LIVE UPDATES: Casualties rise as Israel and Iran hit each other with waves of missiles

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Here’s where things stand on Sunday 15 June 2025:

• Renewed Israeli attacks hit Tehran and other Iranian cities for a third straight day, as Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Israel.
• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the Iranian response will stop when Israel halts its attacks on Iran.
• Iranian media say Israeli attacks have killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds. In Israel, at least 13 people have been killed in Iranian attacks, with 380 others injured.
• Meanwhile, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 55,362 people and wounded 128,741, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.

‘Israel looking for greater US military involvement in Iran’

Meron Rapoport, editor of Israeli news outlet Local Call, says “it is important for Netanyahu, when he speaks to the international media, to present himself as the leader who is saving the Western world from the evilness of Iran”.

Rapoport was commenting after the Israeli PM’s interview with Fox News from an undisclosed location.

Rapoport added that Netanyahu was not looking for Trump “to bring peace, but more war” through US military involvement.

“Some Iranian nuclear facilities are deep in the ground and only the US [can hit them], and I think this is what Netanyahu is looking for,” he said.

Israel shuts down all airports, airspace

The Israeli Civil Aviation Authority announced a complete closure of airspace and airports.

Qatari and UAE foreign ministers discuss Israeli attacks on Iran

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has held a phone conversation with the UAE’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

During the call, the two discussed regional developments, including the Israeli attack on Iran, according to a statement carried by Qatar News Agency (QNA).

It said Sheikh Mohammed expressed “Qatar’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli attack on Iranian territory”, calling it “a flagrant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, and a clear breach of the rules and principles of international law”.

The Qatari prime minister also called for regional and international efforts to de-escalate tensions and a return to dialogue.

Israeli army says it launched a wave of air strikes on western Iran

The Israeli army has issued a statement saying it begun a wave of air strikes targeting what it claims are missile sites in western Iran.

‘Both could keep fighting each other for quite some time’

Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, says he does not see an “easy solution” to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said “Iran is not going to surrender”, while Israel would not want to acknowledge “that it’s failed in its desire to destroy” the Iranian nuclear programme.

“Both of them could keep fighting each other for quite some time,” he added.

Bandow described the timing as “very suspicious” and said, by starting the war, Israel has made it “very difficult” for Iran to come back to the nuclear negotiations it had entered with the US.

“It would be perceived as a surrender, so I think probably that was one of the objectives – at least in the timing of the Israeli action,” he added.

Bandow also said Israel would like to draw the US into the conflict as it’s long been believed “that only the United States could try to reach the deepest” of the nuclear facilities that Iran has.

He added, however, that such a development would be “a dramatic step, probably too far” for Trump.

“He has criticised endless wars in the Middle East. He has criticised President [George] Bush over the Iraq debacle,” Bandow said.

“Much of his own base does not want to see a war there – even some of the hawks want to focus on Asia, not the Middle East, and I suspect he understands that to step into that war would draw attention away from domestic policy issues that he wants to focus on. So this is a very difficult choice for the Trump administration.”

Netanyahu says Israel has ‘significantly’ set back Iran’s nuclear programme

Israel’s PM claims that the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan have set back its nuclear programme “significantly”.

“We cannot allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons as it intends to provide them to the Houthis and others,” Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a live interview with Fox News.

When asked about the reasoning behind Israel’s strikes on Iran’s oil and energy facilities and whether they serve the goal of thwarting the country’s nuclear programme, Netanyahu said Israel was “ready to take whatever action is needed, and of course we’ll take some of those actions in response to what Iran does to us”.

“But … our main targets are the military and the nuclear targets and we’re targeting that with precision and purpose.”

Erdogan urges Trump to take action over Iran-Israel crisis

Turkiye’s president and his US counterpart have discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran over the phone, according to Erdogan’s office.

Erdogan welcomed Trump’s latest statement on possible peace between Iran and Israel and urged the US president to take action immediately to prevent a disaster “that could set the region on fire”.

He also said Ankara was ready to play a facilitator role to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Israelis shocked by number of missile hits despite defence systems

Meron Rapoport, editor of Israeli news site The Local Call, said the Israeli public was taken aback by the number of Iranian missiles that breached the country’s advanced defence systems.

“Although the military is trying to portray this as expected, Israelis are quite surprised that so many missiles did hit targets in Israel and that the damage is so huge,” Rapoport told Al Jazeera.

He added that the strikes also succeeded in hitting some strategic targets and that some incidents have likely not been disclosed to the public.

“We don’t know about everything because the censorship is quite hard – and if we do know it, we’re not allowed to say it,” he said.

Rapoport added that he sees a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme as the only possible way out of the conflict.

“Iran will not surrender, a regime change will not happen in the near future, and Israel, of course, will not surrender – so I don’t see any other way out other than a deal between Iran and the US,” he said.

Netanyahu says Trump informed ahead of attacks on Iran

Talking to Fox News, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he informed US President Donald Trump ahead of launching the military campaign on Iran.

He described the cooperation with the current US administration as “unprecedented”, adding that the Israeli intelligence shares “every bit of information” with Washington.

