Israel Iran News: Israel Begins New Round Of Attacks As It Demands Complete Roll Back Of Iran's Nuclear Programme

The White House says, due to “chance of negotiation”, President Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will join the Israel-Iran conflict.

An Iranian missile hit the Soroka Medical Hospital in southern Israel on Thursday. Footage of the attack has surfaced online with the Hospital spokesperson reporting significant damage to the premises and surrounding areas. 

According to rescue officials, 47 people were injured in the attack, reported AFP. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the attack asserting that “This morning, Iran’s terrorist dictators fired missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva and at civilians in the centre of the country. We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price.

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Amid the intensifying conflict in West Asia, the White House on Thursday stated definitively that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in "a couple of weeks" once given the go-ahead from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as per ABC News.

"Let's be very clear, Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at her briefing.

"All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that. And it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would, of course, pose an existential threat not just to Israel but to the United States and to the entire world," she continued.

As the tension between Iran and Israel continues to escalate, Hezbollah chief asserted that the outfit will 'act as we see fit' in the Iran-Israel war, as per a report by The Times of India.

Naim Qassem, who leads Hezbollah, declared on Thursday that his organisation would respond independently to the current conflict between Israel and Iran, their primary supporter.

Qassem issued a statement emphasising Hezbollah's partisan stance in the dispute between these regional powers, stating that they would "act as we see fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression".

This statement follows a caution from the United States' special representative for Syria, advising Hezbollah to remain uninvolved in the hostilities.

In view of the conflict between Israel and Iran, several countries have suspended embassy operations in Tehran since conflict between Iran and Israel began, including the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia,

But with Iranian airspace shut - and Israel's main international airport closed to passenger traffic - many countries are also conducting complex operations to evacuate citizens from the two countries.

At least 12 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while waiting for aid in central Gaza, according to rescuers and medics.

Reports say the group was killed by gunfire near an aid distribution site run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Thursday.

The GHF has denied there were any incidents near its site. The Israeli military told Reuters that "suspects" had attempted to approach forces in the area of Netzarim, and that soldiers had fired warning shots. It said it was unaware of any injuries.

Source: BBC

The Israeli military says it detected the missile launch from Iran, and defence systems are working to track and intercept the incoming projectiles.

The Israeli public has been warned to take shelter.

"UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" — is what U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded from Iran as the conflict between Israel and Iran reaches a tipping point. The move is anything but subtle, considering that the U.S. is not a part of the conflict and sits an ocean away. Trump now seems oddly eager to referee a conflict that is not his, on a continent that is not his either.

The world stands at a precarious juncture, with irony bleeding through global diplomacy and all involved leaders advocating reckless display of bravado. In another claim of self-defense, Israel launched a strike on Iran. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to mediate peace talks — even as his war in Ukraine grinds into its third year.

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The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for people in the industrial area of the Kalash Taleshan village in northern Iran.

It warned it would launch attacks against what it described as military infrastructure. “Your presence in this area puts your life at risk,” the military said.

(Source: CNN)

Israel’s Defense Minister Katz says “eliminating” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is one of the country’s war goals.

“A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of the State of Israel his declared goal, this horrific goal of destroying Israel, cannot be allowed to continue or materialise,” he told the media.

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• US President Donald Trump has said he will make a decision on whether to launch a military strike on Iran "within the next two weeks"

  as there is still a "substantial chance of negotiations" with Iran.

• At least 71 people were injured in an Iranian strike on an Israeli hospital, an attack which Israel's Defence Minister said meant Iran's supreme leader "can no longer be allowed to exist".

• Iran has imposed a nationwide shutdown on internet communications, which has been described as the worst in the country's history

The Israeli military has claimed that more than 60 fighter jets took part in the attacks on the Iranian capital, which it said used approximately 120 munitions, as per a report by Al Jazeera.

The army also said it struck “several industrial sites for missile production” in the Tehran area.

As we’ve been reporting, Israel’s attacks across Iran over the past several days have killed hundreds of people.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday said it carried out dozens of strikes overnight, targeting several sites in Tehran with more than 60 Israeli fighter jets. They said Iran also carried out strikes on Israel, with reports of hits in the south of the country.

Around 120 munitions were used to carry out the strikes, which targeted military missile production sites and a nuclear research centre, which Israel's military says was involved in Iran's nuclear weapons development.

Israeli media reports smoke was seen near Microsoft building in Israeli city of Beersheba after Iranian ballistic missile strike.

-Anadolu English

To mark the World Refugee Day, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency said, in 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their towns and villages.

"77 years later, Palestinians continue to be forcibly displaced. Since the war in Gaza began, around 1.9 million people have been forced to flee their homes," said in a post on X.

Israeli army said that it attacked 3 missile platforms in Iran, claiming they were ready to launch missile towards Israel.

- Anadolu English

Israel’s military On Friday said to have struck dozens of military targets in Iran overnight, including missile production sites and a nuclear research facility in the capital Tehran.

