Casualties on both sides as Iran and Israel exchange waves overnight strikes
The Israeli Defence Forces said "dozens" of Iranian missiles were launched into Israel in multiple waves of strikes in the early hours of Saturday.
Sirens and the boom of explosions, possible from Israeli interceptors, could be heard in the sky over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Israel's paramedic service Magen David Adom says an Iranian missile struck near homes in central Israel early Saturday morning, killing two people and injuring 19 others.
Israel's Fire and Rescue service said four homes were severely damaged.
Local media had earlier reported that one woman had been killed in the Tel Aviv area.
The IDF said "some of the missiles were intercepted," adding that "Search and Rescue forces are currently operating in a number of locations across the country in which reports of fallen projectiles were received."
Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv said it has treated seven people hurt by the second Iranian barrage; six had light injuries and the seventh was moderately wounded. At least 34 people were injured in Tel Aviv during the first wave of strikes.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote that direct hits were reported in central Israel, wounding five people. It said several buildings were hit by Iranian missiles.
The Israeli military urged civilians to head to shelter amid the fresh wave of missiles, but have since permitted them to leave again.
European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen post on X late on Friday that she had called Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and urged "all parties to act with maximum restraint and work to de-escalate the situation."The sound of explosions and Iranian air defence systems firing at targets was also echoing across the centre of Iran's capital, Tehran, shortly after midnight on Saturday.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, posting a video on X of a column of smoke and orange flames rising from what the outlet said was the airport.
Israel's ongoing attacks on Iranian nuclear sites killed 78 people and wounded more that 320 on Friday, said Iran's ambassador to the United Nations. The strikes killed generals and scientists, but the ambassador told the UN Security Council that 'the overwhelming majority' of victims were civilians.
The ambassador spoke shortly after Iran's first barrage of long-range missiles targeting Tel Aviv, which wounded at least 34 people, according to the Israeli paramedic service.
As Iranian projectiles and Israeli interceptor rockets left trails of smoke and flame across the night sky on Friday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to let Israel 'escape safely from this great crime.'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Iran to halt their attacks on one another, while calling for diplomacy.
'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,' Guterres wrote on X on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
39 minutes ago
- The Hill
Where US troops in Mideast are most at risk of Iran strike
The Big Story Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are within Iran's striking distance should President Trump decide to wade into Israel's conflict with Tehran and directly attack the country. © Alex Brandon, Associated Press More than 40,000 American service members and civilians — as well as billions of dollars in military equipment — are in the Middle East, spread out across bases in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Those working in countries closest to Iran, including Iraq and Kuwait, would conceivably have only minutes to prepare for an incoming Iranian strike, a likely outcome should Trump order the U.S. military to join Israel's bombing campaign, experts say. 'If [Iran] had the ballistic missiles ready to go, those strikes could happen in under 15 minutes. Launched to target,' retired Col. Seth Krummrich, vice president at security consultancy firm Global Guardian, told The Hill. 'They move very quickly.' Israel last week unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on Iran that set off the largest conflict ever between the two regional adversaries, with Tehran responding with its own attacks. The war has threatened to pull in the U.S., which says it supports Israel's right to defend itself but has not directly involved itself in the bombing. Trump has not yet decided on possible American military action against Iran, telling reporters through his top spokesperson that he would make his decision within two weeks. But Iran has already threatened to directly attack U.S. forces should they enter Israel's war campaign, with the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning Wednesday that 'Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.' Tehran's threats aren't idle, as the country has retaliated against Washington in the past, most notably in January 2020, when Trump in his first term ordered an airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force. The strike, which happened as Soleimani traveled to Baghdad, prompted a swift response from Iran, which days later hammered Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq and another U.S. base in Erbil