Israel kills 40 in further Gaza bloodshed after reaching truce with Iran
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Israel kills 40 in further Gaza bloodshed after reaching truce with Iran
At least 19 people killed while seeking food aid at Israeli-backed humanitarian hub, medics say. Israeli forces killed at least 40 Palestinians in Gaza and ordered new evacuations on Tuesday, local medics and residents said. Israel-Iran deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump raised hopes among Palestinians of an end to over 20 months of war in Gaza. Israel says it is needed to prevent the Hamas militants it is fighting from diverting aid deliveries to Gaza. The Palestinian Islamist group denies doing so. The Israeli military dropped leaflets over several areas in north Gaza to herald renewed military strikes against Hamas, sources told Reuters. They said Israel was open to discussing any ceasefire with Hamas that would “end the war and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza”. But Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal, while Israel said it can only end the war if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled and dismantled its arms on its own. The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2013.
Item 1 of 4 Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians who were killed by Israeli fire while trying to receive aid in central Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, at Al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Summary At least 19 people killed while seeking food aid at Israeli-backed humanitarian hub, medics say
Gaza Palestinians hope against hope for truce in Gaza’s protracted war after Iran-Israel ceasefire deal
‘Enough! The whole universe has let us down…We hope Gaza is next,’ says weary Gaza City man
CAIRO, June 24 (Reuters) – Israeli forces killed at least 40 Palestinians in Gaza and ordered new evacuations on Tuesday, local medics and residents said, in further bloodshed shortly after Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in their air war.
The Israel-Iran deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump raised hopes among Palestinians of an end to over 20 months of war in Gaza that has widely demolished the territory and displaced most residents, with malnutrition widespread.
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“Enough! The whole universe has let us down. (Iran-backed Lebanese group) Hezbollah reached a deal without Gaza, and now Iran has done the same,” said Adel Farouk, 62, from Gaza City.
“We hope Gaza is next,” he told Reuters via a chat app, speaking before two explosions rang out in Tehran, with Trump accusing both sides of violating the deal, though voicing particular unhappiness with Israel, rebuking it with an obscenity in an extraordinary outburst of frustration.
In Gaza, deadly violence continued with little respite.
Marwan Abu Naser, of the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in central Gaza, said it had received 19 dead and 146 injured from crowds who tried to reach a nearby aid distribution centre of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Abu Naser told Reuters the casualties resulted from gunfire.
Israel’s military said that a gathering overnight was identified adjacent to forces operating in Gaza’s central Netzarim Corridor, and it was reviewing reports of casualties.
Responding to a Reuters request for comment, the GHF said in an e-mail that there has been no incident near their aid site, which it added was located several kilometres south of the Netzarim Corridor.
U.N. aid trucks entering Gaza also use area roads and Palestinians have in the past few days reported killings of people by Israeli fire as they waited at roadsides to grab bags of flour from the trucks.
Israel has been channelling much of the aid it lets into Gaza through the GHF, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces.
The United Nations rejects the GHF delivery system as inadequate, dangerous, and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. Israel says it is needed to prevent the Hamas militants it is fighting from diverting aid deliveries. The Palestinian Islamist group denies doing so.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations’ Palestinian aid agency UNRWA, told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday that the new mechanism was an “abomination” and “a death trap”.
Separately, 10 other people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, while 11 were killed by Israeli gunfire in the southern city of Khan Younis, medics said, raising the day’s toll to at least 40.
Israel says militants use built-up residential areas for operating cover. Hamas denies this.
GAZA TRUCE NEXT
Palestinians said they wished the Israel-Iran ceasefire announced by Trump had applied to Gaza.
Adding to their frustration, the Israeli military dropped leaflets over several areas in north Gaza ordering residents to leave their homes and head towards the south, in what appeared to herald renewed Israeli military strikes against Hamas.
“Coming back to combat areas represents a risk to your lives,” the army statement said.
Sources close to Hamas told Reuters there had been some new efforts to resume ceasefire talks with Israel. They said Hamas was open to discussing any offers that would “end the war and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza”. But these echoed longstanding Hamas conditions that Israel has always rejected.
Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent air and ground war in Gaza has killed around 56,000 Palestinians, according to its Hamas-run health ministry, while displacing almost the entire population of more than 2 million and spreading a hunger crisis.
Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; additional reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; editing by Mark Heinrich
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Explosions ring out in Tehran despite Trump’s order to Israel to stop strikes
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel had called off strikes at his command to preserve an hours-old ceasefire. Netanyahu’s office acknowledged that Israel had struck a radar site near Tehran in what it said was retaliation for Iranian missiles fired. Iran denied launching any missiles and said Israel’s attacks had continued for an hour-and-a-half beyond the time the ceasefire was meant to start. Oil prices fell and share markets were lifted around the world at the prospect of an end to the biggest ever confrontation between the Middle East foes, lifting a threat of disruption to Gulf oil supplies.”We’re happy, very happy. The war is over. It never should have started in the first place,” said Reza Sharifi, 38, heading back to Tehran from Rasht on the Caspian Sea where he had relocated with his family to escape strikes. “I don’t want to see Iran’s ruling system toppled,” said one Iranian resident of Tel Aviv, “I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible”
Netanyahu’s office acknowledges striking radar near Tehran
Trump says he does not want regime change in Iran
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/TEL AVIV/ISTANBUL, June 24 (Reuters) – Explosions rang out in Tehran from Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday despite U.S. President Donald Trump saying Israel had called off strikes at his command to preserve an hours-old ceasefire
Two witnesses reached by telephone in the Iranian capital said they heard two loud explosions.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office acknowledged that Israel had struck a radar site near Tehran in what it said was retaliation for Iranian missiles fired three-and-a-half hours after the ceasefire had been due to begin.
It said Israel had decided to refrain from further attacks following a call between Netanyahu and Trump, but did not explicitly say whether the strike on the radar site took place before or after they spoke.
Oil prices fell and share markets were lifted around the world at the prospect of an end to the biggest ever confrontation between the Middle East foes, lifting a threat of disruption to Gulf oil supplies.
Trump , en route to a NATO summit in the Netherlands, had rebuked Israel with an obscenity in an extraordinary outburst at an ally whose military campaign he had joined two days earlier.
“All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
That followed a post in which he had said: “Israel. Do not drop those bombs. If you do it it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!”
Before departing the White House, Trump told reporters he was unhappy with both sides for violating the ceasefire, but particularly unhappy with Israel, which he said had “unloaded” shortly after agreeing the deal.
“I’ve got to get Israel to calm down now,” Trump said. Iran and Israel had been fighting “so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
VIOLATIONS?
A reporter for Axios said Netanyahu had told Trump that Israel would scale back the bombing mission rather than cancel it.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had said earlier on Tuesday that he had ordered the military to mount major strikes on targets in Tehran in response to what he said were Iranian missiles fired in a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire.
Iran denied launching any missiles and said Israel’s attacks had continued for an hour-and-a-half beyond the time the ceasefire was meant to start.
Item 1 of 16 A security guard stands on a street, during early hours of ceasefire, in Tehran, Iran, June 24, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS [1/16] A security guard stands on a street, during early hours of ceasefire, in Tehran, Iran, June 24, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Despite the initial reports of violations, in both countries there was a palpable sense of relief that a path out of war had been charted, 12 days after Israel launched it with a surprise attack, and two days after Trump joined in with strikes on Iranian nuclear targets.
“We’re happy, very happy. Who mediated or how it happened doesn’t matter. The war is over. It never should have started in the first place,” said Reza Sharifi, 38, heading back to Tehran from Rasht on the Caspian Sea where he had relocated with his family to escape strikes.
Arik Daimant, a software engineer in Tel Aviv, said: “Regrettably, it’s a bit too late for me and my family, because our house back here was totally destroyed in the recent bombings last Sunday. But as they say: ‘better late than never’, and I hope this ceasefire is a new beginning.”
