Israel’s dire warning as Europe negotiations reach impasse on uranium enrichment

Two Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemasters have arrived in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the start of repatriation flights for Australians out of the Middle East.

A second Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster arrived in Dubai just before midday on Saturday local time ahead of the start of repatriation flights for Australians out of the Middle East.

Australians were told by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Saturday morning that plans were being put in place to get them home as soon as possible on repatriation flights.

Earlier on Saturday the first Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster arrived at Al Minhad airspace base, near Dubai, from Amberley Airforce base in Brisbane, via Perth.

DFAT updated its Smart Traveller website to say it was “aware of reports airspace in Israel may reopen soon”.

“We’re contacting registered Australians who want to leave Israel about our plans for assisted departures. Make sure you are registered with DFAT,” it said.

Australian Army Soldiers board a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft in support of Operation Beech, at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. Australian Defence Force personnel and aircraft have deployed to the Middle East in non-combat roles under Operation Beech 2025 to assist Australian Government efforts to support Australians seeking to leave the region.

Another C-17 Globemaster also arrived at Al Minhad on Friday night in Dubai local time.

DFAT is continuing to provide buses for Australians to depart by land border from Tel Aviv to Jordan by border crossing.

On Saturday Tel Aviv remained very quiet including along the beachfront which is normally a bustling area during the summer months, it’s now the complete opposite and with people on high alert waiting for the next missile siren

It’s also the Sabbath – Israel’s day of rest – which is normally a quiet day for residents across the country as family and friends stay together at home.

An Israeli defence chief has warned the war with Iran will likely be a lengthy campaign as negotiations in Europe failed to yield results with Tehran insisting on the right to continue enriching uranium.

Iran also refused to come to the negotiating table for separate talks with the United States, declaring there would be no discussion of peace while the country was still being pummelled by Israeli missiles.

Donald Trump said “it’s a little bit hard to get somebody to stop” when they’re winning, regarding the Israel-Iran conflict. Picture: AP Photo

Donald Trump on Friday said he was not inclined to press for a ceasefire to coax Iran to the negotiating table and confirmed he was not considering putting American troops on the ground in the Middle East conflict.

“It’s very hard to stop when you look at it, Israel’s doing well in terms of war, and I think you would say that Iran is doing less well,” he said.

“It’s a little bit hard to get somebody to stop.

“If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we’re ready, willing and able (to negotiate), and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens.”

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (C) speaks to the media after his meeting with the E3 group of European ministers in Geneva, Switzerland. Picture: Getty Images

The US President said the two-week deadline he gave himself to make a decision on whether the United States would join the war was the maximum period he’d allow.

Asked if an aerial campaign from the US would be enough to destroy Iran’s military aspirations, Mr Trump said, “The last thing you want to do is ground force”.

Defence experts believe the most significant contribution from the US would be if it used its “bunker buster” bombs to destroy Iran’s underground uranium facility.

Australian journalist Sophie Elsworth speaks with Sara Frenkel, 72, outside the emergency zone in Beer Sheva. Frenkel’s home was severely damaged. Picture: Jordan Polevoy.

The powerful weapons carried by American military jets have been touted as the only munition capable of penetrating the Fordow nuclear site, however some Israeli officials believe they could get the job done on their own.

In Geneva, officials from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany and France reached an early impasse in talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi who declared his country was not willing to abandon its nuclear program.

The group is scheduled to meet again before Mr Trump’s two-week deadline runs out but the US President was sceptical of the efforts.

The shattered facade of an apartment building in Beer Sheva shows the extent of destruction caused by a direct missile strike on June 20. Picture: Jordan Polevoy.

“Iran doesn’t want to speak with Europe, they want to speak with us,” Mr Trump said.

“Europe is not going to be able to help in this one.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected any chance of negotiation with the United States while Israel continued to attack.

“The Americans have repeatedly sent messages calling seriously for negotiations but we have made clear that as long as the aggression does not stop, there will be no place for diplomacy and dialogue,” Mr Araghchi said.

“In the current situation, as the Zionist regime’s attacks continue, we are not seeking negotiations with anyone.”

Emergency and rescue unit soldiers work at the site of a reported Iranian missile strike in Haifa, Israel. Picture: Getty Images

Meanwhile unlikely peacemaker Vladimir Putin continued to try de-escalate the situation, saying Russia was sharing unspecified ideas with “our Israeli and Iranian friends” about how to swiftly end the conflict.

Both countries continued to launch attacks for an eighth day and Israel claimed it had destroyed half of Iran’s missile launchers.

Israeli Defence Force Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the attack on Iran, which began with wiping out key military figures and nuclear scientists, had so far been a success but was far from over.

“Thanks to a powerful and surprising opening strike, we achieved extraordinary results,” he said.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the Weizmann Institute of Science, which was hit by an Iranian missile barrage. Picture: AFP

But he warned Israel “must be ready for a prolonged campaign” to “remove a threat of such magnitude, against such an enemy.”

He said that Israel’s air force pilots were “operating at the greatest range and intensity in the forces’ history” to strike Iran in waves of attacks.

Iranian missiles once again broke through Israel’s iron dome defence system on Friday, striking near government building in Haifa and injuring more than 30 people.

An injured man is helped to evacuate after a missile strike in Haifa, Israel. Picture: AP Photo

They also hit a cyber-defence training centre and a military building in Beer Sheva where a hospital was struck a day earlier.

More than 600 people have been killed in missile attacks on Iran.

Twenty-four are dead in Israel, including a Ukrainian girl who had fled the war in her home country to receive leukaemia treatment, according to the Times of Israel.

Dozens of Australians have fled the region in the past day, many taking buses from Israel to Jordan with airspace closed.

Beachgoers use their phones as they take shelter in a parking garage during a missile alert from Iran in Tel Aviv, Israel. Picture: AP Photo

More than 1200 Australians are in Israel and a further 2000 in Iran.

Many are expected to be evacuated over the coming days with Australian soldiers and two military aircraft deployed to the region to conduct repatriation flights.

Foreign Minster Penny Wong said the deployment was for humanitarian purposes only and that Australia would not be drawn into the conflict.

Originally published as Israel’s dire warning as Europe negotiations reach impasse on uranium enrichment