with 13 ballistic missiles. While no Americans were killed in the largest ballistic missile attack ever against U.S. forces abroad, more than 100 were later diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries. Now, with Trump reportedly considering using the GBU-57 — known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator or so-called bunker buster bomb — to damage Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, a similar attack from Tehran could soon be at hand. Read the full report at Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future: Trump: 'Hard' for Israel to stop strikes now President Trump said Friday it would be difficult for Israel to stop strikes on Iran at this point, a week into the intense conflict between the two nations and two weeks out from the president's decision on U.S. involvement. 'I think it's very hard to make that request right now,' he said when pressed about the Iranian foreign minister saying that the U.S. would call on Israel to stop airstrikes if Trump is serious about … Democrat: Trump 2-week Iran deadline 'not a bad thing' Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) tepidly praised President Trump on his handling of the ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran, after the president said he would wait two weeks to decide whether to take direct action against Iran. 'The fact that we're not reading about a U.S. attack on Iran right now actually gives me a little bit of comfort,' the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee told independent … Israel, Iran trade strikes as Trump weighs US military involvement Israel and Iran traded strikes on Friday as President Trump weighs the possibility of U.S. involvement and European officials seek to revive nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Israel said it hit 60 Iranian aircrafts early Friday morning along with the headquarters of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, which carries out nuclear weapons research, according to the Associated Press. Iranian media said Israel's … On Our Radar Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: DHS places new limits on lawmakers visiting ICE facilities The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is placing new limitations on lawmakers seeking to visit detention facilities, releasing guidelines in the wake of visits from Democrats that have turned confrontational. Members of Congress have the legal right to make unannounced visits to U.S. Immigration … On Tap Monday Events in and around the defense world: What We're Reading News we've flagged from other outlets: Trending Today Two key stories on The Hill right now: Senate parliamentarian knocks pieces out of Trump's megabill Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that several key pieces of the massive bill to implement President Trump's agenda run afoul of … Read more Supreme Court rules against FDA, EPA 12:30 Report is The Hill's midday newsletter. Subscribe here or using the box below: Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters … Read more Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: You're all caught up. See you next week! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Iran questions US ‘trust' in nuclear talks as negotiations remain stalled amid Islamic Republic's conflict with Israel
Iran is questioning its 'trust' in the US to engage in nuclear talks as Tehran has refused to restart negotiations until Israel halts its attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused the Trump administration of using nuclear negotiations as a cover for Israel's airstrikes on the country's nuclear program, claiming the attacks came just two days before a new round of talks between US and Iranian officials were set to start. 'So they had perhaps this plan in their mind, and they just needed negotiations perhaps to cover it up,' Araqchi said Friday in an interview with NBC News. Advertisement 4 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused the Trump administration of using nuclear negotiations as a cover for Israel's airstrikes on the country's nuclear program. NBC News 'We don't know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal of diplomacy.' He vowed that negotiations would cease as long as Israel's 'aggression continues,' flatly rejecting Trump's demands to scrap its uranium enrichment and balking at his 'two week' deadline to reach a deal. Advertisement 4 Satellite image of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in Iran. © 2025 PLANET LABS PBC/AFP via Getty Images 'I told him several times zero enrichment is impossible,' Araqui said of his meetings with special envoy Steve Witkoff, who he accused of contributing to a 'lack of confidence' between the two nations. He later called Tehran's nuclear program a scientific 'achievement' and a source of 'pride and dignity,' insisting that even if it were bombed and destroyed, Iran would rebuild it using the knowledge and technology it has amassed over the years. But Araqchi said US officials could resolve the issue with a single phone call to Tel Aviv to halt the attacks. Advertisement 4 Iranian foreign minister expressing distrust of the U.S. following Israeli attacks. NBC News 'They can stop this process very quickly, and then we will consider diplomacy again,' he told reporter Andrea Mitchell during the sit-down. 