LIVE UPDATES: Israel bombs Iran’s state TV in latest wave of attacks on Tehran

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Here’s where things stand on Monday 16 June 2025:

• Iran’s state television says it has been attacked by Israel in latest wave of missile strikes on Iran’s capital, Tehran.
• Multiple explosions have been heard around Tehran as Israel issues new evacuation threats, warning of imminent attacks. Iranian forces also warn residents of Israel’s Tel Aviv to evacuate.
• The death toll from Israel’s attacks on Iran has risen to more than 220, including 70 women and children. More than 20 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel.
• 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.

Israeli army says Iran launched missiles towards Israel

A military statement says Israel’s defence systems are working to intercept the attack.

It also advised citizens to enter shelters and remain there until further notice.

Israeli army says it intercepted hostile aircraft over occupied Golan Heights

The Israeli army said it intercepted a suspected aerial target that crossed into the region from the east.

A brief statement said the aircraft was taken down after warning sirens were activated at 6pm (15:00 GMT).

‘I don’t know how many of my colleagues are still inside right now’

Iranian journalist Younes Shadlou has said many of his colleagues were still inside the Iranian state television building when the Israeli attack happened.

“I don’t know how many of my colleagues are still inside right now,” he reported from outside the burning building in Tehran

“We had been given evacuation warnings, but everyone stayed until the very last moment to show the true face of the Zionist regime to the world.”

Iran’s FM says phone call from Washington could ‘pave the way to diplomacy’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a war criminal” and said Israel’s PM is deliberately provoking war to block a diplomatic breakthrough between Iran and the US.

In a Telegram post, Araghchi said that Israel’s leadership is “hiding in Tel Aviv bunkers” and vowed that Iran’s armed forces will continue to retaliate “for as long as necessary to ensure that they no longer target our people”.

Araghchi said that if US President Donald Trump “truly believes in diplomacy” and wants to stop the war, then “a phone call from Washington is all it takes to silence Netanyahu”.

“That could pave the way for a return to diplomacy,” he said, adding that Iran didn’t start the war and does not seek further bloodshed, but will fight “with honour, to the last drop of blood” to defend its land and people.

State TV chief slams ‘brutal’ Israeli attack

Peyman Jebelli, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), says the organisation’s headquarters was attacked because the Iranian “national media is precisely targeting the depth of the enemy’s media strategy”.

In a statement quoted by the semiofficial Mehr news agency, he said employees in the national media outlet “loudly declare” their determination to play their roles in the “hybrid war” initiated by Israel.

“There has been no disruption in our will to achieve a media victory over the front of disbelief,” Jebelli added.

Shipping disruption surges around Hormuz

Electronic interference with commercial ship navigation systems has surged in recent days around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf, which is having an impact on vessels sailing through the region.

In the past, Iran has threatened to close the critical Strait of Hormuz to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure. Any closure of the strait could restrict trade and impact global oil prices.

“JMIC continue to receive reports of electronic interference stemming from the vicinity of Port of Bandar Abbas [in Iran], in the SoH and several other areas in the Arabian Gulf,” the multinational, US-led Combined Maritime Forces’ JMIC information centre said in an advisory.

“These interferences, which continue to intensify throughout the region, are having significant impact within the Gulf itself. This disruption is affecting vessels’ ability to accurately transmit positional data via automated identification systems [AIS], posing operational and navigational challenges for maritime traffic.”

For more on the Strait of Hormuz, described as the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint”, read this explainer.

Israel confirms bombing Iranian state TV

In a statement on social media, Defence Minister Israel Katz has confirmed the Israeli military attacked Iran’s broadcasting authority in Tehran.

Trump says Iran should talk about de-escalating ‘before it’s too late’

Iran wants to talk about de-escalating hostilities with Israel, and should do so immediately “before it’s too late”, President Trump said.

