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Israel has launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran, declaring a special state of emergency across the country. Israeli airstrikes on Friday included nuclear and military targets.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps chief commander was among those assassinated in the Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed that the Iranian armed forces will make Israel "miserable" as dozens of missiles were launched at Israel Friday night.
TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday Israel seeks to expand the war to other countries in the West Asia region.
He made the remarks at a weekly press conference while condemning the ongoing Israeli "aggression" against Iran, which has started since early Friday.
Baghaei said, "We have no doubt that Israel wishes to fan the flames of the war as much as it can and spread the flames to other countries and players in the region," adding that Israel had attacked residential buildings in Iran and a children's hospital in Tehran.
He stressed that Iran's nuclear program was merely a pretext for Israel as no evidence was available indicating a diversion from the "peaceful path" in Iran's nuclear program.
The Iranian spokesman also slammed the US government and policymakers for their positions on the Israeli attacks, stressing that such stances made Iran more certain that they were part of Israel's "lawbreaking and aggression."
Israel has since early Friday launched airstrikes on the Iranian capital Tehran and other areas across the country, killing a number of Iran's top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
In response, Iran has since Friday night launched a series of missile and drone strikes on different targets in Israel, inflicting casualties and heavy damages.
Leading Pakistani officials said the country stands in "resolute solidarity" with the people and government of Iran following Israeli strikes on military and nuclear targets.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the international community and the United Nations to take "urgent and credible steps" to put an end to "Israel's aggressive behavior and its illegal action", on June 14, a day after the strikes on Iran.
Sharif said this during a phone call with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a statement released by the Pakistani PM's office.
"The Prime Minister denounced Israel's blatant provocations and adventurism as a grave threat to regional and global peace and stability," said the statement.
"He stated that Pakistan was fully committed to promoting peace in the region and stood ready to play its role in this context."
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad strongly condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
The attacks killed several key figures, including nuclear scientists and high-ranking military officials, sparking concerns over the possibility of a broader regional conflict.
"We unequivocally denounce these blatant provocations, which constitute a grave danger and a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the entire region and beyond, with serious implications," Ahmad told a UN Security Council briefing on June 13.
"Iran has the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter," he added.
Pakistan earlier advised its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Iran and neighboring Iraq amid heightened regional tensions following the Israeli airstrikes.
"In view of the evolving security situation in the region, pilgrims from Pakistan are advised to reconsider their travel plans to Iran and Iraq," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released on June 13.
At the same time, Sharif directed concerned government agencies to provide full support to Pakistani citizens currently in Iran.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
JERUSALEM -- A fresh missile attack from Iran activated sirens in multiple areas across Israel on Sunday, the Israeli military said, sending millions to shelters in the afternoon.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Israeli military said "several" missiles were launched from Iran toward Israel, with most of them being intercepted.
"No reports of fallen projectiles were received," it said in a statement.
The attack began at around 4 pm local time (1300 GMT), marking the first time the Islamic Republic fired missiles at Israel during daylight since Israel's deadly surprise strike on Iran on Friday, which triggered the current escalation.
Also on Sunday, the body of another victim was recovered from the rubble of a building that sustained a direct missile hit overnight, police said, adding that teams were still searching for three people who remain missing.
According to Israel's state-owned Kan TV News, the death toll from Iran's strikes since Friday has reached 14.
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Air Force aircraft struck more than 80 sites across the Iranian capital, Tehran, over the past day, the Israeli military's spokesman, Effie Defrin, said on Sunday, as Israel continued airstrikes across the Islamic Republic for a third consecutive day.
The wave of attacks began at 22:45 on Saturday and continued through Sunday morning. "The aircraft operated via the aerial corridor we paved to the center of Iran," Defrin said in a briefing to reporters, adding that Israeli forces also struck Houthi sites in Yemen.
"We are not stopping our attacks for even a moment," he said.
