Israel and Iran enter seventh day of consequetive conflict. | AP |

The tensions started on June 13 when Israel launched air strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, including Natanz, Isfahan, and Tehran residences, killing senior IRGC leaders. The next day, Iran’s fired hundreds of missiles at Israel, some evading interception, causing civilian casualties. Israel says it struck about 40 sites in Iran. At least 24 people have been killed in Iranian strikes on Israel, while at least 240 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Iran, 1,481 wounded.

LIVE UPDATES

19 Jun 2025, 05:06:14 pm IST Israel-Iran News LIVE:Bulgaria closes Tehran embassy, evacuates staff Bulgaria has shut its embassy in Tehran and pulled diplomatic staff and their families out of the country, said Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. Speaking to local media, Zhelyazkov noted that the embassy is located “in the immediate vicinity” of an area in Tehran that Israel has told residents to flee. The Bulgarian diplomatic staff and their families evacuated by car to neighbouring Azerbaijan, he added. Aljazeera

19 Jun 2025, 04:58:52 pm IST Israel-Iran Conflict LIVE: Putin and Xi Jinping Have Agreed To Exchange Sensitive Information On The Iran-Israel Conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to exchange sensitive information on the Iran-Israel conflict, the Kremlin said on Thursday. “President Putin and Xi Jinping in their hour-long phone call have agreed to issue orders to their relevant agencies to share information on Iran,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov announced. He said both leaders hold a similar stance and “strongly condemn Israel’s actions that violate the UN Charter and other norms of international law”. Israel launched Operation Rising Lion last week, targeting Iran’s nuclear, missile and military infrastructure. Iran later launched retaliatory strikes on Israel. On Wednesday, Russia and the United Arab Emirates called for an immediate cessation of the Israel-Iran conflict and an intensification of political and diplomatic efforts to resolve Tehran’s nuclear issue. According to the Kremlin, President Putin discussed the issue during a telephonic conversation with his UAE counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Source PTI

19 Jun 2025, 04:56:32 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Buildings Cordoned Off In Tel Aviv Over Concerns Of Falling Debris Six people are in critical condition [after being injured from Iran’s attacks on Israel]. In Tel Aviv, near the stock exchange, buildings are being cordoned off because there is fear of falling debris. in Holon [south of Tel Aviv], a building has collapsed because of a direct impact. There is extensive damage. Aljazeera

19 Jun 2025, 04:04:10 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE : Iran’s FM to Meet Top European Diplomats Tomorrow Al Jazeera has reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has confirmed plans to meet with his British, French, and German counterparts, as well as the European Union’s top diplomat, tomorrow in Geneva. Quoting Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, Aljazeera said, Araghchi said the meeting had come at the request of the three European states.

19 Jun 2025, 04:00:24 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE : Iran Says It Struck Israeli Command And Intelligence Center “Near A Hospital” Iran on Thursday said it targeted an Israeli intelligence and command center “near a hospital,” not the hospital. “In this operation, the command and intelligence center of the (Israeli) regime’s army was targeted with high precision and in a pinpoint strike near a hospital,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was cited as saying on Thursday by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. The statement didn’t specify the name of the alleged command center it targeted, nor the hospital or their location. Israel earlier said that Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beer Sheva was directly targeted Thursday morning. More on Iran’s missile strike: The IRGC said its attack used a “combination of suicide drones and strategic missiles.” “We had previously warned that the entire sky of the occupied territories is defenseless and there will be no safe spot,” the IRGC said, referring to Israel. IRNA earlier claimed the “principal target” of the strike that damaged the Soroka Medical Center was a nearby technology park it said was used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The apparent target, Gav-Yam Negev technology park, is less than a mile from the medical center.

19 Jun 2025, 03:32:21 pm IST Israel Iran News LIVE: IAEA says ‘no radiological effects’ after Arak reactor hit Nuclear watchdog IAEA has said that it has information that Iran’s Khondab heavy water reactor – also known as the Arak reactor – “was hit”. However, because the site was “not operational and contained no nuclear material”, there are “no radiological effects”, the IAEA said in a post on X. The agency added that no information indicates the facility’s heavy water plant was struck.

19 Jun 2025, 03:23:06 pm IST Israel Iran News LIVE: Israel says it struck Iran’s ‘inactive’ Arak nuclear facility The Israeli military confirmed that its fighter jets struck dozens of military targets in Iran overnight, including the “inactive” Arak nuclear facility in what it said was an attempt to prevent its potential use for nuclear weapons development. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed Thursday the facility, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of Tehran, was designed to product weapons-grade plutonium, a material used in the development of nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly denied that it is building nuclear weapons, and international inspectors and intelligence agencies have yet to find evidence that it is. “The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,” the IDF said in its statement.

