Video shows a barrage of Iranian missiles making impact in Tel Aviv and other sites in Israel in its second wave of attacks, killing at least 10 people. The strikes are retaliation for Israel’s bombing of civilian and energy infrastructure in Iran.
Published On 15 Jun 202515 Jun 2025
Iran has struck Israel with barrages of missiles, a day after an Israeli onslaught against its nuclear and military facilities killed top generals and scientists.
Iranian missiles have targeted sites across Israel, killing at least three people and injuring dozens, in retaliation for continuing Israeli attacks on Iran.
Iran called on its citizens to unite in defence of the country as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them to rise up against their government.
Air raid sirens and explosions rang out across Israel through the night, with many residents holed up in bomb shelters until home defence commanders stood down alerts.
Israel said dozens of missiles – some intercepted – had been fired in the latest salvoes from Iran, with images of the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showing blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they attacked dozens of targets in Israel.
Iran’s missile barrages came in response to intense Israeli strikes on Friday that killed several top Iranian generals and most of the senior leadership of the Revolutionary Guards’ air arm.
Explosions and air raid sirens are being heard again in Iran and Israel as the two nations continue to exchange missiles and drones, a day after the Israeli military killed top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists in the worst such escalation in decades.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least four people and wounded more than 200 others in Israel since Friday, as a barrage of dozens of Iranian missiles lit up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv overnight.
On the Iranian side, at least 80 people, including women and children, have been killed and more than 320 others injured, as the Israeli army targeted residential areas in capital Tehran, military sites and nuclear facilities, killing at least nine nuclear scientists so far.
Accusing Israel of initiating a war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it “must expect severe punishment” for killing several top-level military commanders and scientists.
In a message on state TV, he said Israel “should not think that it is over because they attacked and it is finished”.
“No. They started this and initiated the war. We won’t allow them to escape unscathed from this great crime they have committed,” Khamenei said.
Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, with fears of a prolonged conflict engulfing the region.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on Saturday that “Tehran will burn” and its residents will pay dearly if Iran continues its missile strikes against Israeli civilians.
“The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they – especially the residents of Tehran – will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians,” said Katz.
“If Khamenei continues to fire missiles towards the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn,” the minister added.
On Saturday, two projectiles hit Tehran’s Mehrabad airport which hosts an air force base with fighter jets and transport aircraft, and is located close to key Iranian government buildings.
“The attacks caused explosions at the airport but did not affect any runways, buildings or facilities,” Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA said.
The Israeli military also continued to launch strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.
“There has been limited damage to some areas at the Fordow enrichment site,” ISNA news agency reported Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying on Saturday.
“We had already moved a significant part of the equipment and materials out, and there was no extensive damage and there are no contamination concerns.”
Meanwhile, several Iranian missiles penetrated Israel’s Iron Dome defence system and struck central Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion and Ramat Gan areas.
Air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sending residents rushing into shelters. An Israeli official said Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves.
A high-rise building was hit overnight in a densely populated area of central Tel Aviv. At least nine buildings were also destroyed in Ramat Gan, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.
Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, said he had to go to shelters five times overnight amid Iran’s missile barrage. “It’s now Shabbat here. Should be quiet. Probably won’t be. Entire nation under orders to stay near shelter,” he posted on X.
The Israeli army on Saturday said seven of its soldiers were wounded in a ballistic missile attack on central Israel. They were taken to hospitals and have since been released, according to a military statement.
This is the first confirmation of Israeli military casualties since the escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel began two days ago.
Meanwhile, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that five people in the occupied West Bank were also injured as rocket shrapnel fell near the town of Sa’ir near Hebron. The five injured included three children, aged six, seven and 12.
Wafa earlier reported that Israel had imposed widespread closures across the occupied West Bank amid the escalating conflict with Iran. Israeli forces have shut down roads, set up checkpoints and prevented freedom of movement for the Palestinians.
Iran has also warned Israel’s allies – the United States, the United Kingdom and France – that their bases and ships in the region will be targeted if they help defend Israel.
“Any country that participates in repelling Iranian attacks on Israel will be subject to the targeting of all regional bases of the complicit government, including military bases in the Persian Gulf countries and ships and naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea by Iranian forces,” a government statement said, according to Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency.
Iran has already accused the US of being complicit in the attacks and said it shared full responsibility for the consequences.
Shahram Akbarzadeh, professor of Middle East politics at Deakin University in Australia, said both Israel and Iran appear to be “settling in for the long haul” and more attacks could be expected. He said the US would also be dragged into the conflict.
“When Israel launches attacks on Iran, Iran has to respond, and I think Israel is actually banking on this dynamic – that once the conflict starts, the United States has an obligation and a commitment to Israeli security,” Akbarzadeh told Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged people in Iran to stand up to the “evil and oppressive” regime under Khamenei and seek “freedom”.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said according to the people in Iran, Netanyahu’s message was unwelcome.
“We have to remember that Iranian people are living under the shadow of war, which is now getting translated into a real war. They are also under the pressure of sanctions,” he said.
“People are angry, specifically at the fact that it’s not just military officials and nuclear scientists but very ordinary citizens who were affected by the recent strikes.”