“I’d say Iran is not winning this war … and they should talk immediately before it’s too late,” he told reporters at the start of a meeting with Canada’s PM Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis.

‘Calling someone a mouthpiece doesn’t give you permission to kill them’

Foad Izadi, professor of international relations at the University of Tehran, says he fears there are going to be “a lot of casualties” following the attack on the building of Iran’s state-run television.

Footage from the scene shows the building engulfed in flames.

“It’s a huge building,” Izadi told Al Jazeera. “Iran’s news channel is located on the first floor. It has four floors, and on every floor you have at least 200-300 people working,” he said.

“They were getting ready for the evening programmes. This is going to result in a lot of civilians – generally young people, young journalists – getting killed,” he added, noting that people who are not working as journalists would also have been in the building at the time of the attack.

Izadi said he expected the attack to spark international outrage and be condemned by international media outlets.

“Calling someone a mouthpiece doesn’t give you permission to kill them,” he said.

“If you don’t like the content of the news channel, it doesn’t give you permission to eliminate the people who work there,” Izadi added, describing Sahar Emami – the presenter who was live on air at the moment of the attack – as “a true journalist”.

“[She is] very unbiased and very fair in her reporting.”

Attack on Iranian state TV part of Israel’s escalatory approach

This is not the first time Israel has attacked media organisations.

We have seen it repeatedly in attacks against Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar in Lebanon. During its genocidal war on Gaza and even before it, Israel systematically took out the headquarters of local outlets that it claimed were associated with groups antagonistic to its occupation.

The attack on the Iranian state TV is part of Israel’s escalatory approach that it is adopting in its war on Iran.

Despite divisions, Iranians unite in face of Israeli threat

Foad Izadi, professor of international relations at the University of Tehran, says people in Iran have united against Israeli aggression.

“We had hundreds of thousands of people come to the streets a couple of days ago demonstrating against [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu because he issued a statement … asking people to come to the streets and unify [against the government]. They did – against him,” Izadi told Al Jazeera.

Despite people having varying views about the Iranian government, ultimately, they “like Iran” and “don’t want to see civilian deaths”, Izadi said.

“They don’t want their country to be attacked in this manner,” he said, adding Iran has “no choice but to respond” if Israel continues to carry out attacks.

There must be a “cost” for Israel’s attacks so they’re not repeated in the future, said Izadi.

US aircraft carrier sails towards the Middle East

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left Southeast Asia after cancelling plans to dock in Vietnam and is headed to the Middle East as Israel and Iran do battle.

At 13:45 GMT, the carrier was travelling through the Malacca Strait towards the Indian Ocean, according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site.

An unnamed Vietnamese official confirmed to AFP news agency a planned reception aboard the USS Nimitz on June 20 – as part of the ship’s expected June 19-23 visit to Da Nang, Vietnam – had been cancelled.

The official shared a letter from the US embassy announcing the Pentagon cancelled the event because of “an emergent operational requirement”.

The movement of one of the world’s largest warships came on day four of the escalating air war between Israel and Iran, with no end in sight despite international calls for de-escalation.

“The concern is that this war will continue and expand, that Iran might hit US targets, including some of the military installations that the United States has in the region,” said Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC.

“So I would look at the movement of aircraft carriers and other equipment to deter Iran. I don’t think the Iranians are eager to bring the United States into what is already quite a devastating conflict for them.”

‘You hear the sound of the aggressor attacking the truth’

A short while ago, Israeli forces bombed the offices of Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran.

The Israeli strike interrupted the state TV broadcast as the presenter was seen fleeing the studio.

Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabari says the anchor, Sahar Emami, is one of the most famous state TV presenters in the country.

Moments before the attack, Emami was saying: “Listen, what you hear is the sound of the aggressor. You hear the sound of the aggressor attacking the truth.”

Jabari said these are going to be “extraordinary scenes”.