“Several missile manufacturing industrial sites in the Tehran area of Iran were attacked,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, adding that they hit production sites for missile components and rocket engines. More than 60 Air Force fighter jets were involved in the attack

The IDF claimed to have struck the headquarters of Iran’s SPND program, a defense research and development agency that the US says is the direct successor to Iran’s pre-2004 nuclear program.

- CNN

US President Donald Trump said he would allow two weeks for diplomacy before deciding whether to launch a strike in Iran.

The hope among Trump and his advisers is that Iran will relent on its hardline position and agree to terms it had previously rejected, including abandoning its enrichment of uranium, according to US officials.

Iran’s consistent message to the US has been that they will not engage in further talks with the US until the Israeli attacks end, said CNN sources

-CNN

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Hezbollah against ‘following Iran’s orders’ to attack Israel.

- Anadolu English

Slovakia's foreign ministry said on Friday it would temporarily close its embassy in Tehran and will evacuate staff from Iran due to the ongoing military escalation.

-Reuters

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Washington to discuss the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, affirming that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon.

-Anadolu English

Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: More Countries Announce Temporary Closure Of Embassies In Tehran

Australia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are suspending operations at their embassies in Tehran due to the deteriorating security environment, their foreign ministries say.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government had directed the departure of all Australian officials from its Tehran embassy, while the ambassador would remain in the region to support Australia’s response to the crisis.

She advised all Australian nationals in Iran to leave if they could do so safely.

Slovakia and the Czech Republic have also announced the temporary closure of their embassies in Tehran, joining countries including Bulgaria, New Zealand and Portugal in suspending their operations.

-Al Jazeera

Lebanon’s Nabih Berri, the influential Parliament speaker, highest-ranking Shia politician in the country and close ally of Hezbollah, spoke to local MTV News last night, expressing his assuredness that Lebanon would not join Iran in any war against Israel.

“I am 200% sure Lebanon will not enter a war, because it has no interest in doing so and would pay a heavy price.”Berri told the network

“Iran does not need us,” he added. “It is Israel that needs support.”

His comments come amid talk from both Iran, Israel and the US about whether or not Hezbollah will be activated to support Iran with attacks against Israel.

-Al Jazeera

Five hospitals in Iran have been damaged as a result of Israeli strikes, the head of the country’s Red Crescent Society said in an interview with state-affiliated media.

Glass windows were shattered and patients were left with breathing difficulties due to smoke from the blasts, said Pirhossein Kolivand, according to the state-affiliate IRNA news agency on Friday.

He said that the hospitals were not targeted directly, but that the aid group would be raising the incidents with international prosecutors as attacking hospitals during conflict is a violation of international humanitarian law.

Israel also said one of its major hospitals, the Soroka Medical Center, suffered damage from an Iranian strike on Thursday. Iran denied Israeli accusations of intentionally striking the facility.

-CNN

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejects any negotiation with US while Israeli attacks continue.

-AFP

Health officials in Israel have given an update, and claimed seven people injured in the Iranian Missile Strike in BeerSheeba overnight.

A spokesperson for the Soroka medical centre said that all seven have been evacuated for treatment.

"Injuries [were] sustained while running to protected areas and as a result of the impact. All are being treated by the team at the emergency medical services, which continues to respond to urgent cases in a protected area" said the spokesperson

-BBC

Badr Abdelatty,an Egyptian diplomat and politician serving as minister of foreign affairs has discussed the Iran-Israel conflict with Iranian and US officials, according to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said that Abdelatty discussed ways to de-escalate tensions in the region during separate calls with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and the US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Abdelatty emphasised the importance of a ceasefire and diplomacy to contain the escalating situation and limit the risk of a full-scale confrontation in the region.

-Al Jazeera

Israel targets nuclear scientist in Tehran drone attack.

- Anadolu English

Israel Katz, Israeli Defense Minister orders army to intensify strikes against symbols of Iranian regime in Tehran.

-Anadolu English

Another hospital in Tehran was targeted by Israeli bombs today, according to the head of the Public Relations Center of Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

“This is the third hospital in Iran to be attacked. Six ambulances and a comprehensive health service center have also been brutally attacked by the Zionist enemy”, said the ministry’s PR head

Source: Al Jazeera

Further intensifying the ongoing conflict, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says in a statement that he has instructed the military to intensify attacks on “symbols of the regime” in Tehran, aiming to destabilise it.

“We must strike at all the symbols of the regime and the mechanisms of oppression of the population, such as the Basij [militia], and the regime’s power base, such as the Revolutionary Guard,” Katz said in a statement, as per Al Jazeera.

Marking a sharp escalation in the week-long trading of missile attacks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday reportedly claimed that Iran fired at least one ballistic missile containing cluster munitions, which scattered small bombs across places in an attempt to increase civilian casualties.

Cluster bombs are considered a part of cluster munitions, which scatter smaller bombs across large areas to cause greater casualties during conflicts.

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Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has spoken to Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, according to Qatari state media.

During the phone call, Sheikh Mohammed expressed Qatar’s condemnation of the “repeated Israeli violations and attacks in the region”, which “undermine peace efforts and threaten to drag the region into a regional war”, Qatar News Agency reported.