19 Jun 2025, 02:11:59 pm IST Israel Iran News LIVE: Iran’s foreign ministry blames IAEA for creating ‘pretext’ for Israeli attack Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has accused International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi and his organisation of being complicit in the ongoing conflict. In a post of X he said it was their “biased” reporting on Iran’s nuclear activities was used as a “pretext” for Israel to attack. Responding to Grossi’s recent comment that the agency has no hard evidence Iran is actively developing nuclear weapons, Esmaeil Baghaei said: “This is too late.” “You obscured this truth in your absolutely biased report that was [instrumentalised] by E3/US [France, Germany, the UK and the US) to craft a resolution with baseless allegation of ‘non-compliance’,” Baghaei wrote on X. “The same resolution was then utilised, as a final pretext, by a genocidal warmongering regime to wage a war of aggression on Iran and to launch an unlawful attack on our peaceful nuclear facilities.” “Do you know how many innocent Iranians have been killed/maimed as a result of this criminal war?” he said. “Misleading narratives have dire consequences, Mr. Grossi, and demand accountability.” “You betrayed the non-proliferation regime; You’ve made IAEA a partner to this unjust war of aggression”. Source Aljazeera

19 Jun 2025, 01:58:31 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Technology Park near Hospital was the target, Iranian state media Iran’s IRNA state news agency has claimed the “principal target” of the missile strike, which damaged an Israeli hospital, was a nearby technology park it said was used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The apparent target, Gav-Yam Negev technology park, is less than a mile from Soroka Medical Center, the Be’er Sheva hospital which was damaged in the strike. Its website says it is “Israel’s most advanced center of research and development… adjacent to the Ben Gurion University campus and the IDF C4i Branch campus. “The principal target of the attack was the vast command and intelligence base of Israel’s army (IDF C4i) and the campus of their military intelligence, located in the Gav-Yam technology park, next to Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva,” IRNA said. The technology park’s website describes itself as “Israel’s most advanced center of research and development… adjacent to the Ben Gurion University campus and the IDF C4i Branch campus.”

19 Jun 2025, 01:19:51 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Iran’s Deputy FM Says All Necessary Options On The Table Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has issued another warning to the US against direct military intervention. In comments carried by Reuters news agency, Gharibabadi said Iran does not want the conflict to expand, but is ready to act and “teach aggressors a lesson” if necessary. Iran’s military decision-makers have “all necessary options on the table”, he said.

19 Jun 2025, 01:07:35 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israeli Military Ordered To “Intensify Strikes” Against Iran, Defense Minister Says Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israeli military to “intensify strikes against strategic targets” in Iran, after Iran launched its latest wave of ballistic missiles at cities across Israel on Thursday. “The cowardly Iranian dictator sits deep inside his fortified bunker and launches deliberate attacks at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel,” Katz said in a statement shared by the defense ministry, referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Source CNN

19 Jun 2025, 12:41:44 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israel’s President Condemns The Attack On Soroka Hospital Condemning the attack on the hospital, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on X said, “In these moments, we remember well the magnitude of the hour, what is at stake, and our values, the values ​​of humanity and humanity, the values ​​of civilization, which are under attack by a jihadist regime that seeks to destroy us.” תינוק בטיפול נמרץ ואימו הדואגת לצד מיטתו, רופא מסור שעובר ממטופל למטופל, קשישה בבית אבות – אלה היו המטרות של מתקפת הטילים האיראנית על אזרחי ישראל הבוקר.

המרכז הרפואי סורוקה הוא אחד מבתי החולים הטובים בישראל. צוותי בית החולים המסורים – יהודים וערבים כאחד – פועלים בו כתף אל כתף… pic.twitter.com/FGeFuVwefa — יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) June 19, 2025

19 Jun 2025, 12:38:19 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Around 30 Ballistic Missiles Fired At Israel As per IDF assessments, Iran fired at leasr 30 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday. In the attack on the Soroka hospital in central Israel, three people were seriously wounded, two in moderate condition, and dozens of others lightly hurt. -Times of Israel

19 Jun 2025, 12:15:17 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israel’s Defense Minister Says Strikes On Strategic Targets To Be Intensified Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he instructed country’s military to intensify its strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate threat to Israel and to destabilize the “ayatollah regime.” – Al Arabiya English

19 Jun 2025, 12:09:47 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Benjamin Netanyahu Says Full Price Will Be Exacted From The Tyrants In Tehran “This morning, Iran’s terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the center of the country. We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X after Iran’s attack on a hospital in Israel.

19 Jun 2025, 12:04:30 pm IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israel Says Iran Crossed A ‘Red Line’ Targeting Soroka hospital Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso on Thursday said that Iran has crossed a red line by attacking Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva with a missile. “This is a war crime committed by the Iranian regime,” Buso said, reported by Israel’s Army Radio. -Al Jazeera

19 Jun 2025, 11:33:56 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Iran’s Latest Missile Strikes Hit Tel Aviv Suburb According to videos released by Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA), the latest wave of Iranian attacks struck an area near Tel Aviv. Several high-rise buildings have also been damaged on a street in Ramat Gan city, around three miles from Tel Aviv city center. – CNN

19 Jun 2025, 11:24:50 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israel’s National Emergency Service Reports 44 Injuries By Iranian Missiles The number of injured by Iranian missiles rises to 44, with 3 in serious condition, according to Israel’s National Emergency Service. – Anadolu English

19 Jun 2025, 11:14:23 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: US Embassy In Qatar Curbs Access To Al Udeid Air Base The US Embassy in Qatar has temporarily restricted the access to the Al Udeid Air Base for its personnel. It has also asked for vigilance by by US citizens in “an abundance of caution” amid regional hostilities. The US base is the largest such military facility in the Middle East. – Al Jazeera

19 Jun 2025, 11:05:26 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Dozens Of Iranian Ballistic Missiles Hit Civilian Areas, Says Israel Military Official Israel launched dozens of ballistic missiles on Israel with several of them hitting civilian areas, an Israeli military official said. According to the official, rescue teams have been sent to the affected sites. – CNN

19 Jun 2025, 11:00:19 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: 27 injured in central Israel with 2 in serious condition Israel’s National Emergency Service has reported that 27 people have been injured in Israel with two in serious condition. – Anadolu English