“This TV channel is the most watched inside the country because foreign channels are banned inside Iran,” Jabari said. “So people use satellite dishes to access foreign media and channels, and it’s very difficult most of the time, so this is the most accessible to the general public.”

What happened when Iranian state TV was attacked

Iran’s state-run network says it has been attacked by Israel.

Footage aired by the network shows a female presenter live on air as a loud blast is heard.

Sahar Emami, the Iranian Broadcasting System anchor, has now returned to the live broadcast of the Khabar Network, Mehr News Agency reported.

The strike came after a warning today from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said: “The mouthpiece of Iranian propaganda and incitement is on the verge of disappearing. The evacuation of nearby residents has begun.”

Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, is located in the area covered by the evacuation threat.

Broadcasts on the channel have since returned to normal.

Iran’s state TV attacked

This is the moment when an explosion rocked the live broadcasting of Iran’s state television.

Iranian Nobel laureates, Cannes winner urge halt to Iran-Israel conflict

Leading Iranian activists and filmmakers have called for an end to hostilities between Iran and Israel, urging Tehran to stop the conflict by halting its enrichment of uranium.

“We demand the immediate halt of uranium enrichment by the Islamic Republic, the cessation of military hostilities, an end to attacks on vital infrastructure in both Iran and Israel, and the stopping of massacres of civilians in both countries,” said the activists in an opinion piece in French newspaper Le Monde.

The signatories included human rights activists and Nobel Peace Prize winners Shirin Ebadi and Narges Mohammadi, as well as the winner of the top prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Jafar Panahi, and his fellow director Mohammad Rasoulof.

US senator says he wants Congress to OK any military force against Iran

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is filing a resolution to require that Congress authorise a declaration of war or any specific use of military force against Iran.

“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict,” Kaine said.

The resolution would require any hostilities with Iran to be explicitly authorised by a declaration of war or specific authorisation for use of military force but would not prevent the US from defending itself from imminent attack.

Congress passed a similar resolution in 2020 during Trump’s first presidential term.

Iran’s state TV attacked

Iranian state TV says it has come under an Israeli attack.

Stay with us as we bring you more on this shortly.

IAEA warns of possible contamination at Iran nuclear site

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog says there’s a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination within Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz after Israeli air strikes.

Rafael Grossi said the main concern is the chemical toxicity of a gas called uranium hexafluoride, which is the result of fluorine mixed with the uranium during enrichment. It is volatile, will quickly corrode, can burn the skin and is especially deadly if inhaled.

Without gathering information at the site, the International Atomic Energy Agency “cannot accurately assess the radiological conditions and potential impacts on the population and the environment and cannot provide the necessary assistance”, Grossi said.

UN inspectors will remain in Iran and inspect the nuclear facilities “as soon as safety conditions allow”, he said.

Israel-Iran conflict: What’s the view from Ankara?

We’ve spoken to Barin Kayaoglu, chair and assistant professor of American Studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara, about the role Turkiye might play in the ongoing conflict.

Describing Turkiye and Iran as “frenemies”, Kayaoglu told Al Jazeera he doubts Ankara would give any material support, especially military-related, to Tehran.

He noted that both countries have previously enjoyed close trading relations but added they have been “serious” geopolitical competitors in the region, including in Syria.

“Since the fall of the al-Assad regime back in December, there has been some coldness, if you will, between Ankara and Tehran,” he said, referring to the toppling of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“Tehran, of course, is very upset for having lost one of its key critical allies/proxies in the region. And of course, Turkiye, the Erdogan government, is in a very good place for having allowed one of its clients, one of its proxies in Syria, to have taken over Syria,” he added.

“That’s not to say that Turkiye is gloating about Iran’s woes in any way, shape, or form,” Kayaoglu said, noting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made it “very clear that Turkiye is very vehemently opposed to Israel’s action”.

