high tides in the Venetian Lagoon have become more frequent.

Between 1870 and 1949, 30 high tides exceeded 1.1 meters — or 3.6 feet — the level above which the MOSE barrier system is activated, according to the Venice Tide Study Center. There were 76 such high tides between 2015 and 2024 alone.

Rapid action to protect the city of Venice from climate change is “essential,” especially since the construction of large-scale interventions could take decades, the researchers said.

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(LONDON) — At least 16 people were killed and another 100 were injured in Ukraine as Russia targeted the country with a “massive” drone and missile attack on Wednesday and into Thursday morning, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia launched almost 700 drones and 19 ballistic missiles, along with cruise missiles, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Ukraine shot down about 636 drones and “some” of the missiles, he added, saying, “Unfortunately, not all.”

At least 16 people were killed across Ukraine, officials said. Zelenskyy said at least 100 people had been reported wounded “as of now.”

“Tragically, there are fatalities in Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipro,” he said in a social media post. “Among those killed is a boy — he was 12 years old. My condolences to the families and loved ones.”

Most of the missiles targeted Kyiv, the capital, the president said, but damage and deaths were also reported across the country. Some missiles or drones that made it through Ukraine’s defenses struck and damaged residential buildings, Zelenskyy said.

“Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions,” Zelenskyy said. “Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force.”

Russia has chosen to “deliberately terrorise civilians” with its attacks on residential areas, Antonio Costa, the European Council president, said on Thursday. The EU would continue to “increase pressure” on Moscow, he said.

“Russia must stop this war of terror,” Costa said. “A comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine based on the principles of the U.N. Charter and international law must be achieved.”

Russian officials said on Thursday that Ukraine launched its own barrage of drones targeting several areas in Russia. Moscow said its military downed more than 200 drones. At least one Ukrainian drone struck a port on Russia’s Black Sea coast, along with other coastal cities, the local governor said.

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(NEW YORK) — The husband of a woman who was reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy was questioned again by police on Monday as he awaits any charging decision in connection with her disappearance, according to his attorney.

Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, has been missing for over a week. She and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for their yacht, Soulmate, in Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities.

Brian Hooker was arrested on Wednesday in connection with his wife’s disappearance and interviewed by Bahamian police for approximately three hours on Friday. Police subsequently requested an extension to give them until Monday evening to make any charging decision, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler.

He was questioned by police again on Monday for about an hour, according to Butler, who said investigators did not present any new evidence. She also said police have not given Brian Hooker any updates on the search for his wife since his arrest. 

Police have until 7:20 p.m. ET Monday to charge or release him, according to Butler.

Butler said Brian Hooker is considered a suspect in his wife’s disappearance and denies any wrongdoing.

Following his initial interview on Friday, Butler said Brian Hooker was “questioned in relation to causing harm, which resulted in her death.”

“He definitely denies causing her death and he’s still asking about her and is hopeful that she will be recovered,” she continued, saying they have not been informed of any evidence that her body has been recovered. 

The attorney said Brian Hooker is “heartbroken” over the disappearance of his wife of 25 years and that his arrest has been “traumatic.”

His arrest came after multiple sources told ABC News a criminal investigation had been opened into whether there was any wrongdoing in the case. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the probe, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

In a statement posted to social media last Wednesday, Brian Hooker said “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused his “beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy” near Elbow Cay.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus,” he said.

Brian Hooker told police that his wife was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy’s engine to shut off, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. He subsequently paddled the boat back to shore, arriving at a marina at around 4 a.m. on April 5, and reported his wife overboard, police said.

The Hookers documented their sailing travels on social media under the name “The Sailing Hookers.”

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a “full and complete investigation” into her mother’s disappearance.

She told ABC News her stepfather, Brian Hooker, told her that her mom “fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn’t know if she got it or not.”

Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, told ABC News she hopes “we find the truth” amid the investigation and alleged the couple have had a volatile relationship. 

“I just want the truth to come out and I’m hoping that they can do that, and I hope they find her and that that will help clear up all of this,” she said.

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(NEW YORK) — The husband of a woman who was reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy is being questioned by police following his arrest in connection with his wife’s disappearance, his attorney said Friday.

Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. The couple was en route to their yacht, Soulmate, when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities.

Brian Hooker has not yet been charged following his arrest on Wednesday, his attorney confirmed to ABC News on Friday. He is being interviewed by police and there may be a charging decision afterward, the attorney, Terrel Butler, said. Police can hold him for up to 48 hours before seeking an extension, she said.