Netanyahu added that regime change in Iran could be a result of Israel’s military attacks. “The issue here is not de-escalation, the issue here is not ceasefire, the issue here is stopping [Iran],” he said, describing the country as a “mortal threat” for Israel as well as Gulf states, the US and Europe.

US embassy in Iraq warns of potential attacks on sites frequented by Americans

The diplomatic mission in Baghdad has issued a statement saying it is aware of an increased potential for violence targeting US-owned businesses and locations frequented by US citizens, as Israel and Iran continue to exchange attacks.

“We urge all US citizens in Iraq to avoid locations frequented by foreigners and any large gatherings or crowds,” the embassy said.

It comes as Iraqi activists have called for a protest this evening near Baghdad’s Green Zone – where the embassy is located – to demand its shutdown and the departure of its staff from the country.

Saudi Aramco shares rise

Shares in Saudi Aramco have risen 1.76 percent in the first trading session of the week on the Saudi Exchange amid fears over global energy security.

The Saudi Gazette reported that Aramco closed at 25.40 riyals ($6.77), up from 24.96 riyals ($6.65) in the previous session.

Brent crude futures rose $4.87, or 7.02 percent, reaching $74.23 a barrel.

The ongoing exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran has raised concerns about a possible surge in oil prices due to disruptions of exports from the region.

Israeli attack kills 8 in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp

At least eight people have been killed by an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Palestinian agency Wafa reported that the attack on the residential building also wounded several people.

Preparations under way in Iran to turn public spaces into shelters

Iran has not experienced a war to this extent since the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988.

There were similar Israeli strikes last year, of course, but nothing compared to what’s been happening since Friday.

The government said earlier today that metro stations, schools and mosques are going to be ready to host people. But parts of these facilities, including mosques and schools, do not seem safe enough to be used as a sort of shelter.

Still, what we’re hearing is that facilities are being prepared.

For the time being, we are waiting to see what next instructions are going to come out in this regard.

Iran says 44 Israeli drones and quadcopters shot down

Ahmad Ali Goudarzi, the border guard commander, said Iran’s border units prevented 44 drones and quadcopters from entering the country’s airspace in the past 48 hours, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Macron hopes Iran-Israel conflict will ‘calm’ in ‘coming hours’

The French president, during a visit to Greenland, said he hopes the “coming hours will bring calm and a road forward for discussion, to avoid any escalation of nuclear capabilities, acquisition of nuclear capacities in Iran, and to prevent any unrest in the region”.

“We will have the opportunity, in a few hours, to revisit this matter with G7 leaders”, who are meeting from Sunday to Tuesday in Canada, he added.

The US and Iran have held five rounds of talks since April to try to find a path to a new nuclear deal that would replace a 2015 accord Trump abandoned during his first term in office.

Israel to ‘escalate Iran attacks’ as Trump looks away

Menachem Klein, professor emeritus at Israel’s Bar Ilan University, says he expects Israel to escalate its attacks on Iran, which he believes are intended to topple “the Iranian regime” rather than disrupt its uranium enrichment programme.

“I cannot see any other reason that leads Israel to attack so many different targets that are unrelated to the nuclear project,” Klein told Al Jazeera.

He said the US administration would leave Israel “no choice” but to halt its attacks if it decided to put pressure on its ally, but the fact that it was not doing so spoke volumes about the Trump administration’s role in the conflict.

“I doubt if President Trump knows what he is speaking about, fully acknowledges what he is speaking about,” Klein said.

The Israeli public has so far been supportive of the strikes on Iran, but this consensus depends on the government’s ability to prevent an increase in civilian casualties. “If the civil society [suffers] much more, then everything can change,” Klein added.

Israel says it hit Iranian refuelling plane at Mashhad Airport

The Israeli military says the air attack on Mashhad Airport in eastern Iran is the furthest strike since the start of the military operation – at a distance of approximately 2,300km (1,429 miles).

Footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera showed a huge fire with plumes of smoke rising into the sky.

‘Extremely dangerous move’: Attack on Iran-Qatar gasfield denounced

Israel’s strike on a major gas facility along the Gulf coast was an attempt “to expand the war beyond” Iran, its foreign minister says.

“Dragging the conflict into the Persian Gulf region is a major strategic mistake, likely deliberate and intended to extend the war beyond Iranian territory,” said Abbas Araghchi.

He was referring to the strike on a facility operating at South Pars, located offshore near Iran’s southern Bushehr province. The field supplies almost 70 percent of Iran’s domestic natural gas.

The South Pars/North Dome mega-field is the largest known gas reserve in the world. Iran, which shares the massive field with energy giant Qatar, has been developing its side since the late 1990s.

Iranian media reported on Saturday a “massive explosion” and fire after an Israeli drone targeted one of the South Pars Phase 14 facilities. Authorities said the situation was under control.

Araghchi described the attack as “an extremely dangerous move”, adding any military strikes in the Gulf “could involve the entire region – and possibly the whole world”.

Iranians ‘united’ as Israel wages war ‘aimed at a regime change’

Ali Akbar Darani, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran, says while Israel waged a war “aimed at regime change” in Iran, the conflict has so far had the opposite effect.