He also said there is a serious concern that Israel may be opting not only to degrade Iran’s nuclear programme, but to also catalyse “a massive regime change, possibly a violent one within Iran itself, which is completely against Turkish interests”.

aIRGC issues tit-for-tat evacuation warning for Tel Aviv residents

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued a statement warning residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate as soon as possible for their “safety and security”, Iranian state media report.

The warning was issued shortly after Israel released an evacuation threat for Tehran’s District Three.

False flag? The many ways US could be dragged into Israel’s attack

The United States should be wary of a “false flag” attack by Israel on US interests in order to draw it into the fight against Iran, warns Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator.

“What you can expect is Israel will try to maximise the prospect of the US joining. Of course, you have the neocons inside the Trump administration – the militarists, the Israel-firsters, the Israel lobby,” he said.

“Israel is trying to provoke Iran and hoping Iran might directly target something American,” Levy, the current director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera.

The US could also enter the fray if Iran decides to close maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or remove nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency from the country, he added.

“In a circumstance such as this one, you always have to be on the lookout for false-flag operations – something that appears that it was Iranian-backed, but something that is Israeli subterfuge to draw the Americans in,” Levy said.

‘Critical’ moments in Tehran as escalation ramps up

The situation in the Iranian capital appears to be very critical.

From time to time, we are hearing the sounds of explosions related to the interception and activation of air defence systems.

A few hours ago, I was at the scene of one of the Israeli strikes that targeted civilian areas and saw a huge amount of destruction. I also saw a dismembered arm, which was said to belong to the body of a woman who was killed.

Earlier in the morning, in the southern part of the capital, there was a massive explosion, with thick and heavy smoke pouring into the air from that scene.

And right now, the tension is escalating after the statement from the Israeli army, with a message of warning to citizens living in District Three of the capital.

Meanwhile, a proportion of Iranian citizens living in the capital have decided to evacuate the city. In the streets, one can see less traffic compared to ordinary days.

It comes as the escalation is ramping up between Iran and Israel, and as Iran is retaliating and striking back.

Last night, Iranian missiles landed in Israeli territories and the statements we’re hearing from Iranian officials are very harsh, saying that if Israel decides to continue, they are also there to continue and strike back.

What’s happening in Gaza?

Israel has continued its attacks across Gaza. Here is the latest:

• At least 48 people have been killed since dawn, including 33 Palestinians waiting for aid, Gaza health authorities say.
• Sixty Palestinians have been wounded near the Netzarim Corridor aid distribution point, according to al-Awda Hospital.
• Much of the fighting has been concentrated in northern Gaza, where Israeli ground operations are intensifying in all towns near Gaza’s boundary with Israel.
• UN human rights chief Volker Turk says Israel’s “means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza”.

You can follow all our coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza here.

Speculation over a possible Israeli attack on Iranian media

Israel’s defence minister has been quoted as saying in the last few minutes that Iran’s propaganda and incitement mouthpiece is on its way out.

That cryptic message has prompted a lot of speculation in Israeli media about the possibility of an attack on media organisations in Tehran.

Meanwhile, some of the Israeli sites hit by Iranian missiles overnight were called sensitive, which is code for areas that the military will not disclose or fully disclose the nature and the location of.

Haifa, a very strategic city, has been repeatedly targeted by Iranian missiles. This is where Israel stores its petrochemicals and where a part of the power grid is. The grid has been partially damaged, and repair crews are working to restore electricity.

It is also where the gas and some other pipelines are.

What does UK’s military presence in the Middle East look like?

The United Kingdom is reinforcing its military assets in the Middle East as tensions intensify between Israel and Iran, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says.

During a trip to Canada for the G7 summit, Starmer told reporters that additional Eurofighter Typhoon jets and refuelling aircraft have been deployed for “contingency support”. Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets are already engaged in Operation Shader, the UK’s mission against ISIL (ISIS).

RAF Typhoon jets aided Israel in April 2024 when they shot down an unspecified number of drones fired by Iran, as confirmed by the UK’s then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The RAF operates from key bases including in Cyprus, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The British Royal Navy’s main operations site in the Middle East is in Bahrain.

