Israel targets Iran’s protection ministry as Tehran unleashes lethal missile strike


Emergency and rescue troopers seek for trapped folks round closely broken buildings after an in a single day missile strike from Iran on June 15, 2025 in Bat Yam Israel. Iran launched a retaliatory missile strike on Israel beginning late on June 13, after a sequence of Israeli airstrikes earlier within the day focused Iranian army and nuclear websites, in addition to high army officers.

Amir Levy | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures

Israel launched an expanded assault on Iran on Sunday, focusing on its vitality trade and Protection Ministry headquarters, whereas Tehran unleashed a recent barrage of lethal strikes.

The simultaneous assaults represented the most recent burst of violence since a shock offensive by Israel two days earlier geared toward decimating Tehran’s quickly advancing nuclear program.

New explosions boomed throughout Tehran as Iranian missiles entered Israel’s skies in assaults that Israeli emergency officers mentioned precipitated deaths across the nation, together with 4 in an residence constructing within the Galilee area. A strike in central Israel killed an 80-year-old girl, a 69-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, officers mentioned.

Casualty figures weren’t instantly obtainable in Iran, the place Israel focused its Protection Ministry headquarters in Tehran in addition to websites that it alleged have been related to the nation’s nuclear program. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed that Iranian missiles focused gasoline manufacturing amenities for Israeli fighter jets, one thing not acknowledged by Israel.

Amid the continued battle, deliberate negotiations between Iran and the USA over Tehran’s nuclear program have been cancelled, throwing into query when and the way an finish to the combating might come.

“Tehran is burning,” Israeli Protection Minister Israel Katz mentioned on social media.

Individuals observe hearth and smoke from an Israeli assault on the Shahran oil depot on June 15, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Iran’s international minister mentioned the nation would reply “decisively and proportionally” to a wave of assaults that Israel launched starting within the early hours of June 13. The assaults focused a number of army, scientific and residential areas, in addition to senior authorities officers.

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Each Israel’s army and Iran state tv introduced the most recent spherical of Iranian missiles as explosions have been heard close to midnight, whereas the Israeli safety cupboard met.

Israel’s ongoing strikes throughout Iran have left the nation’s surviving management with the troublesome determination of whether or not to plunge deeper into battle with Israel’s extra highly effective forces or search a diplomatic route.

Pressing calls to deescalate

World leaders made pressing calls to deescalate and keep away from all-out battle. The assault on nuclear websites set a “harmful precedent,” China’s international minister mentioned. The area is already on edge as Israel makes a brand new push to get rid of the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas in Gaza after 20 months of combating.

Israel — extensively believed to be the one nuclear-armed state within the Center East — mentioned its a whole bunch of strikes on Iran over the previous two days have killed a lot of high generals, 9 senior scientists and specialists concerned in Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s U.N. ambassador has mentioned 78 folks have been killed and greater than 320 wounded.

Missiles launched from Iran in direction of Israel are intercepted, as seen from Gedera, Israel, on June 14, 2025.

Ilan Assayag | Reuters

U.S. intelligence businesses and the Worldwide Atomic Power Company have repeatedly mentioned Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon earlier than Israel unleashed its marketing campaign of airstrikes focusing on Iran starting Friday. However Iran’s uranium enrichment has reached close to weapons-grade ranges, and on Thursday the U.N.’s atomic watchdog censured Iran for not complying with obligations meant to forestall it from creating a nuclear weapon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program his high precedence, mentioned Israel’s strikes to date are “nothing in comparison with what they’ll really feel beneath the sway of our forces within the coming days.”

In what could possibly be one other escalation if confirmed, semiofficial Iranian information businesses reported an Israeli drone struck and precipitated a “robust explosion” at an Iranian natural-gas processing plant. It could be the primary Israeli assault on Iran’s oil and pure gasoline trade. Israel’s army didn’t instantly remark.

The extent of injury on the South Pars pure gasoline area was not instantly clear. Such websites have air protection methods round them, which Israel has been focusing on.

Iran calls nuclear talks ‘unjustifiable’

The sixth spherical of U.S.-Iran oblique talks on Sunday over Iran ‘s nuclear program won’t happen, mediator Oman mentioned. “We stay dedicated to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the desk quickly,” mentioned a senior U.S. official, talking on situation of anonymity to debate diplomacy.

This image taken from Nuseirat, within the central Gaza Strip, reveals rocket trails within the sky late on June 13, 2025, after Iran struck Israel with barrages of missiles after an enormous onslaught focused the Islamic republic’s nuclear and army amenities.

Eyad Baba | Afp | Getty Pictures

Iran’s high diplomat mentioned Saturday the nuclear talks have been “unjustifiable” after Israel’s strikes. Abbas Araghchi’s feedback got here throughout a name with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s high diplomat.

The Israeli airstrikes have been the “results of the direct help by Washington,” Araghchi mentioned in an announcement carried by the state-run IRNA information company. The U.S. has mentioned it is not a part of the strikes.

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to achieve a take care of the U.S. on its nuclear program, including that “Iran should make a deal, earlier than there’s nothing left.”

U.S. helps to shoot down Iranian missiles

Iran launched its first waves of missiles at Israel late Friday and early Saturday. The assaults killed at the very least three folks and wounded 174, two of them severely, Israel mentioned. The army mentioned seven troopers have been calmly wounded when a missile hit central Israel, with out specifying the place.

U.S. ground-based air protection methods within the area have been serving to to shoot down Iranian missiles, mentioned a U.S. official who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate the measures.

Israel’s most important worldwide airport mentioned it’s going to stay closed till additional discover.

First responders have been in search of survivors and clearing the remnants of a missile that fell on a neighborhood outdoors of Tel Aviv early Sunday morning.

Israeli search and rescue group conduct operation amid the rubble of destroyed constructing after the assaults of Iranian military following the launch of large-scale Israeli strikes towards Iran in Rishon LeZion, Israel on June 14, 2025.

Anadolu | Getty Pictures

An Related Press reporter noticed streets lined with broken and destroyed buildings, bombed out vehicles and shards of glass.

Responders used a drone at factors to search for survivors in a number of the areas that have been too arduous to entry. Some folks have been fleeing the realm with their belongings in suitcases.

‘Various weeks’ to restore nuclear amenities

Israel attacked Iran’s most important nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. Satellite tv for pc images analyzed by AP present in depth harm there. The pictures shot Saturday by Planet Labs PBC present a number of buildings broken or destroyed. The buildings hit embrace buildings recognized by specialists as supplying energy to the ability.

U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi advised the Safety Council that the above-ground part of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The principle centrifuge facility underground didn’t seem to have been hit, however the lack of energy might have broken infrastructure there, he mentioned.

Israel mentioned it additionally struck a nuclear analysis facility in Isfahan, together with “infrastructure for enriched uranium conversion,” and mentioned it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan.

The Worldwide Atomic Power Company mentioned 4 “essential buildings” on the Isfahan web site have been broken, together with its uranium conversion facility. “As in Natanz, no improve in off-site radiation anticipated,” it added.

An Israeli army official, talking on situation of anonymity in step with official procedures, mentioned that in keeping with the military’s preliminary evaluation “it’s going to take a lot various weeks” for Iran to restore the harm to the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear websites. The official mentioned the military had “concrete intelligence that manufacturing in Isfahan was for army functions.”

Israel denied it had struck the nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Tehran.

Amongst these killed have been three of Iran’s high army leaders: one who oversaw the complete armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami; and the top of the Guard’s aerospace division, which oversees its arsenal of ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. On Saturday, Khamenei named a brand new chief for the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division: Gen. Majid Mousavi.