Telstra confirms ‘issue’ with network, thousands report outage in Australia

Thousands of Australians have reported an outage on the country’s largest mobile network.

Australians have been hit by an outage on Telstra’s network, with the telco confirming there is an “issue”, impacting public transport and potentially millions of mobile services.

Customers began reporting issues with the network at about 4am on Wednesday, according to Down Detector.

Users have also reported outages with Boost Mobile, Aldi, Tangerine, Everyday Mobile and Belong, which operate on the Telstra network.

More than 330 outages have been reported for Belong, 302 for Aldi and 45 outages reported for Tangerine, according to Down Detector.

Trains impacted by outage

The network outage has impacted Victorian regional train service V/Line, which issued a notice indicating all services were “held due to a radio network fault affecting all lines”.

“Very limited coach replacement services will be available,” the statement read.

“Passengers are advised to defer travel where possible.”

https://www.news.com.au/technology/thousands-reporting-telstra-outage-in-australia/news-story/c4794079d76c6788980fe9a312facb50

US resumes ‘powerful strikes’ on Iran after tanker attacks

US Central Command said the action was a response to “unwarranted aggression” in the Strait of Hormuz

The US announced a new round of strikes on Iran after several tankers were targeted while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reported explosions in the early hours of Wednesday in the southern province of Hormozgan, including at the ports of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island, close to the narrowest section of the strait.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was conducting “a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

“The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.

A video posted on social media reportedly shows the strikes on Bandar Abbas.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2074615780801413459

Third ship hit in Hormuz within 24 hours, as Doha blames Iran for striking Qatari tanker

All 3 vessels were traveling on Omani-proposed coastal route that Tehran has rejected as it seeks to control vessels traversing vital waterway

The British military’s maritime security agency said a tanker was hit Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, less than a day after two other ships, including a Qatari gas tanker, were allegedly attacked by Iran.

“UKMTO has received a report of a further incident involving a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” the Maritime Trade Operations center said on X. “The tanker was struck by an unknown Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and has sustained minor structural damage. No casualties or environmental impact reported.”

The two ships targeted earlier also reportedly sustained damage, with nobody hurt.

Amid the strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on a visit to a Haifa naval base that Israel would protect freedom of maritime navigation.

“I set a simple objective,” he said. “The objective of the Navy, and of Israel, is to ensure shipping routes and freedom of maritime trade, which are so important to the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu didn’t go as far as to say that Israel would take actions in the Strait of Hormuz, though, so it wasn’t immediately clear whether his declaration would have any implications on the broader regional conflict.

The string of Iranian attacks, after more than a week of respite, revived concerns about freedom of navigation after a memorandum of understanding that the US and Iran reached last month required Tehran to lift its blockade of the waterway.

All three vessels were struck close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline. Tehran, which wants to charge ships using the narrow waterway, is opposed to the Omani initiative.

Qatar, which helped broker the US-Iran talks, blamed Iran for the attack on its tanker overnight and urged Tehran to “cease all practices that undermine regional security or threaten the safety of international maritime navigation.”

“The targeting of the Qatari vessel ‘Al-Rekayyat’ while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz constitutes an unacceptable attack on the security and safety of international maritime navigation,” Doha’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari wrote on X.

“We hold Iran fully legally responsible for this attack and for any resulting damages or repercussions,” he added.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/third-ship-hit-in-hormuz-within-24-hours-as-doha-blames-iran-for-striking-qatari-tanker/

==Hegseth to visit Israel on Wednesday as US strikes Iran after Hormuz tanker attacks

CNN reports US defense secretary will meet Netanyahu and Katz to ease concerns over possible F-35 sale to Turkey, as CENTCOM says it struck Iran over attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to arrive in Israel Wednesday for his first visit to the country since taking office, CNN reported, as Washington and Jerusalem seek to coordinate amid a sharp escalation with Iran after U.S. forces launched strikes in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Three sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Hegseth is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. One of the objectives of the visit, according to the report, is to allay Israeli concerns over the possibility that the United States will sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. Hegseth is currently attending the NATO summit in Turkey alongside U.S. President Donald Trump.

The visit comes as the U.S. military launched a series of strikes against Iran early Wednesday, saying the attacks were retaliation for Iranian strikes on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The move marks a sharp escalation that threatens to unravel a fragile ceasefire reached only days earlier.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command said its forces had begun “a series of powerful strikes” intended to impose “heavy costs” on Iran for targeting commercial shipping in an international waterway.

“The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said. “Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”

The military did not immediately identify all the targets or provide details on the full scale of the operation. Axios reported that the strikes targeted Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz, including air-defense systems, coastal surveillance equipment, missile launch sites and port infrastructure. The Guardian also reported that the U.S. strikes followed attacks on three commercial vessels in the strait, including a Qatari LNG tanker.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkerwc9mml