Morning news wrap: Israel strikes Iran in ‘Operation Rising Lion’; PM Modi visits Air India plane crash site, & more

'Operation Rising Lion': Israel carries out "preemptive strikes" on Iran in major military escalationIsrael launched a military operation against Iran late Thursday, with multiple explosions reported across Tehran, the Iranian capital.

The "preemptive strikes" included consecutive attacks on key Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, signaling a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two adversaries over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s state-run news agency confirmed the explosions. In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, “Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”Ahmedabad plane crash: Death toll rises to 265 as as Air India dreamliner hits medical collegeAir India 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just 34 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing at least 265 people, including passengers, crew, and people on the ground. The flight, AI 171, bound for London with 242 on board, barely climbed 425 feet before plummeting into the B J Medical College and Civil Hospital campus, just 3km from the runway.

Among the victims was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. At least four casualties were confirmed on the ground.

In a rare survival story, one passenger, Indian-origin UK national Viswashkumar Ramesh, emerged alive from the wreckage.Iran’s revolutionary guards chief, Hossein Salami, killed in Israeli strikesIran’s Revolutionary Guards chief, Hossein Salami, was killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to AFP.

Israeli forces also confirmed that the initial wave of attacks resulted in the deaths of Iran’s military chief, Mohammad Bagheri, along with several other senior military officials and key nuclear scientists. The strikes come at a time of escalating tension over Iran’s nuclear programme.PM Modi visits crash site and civil hospital in aftermath of Air India tragedyPrime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar area, where at least 265 people lost their lives.

He later arrived at Civil Hospital to meet and interact with those injured in the disaster. Accompanying him were Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, and State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi.Finn Allen smashes T20 records with 150 off 49 balls in MLC penerNew Zealand opener Finn Allen delivered a historic performance in the 2025 Major League Cricket season opener, blasting 150 runs off just 49 balls for the San Francisco Unicorns against Washington Freedom at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday. His blistering innings featured 19 sixes, the most ever in a men’s T20 match, and set a new benchmark for the fastest 150 in T20 cricket history.