For Iranian leaders, ‘if there is no cost to attacking Iran, Tehran would look like Gaza’

Foad Izadi, a professor of international relations at the University of Tehran, says Iran has not used all its military capacity in its retaliatory attacks on Israel so far.

“The message is that they are hoping for the Israelis to stop and they are gradually going to increase the pressure if the Israelis don’t stop,” he told Al Jazeera.

“They haven’t used some of their most advanced weapons. They haven’t used other means of confronting the Israelis,” Izadi said.

He added the hope is that under international pressure, Israel will stop its attacks.

“If that doesn’t happen, the missiles are going to get bigger in terms of size and more in terms of quantity – until you have the other side stopping,” Izadi said, noting that the calculation of Iranian leaders is that “if there is no cost to attacking Iran, Tehran would look like Gaza.”

How Palestine is forcing journalists to re-examine objectivity and decolonise

Sanne Breimer

The war in Gaza has brought issues to the surface that directly connect to colonialism, such as the ongoing legacy of the Palestinian displacement, oppression and denial of basic human rights under Israeli occupation.

It has also underscored the colonial nature of global media coverage in which Western mainstream media newsrooms often frame the conflict through a both-sided lens.

To understand how Palestine is pushing Western media towards decolonisation, we first need to explore what “decoloniality” means in the context of journalism.

Unlike political decolonisation, which refers to the formal transfer of power from colonisers to formerly colonised nations, decoloniality goes deeper. In journalism, this means questioning whose voices are heard, whose perspectives are prioritised and how narratives are constructed.

Read more of this piece by the Al Jazeera Journalism Review here.

Tehran area threatened by Israel ‘densely populated’

For the first time, we got evacuation threats from the Israeli military for a specific area in Tehran – District Three.

This is a very densely populated area in the northern part of Tehran.

This area, in the eastern part of the map that has been issued by the Israeli military, is home to a number of embassies, including the residence of the British embassy staff, as well as the United Nations offices.

There are also a number of other embassies in this area.

It is a very significant neighbourhood, and it’s not clear what the targets are from the Israeli army, but this evacuation threat has been issued nonetheless – and it’s the first of its kind.

Iran says attack on hospital a ‘war crime’

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei’s remarks on X come hours after the reported attack on Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah.

“Attacking hospitals and residential areas, reportedly directed by their Defence Minister, is a grave violation of int’l law and war crime,” he said. “History will judge; eternal shame awaits the regime’s backers & apologists.”

Iranian media reported that an Israeli missile that struck the hospital damaged parts of it. Images showed blood-splattered floors with broken glass and debris strewn around the facility.

If you’re just joining us

Here is a recap of the latest developments:

• Iran’s Foreign Ministry calls an Israeli missile attack on a hospital in western Iran “a war crime”.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “on the path to victory” in Iran, claiming the army is “in control of the skies over Tehran”.
• Iran says 45 women and children have been killed in Israel’s recent attacks and another 75 women and children injured.
• Israel says three remaining activists from an aid ship that Israeli forces seized as it tried to reach Gaza have been sent to Jordan.
• The Israeli army says it has destroyed at least 120, or one-third, of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers.
• Israel says 24 people have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, adding that Tehran has fired about 350 missiles at the country so far.
• At least 33 Palestinians have been killed near Israeli- and US-backed aid distribution centres in Gaza.

Iran ‘never willing’ to accept ‘maximalist’ US nuclear proposal

Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, says the proposal put forward by the US during the nuclear negotiations with Iran was always going to be rejected by the Iranian side.

“The problem is that Trump has allowed himself to be so influenced by the Israelis that the demands the United States put forward for Iran, the proposal that was put forward, was maximalist: No enrichment of uranium whatsoever on Iranian soil,” she told Al Jazeera.