19 Jun 2025, 10:56:31 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israel Strikes Near Khondab Heavy Water Facility According to the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), An area near the heavy-water research reactor in Khondab, part of Iran’s nuclear programme, was struck by Israel. The ISNA stated that the facility was evacuated prior to the attack and their is no risk of a leak. – Al Jazeera

19 Jun 2025, 10:51:10 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: 7 Injured In Central Israel, Says Israeli Army Radio Seven people have been injured in Holon, Central Israel due to Iranian strikes, according to Israeli Army Radio. Two people are in critical condition. – Anadolu English

19 Jun 2025, 10:47:04 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: 5 People Injured In Tel Aviv By Iranian Strikes Five people have been injured in Tel Aviv due to Iranian strikes, with two in critical condition., according to Israeli Channel 12. – Anadolu English

19 Jun 2025, 10:42:51 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israeli Stock Exchange Building Hit By Iranian Missiles Israeli stock exchange building in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, hit by Iranian missiles. – Anadolu English

19 Jun 2025, 10:29:24 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israel Attacks Iran’s Arak Heavy Water Reactor Israel has attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television reported Thursday. The report mentioned that there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” , as the facility had already been evacuated before the attack. Israel had warned earlier on Thursday morning that it would be attacking the Iranian facility. -AP

19 Jun 2025, 10:26:38 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Explosions Heard In Jerusalem Loud explosions also heard in Jerusalem following Iranian missiles, Israeli media reports. – Anadolu English

19 Jun 2025, 10:25:28 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Buildings Hit In Tel Aviv After Iran’s Strikes On Israel, ‘Direct Hit’ On Medical Building An Iranian missile barrage targeted Israel, including a ‘direct hit’ on a medical building. A ballistic missile fired from Iran struck Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. Several buildings in Tel Aviv hit by missiles fired from Iran, Israeli emergency service reports. There are reports of injuries and damage in central and southern Israel. – Anadolu English and AP

19 Jun 2025, 10:10:21 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Trump’s Final Decision On Attacking Iran Looms Large “I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven’t made a final — I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other,” U.S. President Donald Trump said. -CNN

19 Jun 2025, 10:08:34 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Trump’s Reviews Plans On U.S.’s Involvement In The Military Confict Between Israel-Iran US President Donald Trump has approved plans for the U.S. to strike at Iran but the final decision is still pending, BBC reported. According to CNN, Trump is holding off on the reviewed attack plans to see if Iran steps back from its nuclear program. Trump is reportedly considering a US strike on Fordo, an underground uranium enrichment facility in Iran, as per BBC.

19 Jun 2025, 09:51:52 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Air Attack Sirens Blare In Israel As Missiles Fired From Iran As per Israel’s military, missile launches have been detected from Iran. The military advised people to follow the security protocols of the Home Front Command. Interception procedures are underway but the country’s defences are “not airtight”, the military added. – Al Jazeera

19 Jun 2025, 09:35:04 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Israel’s Ambassador To U.S. Says Iran’s Ability To Produce Ballistic Missiles Must Also Be Eliminated Israel’s ambassador to United States on Wednesday said that Israel must eliminate Iran’s ability to produce ballistic missiles along with Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons. “They come cruising out of the sky and create incredible damage,” Yechiel Leiter said. “That production capacity has to be eliminated as well.” “They cannot have the weapons that can destroy Israel, which they claim and which they want to do every day,” he added. -CNN

19 Jun 2025, 09:19:24 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: U.S. Embassy In Israel Says It Has No Announcement For U.S. Citizens Wanting To Depart In a security altert released June 19, the U.S. embassy in Israel stated, “We have no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time.” It also mentioned that the Department of State is “always planning for contingencies to assist with private U.S. citizens’ departure from crisis areas.” The notice further stated that an alert will be provided to the U.S. citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding departure options. Ben Gurion Airport remains closed, and there are no commercial or charter flights operating from there. Seaports in Israel are also closed.

19 Jun 2025, 09:07:08 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: IDF Issues Fresh Evacuation Orders In Iran The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation warning early Thursday to residents in western Iran’s Arak and Khondab regions. “The IDF continues to operate in the area, as it has in recent days across Iran, targeting the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure,” the statement from the IDF’s Farsi channel stated, adding that residents must “evacuate immediately from the marked area in the vicinity of the Arak-Khondab cities.”

19 Jun 2025, 08:58:51 am IST Israel Iran Conflict LIVE: Putin Offers To Medaite Peace Talk Between Two Countries Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday offered to mediate the peace talks between Iran and Israel, amid escalating tensions between both nations. He asserted Moscow’s close ties with the two countries that would aid in brokering a deal. Read: Putin Proposes To Mediate Iran-Israel Peace Talks

Israel Iran War LIVE Updates: Russian and Chinese Presidents condemn Israeli strikes on Iran, reports say

By CNBCTV18.COM | Jun 19, 2025 5:17 PM IST (Updated)

Israel Iran War Live Updates: Iran and Israel both launched airstrikes on each other on Thursday (June 19) as the conflict enters into its seventh day. Several reports suggest that United States President Donald Trump is planning to join Israel in attacks. Read on:

Israel Iran War Live Updates: Both nations launched airstrikes on each other on Thursday (June 19) as the conflict enters into its seventh day. Israel’s main southern hospital sustained a direct hit Thursday, June 19, from an Iranian missile that was intended for Israeli army and intelligence headquarters, according to Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency.