(Bloomberg) — Israel and Iran’s conflict escalated on Saturday evening, with the Islamic Republic firing another wave of missiles and the Israeli air force striking Tehran. Read More
Source link
World leaders and senior officials have called on both Israel and Iran to walk back from the brink of all-out war as the bitter enemies traded intense attacks for a second day.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Saturday that Israel’s strikes on Iranian infrastructure had set its nuclear programme back years, without providing evidence, but rejected global calls for restraint.
“We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” he said in a video message.
During its surprise attack on Friday, the Israeli army targeted more than 200 military and nuclear sites, killing top Iranian army commanders, scientists and other senior officials.
Iran strong retaliation penetrated Israel’s lauded missile defence on Friday night and overnight into Saturday, with air raid sirens sounding across Israel. At least four people were killed, with the Israeli military saying Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Saturday of a “more severe and powerful response” if Israel continued to strike.
In light of the escalation, world leaders have spoken to Iranian and Israeli top officials, fearing a possible regional war.
Here is what some countries have said:
The United States President Donald Trump says he spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. “He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
Earlier, top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters Putin spoke to Trump and condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran. Putin “expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East”, Ushakov said,
According to Ushakov, Trump described the current events in the Middle East as “very alarming”.
The two leaders did not rule out a return to the negotiating meetings on Iran’s nuclear programme, Ushakov said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Iranian president that Israel was looking to “drag the whole region into the fire,” according to a statement from the Turkish presidency. Erdogan also told Pezeshkian that Israel’s attacks aimed to divert attention from the genocide in Gaza.
Erdogan told Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Israel needed “to be stopped”, calling it “the main threat to stability and security in the region”. The issue of Iran’s nuclear programme “can only be resolved through negotiations”, he added. The Turkish leader also spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Similarly, Erdogan told Trump in a phone call that he sees nuclear negotiations as the only way to resolve the conflict.
Erdogan told Trump that Turkiye supports Washington’s view that nuclear negotiations should continue to resolve the fighting and that Ankara is ready to help prevent an uncontrolled escalation, a statement by his office said.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to his Iranian and Israeli counterparts and made clear Beijing’s support for Tehran.
Wang told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Beijing “supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people”, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.
Wang told Araghchi that Israel’s actions “seriously violate … the basic norms governing international relations”, adding attacks on nuclear facilities “have set a dangerous precedent with potentially catastrophic consequences”.
During his conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Wang expressed that its attack on Iran was “unacceptable”.
“Diplomatic means for the Iranian nuclear issue have not been exhausted, and there is still hope for a peaceful solution. Force cannot bring lasting peace,” Wang said, adding that Beijing was willing to play a role in de-escalating the conflict.
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke with Pezeshkian and reiterated Qatar’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli attack targeting the territory of Iran, considering it a “blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, and a clear breach of the rules and principles of international law”.
The Qatari leader also called for a diplomatic solution to reach a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.
Pezeshkian has held a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, IRNA reports. The Saudi State news agency confirmed the call.
“Since taking office as president, I have sought to strengthen peace, stability and security in the region, but the Zionist regime has disrupted and sabotaged every area where we wanted to achieve something,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.
The Saudi crown prince said, “the Kingdom condemns ongoing attacks that undermine Iran’s sovereignty and security. ”
Ties between Riyadh and Tehran have improved significantly since the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations in 2023 after years of animosity.
The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that the UK is moving military assets, including fighter jets, to the Middle East for contingency support across the region.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “alarmed” by the overnight strikes “with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel”. “We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians,” Lammy said on X, adding that he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart “to urge calm”.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke to his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and warned that the risk of “further escalation is real.” “Iran’s nuclear program threatens not only Israel, but also Saudi Arabia and the broader stability of the region. The countries here share a clear goal: to prevent nuclear proliferation. Germany is firmly committed to de-escalation,” he wrote on X.
President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to his Iranian counterpart and called for French “diplomatic facilities and nationals in Iran and the wider region not to be targeted under any circumstances”. “I also urged the utmost restraint to avoid escalation. Iran’s nuclear program is a serious concern and must be resolved through negotiation,” Macron wrote on X.
“I therefore invited President [Masoud] Pezeshkian to return swiftly to the negotiating table to reach an agreement — the only viable path to de-escalation … We stand ready to contribute and to mobilise all our efforts to achieve that goal,” he added.
Pope Leo XIV called on Israel and Iran to show responsibility and reason.
“The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated at such a delicate moment. I wish to forcefully renew an appeal for responsibility and reason,” the pope said in a statement. “The commitment to build a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through a respectful meeting and sincere dialogue,” he said.
“No one should ever threaten the existence of the other,” he added.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA says Iranian forces are carrying out a hybrid attack with drones accompanying the missiles targeting Israeli cities, with explosions heard in Israeli cities.
Israel’s Channel 13 cites “initial reports” late Saturday that Iranian missiles have hit the northern coastal city of Haifa and neighbouring town of Tamra. Videos posted to social media, and verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad, showed Iranian cruise missiles in the skies of northern Israel.
