Fearful of Iranian missiles, many sleep in Israel's underground train stations

RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — Aziza Melech felt her body relax for the first time in days when she settled onto her inflatable mattress in an underground station of Israel's light rail system on a recent evening. For the next few hours, at least, the 34-year-old event planner wouldn't need to run every time a siren warning of Iranian missiles sounded.
Since the war began a week ago with Israel's airstrikes on Iran, families with young kids, foreign workers, and young professionals have brought mattresses and sleeping bags, snacks and pets into the stations each evening.
Repeatedly running for shelter
On Wednesday night, in a station that straddles Tel Aviv and neighboring Ramat Gan, parents settled in their kids with stuffed animals, while young people fired up tablets loaded with movies. Many walked in carrying boxes of pizza. Workers set out snacks and coffee.
It was Melech's first night sleeping in the brightly lit train station, and she was joined by her friend Sonia Shraibmen.
'We're not sleeping because of the anxiety and because of the sirens that are happening during the nights,' said Shraibmen. 'It's very scary to run every time to the shelter.'
That morning, Shraibmen fell on the street while rushing to a nearby shelter, and decided to move somewhere where she wouldn't have to get up and run each time her phone blared.
Melech said the scene, with hundreds of people in their pajamas in the train station, reminded her of her grandfather's stories from World War II. 'Now, we'll be able to tell our grandkids about this,' she said.
The war between Israel and Iran began on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites as well as top generals and nuclear scientists.
More than 600 people, including over 200 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. People in Tehran have also packed into metro stations as strikes boomed overhead.
Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and more than 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Those strikes have killed have killed 24 people and injured hundreds in Israel. Missiles have struck 40 different sites, including apartment buildings, offices and a hospital, according to authorities.
Footage of pancaked buildings or apartment towers with faces sheared off has forced some people to reconsider what they do when a siren blares.
The Tel Aviv light rail, which is not running because of the war, has several underground stations. In addition to the hundreds who sleep in them each night, thousands of others come only when when there's a siren, crowding into every part of the station not taken up by mattresses.
Those living older apartments lack shelter
Around half of the nighttime residents at the train station are foreign workers, who often live in older apartment buildings that are often not equipped with adequate shelters. While new buildings in Israel are required to have reinforced safe rooms meant to withstand rockets, Iran is firing much stronger ballistic missiles. And shelter access is severely lacking in poorer neighborhoods and towns, especially in Arab areas.
Babu Chinabery, a home health aide from India, said he went to the station 'because we are very scared about the missiles because they're so strong.'
Chinabery, 48, has been in Israel for 10 years, so he is no stranger to the sirens. But the past week has been something different. 'It's very difficult, that's why we're coming to sleep here,' he said.
The light rail stations aren't the only places people have sought shelter.
Around 400 people also sleep in an underground parking garage at one of the city's biggest malls each night, according to organizers. Mutual aid groups set up more than 100 tents, each one in a parking space, providing a bit more privacy for people who wanted to sleep in a safe area.
Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station — a half-abandoned cement behemoth — also opened its underground atomic shelter to the public for the first time in years. While likely one of the safest places in Israel during a missile attack, the creepily deserted rat- and cockroach-infested shelter, filled with standing water from leaky pipes, attracted only a handful of curious onlookers during the day and no residents at night.
Not taking 'unnecessary risks'
Roi Asraf, 45, has been sleeping at the train station in Ramat Gan for the past few nights with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, even though they have a safe room at home.
'I don't like to take unnecessary risks,' he said.
They now have the routine down: They give their daughter a bath at home, get everyone in their pajamas, and walk to the train station by 7 p.m. Local volunteers have run a nightly show for kids to help settle them before sleep.
'I hope (the conflict) will be short and quick,' said Asraf, after his daughter, Ariel, bounded off with her mom to catch the show. Despite the difficulties, he supports Israel's attack on Iran.
'If I have to sleep a week of my life in a train station for everything to be safer, I'm willing to do it,' he said.