He also expressed the “seriousness” of Israel’s targeting of economic facilities in Iran, warning of its “disastrous” regional and international repercussions.

-Al Jazeera

Germany Foreign Minister Wadephul urged Iran to approach the Geneva talks with 'seriousness and reliability'

He said if Iran shows genuine intent to halt nuclear ambitions, there's a real chance for de-escalation.

-Anadolu English

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday reportedly claimed that Iran fired at least one ballistic missile containing cluster munitions, which scattered small bombs across places in an attempt to increase civilian casualties.

What are cluster bombs?

Cluster bombs are considered a part of cluster munitions, which scatter smaller bombs across large areas to cause greater casualties during conflicts.

Hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets and marching in solidarity to express their anger over the Israeli attacks, despite the ongoing strikes.

There were striking scenes at Friday prayers at the University of Tehran. People were chanting, waving flags of Iran, Palestine and Hezbollah.

- Al Jazeera

The Israeli military on X said that its defense systems are working to intercept the missiles, advising Israelis to enter protected areas.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz said that emergency medical teams were treating two people; one severely wounded and one moderately wounded, were transported to the hospital.

This follows reports of an Iranian missile impact in the northern Israeli city.

Abbas Araghchi arrived at a Geneva hotel for the meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany and the UK, as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, WSJ reported.

It is the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of Israel’s attack on Iran a week ago.

Ahead of the meeting, Araghchi said his country has “nothing to discuss” with the US as long as Israel continues its strikes on Iran, but is open to “dialogue” with others, though not negotiations.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who travelled to the Swiss city after holding talks with senior US officials in Washington, DC, said “a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva says he expects European foreign ministers to demand a complete rollback of Iran’s nuclear programme during their meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Daniel Meron, was commenting on the talks between Araghchi and the foreign ministers of Germany, France and the UK, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, taking place today in Geneva.

Araghchi has said he is not prepared to hold negotiations with any party while Israel strikes his country, and that Iran’s missile programme is non-negotiable.

- Al Jazeera

British police have arrested six men following reports of an altercation at a location close to the Iranian embassy in London, Reuters reported.

“Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody,” Reuters quoted police as saying in a statement.

British media reported that the arrests took place at a protest against the Iranian leadership.

Israel seeks genuine efforts on Iran’s nuclear capabilities from Friday’s meeting between European and Iranian ministers, not just another round of talks, Israel’s UN ambassador said.

“We have seen diplomatic talks for the last few decades, and look at the results,” Danny Danon told reporters at the United Nations. “If there will be genuine effort to dismantle the capabilities of Iran, then that’s something we can consider, but if it is going to be like another session and debates, that’s not going to work.

“If it is going to be just another round of talks, that’s something, which we cannot accept,” Danon said.

Air defence systems have been activated in Bushehr in southern Iran, according to the Young Journalists Club, run by state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it has struck military infrastructure in southwestern Iran.

Under the ongoing Operation Sindhu, two evacuation flights will be arriving in India tonight. The first flight is expected to land in Delhi around 11.30 p.m., and the second flight will land around 3.00 a.m..

The first flight will come from Mashhad, and the second flight will come from Ashgabat.

- The Hindu

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that Israel’s conflict with Iran and genocide in Gaza are “quickly reaching the point of no return”.

“This madness must end as soon as possible,” said Erdogan, warning the consequences could affect the region, Europe and Asia “for many years”.

“Israel complained about damage to its hospitals today, yet it has so far carried out over 700 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza alone,” he added during a speech to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Youth Forum, as he reiterated his call for a ceasefire.

- Al Jazeera

Iran’s IRNA news agency is reporting that Iranian and European officials have taken a break in their talks in Geneva “for internal consultations by the European parties”.

IRNA said the Iranian delegation to the talks emphasised “that only a halt to aggression can open the path to diplomacy”.

“The first round of talks was held with a respectful and serious approach, encompassing the perspectives of all parties involved,” IRNA’s report said.

“Some of the issues raised could benefit from greater clarity to help pave the way for diplomacy,” it continued.

“In particular, the E3 countries [the UK, Germany and France] and Europe, who were initiators of the nuclear talks with Iran, still hope to play a historic role and gain another opportunity to advance diplomatic efforts.”

IRNA added that the Iranian delegation “stressed that Iran has not walked away from the negotiating table, and this round of talks does not mark the end of dialogue”.

Missiles fired from Iran left at least 19 people injured in the northern Israeli port of Haifa, a local hospital said.

At least one projectile appeared to evade Israel’s air defences, slamming into an area by the docks of Haifa where it damaged a building and blew out windows, littering the nearby ground with rubble, AFP images showed.

-AFP

In its latest update, the Israeli air force says it attacked three surface-to-surface missile launchers in western Iran that were “ready to fire” overnight.

It added that a remotely piloted aircraft attacked and killed a squad of Iranian soldiers on the move during the operation, including a commander of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base in western Iran.