The Israeli military, in the meantime, says it is now attacking military targets in Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran said that Israel intensified its military campaign against it for a second consecutive day, targeting key infrastructure and dealing another blow to the country’s struggling economy, as the conflict spirals towards a potential sustained all-out war.
Iranian officials confirmed that a blaze had erupted at the South Pars gas field – one of the country’s most vital energy sources – after it was struck by Israeli forces on Saturday.
Production from part of the field has been suspended, with state-affiliated media reporting that 12 million cubic metres (423 million cubic feet) of gas from Phase 14 have been temporarily halted. Though Iranian authorities later said the fire had been extinguished, the scale of the disruption remains unclear.
An Israeli official stated the strike was intended as a direct warning to Tehran. The message appears to be part of a broader strategy to cripple Iran’s economic and military capabilities, according to Fox News. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority cited an official as saying, “We attacked another Iranian gas field after Bushehr, and national infrastructure is on the list.”
Energy expert Manouchehr Takin told Al Jazeera that targeting South Pars – crucial for domestic consumption and commercial use – would deepen Iran’s internal energy crisis. “This is an attempt to paralyse Iran’s economy,” Takin said. “The domestic gas network was already under pressure due to sanctions and mismanagement.”
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, said the move marked a shift in strategy. “Israel has previously targeted Iran’s military infrastructure, nuclear scientists and missile facilities. Now it’s going after civilian economic assets,” she said, warning that the economic impact could be severe if damage is extensive.
Tehran reported at least 80 people killed and more than 320 injured, including women and children, following Israeli strikes on both military and residential sites across the capital.
Among the dead are reportedly nine nuclear scientists. Iran hit back with a barrage of missiles that penetrated Israel’s high-tech missile defence system, with at least four deaths and more than 200 injuries recorded in Israel since Friday.
Iranian state media also claimed the downing of an Israeli F-35 fighter jet, one of the most advanced aircraft in Israel’s arsenal. While several Iranian news outlets have cited a military statement confirming the incident, there is no official footage or visual evidence, and Israeli officials have dismissed the reports as fabricated.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi noted growing public anger. “Many Iranians are frustrated that non-military targets were hit,” he said. “There had been hope weeks ago with talks on the table. Now, there’s only uncertainty and fear of escalation.”
The cancelled talks were originally set to take place in Oman on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump had tied the diplomatic effort to Iran’s agreement to roll back its nuclear programme. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations were off the table while “barbarous” Israeli attacks continued.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military claimed to have struck more than 150 Iranian targets and warned its operation could continue for weeks. Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning: “If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn.”
![Israeli search and rescue team conduct operation amid the rubble of destroyed building after the attacks of Iranian army following the launch of large-scale Israeli strikes against Iran in Rishon LeZion, Israel on June 14, 2025. [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/AA-20250614-38276354-38276353-DESTRUCTION_OF_HOUSES_IN_RISHON_LEZION_AREA_OF_ISRAEL_AFTER_IRANIAN_MISSILE_ATTACKS-1749912512.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
The prospect of full-scale regional war loomed large, as global leaders issued warnings.
Iran hinted at a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial oil shipping lane – should the conflict deepen. Tehran also warned that any foreign military bases aiding Israel could face retaliatory strikes.
Iran’s capacity for external retaliation, however, has weakened. After nearly two years of war in Gaza and last year’s conflict in Lebanon, its key regional allies – Hamas and Hezbollah – are significantly depleted, narrowing Iran’s military options.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. In both calls, Erdogan blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for fuelling the crisis.
According to a statement from Erdogan’s office, he told bin Salman that Israel poses the greatest threat to regional stability and urged an immediate halt to its actions. “The only way to resolve the nuclear dispute is through negotiations,” Erdogan said, warning of a potential refugee crisis if the situation spirals further.
The Turkish president also accused Israel of using attacks on Iran to distract from what he labelled a genocide in Gaza. “Netanyahu is trying to set the region on fire and sabotage diplomatic efforts,” Erdogan said, according to the statement.
As international concern mounts, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 50-minute call on Saturday.
While Trump praised Israel’s strikes and warned Iran of harsher consequences, Putin expressed grave concern and called for a halt to the military campaign. Both leaders, however, left the door open to a possible return to nuclear talks.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to his Iranian and Israeli counterparts and made clear Beijing’s support for Tehran.
Wang told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Beijing “supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people”, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.
Tehran attacked Israel in retaliatory strikes without the support of regional allies.
Israel pounds Iran – and Iran strikes back, hitting Tel Aviv.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, Israel has damaged Iran, not just at home, but also outside its territory – by striking its allies.
Hezbollah‘s leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut, the Houthis in Yemen have taken hits, as well as militias in Iraq.
Israel struck Iranian interests in Syria and Tehran’s ally, former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, was deposed.
Hamas’ leadership has also been decimated, including in assassinations carried out in Tehran.
So is Iran now fighting from a weakened position?
Presenter: Cyril Vanier
Guests:
Ronnie Chatah, Political commentator, writer and host of The Beirut Banyan podcast.
Setareh Sadeqi – Professor at the University of Tehran’s Faculty of World Studies.