“And if there’s anything we’ve learned from more than a decade of watching nuclear negotiations with the United States is that the country insists on retaining an indigenous uranium enrichment programme,” said Slavin, who is also a lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University.

“So this was a proposal the Iranians were never willing to accept.”

Slavin added that Trump has seemingly accepted “Netanyahu’s logic that somehow these military strikes would convince Iran to come back to the table and accept what they had not accepted before”.

“That hasn’t happened so far. We will see.”

How do ballistic missiles work and where can they reach?

In response to Israeli attacks on its nuclear sites and senior military figures, Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel, with some striking targets on the ground.

Although Israel intercepted many of the incoming missiles, several breached its defences, causing significant damage and casualties, including hits on central Tel Aviv and other areas.

The exact size of Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal is unclear, but it is widely considered one of the largest and most advanced in the region.

Check out our visual explainer to find out how ballistic missiles work and how they are being used in the ongoing conflict.

Freedom Flotilla confirms Israel freed last 3 Madleen ship activists

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says the remaining activists from an aid ship that the Israeli army seized in international waters last week as it tried to reach besieged Gaza are returning to their home countries via Jordan.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced earlier that Marco van Rennes, Pascal Maurieras, and Yanis Mhamdi – one Dutch and two French nationals – were transferred to Jordan via the Allenby crossing.

The 12 activists – including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg – were forcibly abducted and detained by Israeli forces while attempting to break Israel’s siege of the enclave and deliver humanitarian aid to its population.

Thunberg and three other activists were forced to leave Israel immediately, while five of the activists, including Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament, left on Thursday.

Explosions reported in eastern, western Tehran

Iran’s Fars news agency is reporting that an Israeli attack has targeted a military base in western Tehran.

Iranian media are also reporting explosions in eastern parts of the capital.

This comes after the Israeli army issued a threat for parts of Tehran.

What would an Israel-Iran war mean for the global economy?

As Israel and Iran exchange deadly salvoes for a fourth day, there are growing concerns that the conflict will spread across one of the world’s key oil- and gas-producing regions.

Equity markets were initially roiled after Israel’s surprise attack on Friday, but have since stabilised.

Analysts are watching oil prices, and investors are turning to safe havens like gold, as a full-blown war could make things even worse, experts warn.

Read our full story here.

Can Iran confront Israel on its own?

Israel pounds Iran – and Iran strikes back. Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, Israel has damaged Iran, not just at home but also outside its territory, by striking its allies.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut, the Houthis in Yemen have taken hits, as well as militias in Iraq.

Israel struck Iranian interests in Syria, and Tehran’s ally, former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, was deposed. Hamas’s leadership has also been decimated, including in assassinations carried out in Tehran.

So, is Iran now fighting from a weakened position?

Difficult balancing game’ for Russia as conflict escalates

We’ve spoken to Nikolay Surkov, assistant professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, about Russia’s approach to the escalating crisis.

“Russia’s position was always that this war is not Russia’s war, and I think this approach is still maintained by the Russian leadership,” he told Al Jazeera, “though, of course, under the current conditions, Russia will do its best to prevent further escalation.”

Surkov noted Iran’s fall would be a serious problem for Russia in the long run because it is an important part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS as well as a country that promotes “the idea of a multipolar world”.

He added, however, that Russia is also very careful not to alienate Israel because of the good relations between the two countries, especially in the economic domain over the past decade.

“So it’s a very difficult balancing game that Russia is trying to play,” Surkov said. “And Russia is sincerely trying to achieve some kind of a political solution.”

‘New Middle East’ will need nations to chart path forward

Former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin says the Israeli government likely understands it cannot destroy Iran’s nuclear programme through bombing and without US military support.

“At a certain point, we will have to declare that we succeeded to defer the moment of nuclearisation but not to eliminate it – unless the United States is entering the scene,” said Beilin.

