At least nine journalists have been killed in Syria in the last five years, most since the fall of the Assad regime, and others have been detained or disappeared.
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The Trump administration plans to submit a Saudi nuclear pact to Congress within days, despite concerns over missing safeguards, Reuters reported.
"The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the US Central Command said in a statement on X.
US flights were suspended in 1985 after the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 from Athens, Greece, en route to Rome, Italy, that was forced to land in Beirut.
The decision, which follows a similar policy established by Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, qualifies the strikes as "defensive" rather than an active war, Bloomberg reported.
Trump is expected to escalate the war with Iran, leading Israeli officials to believe that Tehran could retaliate directly against Israel.
The threat of attacking the Iranian site reflects escalating tensions as Tehran and Washington trade fire in the Gulf, setting back efforts to end the conflict.
Israel, US repeatedly failed to kill Iran's Alireza Tangsiri before successful strike • New details reveal Israeli naval attacks on Hezbollah commanders at Beirut's Ramada Hotel and a mobile HQ
The crisis could strengthen the case for regional defense cooperation, including quiet coordination with Israel, without necessarily bringing the kingdom closer to formal diplomatic relations.
Pickaxe Mountain has emerged as a major Iran nuclear concern, but questions remain over whether the facility is operational and whether a strike would achieve its goals.
