Iran Israel war live updates: Netanyahu says Iran will ‘pay heavy price’ for hospital strike in Israel

Iran Israel war live updates: Iran launched ballistic missiles towards Israel following which, air raid sirens echoed across the country, reported the Times of Israel.

Israeli authorities instructed civilians to stay inside bomb shelters until further notice.

Iran Israel war live updates: AFP reports that its journalists heard explosions in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem after IDF said that sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following identification of missiles launched from Iran.

IDF said that the country’s air force is operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat. 

Iran Israel war live updates: Israeli Defence Forces shared a video showing the Iranian commanders it has killed so far in the ongoing conflict with Iran. 

It captioned the video, “These architects of terrorism are officially done terrorizing the world.” 

The video includes Iranian commaders such as Ali Shadmani, Mohammad Kazemi, Mohammad Hassan Mahdavi, Hossein Salami, Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Eliam Ali Rasid and others. 

Iran Israel war live updates: Millions of Israelis across the country are currently running to shelter as sirens sound due to a missile launch from Iran, say Israel Defence Forces. 

Iran Israel war live updates: The Israel Defence Forces said that on Wednesday, they killed a Hezbollah commander Abd al-Mun’im ‘Izz al-Din while striking the area of Barish in southern Lebanon. 

In a statement on Telegram, IDF said, “Yesterday (Wednesday), the IDF struck in the area of Barish in southern Lebanon and eliminated the terrorist Yassin Abd al-Mun’im ‘Izz al-Din, the Hezbollah artillery commander in the Litani sector.

During the war, Yassin advanced numerous attacks toward northern Israel. He also operated to re-establish Hezbollah’s artillery forces.

Yassin Abd al-Mun’im ‘Izz al-Din’s activities constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

The IDF continues to monitor and thwart Hezbollah’s attempts to advance its readiness to harm the State of Israel under the cover of the war with Iran, and will continue to eliminate any threat posed to the State of Israel.”

The first evacuation flight from Iran that landed in New Delhi on Thursday morning comes as a ray of hope for the family members waiting for their loved ones to arrive.

Imran Mehdi, father of Fareehy Mehdi who is still stuck in Iran, said there was a blast very near to where his daughter was staying a couple of days ago, reported PTI.

“My daughter does not know how to survive in war-like situations. She is panicking so much already. So, I am requesting our Prime Minister and our External Affairs Minister to get all the Indian citizens stuck there as early as possible,” said Shabana Mehdi, Fareehy’s mother. (PTI)

For days, Syrians have watched as Iranian missiles and Israeli interceptors light up the skies over their territory, but the new government in Damascus has so far remained officially silent on the unprecedented conflict.

Iran was one of former ruler Bashar al-Assad’s biggest backers, playing a crucial role in propping up his government by providing military advisers and the support of affiliated armed groups throughout the 14-year Syrian civil war.

Israel, meanwhile, has occupied the Golan Heights since seizing it from Syria in 1967, and has kept troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone there since December, when the fall of Assad at the hands of an Islamist-led coalition sparked a wave of Israeli air strikes on military targets. (AFP)

Iran Israel war live updates: President Donald Trump is getting comfortable to the idea of launching strikes against Iran’s Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant, a key nuclear site, according to a source with knowledge of the intelligence, ABC News reports.

The source indicated that any operation would likely involve multiple strikes rather than a single attack. Preparations for such an action are already underway, the source added.

Social media users from Iran reported that regular broadcasts on state TV were briefly interrupted and replaced with an anti-government video urging people to take to streets.

After the normal broadcast was resumed, a message displayed on screen read: “If you see an irrelevant message on the screen, it’s due to a cyber attack by the Zionist regime.” (AP)

A UK official has said that the United States is deploying additional military assets, including the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, and positioning refueling tankers in Spain and Greece, reported Associated Press. The US also has fighter jets and B-52 bombers stationed at its base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, the official added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official noted that while the US could potentially request to base fighter jets at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus—a British facility—no such request has been made so far. Typically, the US would be required to notify the US if it intends to carry out offensive operations from either Diego Garcia, which is jointly operated by both countries, or the base in Cyprus.