Several reports suggest that United States President Donald Trump is planning to join Israel in attacks. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will continue to attack on Iran’s nuclear programme sites, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected US calls for “unconditional surrender” warning of “irreparable damages” if it joins attacks against Iran.

Several countries such as India, Australia and New Zealand have evacuated their citizens and diplomats from Israel and Iran as the conflict in the West Asian region intensifies.

As the war continues to ravage the Middle East. As per a CNN report, Israel’s emergency services have said that at least 65 people have been wounded in the latest strikes by Iran as of noon. Three people are said to be in serious condition, two in moderate condition, and 42 others have sustained minor injuries.

Tune in for the latest minute-by-minute updates on the Iran-Israel war here:

Israel’s attack also constituted a violation of international humanitarian law for two reasons (AP Photo)

Iran-Israel LIVE News Updates:Israel on Thursday carried out overnight strikes on Iran, targeting a reactor near Arak, a facility near Natanz, and areas close to the Khondab heavy-water research site, which are part of Iran’s nuclear programme, according to ISNA. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles that struck a medical building in Israel, damaging nearby apartments, AP reported. Following the attack, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist,” accusing him of ordering strikes on hospitals and seeking Israel’s destruction, AFP reported. Meanwhile, around 100 Indian students evacuated from Iran arrived in Delhi under Operation Sindhu.

Death toll: According to AP, Israel’s air campaign has targeted several nuclear and military sites, killing senior generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group reported that at least 639 people have been killed in Iran, including 263 civilians, and over 1,300 injured. In retaliation, Iran has launched around 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds.

Trump remains undecided: US President Donald Trump has kept the world guessing about whether the United States will join Israel’s offensive against Iran, saying, “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.” He also claimed Iranian officials wanted to talk but added, “It’s a little late.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “progressing step by step” in dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure and thanked Trump for his support. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei rejected Trump’s call for surrender, warning that “any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.” Live Updates 17:05 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Russia urges Israel to stop attacks on Bushehr plant where Russian staff are working The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged Israel to immediately halt air attacks on the Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran where Russian specialists work. Bushehr, Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant, uses Russian fuel that Russia then takes back when it is spent in order to reduce nuclear proliferation risk. Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokeswoman, repeated a Russian warning to the United States not to get involved militarily in the Israel-Iran conflict, saying this would have unpredictable and negative consequences. – Reuters 17:04 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: mistake to say Bushehr nuclear site was struck An Israeli military official said on Thursday that “it was a mistake” for a military spokesperson to have said earlier in the day that Israel had struck the Bushehr nuclear site in Iran. The official would only confirm that Israel had hit the Natanz, Isfahan and Arak nuclear sites in Iran. – Reuters 17:02 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Israel has struck 2/3rds of Iran’s missile launchers According to an Israeli military official, Israel has struck 2/3rds of Iran’s missile launchers, Iran still has more than 100 missile launchers remaining 17:00 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: At least 240 wounded by Iranian missile strikes At least 240 people were wounded in Thursday morning’s Iranian missile strikes, according to the Associated Press (AP), citing figures from Israel’s Health Ministry. The vast majority of injuries were classified as light, but four individuals were seriously wounded. Among the injured were more than 70 people from Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, where smoke rose from the facility as emergency teams evacuated patients. Two doctors told the AP that the missile hit the hospital almost immediately after air raid sirens sounded, triggering a powerful explosion that could be heard even from inside a safe room. 16:42 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ‘can no longer be allowed to exist’ – Katz Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Thursday that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “can no longer be allowed to exist,” following an Iranian missile strike that hit Soroka Hospital in southern Israel, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Speaking to reporters in Holon, near Tel Aviv, Katz said: “Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed – he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal,” adding, “Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.” 16:41 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: video of Iranian missile strike on Soroka hospital A Guardian video shows the aftermath of the Iranian missile strike on Soroka hospital in Beersheba on Thursday:

آقای https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js برای دستیابی به سلاح هسته‌ای نداشتیم.»آقای ، این اعتراف خیلی دیر است. شما این حقیقت را در گزارش کاملاً جانبدارانه‌ی خود پنهان کردید؛ گزارشی که توسط کشورهای اروپایی و آمریکا (E3/U.S.) مورد سوءاستفاده قرار گرفت تا قطعنامه… https://t.co/vPnjGSDB3W — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) June 19, 2025 14:15 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Kremlin warns US against intervening in Iran-Israel conflict, calls it a ‘terrible spiral of escalation’ The Kremlin has cautioned that any possible US intervention in the Iran-Israel conflict would lead to another “terrible spiral of escalation,” according to Interfax (IFX). 14:13 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iran accuses IAEA chief of siding with Israel in ‘unjust war’ Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Director Rafael Grossi has “betrayed” the nuclear non-proliferation regime and made the IAEA “a partner to an unjust war of aggression” by Israel, according to a statement on X. 14:09 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Israel orders military to intensify strikes on Iran, targets government sites in Tehran Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israeli military to “intensify strikes against strategic targets” in Iran following Tehran’s latest wave of ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities. “The cowardly Iranian dictator sits in a fortified bunker and launches deliberate attacks on hospitals and residential buildings in Israel,” Gallant said in a statement released by the defence ministry, referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “These are the gravest forms of war crimes – and Khamenei will be held accountable,” he added. The directive also includes targeting government sites in Tehran, with the goal of neutralising threats and destabilising the Ayatollah regime, Gallant said. (With inputs from CNN) 14:02 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iran foreign minister to attend OIC meet in Turkey on Saturday, source says Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is expected to attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Saturday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Thursday, as war rages between Israel and Iran. The source said a special session of the 51st OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to focus on Israel’s recent strikes against Iran, including Thursday’s attack on the Khondab nuclear site in Arak. The Israeli military said it targeted a partially built heavy-water reactor at the site, which experts say could produce weapons-grade plutonium. Turkey has sharply criticised Israel, called its actions illegal and said Iran was legitimately defending itself. Opening the two-day summit, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to call on Muslim countries to unite in the face of “destabilising actions” across the region, the ministry source said. President Tayyip Erdogan will also address the conference. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 57 member states, has long served as a political and diplomatic forum for Muslim countries. (Reuters) 13:09 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv not affected by Iranian strike The Austrian embassy in Tel Aviv was not affected after an Iranian missile struck the Israeli city’s Ramat Gan neighbourhood, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson, reported Reuters. 13:04 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: China has evacuated over 1,600 from Iran, hundreds from Israel China has evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and hundreds of more from Israel as the conflict between the two countries has intensified, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. China has maintained communication with parties including Iran, Israel and Oman, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference, while calling for immediate measures to be taken to cool down the tense situation as soon as possible. (Reuters)