The targets included the SPND (Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research), a facility in Tehran believed by Israeli and Western intelligence to be involved in nuclear weapons-related research.
The Air Force also targeted facilities for centrifuge production used in uranium enrichment, a research and development center for chemical materials that Israel claims was used to produce raw materials for nuclear weapons, and other laboratories that, according to the military, contained "unique components and projects contributing to the development of nuclear weapons."
Defrin confirmed that the Air Force also struck fuel depots near Tehran.
Since the initial attack early Friday, more than 250 sites have been struck. "Even at this hour, we are continuing to strike dozens more targets in Tehran," Defrin said. "We are deepening the damage to the nuclear program and to military capabilities in order to disrupt and reduce the threat to the Israeli home front."
Since Saturday night, approximately 60 surface-to-surface missiles and dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles were launched by Iran, Defrin said, adding that the strikes killed 10 civilians. A missile launched by Houthi forces in Yemen was intercepted by Israeli aerial defense systems.
The Iranian missile barrages were in retaliation for an Israeli surprise attack early Friday that struck nuclear facilities across Iran. Several nuclear scientists and senior military officials were killed.
According to Iranian figures, at least 78 people were killed on Friday, with dozens more killed on Saturday. It said the fatalities include at least 29 children.
TEHRAN - Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has confirmed that eight other senior commanders of its aerospace division were killed in Israel's Friday airstrikes on the capital Tehran.
In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC extended condolences over the "martyrdom" of its senior commanders.
It listed the slain commanders as Mahmoud Bagheri, Davoud Sheikhian, Mohammad-Bagher Taherpour, Mansour Safarpour, Masoud Tayyeb, Khosrow Hassani, Javad Jorsara, and Mohammad Aghajafari.
Israel early Friday launched airstrikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, hitting nuclear facilities and killing a number of Iran's top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It continued its attacks on different parts of Iran on Saturday and Sunday.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC's Chief Commander Hossein Salami, Commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters Gholam-Ali Rashid, and Commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Division Amir Ali Hajizadeh were assassinated in the Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.
In response, Iran on Friday and Saturday nights launched several waves of missile attacks against targets in Israel, inflicting casualties and heavy damages.
JERUSALEM - Iranian aerial attacks killed at least six people and injured 140 others in Israel early on Sunday, Israeli authorities said.
Air sirens and sounds of explosions sent millions running to shelters in dozens of cities across Israel, the military said in a statement.
A residential building in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, was hit by a missile, causing it to collapse. Another missile struck a residential area in Rehovot, a city in Israel's Central District, causing dozens of injuries.
The police said in a statement that at least two of the fatalities were children, and added that at least seven people were still missing.
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot sustained damage to several campus buildings as a result of the Iranian missile barrage, but no injuries were reported, the institute said in a statement.
At least 140 people were wounded in the two attacks, Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue service reported, adding that the vast majority of them sustained light injuries.
Also overnight, the number of fatalities from a missile attack that hit Tamra, an Arab city in the North District of Israel, on Saturday night rose to four, according to the MDA. They were identified as a mother and her two daughters and another relative. Dozens were injured.
On Sunday morning, the Israeli Air Force said it had intercepted seven drones launched toward northern and southern Israel within about an hour.
Overnight, Israeli warplanes continued to strike targets in Iran, including in the capital, Tehran, hitting fuel tankers and suspected nuclear sites, the Israeli military said in a statement. A second wave of airstrikes targeted missile launchers and storage facilities in western Iran.
Meanwhile, Israel issued on Sunday an evacuation warning to Iranians living near weapons production facilities in Tehran, urging them "not to return until further notice."
"Being near these facilities puts your lives at risk," Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post in Persian and Arabic on social media platform X.
The warning was issued following an instruction from the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz. A senior Israeli security official told Xinhua that the directive to evacuate residents in Tehran "is part of a pre-approved plan to exert pressure on the regime by displacing the population, in response to the missile fire on Israel's home front."