'They have asked us to negotiate, but we negotiate only when it is negotiation and not dictation.' Israel began its attack on Iran last Friday by taking out its top nuclear scientists and military officials responsible for the country's nuclear enrichment program. Advertisement 4 President Trump gave Iran a two-week deadline to restart negotiations to reach a deal. Ron Sachs/CNP / President Trump earlier this week spent days behind closed doors vacillating between negotiating a deal with Iran to limit its uranium enrichment and potentially joining Israel in bombing Tehran's nuclear facilities. The president said Thursday he'd make a final decision within the 'next two weeks' as he still holds out hope for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Araqchi warned that if the US joins Israel in launching an attack on Iran, the country will strike back. 'When there is a war, both sides attack each other. That's quite understandable. And self-defense is a legitimate right of every country,' he said. 'If the US joins Israel in these attacks, we will do the same.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spike Missiles That Destroyed Air Defenses From Inside Iran Were Remotely Operated
As Israel's Operation Rising Lion campaign enters its fifth day, Iranian officials claim they've uncovered new evidence of how Mossad operatives carried out attacks from inside the country using missiles and drones, at least some of which helped suppress Iranian air defenses. This is the latest in long-standing Israeli operations using weapons smuggled inside Iran, a senior IDF official told us. You can catch up with the latest installment of our coverage of the Israeli attack and the Iranian response dubbed Operation True Promise III, here. In new images published on Iranian media, authorities there showcased what they say are remnants of Rafael Spike precision-guided missile systems left behind after being used in the initial phase of Israel's ongoing campaign to neuter Iran's nuclear and long-range weapons capabilities. At least some of those systems were operated remotely, according to Iranian officials, representing another leap forward in Israel's ability to use systems set up in Iran to attack from afar. 'Iranian intelligence forces have discovered customized Spike missile launchers…designed to suppress Iran's air defenses, equipped with internet-based automation and remote control systems,' the official Iranian Press TV news outlet reported on Telegram on Monday. 'They were operated by terrorist Mossad agents.' Fars published images of some of those components. The images released by Iran on Monday seem to verify what we previously wrote about the mission in which Mossad operatives worked to move 'special weapons on a large scale, deploy them throughout Iran, and launch them towards the attack targets in a precise and effective manner.' They show an array of hardware scattered across a dirt area. These include launchers, a number of radio and computer hardware components, and a small EO/IR turret on a turret mount. These systems appear to have allowed operatives to fire and guide the weapons without being present at the site. We pointed out that video footage emerging on social media apparently showed Israeli commandos on the ground in Iran operating Spike precision-guided missiles. As we noted, 'Spike, specifically the Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) version, would be an ideal weapon for the sort of mission pulled off by Mossad inside Iran, since it can be launched from behind cover. It can be employed in a 'fire and forget' mode or using man-in-the-loop guidance. In this way, the missile can also be used to reconnoiter targets before striking them, with extreme precision, as well.' You can see that video below. Images of Mossad operatives in Iran conducting strikes overnight. Appear to possibly use Spike ATGMs to hit air defence assets. — ELINT News (@ELINTNews) June 13, 2025 There is precedent for claims that Israel has used remote weapons systems inside Iran. In November 2020, Iranian officials said that Israel killed top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh using a gun in either a remote-controlled or entirely automated mount on a pickup truck, with no actual human assassins involved. You can see images of the aftermath of that attack below. Images allegedly directly from the assassination spot of #Iran chief nuclear scientist Muhsain Fakhrizadeh. — Aldin (@aldin_aba) November 27, 2020 In addition to the Spike system remnants, investigators say they found what they claim was a three-story Israeli drone factory in a building in Shahr-e Ray, located south of the Iranian capital. 'The three [story] building was used by Israeli agents to assemble and store UAVs intended for terrorist operations,' the semi-official Tasnim news outlet stated on X. 