David DesRoches, Professor of National Defense University and former Pentagon director of Arabian Peninsula Affairs.
Videos show destruction in the aftermath of Iranian missile strikes that hit sites across Israel.
Source link
Israeli fire and air strikes have killed at least 58 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, many of them near an aid distribution site operated by the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to local health authorities, the latest deaths of people desperately seeking food for their hungry families.
Medics at al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza, where most of the casualties were moved to, said at least 15 people were killed on Saturday as they tried to approach the GHF aid distribution site near the so-called Netzarim Corridor.
The rest were killed in separate attacks across the besieged and bombarded enclave, they added. Since the GHF started operations last month, at least 274 people have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded near aid distribution sites, according to a statement by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The GHF said they were closed on Saturday. But witnesses said thousands of people had gathered near the sites anyway, desperate for food as Israel’s punishing 15-week blockade and military campaign have driven the territory to the brink of famine.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Palestinians are starting to see GHF distribution hubs as “execution sites,” considering the repeated attacks there. But people in Gaza “have run out of options, and they are forced to travel to these dangerous humanitarian spaces to get aid”.
Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade on Gaza on March 2 for 11 weeks, cutting off food, medical supplies and other aid.
It began allowing small amounts of aid into the enclave in late May following international pressure, but humanitarian organisations say it is only a tiny fraction of the aid that is needed.
There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli military or the GHF on Saturday’s incidents.
The GHF – a United States and Israel-backed organisation led by Johnnie Moore, an evangelical Christian who advised US President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign – began distributing food packages in Gaza on May 27, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral.
Israel and the United States say the new system is intended to replace the UN-run network. They have accused Hamas, without providing evidence, of siphoning off the UN-provided aid and reselling it to fund its military activities.
Israel has also admitted to backing armed gangs in Gaza, known for criminal activities, to undermine Hamas. These groups have been blamed for looting aid.
UN officials deny Hamas has diverted significant amounts of aid and say the new system is unable to meet mounting needs. They say it has militarised aid by allowing Israel to decide who has access and by forcing Palestinians to travel long distances or relocate again after waves of displacement.
Later on Saturday, the Israeli military ordered residents of Khan Younis and the nearby towns of Abasan and Bani Suheila in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and head west towards the so-called humanitarian zone area, saying it would forcefully work against “terror organizations” in the area.
More than 80 percent of the Gaza Strip is now within the Israeli-militarised zone, under forced displacement orders, or where these overlap, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UN estimates that nearly 665,000 people have been displaced yet again since Israel broke the ceasefire in February.
Israel’s war on Gaza and its population has killed more than 55,290 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated Strip, which is home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced and malnutrition is widespread.
Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, including that Israel implement a permanent ceasefire and not restart the war.
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Friday after Israeli attacks on Iran. China and Russia condemned the bombings, while Israel’s allies, including France, doubled down on support for Israel.
Published On 14 Jun 202514 Jun 2025
Video shows flames and heavy smoke rising near Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport after Israel appeared to target the facility in an early morning attack. Iranian authorities say the airport and its runways are intact.
Published On 14 Jun 202514 Jun 2025
It is unclear whether the sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks will take place in Oman on Sunday as scheduled.
Iran says dialogue over its nuclear programme with the United States is “meaningless” after Israel launched its biggest-ever military strike against Iran, which Tehran accuses Washington, DC, of supporting.
“The other side [the US] acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime [Israel] to target Iran’s territory,” Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency quoted its foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying on Saturday.
The US has denied the Iranian allegation of being complicit in Israel’s attacks and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump has called the Israeli attacks on Iran “excellent” after initially warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against action that could jeopardise nuclear talks.
Trump on Friday framed the volatile conflict with Israel as a possible “second chance” for Iran’s leadership to avoid further destruction “before there is nothing left and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire”.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Oman, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday,” Iran’s IRNA news agency quoted Baghaei as saying on Saturday.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment programme is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. Netanyahu has pledged to continue the attacks for “as many days as it takes” to stop Iran from developing a “nuclear threat”.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he had warned Iran’s leaders that “it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come”.
“And they [Israelis] know how to use it,” he added.
Trump has blamed Iran for rejecting US proposals on uranium enrichment and has warned of more brutal Israeli strikes to come.
But Hamed Mousavi, professor of political science at Tehran University, told Al Jazeera that many Iranians think it is indeed meaningless to continue nuclear talks with the US when they are being bombed.
“The Israelis essentially killed the diplomatic solution and what was surprising was the Americans were fully coordinating with the Israelis in that regard. So I think it’s unlikely the negotiations will continue,” he said.
Mousavi said the mood in Iran is “pretty defiant” and does not seem to support Israeli goals of a regime change in Tehran.
“The Israelis were really expecting some sort of protest or riots in the Iranian capital by the Iranian people. That hasn’t happened so far. We don’t know if it’s going to happen in the future, but the mood right now is actually pretty defiant. I don’t really see that many Iranians sympathising with the Israelis.”