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said he did not want to see Iran’s ruling system toppled.
“I don’t want it. I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible. Regime change takes chaos and ideally we don’t want to see so much chaos,” he said.
“Iran’s not going to have a nuclear weapon, by the way, I think it’s the last thing on their mind right now,” he said.
In the hours before the ceasefire took effect, four people were killed by Iranian missiles that struck a residential building in Beersheba in southern Israel, according to the Israeli ambulance service. Iranian officials said nine people were killed by a strike on a residential building in northern Iran.
NUCLEAR TARGETS
Israel launched a surprise attack on June 13, hitting Iranian nuclear sites and killing the top echelon of its military command in the worst threat faced by the Islamic Republic since war with Iraq in the 1980s.
During the campaign, Israel said it was prepared to topple Iran’s clerical rulers if necessary to achieve its aims. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes and denies trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Iranian officials say hundreds of people have been killed in airstrikes. Full information about the extent of the damage cannot be confirmed independently, with media tightly controlled.
Retaliatory missile strikes have killed 28 people in Israel, the first time large numbers of Iranian missiles have penetrated its defences.
A senior White House official said Trump brokered the ceasefire deal with Netanyahu, and other administration officials were in touch with the Iranians. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran’s agreement during a call with Iranian officials, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters on Tuesday.
The ceasefire came the morning after Iran responded to the U.S. participation in the air strikes by firing a volley of missiles at the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East, located in Qatar.
No one was hurt in that strike , with the Iranian retaliation appearing to have been calibrated carefully to allow de-escalation. Trump thanked Tehran for warning the United States in advance to avoid injuries.
Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Peter Graff, Editing by Timothy Heritage
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World awaits Iranian response after US hits nuclear sites
U.S. President Donald Trump raises the idea of regime change in Iran. Iran considers closing Strait of Hormuz, impacting global oil shipments. Iran and Israel continue to trade volleys of missile attacks. Iran vows retaliation, fires missiles at Israel. U.S Department of Homeland Security warns of heightened threat environment in America.. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says there will be no return to diplomacy until Iran retaliates against the United States. Iran has threatened to close the strait and choke off global oil supplies, but may not follow through on its threats. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the U.K.-led strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. The attack on Iran’s subterranean Fordow nuclear plant severely damaged or destroyed the deeply-buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but the status of the site remained unconfirmed, experts said.
Companies Iran vows retaliation, fires missiles at Israel
US Department of Homeland Security warns of heightened threat
Iran considers closing Strait of Hormuz, impacting global oil shipments
Trump raises idea of regime change in Iran
ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM, June 22 (Reuters) – The world braced on Sunday for Iran’s response after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
Iran vowed to defend itself a day after the U.S. dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs onto the mountain above Iran’s Fordow nuclear site while American leaders urged Tehran to stand down and pockets of anti-war protesters emerged in U.S. cities.
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In a post to the Truth Social platform on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the idea of regime change in Iran. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” he wrote.
Iran and Israel continued to trade volleys of missile attacks. An Israeli military spokesperson said Israeli fighter jets had struck military targets in western Iran. Earlier, Iran fired missiles that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned of a “heightened threat environment” in America, citing the possibility of cyber attacks or targeted violence. Law enforcement in major U.S. cities stepped up patrols with a focus on religious, cultural and diplomatic sites.
The U.S. State Department issued a security alert for all U.S. citizens abroad that warned of the potential for demonstrations against Americans and travel disruptions due to closed airspace across the Middle East, calling on them to “exercise increased caution.”
Tehran has so far not followed through on its threats of retaliation against the United States – either by targeting U.S. bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies – but that may not hold.
Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said.
“The U.S. showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,” he said.
Trump , in a televised address, called the strikes “a spectacular military success” and boasted that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated.”
Commercial satellite imagery indicated the U.S. attack on Iran’s subterranean Fordow nuclear plant severely damaged or destroyed the deeply-buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but the status of the site remained unconfirmed, experts said.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the U.S. strikes. Rafael Grossi, the agency’s director general, told CNN that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done underground.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordow had been moved elsewhere before the attack. Reuters could not immediately corroborate the claim.
