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Here’s where things stand on Thursday 19 June 2025:
- Israel’s Defence Minister Katz says “eliminating” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is one of the country’s war goals.
- Iranian missiles caused serious damage at four sites in central and southern Israel, including at the Soroka hospital, while Israeli forces attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.
- US President Donald Trump says he’s still weighing his options on United States military intervention in the escalating hostilities.
- Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the US that any strikes on its territory would have “serious irreparable consequences”.
- The death toll from Israel’s attacks on Iran has risen to more than 240, including 70 women and children. At least 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel.
Israel claims two-thirds of Iranian missile silos hit
Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin says in a statement that Israel has struck “hundreds” of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran and put them out of commission.
However, he added that Iran “still has the capability to launch missiles as it did this morning” and emphasised that “civilian behavior is the primary defense and saves lives”.
Iran’s options against foreign aggression include closing Strait of Hormuz: Report
Closing down the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of daily global oil consumption passes, is one of the options Iran could take to respond to its enemies, a member of the Iranian Parliament National Security Committee presidium, Behnam Saeedi, has told the semiofficial Mehr news agency.
Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure, and shipping sources told Reuters news agency that commercial ships were avoiding Iran’s waters around the strait.
If you’re just joining us
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
- Israel’s defence minister has issued a direct threat to Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei, saying he “cannot continue to exist”.
- His comments follow outrage in Israel over an Iranian missile strike that caused damage to Soroka Hospital, one of the country’s largest. Iran says its “main target” was a nearby Israeli military and intelligence site.
- IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said, despite the agency’s findings that Iran is not meeting its nuclear safeguard obligations, it has seen no evidence Iran is building nuclear weapons.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded that Grossi’s remarks came “too late” and accused the agency of his “biased” reporting that provided a “pretext” for Israel’s attacks.
- The IAEA says there are “no radiological effects” after Israel attacked Iran’s nonoperational Arak heavy water reactor.
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.
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.
A lot of damage is also reported at southern Israel’s Soroka hospital, after a missile struck near the compound. Of course, this has invited the outrage and indignation of Israeli officials, who have decried Iran targeting the hospital.
US envoy warns Hezbollah against intervening in Israel-Iran conflict
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has said Hezbollah would be making a “very bad decision” if they got involved.
“I can say on behalf of President Trump … that would be a very, very, very bad decision,” Barrack said in response to a question about the group’s potential role.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed paramilitary group in Lebanon, suffered heavy blows from Israel in its own conflict last year, including the assassination of its chief Hassan Nasrallah and the detonation of pagers used by its members that maimed thousands.
Turkiye preparing for potential combat readiness: Report
Turkiye has increased the security of its border with Iran as the Israel-Iran conflict continues, a Turkish Defence Ministry source tells Reuters news agency, adding that Ankara had not seen any irregular migration flow from Iran.
The source, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Turkiye was continuing to develop a layered and integrated air and missile defence system, using domestically produced radar and weapon systems, adding that the aim was to keep its potential combat readiness at a high level.
The source also reportedly said Turkiye’s Quick Reaction Alert aircraft had taken off after Israel launched attacks on its southeastern neighbour Iran, adding that the aircraft continued to patrol borders amid the possibility of Israeli airspace violations.
Katz names ‘eliminating’ Iran’s supreme leader as war goal
Earlier, we brought you comments from Israel’s defence minister in the aftermath of Iran’s attack on Beersheba, which damaged the Soroka Medical Center.
We now have more of his comments, in which he refers explicitly to killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which we bring you unedited below:
“A man like [Khamenei] has always aimed at destroying Israel through his agents. This man, who is willing to attack us, must not stay alive. This matter, the matter of stopping this man, eliminating him, is part of the campaign, and we now understand his role because before, he was talking about the destruction of Israel.”
Israel has teased the prospect of regime change in Iran as part of its war goals since it began its assault last week.
After Israel launched its attacks on Iran on Friday, Netanyahu addressed Iranians in an English video, saying he hoped the military operation would “clear the path for you to achieve your freedom”.
On Tuesday, Trump, referring to Khamenei, said in a social media post: “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now … Our patience is wearing thin.”
Iran’s FM to meet with top European diplomats tomorrow
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, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
He said the meeting had come at the request of the three European states.
Many aircraft dispersed from US military base in Qatar
The Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha, Qatar – a major US military base in the Middle East – has seen many of the aircraft typically on its tarmac dispersed, The Associated Press reports.