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One Third Of Iran's Long-Range Missile Launchers Destroyed, Israel Claims (Updated)

The Israeli military claims it has destroyed one-third of Iran's long-range surface-to-surface missile launchers since the start of the conflict. For now, however, Iran is still launching missile strikes against Israel, with overnight attacks having killed at least eight people, according to Israeli sources. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says that it has 'destroyed over 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers' since the current fighting began last Friday. 'This amounts to one-third of the surface-to-surface missile launchers possessed by the Iranian regime,' the IDF contends. What did the IAF accomplish in Iran last night? 20+ surface-to-surface missiles were dismantled minutes before they were to be launched toward Israel's home front. Approx. 100 military targets were struck in Isfahan, central Iran. Around 50 fighter jets and aircraft… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025 This number indicates that the IDF is referring only to long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile launchers, with the reach to attack targets in Israel. The IDF also specifically described attacks on launchers, rather than the missiles fired from them, of which Iran has many more examples. It should also be noted that some of the launchers are housed in caves, while others are dispersed. It isn't clear how many launchers left their caves once the fighting started, or if Israel has sealed some of them in with strikes on the entrances to those caves. Back in 2022, U.S. Central Command assessed that Iran's long-range missile arsenal numbered over 3,000, a figure that would have continued to grow at least until last year, when several hundred were expended against Israel. Returning to the current conflict, there are also assessments that Iran started out with between 750 and 1,000 ballistic missiles with enough range to strike Israel. Of these, 370 are said to have been fired at Iran, meaning that between a third and half of these weapons have now been expended. It should be noted that hunting down these weapons is a significant challenge and one that is greatly complicated by the long distances at which Israeli fighter jets have to operate, with only a limited aerial tanker capacity available. Israeli officials say Iran has fired 370 ballistic missiles at Israel. When this conflict started I was told by well placed sources that Iran has between 1000-750 ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel. That would suggest that Iran has expended nearly 1/2 or 1/3 of its… — Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) June 16, 2025 In addition, Iran still possesses large numbers of land-attack cruise missiles and dozens of types of attack drones. As the campaign continued overnight, the IDF says that around 50 of its fighters destroyed more than 20 surface-to-surface missiles 'minutes before they were to be launched toward Israel's home front.' New imagery has also emerged showing the aftermath of previous Israeli strikes on the missile base at Khorramabad in Lorestan province, western Iran. The Israeli military said it struck this underground facility on Saturday and that it contained surface-to-surface and cruise missiles. 'This is an important site that was even featured in a propaganda video by the Iranian regime in the past,' IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told journalists. New imagery shows damage at Khorramabad missile base in Iran after it was struck by Israel — Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 16, 2025 Readers can get up to speed with the developments in the conflict in the previous 24 hours here. Among the latest targets to be struck in Tehran are the headquarters of the Quds Force, the Israeli military says. In a statement on X, the IDF says that IAF fighter jets struck the Quds Force HQ, 'guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate. In these headquarters, Quds operatives planned terrorist operations against Israel through proxies of the Iranian regime in the Middle East.' The Quds Force is the part of the IRGC responsible for conducting and coordinating terrorist and militant activities outside of Iran. The IDF precisely struck command centers belonging to the Quds Force of the IRGC and the Iranian military. In these command centers, Quds operatives advanced terrorist attacks against the State of Israel using the proxies of the Iranian Regime in the Middle East. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025 There have been more attacks on targets in Tehran in the last 24 hours. NOW: Massive explosions in Tehran. — Clash Report (@clashreport) June 16, 2025 These three images define the aftermath of Israel's strikes on Tehran today – the first, bombing of an underground facility, the second, a strike at the state broadcaster's HQ & the third, an uncontested Hermes UAV circling the capital of Iran — Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 16, 2025 Monday also saw Israeli officials release several vague warnings about further attacks to come in the Iranian capital. The IDF has issued an extraordinary evacuation advisory for a wide zone in Iran's capital, Tehran – ahead of Israeli operations in the region, quick trace over google maps alongside the warning shows the area that it expected to be cleared — Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 16, 2025 Netanyahu: 'To the citizens of Tehran, we say: 'Evacuate.' We are taking action.' — Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) June 16, 2025 In the afternoon, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for an area of Tehran, while Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz declared that 'the Iranian propaganda and incitement mouthpiece is on its way to disappear,' before noting that the 'evacuation of nearby residents has begun.' Initial reports suggest that Israel has already struck the designated target, the building belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). The aftermath of the attack on this objective is seen in various videos posted to social media, including one where the on-air broadcast was interrupted by the strike. Iranian state TV building is burning. — Clash Report (@clashreport) June 16, 2025 Israeli jets just stuck Iran's state broadcasting headquarters in air view from one of the studios as Israeli bombs hit the building: — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 16, 2025 The immediate aftermath of the Israeli strike moments ago targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in the Iranian capital of Tehran. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 16, 2025 After the attack, the IAF posted a statement on X claiming that the building was being used by the Iranian military as a communication center, under civilian cover. טרם התקיפה, צה"ל הזהיר את האוכלוסייה בצורה אפקטיבית, לרבות באמצעות שיחות שטלפון. כמו כן, התקיפה בוצעה באופן ממוקד כדי למזער את הפגיעה בבלתי מעורבים ככל הניתן. — Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) June 16, 2025 There are also unconfirmed reports that Israel targeted the headquarters of the Basij in Tehran. A paramilitary volunteer militia, the Basij comes under the IRGC and is notorious for cracking down on public protests. Successive waves of unrest in Iran since the 1979 revolution have been dealt with by the Basij militia, serving as something like the shock troops of the Islamic regime. Breaking: Basij headquarters in Tehran is the "riot police" in charge of cracking down on protests. They have the blood of thousands of Iranians on their hands. — Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) June 15, 2025 Outside of the capital, the Tasnim news agency today reported an Israeli attack on a hospital in the west of the country, leaving it seriously damaged. The semi-official Fars news agency published footage that it claims shows the aftermath. Viewer discretion is advised for the following video. Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah after the Israeli attack, according to Iranian media. — Clash Report (@clashreport) June 16, 2025 Iranian media also reported an Israeli strike on a fire department building in the Musiyan municipality in the province of Ilam, also in western Iran. In addition, the IDF says it struck around 100 military targets in Isfahan, central Iran. One of the targets that the IDF apparently hasn't hit in Isfahan is the stockpile of Iran's enriched uranium. In the tweet thread below, Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in nuclear nonproliferation and a professor at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, provides the likely explanation for this. Suffice it to say, Iran apparently stores the vital enriched uranium deep underground, at a depth of at least 300 feet. Israel, so far, has not been able to destroy the hardest, deeply buried targets. I see @SangerNYT asked why Israel hasn't hit the stockpile of enriched uranium. My understanding is that the hex is stored in the tunnels at Isfahan and Israel hasn't been able to destroy the hard, deeply buried targets. Thread. — Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) June 16, 2025 Overall, Israeli strikes in Iran have killed 224 people since Friday, according to an Iranian Ministry of Health spokesperson. Also noteworthy is IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin's claim that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has now established 'full aerial superiority' over the Iranian capital, Tehran. Clearly, Israel launched its operation with the aim of degrading Iran's air force and air defenses. Suppression and destruction of enemy air defense (SEAD/DEAD) sorties were emphasized from the start, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) has been struck heavily on the ground. In the last couple of days, we've also had more evidence of IAF fighters roaming further east over Iran. The IDF releases footage showing airstrikes on trucks it says were ferrying weapons to this morning, the Israeli Air Force identified several trucks, carrying surface-to-air missile launchers and other weapons, moving from west Iran toward Tehran "in an attempt to… — Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 16, 2025 Iranian ballistic missiles are still coming down in Israel, meanwhile. 'A new wave of attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… enabled missiles to successfully and effectively hit' targets in Israel, the Guards said in a statement quoted by the official IRNA news agency. According to Israeli army radio, the death toll from Iranian attacks overnight stands at eight. An earlier statement from Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said that 92 people had been injured in Iran's latest missile latest barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles toward Israel as seen from Basra, eastern Iraq. — Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) June 16, 2025 OMG — WW3 Monitor (@WW3_Monitor) June 16, 2025 Most of the casualties appear to have been from Iranian strikes on four sites in central Israel, where search and rescue operations were ongoing as of this morning. The total number of people killed in Israel since Friday stands at 24, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's office and media reports. In Tel Aviv, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reported minor damage to the embassy branch as a result of an Iranian missile impacting nearby. In a post on X, Huckabee confirmed that no U.S. personnel had been injured, although the U.S. embassy and consulate in Israel will remain closed today. Some confusion–there were NO INJURIES to US Personnel at US Embassy Branch–the minor damage to property were from the shock waves (i.e. "concussions") from the nearby blast. Not human concussions. Repeat–NO INJURIES thank God! — Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 16, 2025 Some of the damage inside of the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel-Aviv, caused by this morning's ballistic missile attack by Iran. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 16, 2025 As well as missiles coming from Iran, at least one missile was also fired overnight toward Israel by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen. Israel's military said that the Houthi missile came down before entering Israeli territory, although it's unclear if it malfunctioned or if it was brought down by air defenses. Yesterday, the Houthis confirmed that they had targeted Israel in coordination with Iran, the first time an Iran-aligned group publicly announced this kind of involvement in the current conflict. The Yemeni group said that it had targeted Jaffa in central Israel with several ballistic missiles in the previous 24 hours. 