Satellite imagery from the U.S. space technology company Maxar Technologies showed a long line of vehicles waiting outside an entrance of the facility on Thursday and Friday.
Trump, who veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it before moving ahead with the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career, called on Iran to forgo any retaliation. He said the government “must now make peace” or “future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.”
In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran’s most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz . Nearly a quarter of global oil shipments pass through the narrow waters that Iran shares with Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran’s Press TV said closing the strait would require approval from the Supreme National Security Council, a body led by an appointee of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Item 1 of 14 People attend a protest against the U.S attack on nuclear sites, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 22, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS [1/14] People attend a protest against the U.S attack on nuclear sites, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 22, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Attempting to choke off Gulf oil by closing the strait could send global oil prices skyrocketing, derail the world economy and invite conflict with the U.S. Navy’s massive Fifth Fleet, based in the Gulf and tasked with keeping the strait open.
Brent crude and U.S. crude futures rose to the highest levels since January on Sunday, with Brent crude increasing $3.20 to $80.28 and U.S. crude $2.89 to $76.73.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that there were no other planned military operations against Iran “unless they mess around.”
The U.N. Security Council met on Sunday to discuss the U.S. strikes as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council the U.S. bombings in Iran marked a perilous turn in the region and urged a halt to fighting and return to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
DIVERGING WAR AIMS
Israeli officials, who began the hostilities with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, have increasingly spoken of their ambition to topple the hardline Shi’ite Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli reporters that Israel was very close to meeting its goals of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear program in Iran.
U.S. officials, many of whom witnessed Republican President George W. Bush’s popularity collapse following his disastrous intervention in Iraq in 2003, have stressed that they were not working to overthrow Iran’s government.
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon, calling the mission “a precision operation” targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.
Anti-war activists organized demonstrations on Sunday in New York, Washington and other U.S. cities, with signs carrying messages such as “hands off Iran.”
Meanwhile, some Iranians said they feared the prospect of an enlarged conflict involving the U.S.
“Our future is dark. We have nowhere to go – it’s like living in a horror movie,” Bita, 36, a teacher from the central city of Kashan, said before the phone line was cut.
Much of Tehran, a capital city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing to the countryside to escape Israeli bombardment.
Iranian authorities say more than 400 people have been killed since Israel’s attacks began, mostly civilians. Israel’s bombardment has decimated much of Iran’s military leadership with strikes targeted at bases and residential buildings where senior figures slept.
Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, killing at least 24 people over the past nine days.
Air raid sirens sounded across most of Israel on Sunday, sending millions of people to safe rooms.
In Tel Aviv, Aviad Chernovsky, 40, emerged from a bomb shelter to find his house had been destroyed in a direct hit. “It’s not easy to live now in Israel (right now), but we are very strong,” he said. “We know that we will win.”
Reporting by Reuters; writing by William Mallard, Angus McDowall, Peter Graff, Raphael Satter and Ted Hesson; editing by Sonali Paul, Mark Heinrich, Nia Williams and Diane Craft
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Exclusive: Israel seeks swift action on Iran, sources say, with a split US administration
Israel signals it could act on Fordow before end of Trump’s deadline. Israel is looking at range of options to strike Fordow, sources say. Israel believes they have a limited window of opportunity to move against the deeply buried site at Fordow. U.S. is the only country with the bunker-busting bombs powerful enough to reach the facility, which is dug into the side of a mountain. The prospect of a U.s. strike against Iran has exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought Trump to power.. Some prominent members of his base urging him not to get the country involved in a new Middle East war. The White House official strongly disputed the characterization of Vance’s comments in the call but declined to elaborate. The Israeli participants on the call included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal. Hegseth also participated in the high-level call, said a security source. The Israelis have not ruled out attacking Fordow alone, though officials have not provided any details.