A US official said Wednesday there no plans for US involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the US

That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify. (AP)

The United States has begun evacuating some of its diplomatic staff from the embassy in Israel, according to two US officials, reported AP. A government aircraft transported several diplomats and their family members who had requested to leave on Wednesday, though the exact number of evacuees remains unclear.

The officials, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the situation, said the move occurred just before US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on X that preparations were underway for evacuation flights and naval transport for private American citizens.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to rebuff Putin’s earlier offer to mediate in the conflict, saying the Russian president should end his own conflict in Ukraine first.

“I spoke to him yesterday and… he actually offered to help mediate, I said ‘do me a favor, mediate your own,'” Trump told reporters as he unveiled a giant new flag pole at the White House. (AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a resolution could be reached to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. He offered Russia’s assistance in mediating a potential agreement that would allow Iran to maintain a peaceful nuclear program while addressing Israel’s security concerns.

During a roundtable discussion with senior editors from major international news agencies, Putin said that Moscow had shared its proposals with Iran, Israel, and the United States.

“We’re not trying to force anything on anyone…We’re simply outlining how we believe the crisis might be resolved. Ultimately, the decision lies with the political leaders of the countries involved, especially Iran and Israel,” he said. 

The Arak heavy water reactor is 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Tehran.

Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon.

Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns.

In 2019, Iran started up the heavy water reactor’s secondary circuit, which at the time did not violate Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. (AP)

Israel’s military warned people Thursday to evacuate the area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.

The warning came in a social media post on X. It included a satellite image of the plant in a red circle like other warnings that proceeded strikes.

The Arak heavy water reactor is 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Tehran. (AP)

The CEO of oil firm Shell, Wael Sawan, said on Thursday the firm was being “very careful” with its shipping through the Middle East given the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. (Reuters) 

The fighting between Israel and Iran continued on Thursday as the Israel military said it downed a second Iranian done in less than an hour. 

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected US calls for ‘unconditional surrender’ in the face of more Israeli strikes and warned that the US military involvement would cause “irreparable damage to them.” Click here to read latest developments.

Senior US officials are making preparations for a potential strike on Iran in the coming days, Bloomberg reported citing sources familiar with the discussions. This is an indication that Washington may be positioning itself to become directly involved in the conflict with Tehran.

The plans remain fluid and could shift, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks. Some suggested the possibility of an operation as early as the weekend. One source noted that top officials across several federal agencies have already begun gearing up for a potential military action.

As the Israel-Iran conflict entered its seventh day on Thursday, US President Donald Trump declined to reveal whether the United States would join Israel’s military campaign targeting Iranian nuclear sites. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said, “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

Later, President Trump said Iranian officials had expressed interest in visiting Washington for talks, adding, “We may do that.” However, he noted, “It’s a little late” for such discussions. Read more.

The Israeli military says it is currently conducting a series of strikes in Tehran and additional areas in Iran, reported Reuters.

At least 639 people have been in Iran by Israeli strikes and 1,329 others have been injured, says a human rights group, reported Associated Press. 

Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on early Thursday morning that his country has only acted in self defence and accused Israeli PM Netanyahu of “manufacturing this war to destroy diplomacy”. 

He also added that Iran has never and will never seek nuclear weapons and that his country will continue to act in self-defence. 

In a post on X, Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, “By now, the whole world should know that:

(1) Iran solely acts in self-defense. Even in the face of the most outrageous aggression against our people, Iran has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it. Just like Netanyahu manufactured this war to destroy diplomacy, the world should be highly alarmed about increasing attempts by the failing Israeli regime to get others to bail it out and to expand the flames to the region and beyond.

(2) Iran has proven in action what it has always publicly committed itself to: we have never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons. If otherwise, what better pretext could we possibly need for developing those inhuman weapons than the current aggression by the region’s only nuclear-armed regime?

(3) Iran will continue to exercise its right to self-defense, with pride and bravery, and we will make the aggressor regret and pay for its grave error.

(4) With the exception of the illegitimate, genocidal and occupying Israeli regime, we remain committed to diplomacy. As before, we are serious and forward-looking in our outlook.”

Iran has arrested 18 ‘enemy agents’ who were building drones in the northeastern city of Mashhad for Israeli attacks, report Iranian news agencies according to Reuters.