Brian Hooker has been cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation, his attorney said. He was injured after falling into the water while assisting police in a search of the Soulmate boat on the night of his arrest, according to Butler. He has since been treated for his injuries, which included an abrasion, she said.

The attorney said Brian Hooker is “heartbroken” over his wife’s disappearance and that his arrest has been “traumatic.”

“Brian appears completely heartbroken and deeply distressed. His primary concern and source of intense frustration is his inability to continue the search for his wife of 25 years,” Butler said in a statement after visiting her client at the police station on Thursday. “The trauma of her disappearance, coupled with his current detention as a suspect, has left him in an extremely fragile state.”

He “categorically denies the allegations made against him,” Butler said in an earlier statement.

The arrest came after multiple sources told ABC News a criminal investigation had been opened into whether there was any wrongdoing in the case.

The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the probe, according to a source familiar with the investigation. 

The search is ongoing for Lynette Hooker, according to police.

Her husband told police the strong currents on Saturday took her out to sea, authorities said. She was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy’s engine to shut off, police noted.

Her husband spoke out for the first time on Wednesday, saying he is “heartbroken over the recent boat accident.”

In a statement posted to social media, Brian Hooker said “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused his “beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy” near Elbow Cay.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus,” he said.

Brian Hooker subsequently paddled the boat back to shore, arriving at around 4 a.m. Sunday to a marina, where he reported his wife overboard to an individual who then alerted police, authorities said.

The search and rescue operation has been conducted by land, sea and air and involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.  

Brian Hooker thanked the agencies “who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us.” 

“Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time,” he said.

Butler said Brian Hooker will not be making any further statements to the media amid the ongoing investigation.

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a “full and complete investigation” into her mother’s disappearance.

She told ABC News her mother is fit and a good swimmer, and described what her stepfather told her about his wife’s disappearance.

“He said that my mom’s missing and that she fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn’t know if she got it or not,” she said.

“I just hope we find her,” she added.

The Hookers are avid sailors, documenting their travels on social media under the name “The Sailing Hookers.”

The U.S. State Department is “aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay” and is “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said Monday.

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(NEW YORK) — The husband of a woman who was reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy has been arrested, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, and her husband, Brian Hooker, 58, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

The couple was en route to their yacht, “Soulmate,” when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities.

Brian Hooker was arrested Wednesday evening and was being questioned in connection with his wife’s disappearance, police said. No further details were released.

According to his attorney, Brian Hooker has been “cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation.”

The husband “categorically denies the allegations made against him,” the attorney, Terrel Butler, said in a statement on Thursday.

“Mr. Hooker cannot provide further comments to the media or the public at this time while the investigations are ongoing,” Butler added. “It is crucial to mention the importance of maintaining the integrity of the legal process.”

The arrest comes after multiple sources told ABC News a criminal investigation had been opened into whether there was any wrongdoing in the case.

The U.S. Coast Guard will be leading the probe, according to a source familiar with the investigation. 

The search is ongoing for Lynette Hooker, according to police.

Her husband told police the strong currents on Saturday took her out to sea, authorities said. She was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy’s engine to shut off, police noted.

Her husband spoke out for the first time on Wednesday, saying he is “heartbroken over the recent boat accident.”

In a statement posted to social media, Brian Hooker said “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused his “beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy” near Elbow Cay.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus,” he said.

Brian Hooker subsequently paddled the boat back to shore, arriving at around 4 a.m. Sunday to a marina, where he reported his wife overboard to an individual who then alerted police, authorities said.

The search and rescue operation has been conducted by land, sea and air and involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.  

Brian Hooker thanked the agencies “who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us.” 

“Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time,” he said.

The investigation and search efforts are ongoing, police said Tuesday.

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a “full and complete investigation” into her mother’s disappearance.

She told ABC News her mother is fit and a good swimmer, and described what her stepfather told her about his wife’s disappearance.

“He said that my mom’s missing and that she fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn’t know if she got it or not,” she said.

“I just hope we find her,” she added.

The Hookers are avid sailors, documenting their travels on social media under the name “The Sailing Hookers.”

The U.S. State Department is “aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay” and is “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said Monday.

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(NEW YORK) — The husband of an American woman reported missing in the Bahamas after going overboard on a dinghy has spoken out for the first time, saying he is “heartbroken over the recent boat accident.”

The search is ongoing for Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

She and her husband, Brian Hooker, had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

They were en route to their yacht, “Soulmate,” when bad weather caused Lynette Hooker to fall overboard, her husband told authorities. The strong currents took her out to sea, authorities said. She was holding the boat key when she went overboard, causing the 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy’s engine to shut off, police noted.