He said a big question during the current fighting is “the morning after, what are we going to do in the Middle East”, as it’s now at a crossroads.

“It’s a new situation and all of us – the Arab and Muslim countries – we will have to decide ‘what are we doing?’”

He noted in 1991 that then-US President George HW Bush brought regional leaders together for “a milestone” moment in Madrid, Spain, on achieving stability in the Middle East.

“Eventually, there’s no real reason why Iran and Israel can’t have agreements and peace,” Beilin said.

Netanyahu says Israel ‘on the path to victory’

The Israeli prime minister says his country’s air force is “in control of the skies over Tehran”.

Netanyahu made the remarks as he visited the Tel Nof airbase in central Israel with Defence Minister Israel Katz and Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir, according to the Israeli media.

“We are on our way to achieving our two objectives: eliminating the nuclear threat and eliminating the missile threat,” he said.

He also threatened the citizens of Tehran, telling them to leave the capital. “We are taking action,” said Netanyahu.

Death toll rises in latest Israeli shootings near Gaza food sites

At least 33 Palestinians have been gunned down near Israeli-and US-supported food aid distribution centres in southern Gaza, its Health Ministry says.

The toll was the deadliest single-day total yet in the near-daily shootings as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centres run by the private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Gaza’s Health Ministry said most of the dead were trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah although a few were on the roads to a newly opened hub on the outskirts of the nearby city of Khan Younis.

Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, said Israeli forces fired on crowds at about 4am at the Flag Roundabout – repeatedly the scene of mass shootings.

Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the GHF sites opened last month. Experts warned Israel’s ongoing war and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza’s 2.3 million people at risk of famine.

Iran’s parliament approves new economy minister

As the fighting between Israel and Iran continues for a fourth day, Iranian MPs have approved Ali Madanizadeh as the sanctions-hit country’s new economy minister to tackle mounting economic troubles, including soaring inflation and a plunging currency.

Madanizadeh, 43, was appointed to the position months after his predecessor, Abdolnaser Hemmati, was removed in a no-confidence vote for failing to address the economic woes.

Iran’s economy has long been under strain due to sweeping US sanctions, which have fuelled persistent double-digit inflation and surging consumer prices. Upon returning to office in January, Trump revived his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign on Iran.

Since Friday, Israel has launched large-scale strikes on Iran, targeting military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country.

‘Very scary’: Families recount Iran strike on central Israel

After an Iranian strike created a gaping hole in his apartment building in the city of Petah Tikva, a survivor has described the attack.

“My building got bombed from Iran. It was very scary while I have four children, four boys. We’re very scared, but everyone is OK,” Idan Bar said.

Inside the building, first responders wearing orange helmets searched through the shattered apartments. Debris from the explosion was scattered across the ground below.

Henn, 39, another Petah Tikva resident, said he ran to take shelter after hearing sirens. He said he heard a loud explosion “and after a few minutes we saw all the damage, all the houses broken.”

The scenes of devastation witnessed in Petah Tikva are relatively rare in Israel, whose advanced air defence systems usually intercept incoming threats.

Iran going it alone in the fight against Israel

Lina Khatib, a Middle East expert at the Chatham House think tank in London, says Iran is squaring off against Israel without any regional or international backing.

“Iran is battling it out alone,” said Khatib.

Russia will not come to Iran’s aid, she added, pointing out Moscow didn’t help Iran last year when Israel destroyed Russian-supplied air defences or when Iran’s ally, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was ousted.

Russia is likely to limit its support for Iran to “strongly worded statements” and will use the conflict to present itself as a mediator, Khatib said.

Pakistan closes border crossings with Iran

Pakistan has shut all its border crossings with neighbouring Iran for an indefinite period, according to provincial officials.

“Border facilities in all five districts – Chaghi, Washuk, Panjgur, Kech and Gwadar – have been suspended,” Qadir Bakhsh Pirkani, a senior official in Balochistan province, which borders Iran, told AFP.

