Russia's Attacks Kill at Least 38 in Ukraine

Which events happened before those strikes?

Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired at an American fighter jet. The jet returned fire. Later, Iran fired a missile from Qeshm Island.

That missile threatened ships using this important waterway.

Yes. Qeshm Island helps Iran watch and control commercial traffic. The United States called its strikes defensive.

So the action followed two serious military incidents.

That is right. The strikes targeted Iranian sites on Qeshm Island, in the northern Strait of Hormuz.

How has Iran answered the new strikes?

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran could defend itself. He said this could continue until the military aggression ended.

There is also disagreement about future talks.

Yes. President Trump has spoken about a possible deal with Iran. But he also said the United States still had to deal with several sites in Iran.

What may happen next in this already long war?

The situation is uncertain. Talks about a possible deal are continuing, while both sides are making strong statements.

Thank you, Owen.

Our second story is about deadly attacks in Ukraine.

Mia is LinguaWire's correspondent for security.

Hello, Daniel. Sadly, at least 38 civilians died in Ukraine.

The attacks happened in several places during 24 hours.

Yes. A glide bomb attack killed at least 33 people in Komyshuvakha. More than 50 people may still be under the rubble.

People had gathered there to receive humanitarian aid.

They were using a school building as an aid centre. People went underground when the attack began, but the roof collapsed.

What happened in the other cities?

A hospice in Dnipro was attacked. Nearly 50 terminally ill patients were moved to other facilities. A hospital in Kharkiv was also hit, and 73 people were wounded.

Most of those wounded patients were elderly.

That is correct. Ukraine said the attack hit an aid centre where civilians had gathered. Russia said it targeted Ukrainian military units, but there was no credible evidence for that claim.

The United Nations also raised a serious concern.

The UN human rights monitoring mission said the attack seemed to break basic rules of international humanitarian law.

What could happen to the people still under the rubble?

Rescue efforts will continue, and the number of victims may rise. Ukraine had also proposed extending a recent ceasefire in the Kherson region.

Thank you, Mia.

First, three words from our first story.

Strike means an attack by military forces. In the story, “the United States launched limited strikes on Monday.” A strike can also mean stopping work to protest.

Target means the person or place an attack aims at. In the story, “The strikes targeted Iranian sites on Qeshm Island.” The police found the target near the station.

Threaten means to create danger for someone or something. In the story, “That missile threatened ships using this important waterway.” Dark clouds threatened the afternoon flight.

Part two: the grammar.

Later, Iran fired a missile from Qeshm Island.

We use the simple past for finished actions in the past. Regular verbs usually take -ed, but many common verbs are irregular.

I fired, you fired, he or she fired, we fired, you fired, they fired.

“Later, Iran fired a missile from Qeshm Island.”

The rescue team reached the village before sunset.

Repeat after me: Later, Iran fired a missile from Qeshm Island.