Historians may well mark June 13, 2025, as the day the world crossed a line it may not easily step back from. In a move that shocked the international community and sent global markets reeling, Israel launched a wide-scale military operation against Iran in the early hours of the morning, striking targets across at least 12 provinces, including the capital, Tehran, and the northwestern hub of Tabriz. Among the targets were suspected nuclear facilities, air defence systems, and the homes and offices of senior military personnel. Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of several top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Israeli government officially confirmed responsibility for the attacks, naming the campaign Operation Raising Lion. Iranian officials described it as the most direct act of war in the countries’ decades-long shadow conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be pursuing two objectives. First, Israeli officials fear that Iran is nearing the technical capability to build a nuclear weapon – something Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to prevent, by force if necessary. Second, Israel hopes a dramatic escalation will pressure Tehran into accepting a new nuclear agreement more favourable to United States and Israeli interests, including the removal of its enriched uranium stockpiles. Just as Netanyahu has failed to destroy Hamas through military force, both goals may ultimately serve only to perpetuate a broader regional war.
While the prospect of all-out war between Iran and Israel has long loomed, Friday’s events feel dangerously different. The scale, audacity and implications of the attack – and the near-certain Iranian response – raise the spectre of a regional conflict spilling far beyond its traditional bounds.
Since the 2011 Arab Spring, a Saudi-Iranian cold war has played out across the region as each country has sought to expand its influence. That rivalry was paused through Chinese mediation in March 2023. But since October 2023, a war of attrition between Israel and Iran has unfolded through both conventional and asymmetrical means – a conflict that now threatens to define the trajectory of the Middle East for years to come.
Whether this confrontation escalates further now hinges largely on one man: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. If Iran’s supreme leader comes to view the survival of the Islamic Republic as fundamentally threatened, Tehran’s response could expand far beyond Israeli territory.
In recent months, Israeli leaders had issued repeated warnings that a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities was imminent. Intelligence assessments in Tel Aviv claimed Iran was only weeks away from acquiring the necessary components to build a nuclear weapon. Although this claim was disputed by other members of the international community, it nonetheless shaped Israel’s decision to act militarily.
At the same time, indirect negotiations between Iran and the US had been under way, focused on limiting Iran’s uranium enrichment and reducing tensions through a revised nuclear agreement. US President Donald Trump publicly supported these diplomatic efforts, describing them as preferable to what he called a potentially bloody war. However, the talks faltered when Iran refused to halt enrichment on its own soil.
The US administration, while officially opposing military escalation, reportedly gave tacit approval for a limited Israeli strike. Washington is said to have believed that such a strike could shift the balance in negotiations and send a message that Iran was not negotiating from a position of strength – similar to how Trump has framed Ukraine’s position in relation to Russia. Although US officials maintain they had advance knowledge of the attacks but did not participate operationally, both the aircraft and the bunker-busting bombs used were supplied by the US, the latter during Trump’s first term.
Initial reports from Iranian sources confirm that the strikes inflicted significant damage on centrifuge halls and enrichment pipelines at its Natanz facility. However, Iranian officials insist the nuclear programme remains intact. Iran’s nuclear infrastructure includes multiple deeply buried sites – some more than 500 metres (550 yards) underground and spread across distances exceeding 1,000km (620 miles). As a result, the total destruction of the programme by air strikes alone in this initial phase appears unlikely.
Iranian officials have long warned that any direct military aggression on their territory by Israel would cross a red line, and they have promised severe retaliation. Now, with blood spilled on its soil and key targets destroyed, Khamenei faces enormous internal and external pressure to respond. The elimination of multiple high-ranking military officials in a single night has further intensified the demand for a multifaceted response.
Iran’s reply so far has taken the form of another wave of drone attacks, similar to those launched in April and October – most of which were intercepted by Israeli and Jordanian defences.
If Iran does not engage with the US at the upcoming talks in Oman on Sunday regarding a possible nuclear deal, the failure of diplomacy could mark the start of a sustained campaign. The Iranian government has stated that it does not view the Israeli operation as an isolated incident, but rather as the beginning of a longer conflict. Referring to it as a “war of attrition” – a term also used to describe Iran’s drawn-out war with Iraq in the 1980s – officials have indicated the confrontation is likely to unfold over weeks or even months.
While retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets are likely to continue, many now anticipate that Iran could also target US military bases in the Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and even Jordan. Such an escalation would likely draw US forces directly into the conflict, implicate critical regional infrastructure and disrupt global oil supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz. That, in turn, could trigger a steep rise in energy prices and send global markets spiralling – dragging in the interests of nearly every major power.
Even if an immediate, proportionate military response proves difficult, Iran is expected to act across several domains, including cyberattacks, proxy warfare and political manoeuvring. Among the political options reportedly under consideration is a full withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Iran has long used the NPT framework to assert that its nuclear programme is peaceful. Exiting the treaty would signal a significant policy shift. Additionally, there is growing speculation within Iran’s political circles that the religious decree issued by Khamenei banning the development and use of nuclear weapons may be reconsidered. If that prohibition is lifted, Iran could pursue a nuclear deterrent openly for the first time.
