US/Israel-Iran war (Day 6): Iran postpones Khamenei’s funeral, Senate fails to limit Trump’s war powers

The war between the United States and Israel against Iran entered its sixth day today (Thursday).

Over 1000 people have now been killed in the war, the majority of them in Iran.

We bring you major updates on the war on its fifth day.

Republicans vote down measure to curb Trump’s power

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

In Washington on Wednesday, Republicans in the Senate voted against the War Powers Act, which would require the president to obtain authorisation before launching any additional strikes.

Several democratic lawmakers had condemned Mr Trump’s war on Iran, which has led to the death of at least 1045 people since Saturday. But Republicans blocked the procedural motion, voting 53 to 47.

They argued that voting for the legislation would have sent the wrong message to Iran and the US troops.

“At this juncture, providing unequivocal support to our service members is critically important, as is ongoing consultation by the administration with Congress,” Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, said.

On the other hand, Democrats insisted that Mr Trump has sidelined Congress and offered shifting reasons for the war. They described the war as illegal, saying only Congress has the power to declare war.

Before voting in favour of the legislation, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: “Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war?”

Everyone else voted along party lines, except for two senators who crossed the aisle.

Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against the resolution, while Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky voted for it.

The legislation is scheduled for a vote in the House on Thursday, where it is also expected to face strong opposition.

Khamenei’s funeral postponed

Iran has suspended the funeral ceremony commemorating its late leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

This was announced on Wednesday, a few days after he was assassinated along with family members.

The burial had been scheduled to take place on the same day in Tehran before Khamenei’s body was buried in the holy city of Mashhad, where he was from.

Al Jazeera reports that the state media, Tnasim news agency, quoted an official who attributed the delay to logistical issues, including requests from people in different provinces to attend the ceremony.

A 40-day public mourning period was also announced.

Funeral arrangements are ongoing and are expected to draw huge crowds, and, with them, the potential threat of US-Israeli attacks on a gathering of mass mourning.

About 10 million people were reported to have attended Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s funeral in 1989.

Attack on Turkish airspace

The war has continued to spread across the Gulf region. On Wednesday, a ballistic missile was launched towards Turkish airspace.

The ballistic missile was reported to have been fired from Iran. But the Iranian military denied firing missiles at Turkish airspace.

Turkiye, since the start of the war, had been the only neighbouring Gulf country with US bases untouched by Iranian strikes.

The missile was, however, intercepted by NATO air and missile defence in the Eastern Mediterranean,

According to the Turkish defence ministry, the missile had flown over Iraq and Syria. But it did not identify where it was headed.

The New York Times reported that a senior US military official and a Western official said it was aimed at the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

The Incirlik base hosts a sizable US Air Force contingent.

Turkey, which shares a 300-mile border with Iran, had earlier declared that it would not allow its airspace to be used for attacks on Iran.

Debris from the weapon that brought it down landed in Turkey’s south-central Hatay province near the Syrian border.

According to the Turkish ministry, no injuries were reported.

But the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, in a statement, said, “The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran respect the sovereignty of the neighbouring and friendly country, Turkiye, and deny any missile launches toward that country’s territory.’’

Targeting Turkey, a NATO member, would mark a major escalation. The move could trigger NATO’s collective defence provision and pull the alliance’s 32 countries into the conflict.

Thousands flee to Syria

As the war in the region intensifies, thousands are fleeing to war-torn Syria.

The humanitarian crisis in the Middle East seems to be growing rapidly.

Al Jazeera reports that Syria said more than 25,000 people have passed through the Jdeidet Yabous and Jousieh border in Homs province in the last two days alone.

ALSO READ: US/Israel-Iran War: Death toll in Iran rises to over 1000

The influx of refugees to the country is growing as the violence intensifies, particularly in Lebanon.

Al Jazeera also reported that UN agencies and Syria’s Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management have begun providing medical and relief assistance to the refugees.

Syria has also said it is willing to accept those fleeing the violence.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military declared that its attack on Hezbollah and, by extension, Lebanon continues.

Israel earlier announced that it attacked Beirut “a short time ago.”

It also said it completed a wave of attacks against several Hezbollah command centres, including a facility used by its aerial units.

It, however, did not provide any evidence for this.

Meanwhile, Canada has said it can’t rule out its participation in the Iran war.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who earlier said the strikes on Iran are “inconsistent with international law”, declared that the country will “stand by our allies.”

“One can never categorically rule out participation,” he said alongside his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in Canberra.

Australia’s Anthony Albanese also said Australian “military assets” are heading to the region as a contingency plan.