'Triumphing for the oppressed Palestinian and Iranian peoples,' Houthi military spokesperson Yehya Sarea said in a televised address. There is new footage showing the results of Iranian attacks on Haifa. As of Monday, search and rescue operations were underway in the northern port city, where about 30 people were wounded, according to Israeli emergency authorities. Fires were reportedly burning at a power plant near the port after the latest attacks. Previously, Iran had targeted a refinery in the city. Footage confirms multiple direct hits on Haifa's refinery in northern Israel. — GMI (@Global_Mil_Info) June 16, 2025 Haifa refinery after Iranian attack. — Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) June 16, 2025 An apparent Iranian drone only made it as far as Iraq before crashing or otherwise being brought down, according to reports. An explosion occurred in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, on Sunday night. Residents said this was caused by a drone, and images posted to social media appear to show a burning object falling to the ground. Alternatively, the object might have been an expended booster stage from an Iranian ballistic missile. Local reports state that the unknown drone which was shot down tonight by U.S. Forces over Erbil in Northern Iraq held a large explosive-warhead, with it landing in Zin City causing a significant explosion, only a few miles from the U.S. General Consulate. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 15, 2025 In response to the continued Iranian attacks on Israeli territory, Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz today warned that Tehran's residents would 'pay the price' for actions that targeted Israeli civilians. 'The boastful dictator from Tehran has turned into a cowardly murderer, deliberately firing at Israel's civilian home front in an attempt to deter the [IDF] from continuing the offensive that is crippling his capabilities,' Katz wrote on his Telegram channel. 'The residents of Tehran will pay the price — and soon.' Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, accuses Iran of targeting Israeli civilians in its overnight in the very next breath, he appears to threaten Iranian civilians, saying "residents of Iran will pay the price." — Matt Bradley (@MattMcBradley) June 16, 2025 Katz then walked back those comments, stating that Israel has 'no intention' of deliberately harming the residents of Tehran. 'I wish to clarify the obvious: there is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the murderous dictator does to the residents of Israel,' Katz said. 'The residents of Tehran will have to pay the price of dictatorship and evacuate their homes from areas where it will be necessary to attack regime targets and security infrastructures in Tehran.' There are reports that Iran has executed an individual accused of spying for Israel. The semi-official Fars agency reported that the man was found guilty of spying for Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad. According to Reuters, this was the third such execution in recent weeks. Ismail Fekri, the alleged Mossad spy executed this morning by Iran. — Clash Report (@clashreport) June 16, 2025 With speculation that U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers may be headed to the region, perhaps to directly support Israeli activities, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Iran doesn't want the conflict to spill over into neighboring countries — unless forced to do so. Good the addition of 4 tankers out of New Jersey, there are now at least 32 tankers observed in the overnight group. A considerable portion went to Morón Air Base in Spain, with others on to UK, Germany, Italy and 1 to Estonia. A few pressed on to CENTCOM AOR. — Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) June 16, 2025 Araghchi pointed specifically to the Israeli strikes on the offshore South Pars gas field that Iran shares with Qatar, describing them as 'a blatant aggression and a very dangerous act.' The foreign minister warned Israel that 'dragging the conflict to the Persian Gulf is a strategic mistake, and its aim is to drag the war beyond Iranian territory.' Iranian state-run media has confirmed strikes recently targeted the Phase 14 Refinery of the South Pars Gas Field, the Fajr Jam Natural Gas Refinery, and the Kangan LNG Port on the coast of the Persian Gulf, all in the Bushehr Province of Southern Iran. It appears that Israel has… — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 14, 2025 Araghchi said he believed that the United States took part in the recent Israeli attacks, something that Washington has consistently denied. 'Israel's attack would never have happened without the U.S. green light and support,' Araghchi said. 'It is necessary for the United States to condemn Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if they want to prove their goodwill.' Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi:Iran will stop attacks on Israel if it stops aggression against the Islamic Republic. — Clash Report (@clashreport) June 15, 2025 More evidence is coming to light on the results of Israeli attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today that there is a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination at Natanz, the site of Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility, following Israeli strikes on Friday. However, the IAEA added that radiation levels outside the complex are currently normal. On the other hand, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, a power loss after the attack on Natanz may have destroyed some of the roughly 14,000 underground centrifuges at the site. An Israeli official told the same publication that underground parts of the complex may have imploded, but this has not been verified, and this claim has been questioned by nuclear experts. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that the sudden loss of power at the Natanz Nuclear Facility in Iran, resulting from Friday's airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force, may have destroyed some of the roughly 14,000 underground centrifuges, which are are fragile… — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 16, 2025 'Imploding' the two enrichment halls at Natanz is not as hard as destroying the tunnels at Fordow but it would be the most impressive thing the Israelis have done so far against nuclear sites. — Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) June 16, 2025 Today, Rafael Grossi, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said that there was 'no indication of a physical attack' on the underground section of the Natanz uranium enrichment. This comes after satellite evidence confirmed destruction and/or damage to the plant's above-ground section. 'There has been no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and the main Fuel Enrichment Plant,' Grossi said. 'However, the loss of power to the cascade hall may have damaged the centrifuges there,' he added. Grossi said there was no sign of damage at the Fordow enrichment site, which is buried beneath a mountain and which, as we discussed yesterday, doesn't appear to have been struck so far. A U.S. official has reportedly confirmed that Israel had an operational window to assassinate Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, before U.S. President Donald Trump said he opposed such a move. On X, Barak Ravid, a CNN political analyst and former IDF intelligence officer, claimed that the U.S. official told them: 'Since the operation commenced, the Israelis had an opportunity to kill the Supreme Leader. We communicated to the Israelis that President Trump is opposed to that. The Iranians haven't killed an American, and discussion of killing political leaders should not be on the table.' A U.S. Official told me: "Since the operation commenced the Isrealis had an opportunity to kill the Supreme Leader. We communicated to the Israelis that President Trump is opposed to that. The Iranians haven't killed an American and discussion of killing political leaders… — Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) June 15, 2025 According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran has been urgently signaling that it seeks an end to hostilities and wants to restart talks over its nuclear programs. Unnamed officials in the Middle East and Europe told the WSJ that Tehran was sending messages to Israel and the United States via Arab intermediaries. President Trump, meanwhile, warned that 'Iran is not winning this war.' Speaking to journalists, Trump said that Tehran was trying to talk with Washington, but he suggested that such efforts might be too late. 'They'd like to talk, but they should have done that before,' Trump said. The president also didn't rule out potential U.S. military involvement in the conflict. When asked what it would take for the United States to enter the conflict, his response was a terse 'We'll see.' "Yeah," Iran is backchanneling to US, Trump tells us in Canada. "They'd like to talk but they should have done that before," he said. "Iran is not winning this war." — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 16, 2025 This is a developing story, and we will continue to update it as more information becomes Israel and Iran continue to pummel each other, additional U.S. military assets are heading to the Middle East. That includes the USS Nimitz super carrier as well as an armada of refueling aircraft and what a U.S. official told us were 'defensive forces' designed to give American commanders greater options. You can read more about that here. Major U.S. Middle East-Focused Buildup ConfirmedThe Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is now rushing to the Middle East and a snap deployment of tankers has landed at bases across the — The War Zone (@thewarzonewire) June 16, 2025 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would end the ongoing fighting and did not rule out an attempt on his life. When asked by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about reports from ABC News and other outlets that President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader, concerned that it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu said, 'It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict.' Asked if Israel would target the supreme leader, Netanyahu said that Israel was 'doing what we need to do.' 'I'm not going to get into the details, but we've targeted their top nuclear scientists,' Netanyahu told the network. 'It's basically Hitler's nuclear team.' Speaking earlier to ABC News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he is not interested in further nuclear talks or negotiations with Iran, adding that Israel would target Iranian Supreme-Leader Ali Khamenei if need be, stating about Khamenei's potential… — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 16, 2025 The IRGC claimed that in the past 72 hours, 'we have continuously and without interruption targeted targets throughout the occupied territories with 545 attack drones, and these operations will continue,' the official Iranian Fars news agency stated. IRGC Spokesperson: Over the past 72 hours, we have continuously and without interruption targeted objectives across the occupied territories with 545 attack drones—and these operations will continue.#OpTruePromise3 — Daily Iran Military (@IRIran_Military) June 16, 2025The Trump administration told several Middle Eastern allies on Sunday that it doesn't plan to get actively involved in this conflict unless Iran targets Americans, Axios is reporting, citing two sources from countries that received that U.S. message. While Iranian leaders have threatened for weeks to target U.S. bases in the region, that has yet to happen. 'The Iranians are very careful so far not to do anything that can push the U.S. to get involved,' an Arab diplomat with direct knowledge of the thinking in Tehran told Axios. SCOOP: The Trump administration told Middle Eastern allies that it doesn't plan to get actively involved in the war between Israel and Iran unless Iran targets Americans — Axios (@axios) June 16, 2025Trump took to his Truth Social network to warn Iranians to evacuate Tehran. 'Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign,' he stated on Truth Social. 