In a statement posted to social media on Wednesday, Brian Hooker, 58, said “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused his “beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy” near Elbow Cay.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus,” he said.

Brian Hooker subsequently paddled the boat back to shore, arriving at around 4 a.m. Sunday to a marina, where he reported his wife overboard to an individual who then alerted police, authorities said.

The search and rescue operation has been conducted by land, sea and air and involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.  

Brian Hooker thanked the agencies “who have worked tirelessly in an ongoing effort to bring Lynette back to us.”

“Thank you to everyone for keeping Lynette in your thoughts and for your support of our family during this difficult time,” he said.

The investigation and search efforts are ongoing, police said Tuesday.

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has called for a “full and complete investigation” into her mother’s disappearance.

She told ABC News her mother is fit and a good swimmer, and described what Brian Hooker told her about his wife’s disappearance.

“He said that my mom’s missing and that she fell out of the boat and that he threw a life jacket to her or something, and he doesn’t know if she got it or not,” she said.

“I just hope we find her,” she added.

The Hookers are avid sailors, documenting their travels on social media under the name “The Sailing Hookers.”

The U.S. State Department is “aware of reports regarding a missing American near Elbow Cay” and is “working with Bahamian authorities to provide assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said Monday.

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(PARIS and LONDON) — Foreign leaders expressed hope for a full peace deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in their reactions to Tuesday’s two-week ceasefire, which was first announced by President Donald Trump and later confirmed by Iranian officials.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post to X that the ceasefire agreement “will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world. Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz.”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani likewise suggested the ceasefire was “a very positive development” which “moves us toward a peace agreement — for the civilian population, for the region, and for Israel — but also for our economy.”

German Friedrich Merz thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts, adding in a post to X, “The aim now is to negotiate a lasting end to the war. We are in close coordination with our partners on this matter.”

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said the ceasefire brought “much-needed de-escalation” and said that further negotiations are “crucial.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has been a prominent European critic of the war, said in a post to X that the ceasefire was “welcome news,” but added, “Momentary relief must not make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost.”

“The Spanish government will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket,” Sanchez added. “What is needed now: diplomacy, international law, and PEACE.”

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the situation in Lebanon — another theater of the conflict in which Israel is fighting against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia — is “critical.”

Macron said the ceasefire extended to Lebanon, as did Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said overnight that Lebanon was not included in the agreement. Israel continued intense strikes in Lebanon, including on Beirut, on Wednesday.

Macron called the ceasefire “a very good thing” and said the question of Lebanon is “one of the most delicate.” Hezbollah, Macron said, made a “strategic error” by attacking Israel and dragging Lebanon into the regional crisis, but said Israel’s strikes and occupation of southern Lebanon “cannot be a long-term response.”

Persian Gulf and other regional nations also welcomed the ceasefire in Iran, though several reported fresh Iranian drone and missile attacks on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry expressed its support for the pause in a statement posted to X, while Qatar’s Foreign Ministry described the ceasefire as “an initial step toward de-escalation.” Doha also stressed “the necessity for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take the initiative to immediately cease all hostile acts and practices.”

Oman — traditionally a mediator of U.S.-Iranian talks — said in a Foreign Ministry statement that it affirmed “the importance of intensifying efforts now to find solutions capable of ending the crisis at its roots and achieving a permanent cessation of the state of war and hostile acts in the region.”

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry in a post to X “emphasized the importance of opening the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring freedom of international navigation without restrictions in accordance with international law.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a post to X that the news “undoubtedly brought relief to the hearts of millions of peace-loving people across all corners of the earth,” adding that Cairo valued Trump’s “decision to heed the voice of reason.”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement expressing its backing for the peace process, adding, “We will continue to extend all necessary support for the successful conclusion of the negotiations to be held in Islamabad,” referring to Friday’s planned talks.

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(LONDON) — As President Donald Trump pulled back from threats to annihilate “a whole civilization” when the Iranian regime agreed to a ceasefire and open the critical Strait of Hormuz, some people in the Islamic Republic expressed relief after juggling feelings ranging from despair to doom.

Trump had given the Iranian regime a deadline of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday — which would have been Wednesday, April 8, at 3:30 a.m. in Tehran — for the Iranian government to strike a peace deal or risk the destruction of all bridges and power plants in Iran.

He later extended the deadline to two more weeks as Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz and work to forge a peace deal.