Crossing into Iran “has been suspended until further notice”, said Attaul Munim, an official at one of the crossings in Chaghi district.

However, there was “no ban on trade” activities at the border, and Pakistani nationals needing to return to their country from Iran can cross, he added.

“We’re expecting around 200 Pakistani students coming today,” Munim said.

EU dismisses Russia as mediator between Israel and Iran

The European Union says Russia has “zero credibility” as a potential mediator between Iran and Israel, after Trump suggested yesterday that Putin could play a role.

“There has been a recent Russia-Iran partnership agreement, which signals deepening cooperation across multiple areas, including foreign policy and defence,” EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.

“In light of such, Russia cannot be an objective mediator.”

Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Trump said he would be open to Putin being a mediator in the conflict. “He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,” the US president said.

Erdogan, Putin agree diplomacy is needed between Iran and Israel: Turkiye

The Turkish and Russian presidents have discussed regional issues during a phone conversation, according to the presidency in Ankara.

Erdogan and Putin agreed that the conflict between Iran and Israel must end and space must be given to diplomacy as soon as possible, it said in a statement.

The Turkish president also repeated his view that the only solution to the crisis was a return to nuclear talks with Iran.

Separately, the Kremlin said Putin and Erdogan condemned Israel’s “act of force” against Iran, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.

“Both sides expressed the most serious concern about the ongoing escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, which has already led to a large number of casualties and is fraught with serious long-term consequences for the entire region,” the Kremlin added.

“The leaders spoke in favour of an immediate cessation of hostilities and the settlement of contentious issues, including those related to the Iranian nuclear programme, exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”

Gaza death toll surges from Israeli attacks

At least 68 bodies have been brought to Gaza’s hospitals over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry says.

The data included two bodies of Palestinians killed in previous Israeli attacks and recovered from the rubble, it added.

Additionally, at least 182 people were injured in Israeli attacks over the same period.

The figures bring the number of people killed in the territory since the start of the war in October 2023 to 55,432, with at least 128,923 wounded.

Israel has killed 5,139 Palestinians and injured 16,882 others since breaking a ceasefire with Hamas in March.

Israeli arms firms’ stands closed at Paris Air Show

Organisers at the Paris Air Show have blocked access to the stands of several Israeli arms manufacturers for exhibiting “offensive weapons”.

Large black walls were erected around the stands of five Israeli companies, including Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael and Elbit Systems.

Reporting from the event, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said the organisers took the decision after determining the weapons on display did not comply with the show’s rules.

“Some of these companies do supply weapons to the Israeli military that are used in Gaza, things like very high-end drone systems,” she added.

According to Butler, one of Rafael’s executives was left “quite shocked” by his stand being “completely blacked out”.

“He said they were given no notice at all. He was obviously outraged,” she added.

The Defence Ministry denounced the decision in a statement, calling it a form of “segregation” against the Israeli companies. “This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations,” it added.

Israeli attacks on Iran nuclear sites ‘a massive compromise’ of safety

Israel attacked Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Friday, with above-ground buildings destroyed. But there’s no indication of any destruction underground, where the main cascade hall is located.

Offsite radiation levels appear to be normal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. But the IAEA is saying underneath the halls and the chambers of the facility, it expects there is some kind of radiological or chemical contamination in the form of vapours or gases – the kind of stuff you don’t want to breathe in.

As IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said, if you have the right kind of safety measures, a breathing apparatus, it is manageable.

There is also an assessment of what’s been going on at Isfahan, which, like Natanz, was also attacked by Israel on Friday; four buildings were damaged on the surface level. But as with Natanz, no increase in radiation levels.

The Fordow nuclear site apparently has not been attacked yet. Grossi was saying these shouldn’t be attacked at all. One of the main core responsibilities of the IAEA is to safeguard nuclear security, and if you have facilities with bombs falling on them, that is a massive compromise, obviously.