'What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' Fox News reporter Lawrence Jones III stated on X that Trump will depart the G7 summit after dinner with the heads of those nations and that the National Security Council should be prepared to meet in the White House Situation Room. I've been informed that the President @POTUS will have dinner with the heads of state of the G7 nations and then immediately depart for Washington. He has requested that the National Security Council be prepared in the situation room. — Lawrence Jones III (@LawrenceBJones3) June 16, 2025 Meanwhile, a U.S. official pushed back against online chatter that the U.S. is attacking Iran. 'We are still in a defense posture,' the official told The War Zone. ' To my knowledge, we are not striking Iran.''American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has nto changed,' Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated on X. 'We will protect American troops & our interests.' American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not will protect American troops & our interests. — Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) June 17, 2025 – Parnell definitively pushed back against claims that the U.S. was attacking Iran. This is not true. — Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) June 17, 2025 Contact the author: thomas@

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Iran Just Used Ballistic Missiles With Cluster Warheads To Strike Israel

Iran fired at least one ballistic missile with a warhead containing multiple submunitions as part of a particularly destructive barrage on Israel earlier today. Ballistic missiles loaded with cluster munitions present additional complications for defending forces, especially when it comes to intercept attempts in the terminal phase of flight. Readers can first get caught up on recent developments in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict in our reporting here. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command says the warhead on the missile in question split open at an altitude of approximately 23,000 feet (seven kilometers) and released an estimated 20 submunitions, Emanuel Fabian of The Times of Israel posted on X. The submunitions, each of which contained some 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) of explosives, were scattered across an area approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) in diameter. Whether or not this is the first time Iran has employed a ballistic missile with a cluster munitions payload in strikes on Israel is unclear. The cluster bombs are estimated to have 2.5kg of explosives each. — Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 19, 2025 At the time of writing, the exact type of Iranian missile that carried the cluster munition warhead is unclear. Iranian media outlets linked to the country's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) did share a video showing the launch of a Khorramshahr-4 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) earlier this morning, prompting speculation about its use. The Khorramshahr-4 is also sometimes called the Kheibar (not to be confused with Iran's unrelated Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile), which is a reference to a seventh-century victory by Muslim forces over Jewish tribes. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had also made a callback to that battle in the context of the current conflict in a social media post on Tuesday. However, the Khorramshahr-4/Kheibar footage that is now circulating widely online is from a test in 2023, and there do not appear to be explicit claims from Iran about its use. As of yet, no other evidence has emerged of Iranian forces having employed these missiles, with or without cluster warheads, in its retaliatory strikes on Israel. This is old testing footage released back in May 2023. — Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) June 19, 2025 The potential combat debut of the Khorramshahr-4/Kheibar is something experts and observers have been keeping an eye out for, as it is assessed to be one of the most capable longer-range ballistic missiles in Iran's inventory. The original Khorramshahr first emerged publicly in 2017, and it is assessed to be derived, at least in part, from the North Korean Hwasong-10, also known as the BM-25 Musudan. It is a liquid-fuel medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with a claimed range of around 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers). Iran has unveiled additional Khorramshahr variants since then, the most recent of which is the Khorramshahr-4/Kheibar, which made its public debut in 2023. At that time, Khorramshahr-4 was said to still have a maximum range of 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers), but the possibility has been raised that it could have a longer reach. This is based in part on the underlying Hwasong-10/BM-25 design being an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which the U.S. military has assessed in the past to have a maximum range in excess of 1,860 miles (3,000 kilometers). Khorramshahr variants could exchange some payload weight for extra range. Khorramshahr-4 is understood to have the heaviest payload of any of Iran's ballistic missiles, with it said to be able to carry a warhead weighing up to 3,300 pounds. Iran has also claimed in the past that Khorramshahr variants can carry multiple, smaller warheads. Video: #Iran successfully test-fires new ballistic missileDetails: — Press TV (@PressTV) September 23, 2017 In the past, Iran has also shown cluster munition warheads with designs that are in line, at least externally, with ones used on older ballistic missiles, especially variants and derivatives of its Shahab-3 liquid-fueled MRBM. The original Shahab-3 was based on North Korea's Nodong series of missiles, which were themselves developed from the Soviet Scud family. For the first time, a SUB-MUNITION from an Iranian BM was found in Israel. It is not yet clear on what type of missile it was installed. — Tal Inbar (@inbarspace) June 19, 2025 Khamenei is looking at a sub-munition for installation in missiles. Sub munitions were found today after an Iranian BM was hitting central Israel. — Tal Inbar (@inbarspace) June 19, 2025 '⁠Iranian media has for years advertised these sorts of cluster warheads as being able to 'rain' down bomblets against a wide target when dispersed at a certain altitude,' Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank, told TWZ. Iran has explicitly