12:24 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iranian official warns US against involvement in Israel-Iran conflict Iran’s deputy foreign minister warned against any direct US involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran, saying Iran had “all the necessary options on the table”, in comments reported by Iranian state media on Thursday. “If the US wants to actively intervene in support of Israel, Iran will have no other option but to use its tools to teach aggressors a lesson and defend itself… our military decision-makers have all necessary options on the table,” Kazem Gharibabadi said, according to state media. “Our recommendation to the US is to at least stand by if they do not wish to stop Israel’s aggression,” he said. (Reuters)

12:03 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iran says prearrangements ensured no casualties or risk from Khondab site strike Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said, “No casualties and no risk to the area’s residents due to prearrangements.” (IRNA via Reuters) 11:59 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iran says Israeli strike on Khondab nuclear site violates international law again Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has said that Israel’s attack on Khondab research reactor and heavy water complex is ‘renewed violation of international law.’ (IRNA via Reuters) 11:46 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Israeli military says it targeted nuclear sites in Iran’s Natanz and Arak overnight The Israeli military said on Thursday it had targeted the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran overnight and what it called a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz. (Reuters)

11:44 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: At least 40 wounded in Iranian missile strikes across Israel An Iranian missile hit Soroka Medical Center, the main hospital in southern Israel, early Thursday, causing extensive damage and injuring several, the hospital said. The emergency room remains operational only for life-threatening cases. Additional Iranian strikes hit a Tel Aviv high-rise and other central locations, wounding at least 40 people, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service. (AP) 11:42 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: 10 injured in Iranian strikes admitted to Tel Aviv hospital Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center has received 10 people injured in Iran’s latest round of strikes on Israel, the hospital told CNN. Most of the patients are in “mild” condition and are currently being treated in the trauma unit. 11:39 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: US Embassy in Qatar restricts access to key air base The US embassy in Qatar has temporarily restricted access to the Al Udeid Air Base for its staff, citing “an abundance of caution,” Al Jazeera reported. The base is the largest US military facility in the Middle East. The move comes as President Donald Trump weighs joining Israel’s offensive against Iran—a step Tehran has warned would prompt retaliation against US assets. (With inputs from Al Jazeera) 11:28 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iran’s armed forces chief vows continued strikes on ‘Zionist aggressor’s’ targets Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Mousavi said, as per Reuters, “We will continue to attack any target belonging to ‘the Zionist aggressor.'” 11:09 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Israeli army intelligence facility was main target, says Iranian media Iranian state news agency IRNA said on Telegram that Thursday morning’s missile attack primarily targeted the Israeli army’s Command and Intelligence (IDF C4I) headquarters and a military intelligence camp in the Gav-Yam Technology Park near Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. IRNA claimed the hospital sustained only minor damage from the shockwave, stating, “The military infrastructure was a precise and direct target.” (With inputs from Al Jazeera) 10:51 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Israel has struck near Khondab heavy-water facility, Iran news agency says An area near the heavy-water research reactor in Khondab, part of Iran’s nuclear programme, was hit by Israel, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported. Officials announced the facility was evacuated prior to the attack and there is no radiation risk, ISNA added. The research reactor was partially built and previously known as Arak, with Tehran informing the UN nuclear watchdog that it plans operating the facility next year. (Reuters) 10:48 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: US moves military assets, limits access to its largest Middle East base The US military has repositioned some aircraft and naval vessels from bases in the Middle East to avoid potential Iranian attacks, two US officials told Reuters on Wednesday. One official said aircraft not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, while naval vessels were relocated from a port in Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. “It is not an uncommon practice,” the official said. “Force protection is the priority.” The US embassy in Qatar also issued an alert on Thursday, temporarily restricting personnel from accessing Al Udeid and urging increased vigilance “in an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing regional hostilities.” Meanwhile, Iran has warned that it will respond firmly if the US becomes directly involved in Israel’s military campaign, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Wednesday. (Reuters) 10:38 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Israel must eliminate Iran’s missile production capability too, says envoy to US Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said the country is determined to eliminate not only Iran’s nuclear weapons capability but also its ability to manufacture ballistic missiles. “They come cruising out of the sky and create incredible damage,” Leiter told CNN on Wednesday. “That production capacity has to be eliminated as well.” He added, “They cannot have the weapons that can destroy Israel, which they claim and which they want to do every day.” Leiter also addressed Israel’s ability to strike Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear enrichment site, buried deep under a mountain near Qom. “It might require multiple strikes, it might require something else or it might require one of our surprises,” he said. (With inputs from CNN) 10:33 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iranian missiles strike Israel including a ‘direct hit’ on medical building, rescuers say An Iranian missile barrage targeted Israel on Thursday morning, with rescuers reporting a “direct hit” on a medical building and damage to nearby apartment blocks, reported AP. There was no immediate word on casualties. The strike followed Israel’s airstrike on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor earlier the same day. Iranian state media said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” from the Arak strike, noting the site had already been evacuated. The facility, located 250 km southwest of Tehran, was previously part of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal and had been under redesign with international assistance. Thursday marked the seventh day of Israeli strikes, which have hit key nuclear and military sites including Natanz and Isfahan, killing top generals and scientists. According to a Washington-based Iranian rights group, at least 639 people have died in Iran—263 of them civilians—with more than 1,300 injured. In response, Iran has launched around 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and injuring hundreds. (With inputs from AP) 10:29 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Australia begins evacuations from Israel Australia has started evacuating citizens from Israel amid rising regional tensions, with nearly 3,000 Australians registered for assistance across the Middle East, according to CNN. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that a small group was evacuated by land on Wednesday, and more are expected to follow within 24 hours as the situation grows “increasingly dangerous.” She reiterated Australia’s call for Iran to halt any nuclear weapons program and return to negotiations, saying, “Iran has a choice here… to discontinue its program and to return to talks.” 10:28 (IST) 19 Jun 2025 Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: First batch of Indian students evacuated from Iran land in Delhi Around 100 Indian students evacuated from Iran amid Israeli airstrikes landed in Delhi on Thursday morning, as per reports by CNN, returning via Armenia under the government’s Operation Sindhu. According to Indian media reports, the students were first transported by road to Armenia on Tuesday and later flown out from the capital city, Yerevan, on a special flight arranged by Indian authorities. “As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian Embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them using the available and feasible options,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