'Officials also found homemade bombs and over 200 kg of explosives.' Security forces located a clandestine drone-manufacturing site in Shahr-e Rey, south of three floors building, was used by Israeli agents to assemble and store UAVs intended for terrorists also found homemade bombs and over 200 kg of explosives. — Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) June 15, 2025 The discovery of this drone factory was made after investigators received 'a public report of suspicious movements at a residential home,' the official Iranian Fars news outlet reported on Telegram. Video from the scene showed at least one drone, drone wings and other components, as well as controllers, on tables and shelves in one room of the building, as well as an Ender 3D printer. In Ukraine, both sides have often used these devices to produce drone components like propellers. WILD Iranian state TV: An Israeli three-story drone manufacturing workshop has been discovered in — Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 15, 2025 In addition to the drone production facility near Tehran, Iranian officials in Isfahan, about 200 miles south of the capital, claim they also found a 'drone equipment manufacturing workshop' there. 'Police officers, through careful monitoring and intelligence, learned of the storage of equipment and parts for drone and micro-aircraft manufacturing in a workshop near Isfahan city and immediately took action for a more detailed investigation,' the deputy police chief of Isfahan said, according to the official Iranian Fars news agency. 'Four suspects were arrested in this operation. Large amounts of equipment and parts for making drones and micro-aircraft were discovered at the location.' Isfahan is home to Iran's nuclear technology center, however, Fars did not specify the targets of these drones or whether any were actually launched. Fars published an image of what appears to be remnants of one of those drones. A senior IDF official told The War Zone that Israel has long carried out these kinds of operations inside Iran. 'I can confirm that for years, the Mossad and other Israeli covert forces have been operating facilities for assembling drones, UAVs, and various types of precision-guided missiles designed for manual launch from the ground,' said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. 'For years, they've successfully smuggled raw materials and assembled weapon systems inside Tehran itself. I don't have information regarding whether these facilities have been exposed, but in any case, their exposure is currently irrelevant, as they are no longer in use. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that these operations were a game-changer—both in terms of targeted operations and, more significantly, in achieving air superiority, since the operation began.' These Israeli attacks from inside echo recent actions by Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU), which launched one-way attack drones from within Russian territory during Operation Spiderweb at the start of this month. In that operation, drones concealed within trucks were launched in a coordinated attack on strategic bombers on different airfields deep within Russia, as you can read about here. The use of covertly launched drones to take out strategic targets in their vicinity in a long-planned and closely coordinated attack has significant parallels with what we are now seeing happen in Iran. You can see Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb unfold in the following video. СБУ показала унікальні кадри спецоперації «Павутина», у результаті якої уражено 41 військовий літак стратегічної авіації рф — СБ України (@ServiceSsu) June 4, 2025 Officials in Tehran say they have also uncovered new Mossad-related actions inside Iran and arrested suspects tied to the spy organization. 'Iran's security forces in Delfan, Lorestan arrested 5 Mossad-linked foreign terrorists carrying explosive-laden suicide drones intended to be used in Israeli terror attacks on Iranian civilians across the country,' the official Iranian Press TV news outlet claimed. 'Two trucks loaded with drones and explosives, belonging to and operated by Mossad terrorists, were captured in Iran's Lorestan Province following public reports to the intelligence services.' Two trucks loaded with drones and explosives, belonging to and operated by Mossad terrorists, were captured in Iran's Lorestan Province following public reports to the intelligence — Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) June 16, 2025 Iran's intelligence also detained 'several Mossad-linked terrorists who were planning a terror operation from a half-constructed building, following reports from vigilant citizens,' Press TV reported. Amid the arrests of individuals suspected of helping Mossad and the discovery of the Spike components and drone factories, Iranian officials issued a warning to anyone thinking of helping Israel. 'My message to traitors is that if you feel you have been deceived by the enemy, there is still time to return,' Ahmad-Razan Radan, chief of Iran's National Police, said, according to Fars. 'If you introduce yourself voluntarily, you can benefit from the mercy of the Islamic Republic system. Otherwise, just as the enemy is receiving a response in the field, you will also learn a lesson.' It's probably unlikely that such warnings will hamper Mossad's recruitment efforts, especially with the disarray caused by airstrikes and Israel's commitment to end Iran's nuclear and long-range missile programs once and for all. Contact the author: howard@