Sohreh, a 33-year-old journalist and resident of Tehran, told ABC News she felt an immediate sense of “relief” when she heard that a ceasefire agreement had been brokered.

“My heart was about to stop,” Sohreh said in a written message to ABC News of the hours she and other Iranian citizens spent on Tuesday bracing for the massive U.S. to strike on its power plants, bridges and infrastructure before the attack was called off. “I cried all day for Iran and prayed to a God I don’t believe in: ‘A miracle, please, send a miracle. I can’t live after the destruction of Iran.'”

Leading up to the ceasefire announcement, Iranians who have been in contact with ABC News throughout the conflict, which began with a Feb. 28 U.S.-Israel joint attack, recalled moments of joy as it appeared the Iranian regime was about to be toppled and disappointment that the Islamic Republican Guard Corps (IRGC) had refused to give up the fight.

An internet blackout imposed by the regime has made it challenging to communicate with people inside Iran, so it’s difficult to gauge how people in the country are feeling. Some have managed to get messages to ABC News.

“I am against the regime and I want them gone with every cell of my body. I have participated in the protests against the regime. But by no means I agree with a foreign power destroying what has been built by my people, for my people, and for the future of our children,” Fatemeh, a 40-year-old engineer who lives in Tehran, told ABC News in a written statement on Monday.

Citing security reasons, Iranians like Fatemeh and Sohreh who have communicated with ABC News, spoke on condition that their real names not be used.

Sohreh recalled a rollercoaster of emotions since the conflict began, from hope that the regime would be toppled to despair that it was hanging on and prolonging the pain of regular Iranians.

“I danced so much to the news of Khamenei’s death, so much that my legs hurt and I fell,” Sohreh said in a message to ABC News on Monday, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, who was assassinated in a strike on the first day of the conflict.

But as the war dragged on, Sohreh said she battled doubts that the U.S.-Israel attacks would bring the regime to its knees. “We ask ourselves what if the war continues?” she said.

“When they hit Asaluyeh, everyone was feeling terrible,” Sohreh said of Monday’s strike by Israel Defense Forces on Iran’s southern petrochemical infrastructure in the Persian Gulf port city of Asaluyeh. “We wonder what to do if they hit the infrastructure. They don’t belong to the Islamic Republic. They are built by our own children. They belong to Iran and the future of Iran.”

On Tuesday morning, Trump posted an ominous message on his social media platform, saying, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”

During a news conference on Wednesday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared “a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield.

“A capital V military victory,” said Hegseth, adding that the U.S. military had “achieved every objective.”

Hegseth said that prior to the ceasefire being announced, the U.S. military was prepared to carry out the threat Trump made on Tuesday morning.

“Had Iran refused our terms, the next target would have been their power plants, their bridges and oil and energy infrastructure, targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild. It would have taken them decades. And we were locked and loaded,” Hegseth said.

He added, “President Trump had the power to cripple Iran’s economy in minutes, but he chose mercy. He spared those targets because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming pressure.”  

Trump’s ominous statement on Tuesday came after he told reporters on Monday during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, “The Iranian people, when they don’t hear bombs go off, they’re upset.”

“They want to hear bombs because they want to be free,” Trump said without attributing where he was getting his information from.

He went on to claim that the only reason Iranian civilians have not taken to the streets en masse to demonstrate against the regime is that “they will be shot immediately, and that’s an edict. That’s in writing.”

Leila, a 36-year-old resident of Tehran who works as a manager of a shipping company, said she agreed with Trump, telling ABC News on Monday that when she doesn’t hear bombs, she feels “upset.” Leila, who described herself as anti-regime, said she longs for the day she sees American soldiers in Iran to save them.

In an earlier message Leila sent to ABC News on March 30, she said, “We don’t have fear from the missile attacks, we just get very happy to watch them burning the bases of the IRGC.”

Darius, a 38-year-old anthropologist from Tehran, told ABC News in a message sent on March 25 that he was initially anti-regime, but as the bombing continued, his opinion of the regime had started to change.

“The noise of the bombs and the fact that they are actually killing a lot of civilians pushes us more towards let’s say rallying around the flag,” Darius wrote. “We are fighting this war as a country and even though the Iranian state is not my cup of tea and even though I detest many of the things they do, still, I prefer to stand by their side against a Nazi in the White House.”

At least 3,546 people, including 244 children and 1,616 other civilians, have been killed in Iran due to the U.S.-Israeli strikes since the war began, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News agency reported on Sunday.

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