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Vehicles sit in traffic as people look to leave Tehran, Iran, on Sunday, following a found of Israeli strikes. Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

Iranian citizens are speaking of their fears as the conflict with Israel escalates, with some families fleeing Tehran and others determined to stay.

Multiple Iranians have described daily life in and around the capital in recent days to CNN. All asked not to disclose their full names due to safety concerns.

“We are all in shock,” 45-year-old Sima said. “Some of us have nowhere to go. Some of us are still in our apartments just waiting to see if we survive.”

Sima added how her friend, from Shiraz in south-central Iran, was forced to hitchhike for three days to reach his grandparents due to a lack of fuel.

Another woman said she had to call upon extended family for shelter, with nowhere to “hide out.”

“It’s brought some people together, and all the little children together so they’re just playing, having the time of their lives, not knowing the reality,” she said.

Those living outside of Iran have found themselves cut off from their loved ones.

“What was supposed to be the happiest time of my life has turned into a nightmare,” one woman, who was supposed to get married among her cousins in Tehran, told CNN.

“Now, all I can think about is whether I’ll ever get to see my beautiful cousins and my wonderful family, the people I love, ever again. When I scroll through our old conversations on WhatsApp, they’ve shifted from ‘what color jewelry are you going to wear?’ to ‘are you alive?’” Tehran resident

Others have made the decision to leave the country.

One woman said her in-laws drove 385 miles from Tehran to Shiraz city on Monday before crossing the border by taxi to join family in Turkey. “The eight-hour drive took them almost double, about 15 hours, because of traffic,” she said.

Elnaz is among those Tehran residents who have decided to remain.

“I haven’t left Tehran because I believe that leaving, abandoning your city, is wrong,” she said. “There is no place like Tehran. Even though the government has done so little to protect us over the last 46 years, we have nothing to protect us, leaving is wrong.”

An Iranian missile hit the main hospital in southern Israel early Thursday, wounding people and causing “extensive damage” but no serious injuries, the medical facility said. Israeli media aired footage of blown-out windows and heavy black smoke. Other missiles hit a high-rise apartment building in Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel. At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missiles, four of them seriously, according to Israel’s Health Ministry.

After the strikes, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz blamed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”

Israel, meanwhile, carried out strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, its latest attack on Iran’s sprawling nuclear program. Iranian state television said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack.

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Here’s the latest:

China’s Xi calls for ceasefire

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on Israel and Iran to implement an immediate ceasefire in their conflict, which he says risks spreading to other countries in the region.

“If the conflict escalates further, not only will the conflicting parties suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also suffer greatly,” Xi said during a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

“The parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating in turn and resolutely avoid the spillover of war,” he added.

China has sought to maintain warm ties with both the Arab States on the one side and Israel on the other, to little practical effect.

Iran’s supreme leader appoints new commander

Iran’s supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard , a paramilitary force that controls Iran’s ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week killed several high-ranking military officials in Tehran.

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Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami.

Iraqi militia threatens to attack US citizens if Iranian leader is targeted

Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the main Iran-backed militias in Iraq, threatened to attack U.S. citizens in the event that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is targeted in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

“No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,” the statement said.

Iraqi militias have thus far largely held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel’s began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base.