Whether Israel’s strikes succeeded in delaying Iran’s nuclear ambitions – or instead provoked Tehran to accelerate them – remains uncertain. What is clear is that the confrontation has entered a new phase. Should Iran exit the NPT and begin advancing its nuclear programme without the constraints of international agreements, some may argue that Israel’s campaign – intended to stop a bomb – may instead end up accelerating its creation.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
Israel assassinated some of Iran’s most senior military generals and nuclear scientists in its attacks on the country.
Source link
June 13 (UPI) — Amid Israel’s massive airstrikes on Iran and the Islamic nation’s missile response in two barrages Friday aimed at the Jewish state, residents in both nations are on high alert.
Both nations were deserted as shops were closed, public gatherings canceled and flights not taking off and landing one day. Hospitals were relocating patients and preparing to receive wounded, as well.
In Israel, sirens sounded amid a major Iranian ballistic missile attack. Overnight, an estimated 100 missiles were launched from Iran at Israel, according to an Israeli military source. Israel Defense Forces worked to “intercept the threats” and most of the drones were deterred.
Later Friday, a second barrage of missiles were aimed at Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran crossed red lines” by firing missiles at civilian population centers.
In Iran, Tehran’s air defense system has been activated after a number of strikes were carried out across the nation, its state-run Mehr News reported. Iran has 90.6 million residents, including 9.6 million in Tehran.
In the capital, demonstrators called for retaliation after the Israeli strikes.
Residents in Israel, a nation of 9.7 million, were urged to be prepared to take shelter.
“The Home Front Command has now instructed residents across the country to remain close to protected spaces,” the Israel Defense Forces said. ” Movement in public areas should be minimized, and public gatherings must be avoided. Upon receiving an alert, enter a protected space and remain there until an official update is issued.”
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin urged residents to prepare for “many days of war.”
“We are aware of the enemy’s intentions to harm us, and there will be more attempts of this kind. We still have challenges ahead,” Defrin said.
Life in Israel, Iran
Much of Israel was deserted, except for people stocking up in essentials, with businesses and events canceled.
A Pride Parade scheduled for Friday was called off. Municipal workers dismantled unused stages set up along the parade’s path.
A few people in the area sunbathed, smoked and played soccer on the sand.
Commerce at the open-air Carmel market nearby in Tel Avis was much less than usual traffic on a Friday, the day before the sabbath, when many businesses are closed. Jerusalem is a non-secular, holy city that closes on Saturday.
Some flocked to the few eateries and flower shops that decided to open for business. Most shops, especially for clothing, jewelry and books, appeared shuttered.
“There are no people,” says Victor, who owns a flower shop at the entrance to the open-air Carmel market, told The Times of Israel, which did not publish his full name.
Victor, who has access to a safe room at his business, opted not to close. “Not for a minute. I’m self-employed, I have no choice,” he said.
Supermarkets, however, were crowded as Israelis prepared to be homebound for days.
The Carrefour supermarket chain opened at 6 a.m., an hour earlier than usual.
In Iran, residents in Tehran were awakened to airstrikes.
“Both my husband and I were thrown from our bed,” a resident of the northern Tehran neighbourhood of Kamranieh, told Middle East Eye. “The explosions didn’t stop. We had no idea what was happening.”
The woman discovered an apartment across the street had been bombed. It was the residence of Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, who was among the senior Iranian officials reportedly killed.
Nuclear enrichment plants and launch sites were targeted as opposed to civilian populations.
Government response
Israel has closed its embassies around the world. Officials advised all Israelis abroad to fill out a survey to update the ministry on their location and situation.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all of its staff and their family members to shelter in place until further notice.
There are approximately 40,000 troops in the Middle East, along with Navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea
The U.S. Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, which is capable of defending against ballistic missiles, to begin sailing from the western Mediterranean Sea toward the eastern Mediterranean. A second destroyer was directed to begin moving forward so it can be available.
Israel has approximately 169,500 active personnel and has called up reservists as they are stationed through Israel, including fighting Hamas on the Gaza Strip.
Hospitals
Magen David Adom, which is Israel’s national emergency service agency, began evacuating patients and premature infants to protected areas amid a special state of emergency.
MDA treats and transports more than 1 million people to hospitals every year.
Rambam Medical Center in Haifa is urging people not to come there unless cases are medically necessary. Also in Haifa, Bnei Zion Medical Center has begun transferring departments to a protected building and designated areas.
A spokesperson for Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv said: “Piece by piece, phase by phase, the hospital is being moved underground. The general intensive care unit is already protected, as is the operating room, and the hospital continues to operate as usual.”
Flights
Airspace was closed over Israel, Jordan, Iran and Iraq on Friday.
That included Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, which is the 117th largest airport in the world.
“The airspace of the State of Israel is closed to takeoffs and landings until further notice,” the Ministry of Transport announced. “The purpose of the closure is to prevent and minimize risks to passengers and aircraft. Passengers scheduled to depart from Ben Gurion Airport today are requested to remain at home and not arrive at the airport.”
Passengers whose flights were in the air after the airspace was closed landed at alternative airports.
Airlines worldwide canceled flights. Airlines offered travel vouchers and waived change fees.
Delta Air Lines on Friday said it was suspending service to Tel Aviv until at least September, a few weeks after resuming flights there.