Israel launched its heaviest air attack on Iran on Friday, targeting nuclear facilities across Iran. Israel said several nuclear scientists and senior military officials were killed in the strikes.
Iran said at least 78 people were killed on Friday, with dozens more killed on Saturday. It said the fatalities included at least 29 children.
If Israeli attacks on Iran stop, "our responses will also stop," said Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a news conference in Teheran on Sunday in his first public appearance since the Israeli strikes began on Friday.
"Iran's military response against Israel has been based on self-defense. If the aggression stops, our responses will also stop. Iran does not want its conflict with Israel to expand to neighboring countries unless the situation is forced," Araghchi said.
He said the United States needs to condemn the Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and Iran does not believe the US claim of not being involved in Israel's attack on its Natanz nuclear facility.
Further, the minister reaffirmed Iran's stance on nuclear weapons, saying that it is "our firm conviction not to possess a nuclear weapon".
"Yet those who are willing to deprive Iran of our right to possess the nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, they have no right to do so," he added.
Araghchi also said that in the now-canceled sixth round of negotiations with the US which was scheduled for today, Iran was "prepared to provide the necessary assurances to the Americans".
"In the previous round of talks, the Americans presented a number of proposals, which were not totally acceptable to us. We presented our response and our viewpoints, and we were supposed to present a counterproposal. Our proposal could have opened doors for an all-out agreement with the Americans," he said.
According to Araghchi, Israel opposes diplomatic progress between Iran and the US.
"This is a crystal-clear matter. The Zionist entity is not willing to see us reaching an agreement or a diplomatic solution with the US," he added.
MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump had discussed the situation in the Middle East in a phone conversation, the Kremlin said Saturday.
"The conversation lasted for 50 minutes, it was substantive, sincere and very useful," Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said. "Naturally, it was focused on the dangerous exacerbation of the situation in the Middle East."
Putin denounced the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressed grave concern over the possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire Middle East region, he said in a statement.
"Putin emphasized the importance of preventing the conflict from escalating and the readiness of the Russian side to engage in possible mediation efforts," he said.
Trump also views the situation as very alarming, he said, adding that the Russian and US presidents do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran's nuclear program.
Trump noted that the team of US negotiators is ready to resume work with Iranian representatives, according to Ushakov.
Putin also informed Trump about the execution of the agreements reached by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2 and expressed readiness to continue talks with the Ukrainian side after June 22, he said.
Trump took note of this information and reiterated his interest in bringing the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to a speedy conclusion, he added.
Israeli military says it hits Iran's defense ministry headquarters: media
Explosions shake Tehran as Iran's tensions with Israel escalate: witness.
TEHRAN -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched late Saturday night a "large-scale combined offensive operation" against Israel, involving a significant number of missiles and drones, the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News reported.
The IRGC's aerospace division carried out the attack, stating it was in response to Israel's "repeated aggressions" against Iran, according to Sepah.
In Israel, a rocket struck a residential building in a northern community, killing one woman and injuring 13 others, according to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national emergency medical service. Several others sustained moderate to light injuries, and four individuals were treated for anxiety, MDA said.
Earlier in the day, MDA reported that at least three people had been killed and 204 others injured since the beginning of the Iranian offensive.
Following the latest wave of attacks, Israel's Home Front Command advised residents outside the Haifa and northern regions that they could exit bomb shelters but should remain close to protected areas.
The Israeli military stated that its air defense systems were actively intercepting incoming projectiles, while Israeli air force units were carrying out strikes on military targets in Tehran.
Iran's Ministry of Petroleum confirmed that two oil depots in Tehran were hit during the attacks. Residents reported two powerful explosions in the capital, with blasts felt in both the western and northern districts. The ministry said the situation was "under control."
Meanwhile, Jordan temporarily closed its airspace late Saturday as a precautionary measure following the Iranian missile barrage. The country's Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission announced that the step was taken to ensure the safety of civil aviation.