In a satellite photo taken on Wednesday by Planet Labs PBC and analysed by AP, the airbase’s tarmac had emptied. Typically, the air base is filled with multiple transport planes, fighter jets and drones.
The US military has not acknowledged the change. However, it comes after ships at the US navy’s 5th Fleet base in Bahrain also dispersed. The moves are typically a military strategy to ensure ships and planes aren’t destroyed in case of attack.
Photos: The aftermath of the Israeli strike on Iranian state television building
US embassy in Israel urges staff to shelter in place
The US embassy in Israel is directing its staff to shelter in place due to ongoing hostilities with Iran, it has said in a statement.
The embassy added that the US Department of State is working on ensuring private US citizens’ departure from Israel.
Kenya urges protection for diplomatic sites after strike lands near its Tel Aviv embassy
A senior Kenyan diplomat has called for all parties to avoid endangering diplomatic missions, after a strike on Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan area came within several hundred metres of its embassy.
“Foreign missions are inviolable under international law and must be excluded and protected from armed conflict at all times,” Korir Sing’Oei, the principal secretary at Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, told Reuters news agency.
Sing’Oei also shared a message from Kenya’s ambassador to Israel, saying embassy staff had been working from home and were safe.
Report: Number of injured in today’s strikes on Israel rises
Israel’s public broadcaster says that 137 injured people were transported from the sites attacked by Iran today for medical treatment.
‘Regime change’ in Iran: The West’s undemocratic history
As the military conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, United States President Donald Trump has threatened that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “an easy target” for American forces.
“We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now … Our patience is wearing thin,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.
With the Trump administration considering whether to use US aircraft and weapons to back Israel’s campaign against Iran, cracks have begun to appear within his “Make America Great Again” or MAGA movement.
Commentator Tucker Carlson and Trump’s one-time adviser Steve Bannon, among other supporters, have argued that the military action against Iran is fundamentally aimed at a regime change, not just at decimating Tehran’s nuclear programme. Appearing in Bannon’s podcast, War Room, Carlson told him, “You’re not going to convince me that the Iranian people are my enemy. It’s Orwell, man. You’re not telling me who I have to hate.”
Read the rest here.
IAEA says ‘no radiological effects’ after Arak reactor hit
In a post on X, the nuclear watchdog says 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.
The agency added that it has no information indicating the facility’s heavy water plant was struck.
US intervention in Iran would be ‘terrible spiral of escalation’: Russia
Any intervention by the US in the Iran-Israel conflict would mark a “terrible spiral of escalation”, the Interfax news agency quotes Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Trump said he’s still weighing his options on intervening.
Ben-Gvir: Anyone watching Al Jazeera should be reported to the police
Far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir just gave a short statement to the media, which our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera Mubasher carried live a few minutes ago.
In it, he reiterated the government’s stance against allowing Al Jazeera to report from Israel, saying doing so would pose a “threat” to national security.
He also called for police action against those caught watching Al Jazeera in Israel.
In early May 2024, Israel banned Al Jazeera’s reporters, producers, camerapeople and other employees from the country.
The Palestinian Authority followed suit in January, in effect banning Al Jazeera from the occupied West Bank.
China evacuates hundreds of its citizens from Iran and Israel
Beijing has evacuated more than 1,600 of its citizens from Iran and hundreds of others from Israel, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.
Speaking at a news briefing, Guo said China remains in contact with both Iran and Israel and urges de-escalation.
Asked about Trump’s warning that he is considering intervening militarily in the conflict, Guo said China is against “the use or threat of use of force in international relations”.
Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani warns against going after Iranian leaders
Iraq’s top Shia leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has warned there will be “dire consequences on the region” if Iran’s “supreme religious and political leadership” are targeted.
Such action could cause “widespread chaos that would exacerbate the suffering of [the region’s] people and severely harm everyone’s interests”, said al-Sistani, who is the highest religious authority for millions of Shia Muslims in Iraq and around the world.
He called on the international community to “make every effort to end this unjust war and find a peaceful solution” to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Why Israel wants US bunker busters to hit Iran’s Fordow nuclear site
US President Donald Trump says he is still weighing his options regarding United States military intervention amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.
Standing on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, “The next week is going to be big,” adding that Iranian officials are eager to negotiate. However, he warned them that “it’s very late to be talking” after they reached out to him.
Officials and experts have suggested that the US’s 30,000-pound (13,000kg) bunker buster bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility believed to be central to Tehran’s nuclear programme and carved deep into a mountain.
