Israeli official says Iran strikes killed over 30 security chiefs, 11 nuclear scientists – The Times of Israel
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Thousands Mourn Top Iranian Military Commanders, Scientists Killed in Israeli Strikes
Gen. Hossein Salami and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war. Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
The caskets of Guard’s chief Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital’s Azadi Street.
Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched a war it said meant to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities.
Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people.
Saturday’s ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children.
Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies.
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UK eases travel advice for Israel as government-led evacuation flights conclude. Sixth and final scheduled flight for citizens set to depart this Sunday. More severe travel warnings for the Gaza Strip remain unchanged.
UK eases travel advice for Israel as government-led evacuation flights conclude
The United Kingdom has eased its travel advice for Israel and is winding down its organized evacuation efforts, with the sixth and final scheduled flight for citizens set to depart this Sunday, BBC says in a report. This move signals the conclusion of the government’s emergency flight program, which was initiated following the conflict escalation in October 2023. The updated travel advisory reflects an assessment that the immediate risk to UK nationals within Israel proper has diminished, though it does not signify an end to the broader regional conflict. The more severe travel warnings for the Gaza Strip remain unchanged.
Trump says he would consider bombing Iran again, drops sanctions relief plan
President Donald Trump sharply criticised Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, on Friday. He dropped plans to lift sanctions on Iran and said he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is bombed. He said he had been working on the possible removal of sanctions on Iranian to give it a chance for a speedy recovery. He also said he has now abandoned that effort. He wrote on Friday: “His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life,” Trump said in a social media post. He added: ”I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,’ he said. “I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH”
Reuters
President Donald Trump sharply criticised Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, on Friday, dropped plans to lift sanctions on Iran and said he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is enriching uranium to worrisome levels.
Trump reacted sternly to Khamanei’s first remarks after a 12 day conflict with Israel that ended when the United States launched bombing raids last weekend against Iranian nuclear sites.
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington DC, on 27th June, 2025. PICTURE: Reuters/Ken Cedeno
Khamanei said Iran “slapped America in the face” by launching an attack against a major US base in Qatar following last weekend’s US bombing raid. Khamanei also said Iran would never surrender.
Trump said he had spared Khamanei’s life. US officials told Reuters on 15th June that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader.
“His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the US Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life,” Trump said in a social media post.
“I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH,” he said.
Trump also said that in recent days he had been working on the possible removal of sanctions on Iran to give it a chance for a speedy recovery. He said he has now abandoned that effort.
“I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” he said.
ISRAEL KILLED 30 IRANIAN SECURITY CHIEFS AND 11 NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS, ISRAELI OFFICIAL SAYS
Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists to deliver a major blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a senior Israeli military official said on Friday in summarising Israel’s 12 day air war with Iran.
In the United States, an independent expert said a review of commercial satellite imagery showed only a small number of the approximately 30 Iranian missiles that penetrated Israel’s air defences managed to hit any militarily significant targets.
“Iran has yet to produce missiles that demonstrate great accuracy,” Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at the CNA Corporation specialising in satellite imagery, told Reuters.
In Israel, the senior military official said Israel’s June 13 opening strike on Iran severely damaged its aerial defences and destabilised its ability to respond in the critical early hours of the conflict.
Israel’s air force struck over 900 targets and the military deeply damaged Iran’s missile production during the war that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire, the official said.
“The Iranian nuclear project suffered a major blow: The regime’s ability to enrich uranium to 90 per cent was neutralised for a prolonged period. Its current ability to produce a nuclear weapon core has been neutralised,” the official said.
Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated against the strikes with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities. Iran said it forced the end of the war by penetrating Israeli defences.
Iranian authorities said 627 people were killed in Iran, where the extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed because of tight restrictions on the media. Israeli authorities said 28 people were killed in Israel.
Eveleth, the independent US expert, said Iran’s missile forces were not accurate enough to destroy small military targets like US-made F-35 jet fighters in their shelters.
“Because of this the only targets they can hit with regularity are large cities or industrial targets like the refinery at Haifa,” he told Reuters.
Iranian missile salvos – which were limited by Israeli airstrikes in Iran – did not have the density to achieve high rates of destruction, he wrote on X.
“At the current level of performance, there is effectively nothing stopping Israel from conducting the same operation in the future with similar results,” he wrote.
In a statement on Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had directed the military to draft plans to safeguard air superiority over Iran, prevent nuclear development and missile production, and address Iran’s support for militant operations against Israel.