said it has fired Emad and Ghadr MRBMs, both of which are evolutions of the Shahab-3 design, at Israel in the past week. There is also clear independent evidence of this, visible in post-strike wreckage, including from the strikes earlier today. Video of the 14th wave of the Iranian ballistic missiles launch toward Israel (Operation True Promise-3) today, June 19, 2025. — Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) June 19, 2025 Image on left is a liquid propellant rocket engine, almost certainly from a missile in the Shahab-3 family.A copy of the North Korean Nodong engine, it is closely related to the engine used in the Soviet Scud-B. — Michael Duitsman (@DuitsmanMS) June 19, 2025 Emad and Ghadr (sometimes also written Qadr) entered service in the mid-2010s and are both understood to be able to reach targets up to around 1,056 and 1,118 miles (1,700 to 1,800 kilometers) away. Iran has also developed an extended-range version of Ghadr that is said to have a maximum reach of 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers). In addition, Emad and Ghadr both feature maneuverable re-entry vehicles that detach from the main body of the missile in the terminal phase of flight, but they are generally assessed to be primarily focused on improving accuracy rather than evading enemy intercept attempts. Any kind of maneuvering re-entry vehicle does still present at least some degree of additional complexity for defending forces. Adding cluster munition warheads to the mix would increase the potential of Iranian ballistic missiles scoring hits on area targets, and increase the overall area a single missile could target at once. On a basic practical level, adding this capability to missiles like Emad and Ghadr makes sense given the relatively low accuracy they are understood to currently offer when fitted with unitary warheads. '[Sam Lair] and I estimated the 'circular error probable' (CEP) of the most accurate Shahab-3 variant, the Emad, demonstrated in Iran's March 2024 missile strike [on Israel]. We estimated the CEP at ~1.2 km [just under three-quarters of a mile],' Jeffery Lewis, head of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, wrote in a post today on X. 'That means whatever a Shahab-3 hits, Iran was most likely aiming at something else.' .@sam_lair and I estimated the "circular error probable" (CEP) of the most accurate Shahab-3 variant, the Emad, demonstrated in Iran's March 2024 missile strike. We estimated the CEP at ~1.2 km. That means whatever a Shahab-3 hits, Iran was most likely aiming at something else. — Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) June 19, 2025 'The warhead can likely be married with several [missile types], but to strike Israel they all have to be MRBMs,' FDD's Taleblu also told TWZ. 'In this, instance the missile body is less important than the warhead.' As noted, ballistic missiles loaded with cluster munitions present additional challenges for defenders, especially if they cannot be intercepted before their warheads split open at higher altitudes. A very high altitude opening would also mean a more indiscriminate strike, which could be used to try to inflict as much damage as possible over a very wide target area, like a city. Typical cluster munitions are designed to release their payload at a specific height to saturate a more defined zone. Layering ballistic missiles with cluster munition payloads in larger salvos with other types carrying unitary warheads might also help create a decoy-like effect to further overwhelm an opponent's defenses. With this in mind, while the specific circumstances are still unknown, it is worth noting that the interception rate during Iran's particularly destructive missile barrage on Israel this morning was notably lower than what had been seen in previous salvos. A variety of other factors beyond the inclusion of cluster munition warheads could have played a role, as well. Video from Tel Aviv — Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) June 19, 2025 As part of its retaliatory strikes on Israel so far, Iran also says it has been using other ballistic missiles, including Sejjil, Haj Qassem, Kheibar Shekan, and Fattah-1 types, that further add to the complexity of the overall threat picture. Sejjil is a two-stage MBRM that is among the heavier payload designs in Iranian inventory. The Haj Qassem, Kheibar Shekan, and Fattah-1 are all solid fuel MRBMs. Compared to liquid-fueled ballistic missiles, solid-fuel types are generally faster and easier to launch, as well as safer to handle, reducing the total available time an opponent has to spot and preemptively target them before launch. Authorities in Iran have also explicitly touted these three missiles, all of which were unveiled in the past five years, as offering high terminal maneuverability and/or high peak speeds specifically intended to reduce their vulnerability to missile defense interceptors. The emergence of the Fattah-1 in 2023 was already seen as particularly significant, despite Iran's dubious description of it as a 'hypersonic' weapon. IRGC announces that the ballistic missiles used tonight in 12th wave of the True-Promise-3 operation were from the type Sejjil. — Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) June 18, 2025 New online analysis: 'Israel's attack and the limits of Iran's missile strategy' — Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) June 18, 2025 'To put the significance of the Fattah in context, it is better to put aside Iran's labeling of the system as a 'hypersonic missile' as the term can obscure more than it illuminates. Many surface-to-surface missiles achieve speeds within the atmosphere that cross the hypersonic threshold, that is greater than Mach 5,' Fabian Hinz, a research fellow for Defense and Military Analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote in 2023. 'It is not speed alone that distinguishes the two main types of weapons known as hypersonic weapons – hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) and hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs) – but also the ability to manoeuvre significantly during atmospheric flight, including at considerable cross-range.' These are points TWZ regularly highlights, and you can read more about the unique capabilities that highly maneuverable hypersonic weapons offer here. 