The United States is the only country to possess these bombs, which it delivers using B-2 bombers. If deployed against Iran, it would represent a major shift from primarily intercepting missiles on Israel’s behalf to conducting active offensive strikes against Iran.
Read the rest here.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry blames IAEA for creating ‘pretext’ for Israeli attack
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has accused IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and his organisation of being complicit in the ongoing conflict, saying 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.”
Iranian atomic organisation denounces Israeli attack on Khondab
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has condemned Israel’s attack on the Shahid Khondab (also known as Arak) heavy water complex and its research reactor.
“In continued violation of international laws that explicitly prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities, the Zionist enemy launched an assault this morning targeting the Shahid Khondab heavy water complex and its research reactor,” the organisation said in a statement.
It added that no casualties have been reported and that “due to preemptive safety measures taken beforehand, there is no threat or harm posed to residents in the vicinity of the mentioned site”.
The organisation said: “It is worth noting that the recent threats and aggressions by the criminal Zionist regime had previously been reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on several occasions, but regrettably, no action was taken by the Agency.
“Nonetheless, this morning’s assault has also been reported to the IAEA.”
IAEA chief says information shows Iran has no ‘active plan to build nuclear weapons’
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi says the nuclear watchdog does not have information showing Iran is actively trying to build nuclear weapons.
“We did not find in Iran elements to indicate that there is an active, systematic plan to build a nuclear weapon,” Grossi told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview. “We have not seen elements to allow us, as inspectors, to affirm that there was a nuclear weapon that was being manufactured or produced somewhere in Iran.”
Grossi made the comments a week after the agency’s Board of Governors declared Iran noncompliant with its commitment to international nuclear safeguards.
It based this assessment on what it called Iran’s “many failures” to provide “full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities”. It singled out Iran’s failure to credibly explain uranium traces detected at its undeclared sites.
Iranian missile hits ‘200 metres’ from Lithuanian embassy
Lithuania’s embassy in Israel was not damaged when an Iranian missile struck Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan neighbourhood, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said.
“The ambassador has confirmed that the embassy is not damaged, but the strike hit buildings 200 metres from the embassy”, a ministry spokesperson said.
‘Cowardly Iranian dictator’ fires at Israel from his ‘protected bunker’: Katz
Iran’s supreme leader “fires targeted shots at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel”, Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz was quoted as saying by the country’s Channel 12 broadcaster.
These are war crimes of the most serious kind – and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes, the minister also said, according to the outlet.
Iran has stated via state media that the target of this morning’s strike was a military and intelligence facility adjacent to Soroka hospital, and our reporting has confirmed that the strike did not actually hit the medical centre.
Katz added that he has instructed the Israeli military to increase “the intensity of attacks” against “strategic targets” in Iran.
‘Explosions, smoke plumes’ in Tehran
I have heard sounds of explosions across the capital here. From time to time, we see the air defence system activated in the capital. We also see smoke rising in different parts of the city periodically, showing that attacks continue.
Targets are not limited to military or nuclear facilities. There have been reports of civilian places being hit by Israeli strikes. There have been so many civilian casualties.
Israelis ultimately in support of war with Iran
The more Israel is attacked by Iran, “the easier it is for the Israeli government to harp on themes like national resilience”, says Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator.
“Israeli citizens, what they do in a situation like this is dissociate,” the analyst told Al Jazeera, speaking from Tel Aviv.
“There’ll be a lot of insinuations that could be construed as critical, but ultimately they will support the war.”
As far as their personal lives go, Israelis will shift into “survivor mode”, stocking up on essentials and making sure “their relatives and loved ones are well cared for”, he added.
Goldberg continued: “The sense of social solidarity is strong in rhetoric, but effectively Israelis don’t care now. They’ll do whatever the government tells them, they’ll support whatever the government presents them with.
“They’ll assume that absolute victory is just around the corner. Change can come, but if Gaza is any precedent, I doubt it’ll come any time soon.”
Soroka hospital director says ‘widespread damage’, urges public to stay away
Soroka hospital’s Director General Shlomi Kodesh says Iran’s missile strike this morning hit an old surgical ward that had recently been evacuated.
“There is widespread damage to other buildings at the hospital,” Kodesh said, according to The Times of Israel. All patients and all staff were in shelters. The several injured we have are lightly hurt, mostly from the blast shockwave.”
Kodesh said officials are assessing the damage and urged the public to avoid the hospital except for emergencies.
‘All necessary options on the table’, warns Iran’s deputy FM
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.