Israel’s military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General, Eyal Zamir, said on Friday the outcome in Iran could help advance Israeli objectives against the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
Zamir told troops in Gaza an Israeli ground operation, known as “Gideon’s Chariots,” would in the near future achieve its goal of greater control of the Palestinian enclave and present options to Israel’s government for further action.
– HOWARD GOLLER, MAAYAN LUBELL and JONATHAN LANDAY/Reuters
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Trump said at a White House news conference that he did not rule out attacking Iran again when asked about the possibility of new bombing of Iranian nuclear sites if deemed necessary at some point.
“Sure, without question, absolutely,” he said.
Trump said he would like inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency or another respected source to be able to inspect Iran’s nuclear sites after they were bombed last weekend.
Trump said he believes the sites were “obliterated.” He has rejected any suggestion that damage to the sites was not as profound as he has said.
But Trump said he would support the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, going in to check the sites that were bombed.
The agency’s chief, Rafael Grossi, said on Wednesday that ensuring the resumption of IAEA inspections was his top priority as none had taken place since Israel began bombing on 13th June.
However, Iran’s parliament approved moves on Wednesday to suspend such inspections. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi indicated on Friday that Tehran may reject any request by the head of the agency for visits to Iranian nuclear sites.
Trump also said he does not believe Iran wants to still seek a nuclear weapon after US and Israeli bombing raids. He described Iran as “exhausted.”
He said Iran still wants to meet about the way forward. The White House had said on Thursday that no meeting between the US and an Iranian delegation has been scheduled thus far.
– With MICHELLE NICHOLS
Israel ‘killed 30 Iran security chiefs, 11 scientists’
In the 12-day battle, only a small number of Iranian missiles were able to penetrate the Israeli air defence system. The Israeli air force was able to destroy the majority of the Iranian missiles.
Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists to deliver a major blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a senior Israeli military official says in summarising the 12-day air war with Iran.
In the United States, an independent expert said a review of commercial satellite imagery showed only a small number of the approximately 30 Iranian missiles that penetrated Israel’s air defences managed to hit any militarily significant targets.
“Iran has yet to produce missiles that demonstrate great accuracy,” Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at the CNA Corporation specialising in satellite imagery, told Reuters.
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In Israel, the senior military official said Israel’s June 13 opening strike on Iran severely damaged its aerial defences and destabilised its ability to respond in the critical early hours of the conflict.
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Israel ‘killed 30 Iran security chiefs, 11 scientists’
Iranian authorities said 627 people were killed in Iran, where the extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed because of tight restrictions on the media. Israel’s military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General, Eyal Zamir, said on Friday the outcome in Iran could help advance Israeli objectives against the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had directed the military to draft plans to safeguard air superiority over Iran, prevent nuclear development and missile production, and address Iran’s support for militant operations against Israel. Iran said it forced the end of the war by penetrating Israeli defences.
“Iran has yet to produce missiles that demonstrate great accuracy,” Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at the CNA Corporation specialising in satellite imagery, told Reuters.
In Israel, the senior military official said Israel’s June 13 opening strike on Iran severely damaged its aerial defences and destabilised its ability to respond in the critical early hours of the conflict.
Israel’s air force struck over 900 targets and the military deeply damaged Iran’s missile production during the war that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire, the official said.
“The Iranian nuclear project suffered a major blow: The regime’s ability to enrich uranium to 90 per cent was neutralised for a prolonged period. Its current ability to produce a nuclear weapon core has been neutralised,” the official said.
Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated against the strikes with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities. Iran said it forced the end of the war by penetrating Israeli defences.
Iranian authorities said 627 people were killed in Iran, where the extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed because of tight restrictions on the media.
Israeli authorities said 28 people were killed in Israel.
Eveleth, the independent US expert, said Iran’s missile forces were not accurate enough to destroy small military targets like US-made F-35 jet fighters in their shelters.
“Because of this the only targets they can hit with regularity are large cities or industrial targets like the refinery at Haifa,” he told Reuters.
Iranian missile salvos – which were limited by Israeli air strikes in Iran – did not have the density to achieve high rates of destruction, he wrote on X.
“At the current level of performance, there is effectively nothing stopping Israel from conducting the same operation in the future with similar results,” he wrote.
In a statement on Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had directed the military to draft plans to safeguard air superiority over Iran, prevent nuclear development and missile production, and address Iran’s support for militant operations against Israel.
Israel’s military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General, Eyal Zamir, said on Friday the outcome in Iran could help advance Israeli objectives against the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
Zamir told troops in Gaza an Israeli ground operation, known as “Gideon’s Chariots,” would in the near future achieve its goal of greater control of the Palestinian enclave and present options to Israel’s government for further action.