Israel signals it could act on Fordow before end of Trump’s deadline
Israel is looking at range of options to strike Fordow
WASHINGTON/DUBAI/JERUSALEM, June 21 (Reuters) – Israeli officials have told the Trump administration they do not want to wait two weeks for Iran to reach a deal to dismantle key parts of its nuclear program and Israel could act alone before the deadline is up, two sources said, amid a continuing debate on Trump’s team about whether the U.S. should get involved.
The two sources familiar with the matter said Israel had communicated their concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in what they described as a tense phone call.
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The Israeli officials said they do not want to wait the two weeks that U.S. President Donald Trump presented on Thursday as a deadline for deciding whether the U.S. will get in the Israel-Iran war, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli participants on the call included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir, according to a security source.
The Israelis believe they have a limited window of opportunity to move against the deeply buried site at Fordow, the crown jewel of Iran’s nuclear program, said the sources. The U.S. is the only country with the bunker-busting bombs powerful enough to reach the facility, which is dug into the side of a mountain.
Reuters reported on Saturday that the United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, reinforcing the possibility that the U.S. could participate directly in an attack. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America’s 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground, such as the one at Fordow.
A person in Washington familiar with the matter said Israel has communicated to the U.S. administration that it believes Trump’s window of up to two weeks is too long and that more urgent action is needed. The person did not say whether the Israelis made that point during the high-level call.
During the call, Vice President JD Vance pushed back, saying the U.S. should not be directly involved and suggesting that the Israelis were going to drag the country into war, said the sources. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also participated in the call, said a security source.
A White House official strongly disputed the characterization of Vance’s comments in the call but declined to elaborate. “The Vice President did not say this during the call,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The Jerusalem Post reported earlier that a phone call had taken place on Thursday.
The prospect of a U.S. strike against Iran has exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought Trump to power, with some prominent members of his base urging him not to get the country involved in a new Middle East war.
Vance has frequently criticized past U.S. involvement in conflicts, including Iraq and Afghanistan, but has lately defended Trump against Republican critics who urge the administration to stay out of the Iran conflict.
Other Republicans, including Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have said they hope Trump will help Israel finish destroying Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump, who campaigned on a promise to keep the U.S. out of what he called “stupid” foreign wars, has himself seemed conflicted at times about whether to join the Israeli attack on Iran or focus on diplomatic efforts to end Tehran’s nuclear program. But his rhetoric in recent days has become increasingly aggressive toward Iran.
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran, June 18, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s mission to the United Nations also did not immediately respond.
STRIKE ON FORDOW INCREASINGLY LIKELY
Publicly, Netanyahu has not ruled out Israel attacking Fordow alone, though officials have not provided any details on how that would be achieved.
Four sources said it is now increasingly likely that the country will launch a solo military operation. Israeli air superiority over much of Iran makes an operation more feasible, though still risky, said two of the sources.
The Israelis feel they have the momentum and have limited time given the costs of the war, one source added.
“I don’t see them waiting much longer,” said the source.
It is not clear whether such an operation would involve bombing, ground forces, or both. Two of the sources said that rather than attempting to destroy the entire site Israel could instead do significant damage to it.
That could mean focusing on destroying what is inside the site rather than the site itself, said one of the sources, declining to elaborate.
Some analysts have speculated that Israel could use special forces to enter Fordow and blow it up from inside.
Another scenario being considered, according to a source familiar with the matter, would be to drop a series of munitions in rapid succession in an attempt to breach the fortified site, similar to how the Israeli military killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah last year.
Such a strike could be followed by an incursion by special forces, the source said.
It is not clear that Israel has munitions powerful enough to penetrate the fortified facility. It is widely believed that to have a high chance of success, U.S. intervention would be needed.
But even with the massive firepower of a joint U.S.-Israeli military action, military and nuclear experts believe that a military operation would probably only temporarily set back a program the West fears is already aimed at producing atom bombs one day, although Iran denies it.
Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Samia Nakhoul, Alexander Cornwell and Emily Rose; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Steve Holland in Washington and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Writing by Don Durfee; Editing by Daniel Wallis
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