The Iranian offensive came in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes conducted early Friday, which targeted Tehran and several other cities. Iranian authorities said the Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of multiple senior military commanders, nuclear scientists, and dozens of civilians.
JERUSALEM -- A woman was killed and 13 others were injured on Saturday night when a missile launched from Iran struck a two-story building in the Arab city of Tamra in northern Israel, according to Israel's national emergency service, Magen David Adom.
A barrage of missiles was fired from Iran toward wide areas of northern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. According to Israel's Channel 12 News, the attack involved more than 40 missiles.
Following the missile launches, smartphone alerts were issued and sirens were activated in Haifa, the Galilee region, the Sea of Galilee area, and other northern locations, prompting hundreds of thousands of residents to seek shelter.
The IDF stated that, while intercepting the incoming missiles, the Israeli air force was also conducting strikes on military targets in Tehran.
TEHRAN -- An Israeli airstrike struck an ambulance in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, killing two people, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the vehicle was "deliberately targeted" while carrying out humanitarian operations. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Separately, Iranian authorities said 16 people were arrested in the central province of Isfahan on charges of supporting Israel and spreading propaganda, Tasnim reported.
The detainees were accused of actions including "disrupting public opinion in cyberspace" and engaging in activities deemed supportive of Israel. Under Iranian law, collaboration with Israeli entities is a criminal offense and carries severe penalties.
The reported incidents come amid a surge in hostilities following Israeli airstrikes launched early Friday that hit targets across Iran, including in the capital Tehran. Iranian state media said several senior military officials and nuclear scientists were killed in the attacks.
In retaliation, Iran has fired multiple ballistic missiles at Israeli military positions since Friday night, with cross-border exchanges continuing into Saturday.
TEHRAN -- Israeli airstrikes in Iran's East Azerbaijan province have killed 30 military personnel and one rescue worker, the province's Governor, Bahram Sarmast, announced on Saturday.
The attacks, which began in the early hours of Friday, have also wounded 55 people across 19 different locations, according to a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Among the sites hit was Tabriz Airport, a key logistics and transport hub in the provincial capital. Video footage from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Iranian media reported additional damage to the nearby Shahid Fakouri military airbase and parts of the adjacent railway network.
In the pre-dawn hours of Friday, Israel launched a series of coordinated airstrikes targeting strategic locations across the country, including in the capital, Tehran. Iranian state media has confirmed the deaths of several high-ranking military commanders and prominent nuclear scientists in these attacks.
In response to the Israeli offensive, Iran has launched barrages of ballistic missiles at military targets inside Israel since Friday night, further intensifying the conflict.
TEHRAN -- An Israeli micro aerial vehicle hit an onshore refinery of the phase 14 of Iran's South Pars gas field in Bushehr province on Saturday, causing an explosion at the facility, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Due to the explosion, a part of the Fajr Jam gas refinery has caught fire, Tasnim said, adding no report was released yet of the extent of damage.
It added that Iranian passive defense and rescue forces were managing the situation.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions following Israel's large-scale strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, which have raised fears of broader regional escalation.
Early Friday, Israel launched airstrikes on Iran's capital Tehran and other cities across the country with the aim of crippling Iran's nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile production, and military capabilities.
In response, Iran on Friday night and early Saturday morning launched rocket barrages against Israeli targets. According to Israel's state-owned Kan TV News, three Israelis were killed and 172 others injured as a result of the attacks.
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on Saturday that "we have paved a path to Tehran. In the very near future, Israeli jets will be seen over the skies of Tehran."
He warned that Israel would strike any site of Iran, "and what they have felt so far is nothing compared to what they will feel under our arms in the coming days."
He noted that Israel's goal is to thwart a "dual threat" from Iran, the nuclear program and ballistic weapons, for the destruction of Israel.