French foreign minister: France and Europeans willing to negotiate with Iran

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday that France and Europeans partners are ready to “resume negotiations” with Iran.

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The comments come after Iran’s state media said the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with European counterparts in Geneva on Friday.

Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting.

The message from Iranian authorities was “relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached,” Barrot told a news conference in Paris.

“On our side, there is a willingness to resume negotiations, provided that these negotiations can lead to lasting, substantial steps backward by Iran regarding its nuclear program, its ballistic program and its activities to destabilize the region,” Barrot said.

Patients wheeled out of Israeli hospital hit by missile

Patients were wheeled out of a major Israeli hospital that was hit by the latest Iranian missile barrage as emergency responders assessed the damage to the building.

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A missile struck the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba, damaging its surgical ward. The roof of the building was smashed in, and after the building was hit, smoke could still be seen smoldering from the side. Chunks of cement and glass lay scattered on the ground.

Hospital staff said several dozen people were lightly injured, adding that most patients had already been moved to safe spaces.

Emergency responders assessed the damage at the Soroka hospital Thursday after a missile struck the surgical ward.

Staff said it wasn’t clear how secure the building was, or if parts were going to collapse.

Two hospital staff who did not want to named told The AP the strike hit almost immediately after sirens went off and they went into the safe room.

Dust and debris at Iran’s state-run broadcaster after Israeli strike

The broadcaster allowed reporters on Thursday to film the aftermath of an Israeli strike against its building in Tehran this week.

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Associated Press journalists saw the dust and debris now filling an Iranian state television studio. Its windows were blown out by the blast. Chairs sat singed.

Israel conducted the strike against the building Monday during a live broadcast there, an hour after it issued a public warning for the wider area of Tehran in which the building is located.

Iranian officials have said three employees of the broadcaster, formally known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, were killed in the attack.

US diplomat warns Hezbollah against supporting Iran

U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said it would be a “very bad mistake” for Lebanon if the Hezbollah militant group intervened to support Iran militarily in its conflict against Israel.

Barrack made the remarks to journalists Thursday after visiting top officials in Lebanon. Iran-backed Hezbollah has condemned Israel’s surprise strikes on Iran that sparked the conflict and endorsed Iran’s missile barrages over Israel, but has stopped short of saying it will take military action.

Israel says Iran’s Supreme Leader ‘cannot continue to exist’

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “cannot continue to exist.”

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Katz spoke after the latest wave of Iranian missiles struck a hospital and wounded at least 40 people.

“A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of Israel his mission, cannot continue to exist,” Katz said. “The IDF has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”

U.S. officials said this week that President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei . Trump later said there were no plans to kill him “at least not for now.”

Putin and Xi condemn Israeli attacks on Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned the Israeli attacks in a phone call on Thursday.

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Moscow and Beijing agree that “the current situation and the issues related to the Iranian nuclear program can’t be solved by force.” They believe that “a settlement can and must be reached exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”

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Putin informed Xi about his calls with the “key players” in the conflict and his readiness to help broker an end to the hostilities, Ushakov said, adding that Xi welcomed Russia’s mediation.

Iran’s foreign minister to meet with European counterparts on Friday

Iran’s foreign minister will meet with European counterparts in Geneva as an Israeli airstrike campaign continues to target his country, state media reported Thursday.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva for the meetings Friday, the state-run IRNA news agency report.

IRNA said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, and the European Union’s top diplomat.

Iran warns the US to avoid direct involvement in conflict with Israel

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Thursday warned the U.S. again to avoid getting directly involved in the conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel, saying in a statement that “direct” role by the Americans would “expand the conflict to the region.”

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“We warn the criminal United States: any direct involvement in this war would lead to its expansion across the region and will result in severe and irreparable blows,” the paramilitary guard in a statement carried by Iranian state T.V. The warning echoes recent statements made by other Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and comes as Trump has said he’s not looking for a fight’ with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary.

IAEA confirms Iran’s Arak heavy water research reactor was hit in a strike

The Arak reactor was not loaded with nuclear material at the time of the strike, meaning there is no risk to the public of any radioactive contamination.

“It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects,” said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog.

The IAEA said it had no information on whether the heavy water plant next to the reactor had been hit.

Israel later released black-and-white footage of its strike on the Arak reactor, showing a bomb dropping on its dome and sending up a massive plume of fire and smoke.

UK’s Lammy to meet Rubio in Washington for Mideast talks

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is flying to Washington on Thursday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the crisis in the Middle East.

The trip comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of senior ministers, military chiefs and intelligence officials at the government’s crisis committee, known as COBRA, on Wednesday. Discussions included how the U.K. would respond to a potential U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The U.S. may want to use the U.K.-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in a potential strike on Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Fordo but is not believed to have requested to do so yet.

Britain has continued to urge de-escalation, but has deployed two refueling tankers and 14 Typhoon jets to Cyprus to protect British personnel and interests in the Middle East. The Foreign Office has evacuated family members of British Embassy staff from Israel but not advised U.K. nationals to leave the country.

Israeli police stop media broadcast said to expose location of Iranian missile impacts

The Israeli police said in a statement that it dispatched cars to a facility to prevent “news agencies utilized by Al Jazeera” from transmitting “unauthorized and unlawful content.”

Israeli authorities have repeatedly warned media outlets not to share the location of Iranian missile interceptions and hits, though these have in some cases been disclosed in Israeli and foreign media.

Israel banned Al Jazeera last year, accusing it of incitement and of endangering troops by disclosing their locations. The network has denied the allegations.