The city of Tabriz reportedly severely damaged the city’s international airport, according to Ynet News.
Israel attacks Iranian military and nuclear sites, claiming Iran was close to producing a nuclear weapon.
Israel hit Iran’s nuclear facilities, killed several of the country’s top nuclear scientists, along with the head of the Revolutionary Guard and several military leaders, and damaged residential areas in Tehran.
Iran retaliated by sending hundreds of armed drones towards Israel.
Israel says it had intelligence showing Iran’s nuclear programme was “developing beyond the point of return”.
But the IAEA points out striking nuclear facilities is illegal under international law, as well as dangerous.
Is it really possible for Israel to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities and is it risking a nuclear disaster by trying?
Presenter: Cyril Vanier
Guests:
Ellie Geranmayeh – Senior policy fellow and deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations
Ali Vaez – Director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group
Samuel Ramani – Defence analyst and associate fellow at Royal United Services Institute.
A projectile struck central Tel Aviv, resulting in a massive explosion that sent plumes of smoke towering into the air.
Source link
Washington, DC – After taking the oath of office for his second term in January, United States President Donald Trump said he would push to “stop all wars” and leave a legacy of a “peacemaker and unifier”.
But six months in, missiles are flying across the Middle East after Israel attacked Iran, risking an all-out regional war that could drag US troops into the conflict.
The Israeli strikes on Iran, which Trump has all but explicitly endorsed, are now testing the president’s promise to be a harbinger of peace.
They are also dividing his base, with many right-wing politicians and commentators stressing that unconditional support for Israel is at odds with the “America First” platform on which Trump was elected.
“There is a very strong sense of betrayal and anger in many parts of the ‘America First’ base because they have truly turned against the idea of the US being involved in or supporting any such wars,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute, a US think tank that promotes diplomacy.
“They have largely turned sceptical of Israel, and they strongly believe that these types of wars are what cause Republican presidencies to become failures — and what causes their broader domestic agenda to be compromised.”
Several conservatives questioned the Israeli strikes on Friday, warning that the US must not be dragged into a war that does not serve its interests.
Influential conservative commentator Tucker Carlson — seen as a major figure in Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement — said the US should not support the “war-hungry government” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“If Israel wants to wage this war, it has every right to do so. It is a sovereign country, and it can do as it pleases. But not with America’s backing,” the Tucker Carlson Network morning newsletter read on Friday.
It added that a war with Iran could “fuel the next generation of terrorism” or lead to the killing of thousands of Americans in the name of a foreign agenda.
“It goes without saying that neither of those possibilities would be beneficial for the United States,” the newsletter said. “But there is another option: drop Israel. Let them fight their own wars.”
Republican Senator Rand Paul also cautioned against war with Iran and slammed hawkish neoconservatives in Washington.
“The American people overwhelming[ly] oppose our endless wars, and they voted that way when they voted for Donald Trump in 2024,” Paul wrote in a social media post.
“I urge President Trump to stay the course, keep putting America first, and to not join in any war between other countries.”
Right-wing Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also sent a message suggesting that she opposes the strikes. She has previously cautioned Trump against attacking Iran based on Israeli assertions that Tehran is about to acquire a nuclear weapon.
“I’m praying for peace. Peace,” she wrote on X. “That’s my official position.”
While many of Israel’s supporters have cited the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, the government in Tehran has long denied pursuing a nuclear weapon. Trump’s own intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, testified in March that the US “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon”.
Charlie Kirk, a key Republican activist and commentator who is a staunch Israel supporter, also voiced scepticism about engaging in a war with Iran.
“I can tell you right now, our MAGA base does not want a war at all whatsoever,” Kirk said on his podcast. “They do not want US involvement. They do not want the United States to be engaged in this.”
Hours before Israel started bombing Iran on Friday — targeting its military bases, nuclear facilities and residential buildings — Trump said that his administration was committed to diplomacy with Tehran.
“ Look, it’s very simple. Not complicated. Iran can not have a nuclear weapon. Other than that, I want them to be successful. We’ll help them be successful,” Trump said at a news conference on Thursday.
A sixth round of denuclearisation talks between US and Iranian officials was set to be held in Oman on Sunday.
Nevertheless, on Friday, Trump told reporters he had known about Israel’s attacks in advance. He did not indicate he had vetoed the bombing campaign, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio did describe Israel’s actions as “unilateral”.
Instead, Trump put the onus for the attacks on Iran, saying its officials should have heeded his calls to reach a deal to dismantle the country’s nuclear programme.
“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
Parsi said that, at the outset, Trump wanted to reach a deal with Iran, but his demands for Tehran to end uranium enrichment led to a deadlock in the talks.
“Instead of pursuing the negotiations in a reasonable way, he adopted the zero enrichment goal, which predictably would lead to an impasse, which predictably the Israelis used to push him towards military strikes and escalation,” he told Al Jazeera.
Parsi added that he believed Trump engaged in deception over the past week by pushing diplomacy while knowing that the Israeli strikes were coming.