"We have hit Iran's main enrichment site very hard, we have hit the conversion facility that is essential for the use of nuclear bombs, we have hit the team of scientists who lead these projects, and this certainly sets them back, possibly for many years," he added. "We will do other things, which I cannot detail."
Regarding the "ballistic threat," Netanyahu claimed that Iran plans to reach an arsenal of 20,000 missiles, and that is why Israel is working to destroy Iran's production capabilities.
BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar, over the phone on Saturday.
In the phone call, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China firmly opposes Israel's use of force against Iran in violation of international law.
The immediate priority is to avoid conflict escalation, keep the region from falling into greater turmoil and return to diplomacy for resolving disputes, Wang said.
He added that there is still room for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue as military means cannot deliver lasting peace.
China urged both Israel and Iran to resolve differences through dialogue and seek peaceful coexistence, Wang said, adding that China is willing to play a constructive role in supporting these efforts.
BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday.
Araghchi briefed Wang on the latest regional developments and expressed his hope that the international community would speak with one voice in urging Israel to halt its military operations.
He thanked China for its consistent understanding and support of Iran's position and expressed confidence that China will play an even more important role in promoting regional peace and stability.
For his part, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China condemns Israel's violation of Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and firmly opposes the reckless attacks targeting Iranian officials and causing civilian casualties.
China supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people, he said.
Israel's actions, Wang said, seriously violate the principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations. In particular, Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities have set a dangerous precedent with potentially catastrophic consequences, he noted.
Wang said China is willing to maintain communication with Iran and other relevant parties to continue playing a constructive role in de-escalating the situation.
TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday stressed that the continuation of indirect negotiations between his country and the United States amid Israel's "continued brutality" is unjustifiable.
He made the remarks in a phone call with the European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas while describing Israel's hostile actions as a result of US direct supports, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Araghchi stressed that to protect its national sovereignty, people and security, Iran had given a decisive response to Israel's "aggression" and was determined to use its "legitimate" right to take countermeasures.
He censured a recent anti-Iran resolution proposed by France, Britain, Germany and the United States that was adopted at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency about Tehran's nuclear program, saying that resolution provided a pretext for Israel's attacks against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Araghchi strongly condemned the Israeli actions of violating Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity and attacking the country's nuclear facilities and residential areas. He called for a decisive global response to and the international condemnation of Israel's "aggression".
Kallas, for her part, expressed deep regret and concern over the escalation of tensions in the West Asia region, and voiced the EU's readiness to support diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council and other international bodies to help reduce tensions and restore peace and security to the region.
Starting since April, Iran and the United States have held five rounds of Omani-mediated indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear program and the removal of US sanctions. The sixth round was scheduled to be held on Sunday in the Omani capital Muscat.
Israel early Friday launched airstrikes on Iran's capital Tehran and other cities across the country, killing a number of top Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
Iran on Friday night responded to the attacks by launching a salvo of ballistic missiles against military targets in Israel.
Commenting on Iran's decision about taking part in the sixth round of the talks with the United States, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, "Under the present circumstances, our main focus is on confronting the enemy's aggression."
JERUSALEM -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Saturday that it had killed more than 20 Iranian military commanders since it launched operations on Iran early Friday.
The IDF stated that in the opening strike of the operation, Israeli fighter jets, guided by intelligence, killed Gholam-Reza Marhabi, the head of the Iranian army's Intelligence Directorate, and Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri.
"Marhabi played a key role in intelligence evaluations, operational planning, and combat preparations against Israel," the statement read.
According to the IDF, Bagheri oversaw most of Iran's long-range surface-to-surface and cruise missile capabilities that serve as Iran's primary offensive tools against Israel.
He managed Iran's firepower systems and played an active role in the decision-making processes behind Iran's attacks on Israel in April and October 2024, it added.
He was killed alongside the air force commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and several other senior commanders in an underground headquarters in Tehran.