“I have rarely seen such national unity,” Darani told Al Jazeera. “Even Iranians who are opposed to the ruling system are now extremely angry that their country has been attacked by a foreign aggressor.”

The analyst said Israel was attempting to sell the “fantasy” of a nuclear weapons programme pursued by Iran, while it is widely believed to hold nuclear weapons itself.

“Israel possesses weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons, Iran doesn’t, yet Iran is the target of the war of aggression, directly assisted by the United States,” Darani added.

How US military assets shape Middle East security and strategy

The US is reportedly planning to shift military resources in the Middle East.

Al Jazeera’s defence editor Alex Gatopoulos takes a look at US assets in the region.

Etihad says flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv cancelled for a week

The UAE-based carrier has announced that flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv will be cancelled until June 22.

“This remains a developing situation, and some disruption and delays may be expected in the coming days,” it said in a statement.

Etihad Airways began direct commercial flights between the United Arab Emirates and Israel after the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2020.

UK calls for de-escalation while reinforcing assets in Middle East

In previous bouts of violent attacks from Israel – and retaliation from Iran – the UK has, along with the US, assisted Israel in shooting down incoming missiles. But it has not happened in this new eruption of attacks so far.

As Prime Minister Keir Starmer left for the G7 summit in Canada, he was asked whether the UK would be helping out Israel this time, but he did not give a “yes” or “no” answer.

He said, “These are operational decisions, and the situation is ongoing and developing. Therefore, I am not going to get into precise details.”

What he did say, though, was that the UK is moving air assets to bolster its existing assets in the Middle East. So, fast jets to the airbases that already have fast jets and refuelling planes to help with what he calls “contingency support” in the region.

The UK says it supports Israel and has concerns about Iran and its nuclear ambitions, but maintains there should be de-escalation as soon as possible.

It is taking steps to prepare for any further escalation, but wants this situation to calm down as soon as possible.

What’s happening across the West Bank?

Here are some recent developments across the occupied West Bank:

• Israeli settlers set fire to lands in Huwara, in the south of Nablus, before opening fire on civil defence personnel approaching to extinguish the fire.
• The head of the village of Khirbet Ibziq in the northeast of Tubas says Israeli settlers stole a water tanker in the area at dawn.
• Israeli forces have installed a new iron gate at the entrance of Hizma, in the northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, to restrict the movement of Palestinians in the area.
• They have also said they are going to bulldoze and uproot trees in the village of al-Sawiya in the south of Nablus.

Iraq decries ‘blatant’ Israeli aggression against Iran

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani spoke with Iranian President Pezeshkian and reaffirmed Iraq’s support for Iran.

Al-Sudani “expressed Iraq’s solidarity, both government and people, with Iran, which is being subjected to blatant Zionist aggression, stressing Iraq’s commitment to its security and stability, as they are linked to the security and stability of the region”, a statement said.

“Iraq is committed to preventing the war from expanding.”

Pezeshkian thanked Iraq for its “declared and clear positions rejecting the behaviour of the Zionist entity and its repeated attacks on countries in the region”, al-Sudani’s office said.

Trump says ‘possible’ US ‘could get involved’ in Israel-Iran conflict

We have more comments from Trump – this time from an interview with ABC News.

The US president said “it’s possible we could get involved” in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

Trump added that the US is “not at this moment involved” in the conflict.

He also said he would be “open” to Russian President Vladimir Putin being a mediator. “He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,” Trump told ABC.

Iranian capital witnessing most strikes as Israel sends warnings

This is the highest number of strikes we’ve seen in daylight in and around Tehran, where at least three parts of the capital were targeted.

These are areas around government official buildings, but also include civilian areas. Tehran is a very densely populated city, home to around 15 million people, and today is the start of the working week.

Many people chose to leave the city, but many remain, so it’s very concerning to see these attacks in daylight.

The fact that Israel has issued threats to Iranians not to be near military buildings is very concerning. People don’t know where many of these buildings are. It’s not like the Defence Ministry puts up a sign.

It’s the same practice that we’ve seen in Israel’s wars on Lebanon and Gaza: this issuing of threats while the civilian population has nowhere to go. There are no bomb shelters in Iran or sirens sounding, so these warnings just create more panic.

Trump’s comments come as US coy on diplomatic moves

In a social media post, Trump said that “many calls and meetings” are taking place to de-escalate the situation between Iran and Israel.

That’s the first we’re hearing of it because the administration has not been willing to say publicly what it has been doing from a diplomatic standpoint.

All we know is that in recent days, the US did ratchet down its diplomatic presence in countries in the region, anticipating that these air strikes on Iranian military sites would be taking place.

And we also know that the US military did put its forces on a slightly higher alert posture just in case things were to spiral out of control.

That said, the US government is not interested in seeing this conflict between Israel and Iran escalate.

A US State Department spokesperson told reporters on Saturday that even though the Sunday talks in Oman between the US and Iran were scrapped because of the ongoing conflict, the US is still hopeful that these negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme can continue and the US is prepared to engage.