What is the Arak heavy water reactor?
As we reported earlier, Israeli attacks hit the facility, part of Iran’s nuclear programme, in Iran’s Markazi province this morning.
Here are some key facts about the facility:
- The Arak heavy water facility is located about 190km southwest of Tehran.
- Construction began in the early 2000s as part of Iran’s broader nuclear programme, quickly drawing significant international scrutiny.
- The site includes a heavy water production plant and the IR-40 reactor, originally designed with a 40MW thermal capacity. Heavy water moderation allows for research, isotope production and the generation of plutonium as a byproduct.
- International players – including the United Nations, European Union, and United States – have consistently expressed concerns that Arak could provide Iran with a plutonium route to nuclear weapons.
- Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to redesign and repurpose the reactor for peaceful uses and limit plutonium output, while heavy water sales were permitted under oversight.
Netanyahu says Iran will pay ‘heavy price’ for missile attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran will “pay a heavy price” after its missile attack damaged Israel’s Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva.
“This morning, Iran’s terrorist dictators fired missiles at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva and at civilians in the centre of the country,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X. “We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price.”
Iran’s latest attacks have struck at ‘heart’ of Israel
In Israel, there was a sense that its government “might be getting things under control”, but Iran’s latest attacks have struck at the “heart” of the country, says Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator.
While the missiles hit the entire country, Israeli authorities are focusing on the hospital which was hit, Soroka hospital in the country’s south, trying to send a “message that the Iranians target hospitals”, Goldberg told Al Jazeera, speaking from Tel Aviv.
“Of course, Israelis target hospitals as well. It’s important to mention that there really are very sensitive installations and headquarters very near to the hospital because Israel places its military headquarters in the midst of civilian neighbourhoods and towns,” he added.
Goldberg explained that information about attacks is not readily accessible either.
“You have to remember that just as Al Jazeera is censored and access to images is censored by Israeli authorities … Israeli citizens don’t get to see much on our official media either,” Goldberg said.
“We also operate under heavy censorship, so there are basically rumours and reports being released gradually, but it’s clear that the Iranians struck and struck in important and significant places.”
Israel’s injury toll rises to 47
The number of people injured from Iran’s latest missile barrage in Israel is now 47, with three in a serious condition and two in a moderate condition, according to Israel’s emergency rescue service.
Eighteen more people have been injured while rushing to shelters, said the emergency service.
Israeli officials express outrage over attack damaging Soroka hospital
More Israeli officials have slammed an Iranian attack that caused damage to one of Israel’s largest hospitals.
“Deliberate. Criminal. Civilian target,” said Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, as she shared footage on social media of patients and staff at Soroka hospital, apparently fleeing the heavily damaged and smoke-filled facility. “The world must speak out.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that vulnerable hospital patients were “targets of Iran’s missile attacks on Israeli civilians”.
“In moments like these, we are reminded of what’s truly at stake, and the values we are defending,” he wrote on social media.
As we reported earlier, Iran’s official IRNA news agency claims that an Israeli military command and intelligence site located near the hospital was the “main target” of this morning’s missile attack.
Israel’s military confirms attacking Arak reactor
In its latest update, Israel’s military says its fighter jets attacked dozens of sites across Iran overnight, including the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor.
The military claims it specifically targeted “the structure of the reactor’s core seal, which is a key component in plutonium production”.
It also claims it hit what it called a “nuclear weapons development site” in Natanz and numerous factories that manufacture components needed for ballistic missiles.
‘High morale’ for war in Israel, says former Israeli government spokesperson
Uri Dromi says he expects the conflict to drag on until Israel – likely with US involvement – deals more severe blows to Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Right now, nobody is talking about ending this conflict before more serious damage is caused to the Iranian nuclear operation,” Dromi, also the founding director of the Jerusalem Press Club, told Al Jazeera. “Needless to say, everybody is anxious to see if and when the Americans go in, and then it’s a whole new ball game.
Dromi said that while Israelis have proven to “prefer short wars” over drawn-out conflicts, there may be broad support for a longer conflict in this case due to the determination to “get rid of Iranian nuclear capabilities”.
“I predict we can preserve the high morale and the support for a long time,” said Dromi.
Israeli forces shoot Palestinian man during West Bank raid
The Israeli military has shot a Palestinian man during a raid on the occupied West Bank town of Yabad near Jenin, our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report.
According to local sources, the man was injured by shrapnel caused by an Israeli live bullet, wounding him in the hand and waist during a raid on the town.
The severity of his condition is not currently known.