'Fattah is neither of these two classes of weapon, but a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM),' but instead has a 'second stage [that] incorporates the warhead, aerodynamic controls and a small solid-propellant motor with a moveable nozzle for thrust vector control (TVC)' that 'resembles a maneuverable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) rather than a HGV.,' Hinz continued. 'Both MaRVs and HGVs are capable of atmospheric maneuvering at hypersonic speeds. A HGV's higher aerodynamic lift characteristics allow it to maneuver during mid-course flight, while a MaRV only does so for a short part of the flight in the terminal phase.' 'Iran attempted to overcome this limitation by mating a small TVC rocket motor to a MaRV, enabling exo-atmospheric maneuvering,' he added. 'The IRGC maintains that this arrangement will help the missile evade both endo- and exo-atmospheric interceptors. It also potentially offers improved accuracy over longer ranges.' Amid all of this, worrisome questions are already starting to emerge about the stocks of various types of anti-missile interceptors available to Israel, as well as U.S. forces in and around the country that have been helping to shoot down incoming Iranian threats since last week. As TWZ wrote in some of our previous coverage of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict: 'The situation is something of a war of attrition over great distances. The question is will missile interceptors run out before Iran's ability to launch its own missiles does? At this time it seems Iran is on the downside of that equation, but midcourse intercept capabilities are especially limited in quantity and degradation of that defensive layer would put more stress on the terminal defense layer, even if fewer missiles are fired.' At the same time, Israel looks to have had significant success just in the past week in degrading Iranian ballistic missile capabilities. On Monday, Israel claimed it had destroyed a third of Iran's long-range surface-to-surface missile launchers. Though Iran continues to fire ballistic missiles at Israel, and they continue to cause casualties and physical damage, the size and frequency of the salvos have been significantly smaller than what many expected to see in the event of the conflict that has now erupted. Approx. 25 fighter jets struck over 40 missile infrastructure components directed toward Israel this morning, including missile storage sites and military operatives of the Iranian Regime. A loaded and ready-to-launch "Emad" missile launcher was also struck overnight. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 18, 2025 What did the IAF accomplish in Iran last night? 20+ surface-to-surface missiles were dismantled minutes before they were to be launched toward Israel's home front. Approx. 100 military targets were struck in Isfahan, central Iran. Around 50 fighter jets and aircraft… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025 Iran is also likely to be keeping at least some stockpiles of ballistic missiles, including more capable types, in reserve should the conflict further expand in scale and cope, especially if the U.S. military were to take a more direct offensive role. More capable missiles may be increasingly required for strikes on Israel as Iranian forces are compelled to move further east to reduce their vulnerability to IDF strikes. Iran's new use of ballistic missiles loaded with cluster munitions underscores that it still has capabilities that have not yet been fully brought to bear that could add new dimensions to the ongoing conflict. Howard Altman contributed to this story. Contact the author: joe@

The Hill

23 minutes ago

• The Hill

How the AP decided to refer to the conflict between Israel and Iran as a war

The Associated Press is calling the current conflict between Israel and Iran a war, given the scope, intensity and duration of military activities on both sides. Other news organizations also have decided to refer to the conflict as a war, while some are still sticking with words such as 'conflict' or 'fighting.' When a conflict in the world spills into military action, it's important to use the correct terms to describe it. Sometimes a one-sided attack occurs without further action, or a conflict bubbles up and then ends quickly Using 'war' widely to describe these kinds of situations can diminish the word's importance. Then, when actual war breaks out, people might not understand its significance. The Merriam-Webster definition of war is quite broad: 'A state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations,' or 'a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism.' The fight between Israel and Iran meets those criteria, though neither has officially declared war. Since Israel launched an air campaign targeting Iran's military and nuclear program, there has been a significant escalation in the conflict. Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones into Israel. Israel has assassinated high-level Iranian officials; targeted the country's infrastructure; called for hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate Iran's capital, Tehran; and said it will continue its offensive. The AP provided guidance on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war in the days and weeks after fighting began. In both cases, editors considered the number of casualties, the intensity of fighting, the involvement of each party, and what each country was calling the conflict. In both cases, the AP started using the word 'war' to describe the conflicts. AP capitalizes the word 'war' only as part of a formal name, which as of now does not exist. Decisions on how AP uses the term 'war' happen in real time. AP's news leaders and standards editors will continue to monitor developments to see whether changes are necessary. At this point, the level of fighting constitutes the countries being at war, no matter what happens next. If fighting were to end soon, AP would continue saying the countries had been at war. News leaders would consider whether the level of fighting at that time amounted to being at war. If other countries intervene in the war, AP would describe the intervention as military action in support of Israel or military support of Iran. AP would also consider whether the action constitutes those countries also being at war.