“Trump deliberately made statements in favour of diplomacy, in favour of not having Israel attack, leading everyone to think that, if there is an attack, it would happen after the six rounds of talks on Sunday,” he said. “Instead, it happened sooner.”
While the Israeli strikes garnered some criticism in Congress, many Republicans and Democrats cheered them on.
But a key part of Trump’s base has been a segment of the right wing that questions the US’s unconditional support for Israel.
“They really are representative of a solid constituency within the Republican Party, especially if you look at younger individuals,” said Jon Hoffman, research fellow in defence and foreign policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.
Hoffman pointed to a recent Pew Research Center survey that suggested 50 percent of Republicans under the age of 50 have an unfavourable view of Israel.
“Among the electorate itself, the American people are sick and tired of these endless wars,” he told Al Jazeera.
Foreign policy hawks who favour military interventions dominated the Republican Party during the presidency of George W Bush, who launched the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
But those two conflicts proved to be disastrous. Thousands of US soldiers were killed, and many more were left with lasting physical and psychological scars. Critics also questioned whether the wars advanced US interests in the region — or set them back.
The nation-building project in Iraq, for instance, saw the rise of a government friendly to Iran and the emergence of groups deemed to be a threat to global security, including ISIL (ISIS).
In Afghanistan, meanwhile, the Taliban returned to power in 2021, almost exactly two decades after the group was ousted by US forces. The US-backed Afghan government quickly crumbled as American troops withdrew from the country.
During his campaign for re-election in 2024, Trump tapped into the anger that the two conflicts generated. On multiple occasions, he sketched an alternative timeline where, if he had been president, the collapse of the Afghan government would have never occurred.
“We wouldn’t have had that horrible situation in Afghanistan, the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country,” Trump said at one October 2024 rally in Detroit.
The US president also slammed his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris for her alliance with Dick Cheney, who served as Bush’s vice president, and his daughter Liz Cheney, criticising them as “war hawks”.
“Kamala is campaigning with Muslim-hating warmonger, Liz Cheney, who wants to invade practically every Muslim country on the planet,” Trump told another crowd in Novi, Michigan. He added that Dick Cheney “was responsible for invading the Middle East” and “killing millions”.
But critics say Trump’s posture towards the Israeli strikes in Iran risks embroiling him in his own Middle East conflict.
Hoffman, for instance, pointed to the closeness of the US-Israel relationship and the persistence of officials within the Republican Party who have been pushing for conflict with Iran for decades, like Senator Lindsey Graham.
“There is a tremendous risk of the United States being dragged into this war,” Hoffman said.
Israeli PM Netanyahu said Friday’s strike on Iran was months in the making and that the US was informed in advance.
Source link
Hossein Salami, who was appointed to lead the IRGC in 2019, among the most senior figures killed by Israel.
Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was among the senior Iranian officials killed in Israel’s sweeping air strikes that began on Thursday.
A longtime confidant of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Salami rose up the ranks in Iran, becoming head of the IRGC in 2019, when he replaced Mohammad Ali Jafari.
Like many of his contemporaries, Salami’s formative years came during the Iran-Iraq war that pitted the neighbours against each other and killed hundreds of thousands of people between 1980 and 1988.
Salami began his IRGC career during the war and is reported to have fought in several battles and held leadership positions.
His wartime experience gave him a badge of legitimacy that was one of the reasons he was then able to rise through the IRGC ranks. By 2005, Salami had been appointed as commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, where he was responsible for ballistic missile and drone development, before being appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC in 2009.
As is the case for many in the upper echelons of the Iranian military apparatus, Salami was subject to sanctions in 2007 by the United States for his role in missile development. The United Nations Security Council also sanctioned him for the same reason the year before.
Salami was also subject to Canadian sanctions for his role in subduing antigovernment protests in 2022, while the European Union sanctioned him for his involvement in supplying drones to Russia for military operations in Ukraine.
During his leadership of the IRGC, Iran strengthened the so-called “Axis of Resistance”, a group of allied countries and groups across the Middle East who were funded or acted in coordination with the IRGC, including Syria under the Bashar al-Assad regime, the Lebanese group Hezbollah, the Palestinian group Hamas, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and allied Shia groups in Iraq.
“We shall fight them [our enemies] on the global level, not just in one spot,” Salami was quoted as saying. “Our war is not a local war. We have plans to defeat the world powers.”
“With hearts filled with sorrow and grief, we mourn the unjust martyrdom of the loyal and steadfast commander, Major-General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the IRGC said in a statement reported by IRNA, the Iranian news agency, on Friday.
Salami died in an air strike, according to Iranian media. The attacks killed many of the top military figures in Iran and notable nuclear scientists. Iran has responded by attacking Israel with ballistic missiles – the very weapon Salami had such an important role in developing for the country.
After Salami’s assassination, Ahmad Vahidi was announced as his successor.
“On a human level you will have gaps of knowledge when you assassinate people who decide military strategy, are fluent in multiple languages, have personal networks and charisma within the command chain,” Reza H Akbari, Middle East and North Africa programme manager at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, told Al Jazeera.
“But it’s difficult to destroy an existing structure that goes with existing nuclear knowledge and the command chain within the military and security apparatus of the country.”