China offers to play a role in restoring peace and stability in Middle East

Guo Jiakun, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, says China is willing to play an intermediary role in helping end the conflict.

“China has maintained communication with Iran, Israel, Egypt, Oman and other parties, calling on all sides to take immediate measures to de-escalate tensions and prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil,” Guo said Thursday at a daily briefing.

“China is willing to continue working with countries in the region and the international community to play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East as soon as possible,” he added.

Many aircraft dispersed from major air base in Middle East used by US military

A major air base in the Middle East used by the U.S. military has seen many of the aircraft typically on its tarmac dispersed this weekend.

The Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar, is the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command. Typically, the air base is filled with multiple transport planes, fighter jets and drones.

In a satellite photo taken Wednesday by Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press, the air base’s tarmac had emptied.

The U.S. military has not acknowledged the change. However, it comes after ships off the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet base in Bahrain also have dispersed. That’s typically a military strategy to ensure your fighting ships and planes aren’t destroyed in case of an attack.

Al-Sistani warns against a strike on Iran’s senior religious or political leadership

Iraq’s top Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned on Thursday that a strike on Iran’s senior religious or political leadership could ignite uncontrollable chaos across the region, an apparent reference to threats that Israel or the U.S. might kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a statement, al-Sistani denounced the ongoing Israeli military campaign against Iran. He said that targeting the country’s top leadership would be a “criminal act (that) would shatter regional stability, deepen human suffering, and inflict far-reaching harm on the interests of all nations.”

He called on the international community — particularly Muslim countries — to increase diplomatic pressure, halt the aggression and broker a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

Widely seen as a voice of moderation, al-Sistani represents a school of thought in Shiism opposed to direct rule by clerics, the system in place in Iran, where Khamenei has the final word in all matters.

China urges de-escalation of conflict especially by Israel

China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said Beijing was “deeply concerned” about the conflict between Iran and Israel and called for both sides to de-escalate.

“China strongly urges the parties involved, especially Israel, to prioritize the interests of regional peoples and cease fire and hostilities immediately to ease current tensions,” said Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing.

Guo added that the conflict was “escalating, causing tremendous harm to the peoples of both countries and seriously undermining regional and global peace and stability. China is deeply concerned about this. There are no winners in an escalating conflict. It will only lead to greater destruction and deeper turmoil.”

Patients evacuated from Soroka Medical Center after missile strike

Black smoke rose from the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba as emergency teams evacuated patients.

Two doctors told The Associated Press that the missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

— Sam Mednick in Beersheba, Israel

Iran says attack on Israel targeted a military site

Iran, through its state-run IRNA news agency, claimed it targeted an Israeli military site, not the hospital.

Iran claimed the “blast wave” of the missile struck the hospital.

Egyptian FM pushes for ‘de-escalation’ dialogue on call with European diplomats

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell on Thursday about the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

In a statement after the call, Abdelatty said that the E3, an informal foreign and security cooperation arrangement between the U.K., Germany and France, is responsible for opening “channels for dialogue and negotiation and utilize all available channels with the Iranian side to reach compromises that contribute to de-escalation.”

Attack on Arak reactor meant to prevent plutonium production, Israel says

Israel’s military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium.

“The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,” the Israelis said.

Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes. However, it also enriches uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich at that level.

Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran’s nuclear program.

Several countries prepare to evacuate their citizens from Iran and Israel

Japan, China, Indonesia and Oman said Thursday they were preparing to help evacuate their citizens from Iran and Israel as the conflict between the two countries intensified.

Japan said it is dispatching two military aircraft to Djibouti ahead of a possible airlifting of Japanese nationals from Iran. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said he ordered the dispatch of two C-2 transport aircraft, along with 120 servicemembers, to the Horn of African nation where Japan has a military base. About 280 Japanese are based in Iran and 1,000 others are in Israel.

The Chinese Embassy in Israel, meanwhile, said it will organize group evacuations by bus from Israel starting Friday. A notice posted on the embassy’s WeChat social media account said Chinese citizens would be taken out through the Taba border crossing to Egypt.

The Indonesian government said it would evacuate its citizens from Iran. About 386 Indonesians, mostly students, are in Iran, primarily in the city of Qom, he said. His ministry, meanwhile, said earlier that about 194 Indonesians are in Israel, the majority of whom are in the southern city of Rafah.

And Oman said it had evacuated 245 of its citizens and a number of nationals from other countries via the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, along the country’s Persian Gulf coast. Ten buses also brought Omani citizens from the Iran’s north into Turkey, and three other buses crossed into Iraq, Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Israel’s main hospital in south sustained direct hit from Iranian missile with ‘extensive damage’

Israel’s main southern hospital sustained a direct hit Thursday from an Iranian missile, with officials reporting “extensive damage” there.

Soroka Medical Center is the main hospital in Israel’s south.

A spokesperson for the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba said the hospital suffered “extensive damage” in different areas and people were wounded in the attack. The hospital has requested people not come for treatment.

The hospital has over 1,000 beds and provides services to the approximately 1 million residents of Israel’s south, according to the hospital’s website.

Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639, rights group says

Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1,329 others, a human rights group said Thursday.

The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 263 civilians and 154 security force personnel being killed.

Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country.

Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people being killed and 1,277 others being wounded.

No US plans to be part of EU-Iran talks — for now

A U.S. official said Wednesday there no plans for U.S. involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the U.S.

That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify