The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they happened.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was evacuated to an underground bunker in northeastern Tehran hours after Israel began its strikes Friday, Iran International reports, citing two informed sources inside the country.
Khamenei is together with all of his family at the shelter in Lavizan, the sources say. He sought shelter in the bunker when Iran launched its attacks on Israel in April 2024 and October, too.
Additionally, Israel did not assassinate Khamenei on the first night of the operation to give him a final chance to completely ditch his uranium enrichment program, the outlet reports, citing a diplomatic source in the Middle East.
DAMASCUS, Syria — A civilian woman was killed Sunday in Syria’s western Tartus province when a drone struck her home, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.
It marks the first reported casualty on Syrian soil since the latest escalation between Iran and Israel began.
The Britain-based war monitor reports the death of “a woman after a drone fell on her house” in a village in rural Tartus, suggesting the drone was likely Iranian.
Since the start of the Iran-Israel escalation, AFP correspondents and residents across Syria have observed dozens of missiles flying overhead, several of them intercepted.
They have exploded in various regions, fuelling concerns over a broader regional conflict.
Mediators Qatar and Oman were told by Iran that Tehran “will not negotiate while under attack,” an official briefed on the talks says, amid a massive exchange of strikes between Israel and the Islamic Republic.
The report appears to be referring both to negotiations for a ceasefire with Israel and the resumption of negotiations with the US for a new nuclear deal.
“The Iranians informed Qatari and Omani mediators that they will only pursue serious negotiations once Iran has completed its response to the Israeli pre-emptive strikes,” the official tells AFP.
Iran has also made it “clear that it will not negotiate while under attack,” the source adds on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
“Reports Iran has approached Oman and Qatar with a request to engage the United States to broker a ceasefire with Israel and potentially renew nuclear negotiations are inaccurate,” the source says.
French President Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Greenland to offer his support to the Arctic island, says that Russia lacks the credibility to mediate the conflict between Israel and Iran, as US President Donald Trump has suggested.
In an interview with ABC News earlier today, Trump said he was open to Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in 2022 and who has resisted Trump’s attempts to broker a ceasefire with Kyiv, mediating between Israel and Iran. Macron says he rejects such an idea.
“I do not believe that Russia, which is now engaged in a high-intensity conflict and has decided not to respect the UN Charter for several years now, can be a mediator,” Macron says.
The IDF says it has completed an “extensive” wave of airstrikes in Iran aimed at destroying weapon manufacturing capabilities.
The strikes targeted infrastructure belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Guards’ Quds Force, and Iran’s armed forces, the IDF says.
“Numerous weapons production sites across Iran were targeted,” the military says.
Iranian state media officially confirms that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence chief, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy Hassan Mohaqiq were killed in an Israeli strike today.
State media also says a third IRGC intelligence officer, Mohsen Bagheri, was also killed in the strike in Tehran.
Magen David Adom updates the number of those physically wounded in the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack to eight.
In Haifa, one person was moderately injured by a missile impact, and another six were lightly hurt. In a southern town near Kiryat Gat, one person was lightly injured.
It says an additional four people in Haifa and five others in southern Israel were treated for acute anxiety as a result of the missile impact.
Over 100 drones launched from Iran were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force and Israeli Navy since the beginning of the operation against Tehran’s nuclear facilities on Friday, the military says.
The drones were shot down by IAF fighter jets and helicopters, and Navy missile boats.
The IDF says that so far, no drones have struck Israel.
On Friday, Iran launched around 100 drones at Israel, many of which were intercepted by the IDF, while others either fell short or were shot down by Jordan. Today, dozens of drones launched at Israel were intercepted.
חיל האוויר וחיל הים יירטו יותר מ-100 כלי טיס בלתי מאויישים ששוגרו מאיראן
מערכות ההגנה האווירית וספינות הטילים פועלות כל העת ליירוט ולהסרת איומים.
מתחילת המבצע, חיל האוויר וחיל הים ירטו יותר מ-100 כלי טיס בלתי מאוישים ששוגרו מאיראן לעבר שטח הארץ.
עד כה, לא התקבלו דיווחים על… pic.twitter.com/tYDwPGXVbX
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 15, 2025
Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reports that an Iranian foreign ministry building in Tehran was hit in a recent Israeli airstrike.
The president of Iran’s foreign ministry-affiliated Institute for Political and International Studies, Saeed Khatibzadeh, says the strike also damaged the IPIS building, located across from the targeted site.
He shares what he says is footage of the damage to the institute’s library in a post on X.
There is no immediate comment from Israel on the report.
The criminal regime of Israel launched a deliberate and ruthless strike on one of the buildings of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, located directly across from the Institute for Political and International Studies.
Several civilians were injured in the attack, including a… pic.twitter.com/DLxlmvuvZe
— Saeed Khatibzadeh | سعید خطیبزاده (@SKhatibzadeh) June 15, 2025
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called a videoconference of EU foreign ministers for Tuesday to discuss the Middle East, following Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, an EU spokesperson says.
“In light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has convened a meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers via video link for Tuesday,” the spokesperson says.
“The meeting will provide an opportunity for an exchange of views, coordination on diplomatic outreach to Tel Aviv and Tehran, and possible next steps.”
The IDF publishes a video showing an airstrike carried out by fighter jets on a surface-to-air missile launcher in Tehran earlier today.
The military says it also struck ballistic missile production sites and a radar facility in the Iranian capital.
תיעוד מיוחד: חיל האוויר תוקף משגרי טילי קרקע-אוויר בלב טהראן
מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו והשמידו אתרים לייצור טילי קרקע-קרקע, אתרי מכ"ם ומשגרים של טילי קרקע-אוויר בטהראן, בהכוונת אגף המודיעין pic.twitter.com/RQXcCZVGqu
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 15, 2025
Two people were lightly injured by shrapnel as a result of a missile impact in a town near Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, medics say, after early reports said four people were hurt.
United Hatzalah says it treated a 39-year-old and a 50-year-old who sustained minor injuries from shrapnel.
Police add that damage was caused to property in the area.
Four people were injured by the Iranian ballistic missile impact in Haifa, including a 72-year-old woman in moderate condition, medics say.
According to Magen David Adom, the woman suffered smoke inhalation from a fire sparked by the impact.
Three others are lightly hurt, MDA says. Another three were treated for acute anxiety.
Four people were injured in the Iranian ballistic missile impact in Haifa, including a 72-year-old woman in moderate condition, medics say.
According to Magen David Adom, the woman suffered smoke inhalation from a fire sparked by the impact.
Three others are lightly hurt, MDA… pic.twitter.com/Wf8HEVvlWK
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 15, 2025
One of the victims killed in the Iranian ballistic missile strike on a Bat Yam apartment building early this morning is named as Efrat Saranga.
Saranga, 44, is one of seven people killed in the strike. More than 100 people were injured, and three are still missing, believed to be buried below the rubble.
אפרת סרנגה, בת 44 מבת ים, נהרגה מפגיעת הטיל בעיר לפנות בוקר@eli_zil pic.twitter.com/RcO0HLwtao
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) June 15, 2025
Two people are lightly injured by shrapnel following an Iranian ballistic missile impact in Haifa, Magen David Adom says.
MDA says it is scanning the area for additional injuries.
The IDF Home Front Command says civilians nationwide no longer need to remain in bomb shelters, following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admits that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is an initiative that originated in Israel.
“We have a plan that we devised with the help of American firms to separate the giving of the humanitarian aid to the population from Hamas control,” Netanyahu says in an interview with Bret Baier, host of Fox News’s Special Report.
Announcing the initiative, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee argued that it was “wholly inaccurate” to describe the humanitarian aid initiative being launched in Gaza as Israeli, saying media reports characterizing it as such were “off the mark.”
Netanyahu also says there has been “some development” in attempts to reach a hostage deal with Hamas.
“I hope we’re able to do that because I’m committed to getting them out,” says Netanyahu.
Four people were lightly wounded by an Iranian ballistic missile impact in a town in southern Israel, according to first responders.
Footage shows the scene of an Iranian ballistic missile impact in a town in southern Israel, where medics reported four lightly wounded. pic.twitter.com/FddYHrnpQw
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 15, 2025
Damage was also caused by a missile impact in Haifa, but no injuries were reported there. Firefighters are working to extinguish a blaze caused by the impact.
Four people were lightly wounded by an Iranian ballistic missile impact in a town in southern Israel, according to first responders.
Damage was also caused by a missile impact in Haifa, but no injuries are reported there. Firefighters are working to extinguish a blaze caused by… pic.twitter.com/9ypLcsOp4S
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 15, 2025
Meanwhile, the IDF says Home Front Command search and rescue forces are heading to several reported impact sites.
After pausing its activities for a day on orders from the IDF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation opens three of its distribution sites in southern Gaza.
The GHF says it delivered 36,000 boxes today, totaling over 2.1 million meals. As is usually the case, the majority of meals were distributed at the site near the coast in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, in southern Gaza.
According to GHF, which employs inconsistent math in daily statements about its distribution efforts, each box contains nearly 58 meals, which it says is enough to feed 5.5 people for 3.5 days.
There were no reports of violence at the sites.
“Our team was pleased to return to normal delivery operations today to provide emergency food for the Palestinian people in Gaza,” says GHF interim executive John Acree in a statement.
“Since we stood down operations due to security concerns yesterday, we were able to repair our distribution site in Khan Younis and continue operations there and at our other sites today. We continue to do all we can in Gaza to conduct operations at all four sites to help all beneficiaries receive food aid safely.”
Despite previous repeated IDF announcements that access routes to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites will be closed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., GHF again says its distribution center opened during those hours.
GHF and IDF spokespeople have yet to explain the discrepancy, despite near-daily instances of Israeli soldiers opening fire at Gazans who were said to have strayed off the access roads or used them when they were supposed to be closed.
While the IDF was the one that issued statements in recent weeks, warning Gazans against using access roads to distribution sites between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., an army spokesperson refers The Times of Israel to COGAT for clarification. COGAT has yet to respond to request for comment.
GHF posted on its Arabic Facebook page that its Khan Younis site would be open at 6:15 pm this evening. The post was published shortly before the opening. An hour later, a post updated Gazans that the site was closed after all of the aid was distributed.
Magen David Adom says it is heading to the scene of several reported missile impacts amid the latest barrage from Iran, but has not received reports of any injuries.
Sirens now sound in central Israel and Jerusalem amid Iran’s ballistic missile barrage.
Israelis in almost the entire country told to go into safe-rooms and bomb shelters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offers heartfelt condolences to the family of Aviv Atzili, whose body was taken into Gaza during the Oct.7, 2023, attack and recovered by the IDF last week.
“Aviv bravely went out to defend his Kibbutz Nir Oz, fell in battle against the murderers, and was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip,” says Netanyahu in a statement.
“I would like to thank the IDF and the Shin Bet for their determined action to return him,” he continues. “We will not rest until we bring home all of our hostages- both the living and the dead.”
A warrant officer in reserves and a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s civil defense squad, Atzili was killed battling Hamas-led terrorists in the Gaza border community on October 7. He was 49.
According to the IDF, after being killed in battle, Atzili’s body was abducted by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to Gaza.
During the operation on Wednesday, the IDF also recovered the body of slain hostage Yair Yaakov, who was also murdered in Nir Oz on October 7.
Sirens are sounding across northern Israel following a ballistic missile barrage launched from Iran.
The IDF says it is working to intercept the missiles. Civilians are instructed to remain in shelters until further notice.
Five Ukrainian nationals were killed in the early morning Iranian missile strike on a Bat Yam apartment building that took the lives of seven people and wounded over 100 more, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry says, in a statement quoted by Ukrainian international broadcaster Ukrinform.
“As per tentative reports from the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel…five Ukrainian nationals were killed, including three children,” says the report.
The victims’ bodies are currently being identified, and Ukrainian diplomats are in close communication with the Israeli police and other agencies to finish the identification process and arrange the repatriation of the bodies, the report says.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry could not immediately share any additional information.
The IDF says it has detected a barrage of ballistic missiles launched from Iran at Israel.
Sirens are expected to sound in the coming minutes, as air defenses work to shoot down the threats.
Civilians in central Israel are instructed to remain in bomb shelters until further notice.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, in a video statement, says he assures Israeli citizens that “anyone who harms you is paying and will pay a heavy price.”
“Citizens of Israel, we are now on the third day of Operation Rising Lion. This is a historic and unprecedented operation aimed at significantly damaging the existential threat that Iran has built for years to destroy us,” Zamir says.
“We are continuing to operate according to a structured, thorough, professional, and evolving plan. In the past 24 hours, we completed opening an air corridor to Tehran… Air Force pilots are flying with great risks, hundreds of kilometers away from Israeli territory, striking hundreds of diverse targets with precision. At the same time, we are locating and destroying missile launchers firing at our territory,” he continues.
“From the moment we launched the campaign, we acted with surprise and deception. With the opening strikes, we eliminated the top military command. We will continue to intensify our operations, thereby strengthening our security for years to come,” Zamir says.
Zamir says the “defense of our home front is a significant part of this campaign. As I said at the outset, there will be difficult events. We are in the midst of a different kind of challenge than we have been used to.”
“We knew there would be a price, and this underscores why we acted now, before it was too late,” he says.
Zamir says the IDF “is deploying the best systems, methods, and capabilities to reduce casualties, but there is no such thing as a hermetic defense. At the beginning of the operation, we lost civilians to missile strikes. My heart is with the families of the dead and wounded.”
“I urge you to fully follow the Home Front Command’s instructions. Proper actions drastically reduce the risk to human life. It is our collective responsibility to carry them out. I want to express my appreciation to the Home Front Command personnel and all security forces working in cooperation to save lives,” he continues.
“Citizens of Israel, I assure you: anyone who harms you will pay a heavy price, anywhere, in every arena. We are in the midst of a multi-front war. While we strike the Iranian regime, we continue to defend in Gaza and other arenas,” Zamir says.
“IDF troops in the various sectors are showing extraordinary courage and dedication. We do not for a moment forget our moral mission to bring back our hostages held by Hamas,” he says, adding that he sends condolences to the family of Sgt. First Class (res.) Noam Shemesh, who was killed in Gaza yesterday.
“We will continue calmly, persistently, and determinedly to achieve the goals of this war,” he says.
“The people of Israel, with their unique character, have always shown resilience and unity in fateful moments; this is such a moment. We are a nation that cherishes life, and for the sake of our future and freedom, we know how to make difficult decisions,” Zamir continues.
“The campaign is in full swing, humility, unity, stability, and faith in the justice of our path. Our actions speak. ‘Behold, the people rise like a lion,'” he adds, citing Numbers 23:24.
Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz is calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and the defense establishment to personally intervene in the aviation crisis, as about 200,000 Israelis are stranded abroad without a solution.
“Since the closure of the Israeli airspace following the security escalation, tens of thousands of Israelis have been stranded abroad, with no practical solution and no prospect of return,” says Berlowitz. “I receive hundreds of inquiries a day – from individuals, reserve soldiers, doctors and medical teams, organized groups, some of the largest companies in the economy, parents of small children, patients waiting for treatment, and people who are financially drained due to extended stays in hotels.”
“The government must understand that the current aviation crisis is a national crisis,” he states.
Berlowitz laments that the outline currently being formulated for rescue flights includes “only two landings per hour, and only during the day, which is far from providing a real solution to the situation.”
“At this rate, the return of all Israelis could take many weeks and even longer,” he says.
Berlowitz calls on decision-makers to “update it immediately and enable a broad and significant air bridge back to Israel.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that “Tehran is burning” as Israel continues its mission to eliminate “the dual threat” of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, in a daily video update from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The premier says that for four decades, he identified that “the greatest danger to Israel’s existence would be the Islamist regime of the ayatollahs… obtaining nuclear weapons.” His warnings, he said, were dismissed as “political spin,” and he often faced opposition, including from the US, as Iran was allowed to advance its nuclear ambitions.
Netanyahu says Iran’s “axis of evil” led to the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack, which prompted the ongoing war in Gaza, and that he “will not give up” on any of the remaining hostages in the Strip.
“I will not rest until we bring them all home. Two days ago, I instructed that negotiations be advanced, because I’ve identified an opening,” he says, without providing further details.
Israel will achieve “both the elimination of Hamas and the release of the hostages,” he continues, saying the campaign against Iran is taking place “in parallel” to these aims.
Netanyahu condemns Israelis who celebrated the death of four Arab Israelis killed in the Iranian missile strike on the city of Tamra this morning, saying he “reject[s] this in the strongest terms.”
“The missile does not distinguish — it hits both Jews and Arabs. They are coming to destroy all of us. We are brothers. We are in this battle together…this is all of our fight. We are all standing together, Jews, Arabs, all as one,” he says.
“With persistence, determination, and courage — we will win. With God’s help, we will stand together — and we will win together,” Netanyahu concludes.
Israel is willing to call off its campaign if Iran accepts US demands to dismantle its nuclear program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicates in an interview with Fox News.
“The issue here is stopping those things that will threaten our survival. And we’re committed to stopping them. And I think we can achieve them,” he tells host Bret Baier in a half-hour interview. “Now, if they are willing to accept President [Donald] Trump’s terms, that’s another matter.”
Otherwise, he says, “it’ll end when we remove those capacities, and we will.”
(Trump has stated that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon” and “can’t have enrichment.” He also said last month that Iran’s leaders had two options as regards their nuclear facilities: “blow them up nicely [themselves] or have the US “blow them up viciously.”)
Netanyahu doesn’t specify to Fox News today that regime change in Iran is a goal of Israel’s ongoing military campaign, but says that “could certainly be the result because the Iran regime is very weak.”
Netanyahu refuses to address reports that Trump vetoed an Israeli strike on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “There’s so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that,” he says. “But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do.”
He says that Israel shared intelligence with the US that Iran was building nuclear weapons: “It was absolutely clear that they were working on a secret plan to weaponize the uranium. They were marching very quickly. They would achieve a test device and possibly an initial device within months, and certainly less than a year. That was the intel we shared with the United States.”
He also accuses Iran of developing plans to give nuclear weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
Israel and the US are “fully coordinated,” says Netanyahu.
“I’ve been in constant contact with President Trump,” he says. “We’ve known each other for many years. And obviously, we informed our American friends and President Trump, our great friend, ahead of time. We did.”
Netanyahu calls Trump the “enemy number one” for Iran.
“He’s a decisive leader,” he says. “He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with them in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars. He took up this fake agreement and basically tore it up. He killed [IRGC chief] Qassem Soleimani.”
Asked whether Israel has the capacity to take out Iranian sites deep underground, Netanyahu says, “We’ve certainly done quite a bit. We’ve destroyed the main facility in Natanz. That’s the main enrichment facility. And if we need to, we’ll add whatever is needed. But yes, we’re committed to achieving both goals. I’m not going to get into all of our objectives. I don’t want to get into specific operational plans.”
“We have quite a few startups, too, and quite a few rabbits up our sleeve,” he says.
Netanyahu says the Iranians “were completely surprised” by Israel’s operation.
“So we have a free highway to Tehran, and we can now pick off the targets that we need in Tehran and other places without having our plane shot down,” says Netanyahu.
Following a fresh assessment, the IDF Home Front Command says there are no changes to guidelines for civilians amid the conflict with Iran.
All gatherings are prohibited, and schools will not open. Workplaces are also closed, apart from those deemed critical.
The guidelines remain in effect until Tuesday night, when the Home Front Command will conduct another assessment.
The Israeli Air Force has launched a wave of airstrikes on dozens of ballistic missile targets in western Iran, the IDF announces.
One rocket launched from the southern Gaza Strip struck an open area in southern Israel a short while ago, the IDF says.
There are no reports of injuries in the attack. Sirens had sounded in Ein HaBesor, Magen, and Nir Oz.
Rocket sirens are sounding in the Gaza border communities of Ein HaBesor, Magen, and Nir Oz.
The IDF says it is looking into the details.
Aviv Atzili is identified as the hostage whose body was recovered by the IDF from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis last week, the military announces.
Atzili, a warrant officer in reserves and a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s civil defense squad, was killed battling Hamas-led terrorists in the Gaza border community on October 7, 2023. He was 49.
According to the IDF, after being killed in battle, Atzili’s body was abducted by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to Gaza.
During the operation on Wednesday, the IDF also recovered the body of slain hostage Yair Yaakov, who was also murdered in Nir Oz on October 7.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence chief Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy, General Hassan Mohaqiq.
“Moments ago, I can tell you we got their chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran,” he tells Fox News anchor Bret Baier.
US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two US officials tell Reuters.
Asked about the report during a live interview on Fox News, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, “There are so many false reports about conversations that never happened — I’m not going to get into it.”
National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi also denies the report, calling it “fake news of the highest order.”
The three activists from the Madleen boat, which tried to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza last week, will be released from Israeli custody tomorrow morning and return to their home countries via Jordan.
Their respective embassies will be awaiting their arrival at a border crossing between Israel and Jordan to facilitate their return, says the Adalah civil rights organization, which has represented the activists.
The activists, Marco van Rennes of the Netherlands, Pascal Maurieras of France, and Yanis Mhamdi, also of France, have been held in Givon Prison in Ramle since Tuesday.
Four activists were deported last Tuesday after they waived their rights to challenge their detention before a judge, while another five activists were deported last Thursday after the Detention Review Tribunal court rejected their claims.
The remaining three were scheduled to leave on flights last Friday, but their flights were canceled due to the conflict with Iran.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tells CNN’s Bianna Golodryga that Israel’s campaign against Iran is aimed at preventing it from obtaining nuclear weapons, not at toppling the regime in Tehran.
“The goal is not regime change. That’s for the Iranian people to decide. We, Israel, do not see the Iranian people as our enemies,” Sa’ar says.
The foreign minister says Israel has already achieved “significant success” in its military campaign, adding that previous assessments showed the Islamic Republic could develop an atomic bomb “within six months,” and possesses enough enriched uranium for nine nuclear bombs.
Sa’ar thanks the United States for its support of Israel, but says any direct involvement in Israel’s efforts to destroy Iran’s military capabilities is Washington’s decision: “They have their calculations, and they’ll decide…but it is not for us to decide what other nations will do in that context.”
He acknowledges that the Israeli government anticipated casualties resulting from Iran’s retaliatory strikes following Israel’s surprise assault, but says that the operation was unavoidable.
“When we made this historic, difficult decision, we knew we would face hard times and suffer losses. But even so, we had no other choice,” Sa’ar says.
Since the launch of Israel’s offensive on Friday, thirteen Israelis have been killed in Iranian missile attacks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi canceled his own scheduled interview with Golodryga upon learning that Sa’ar would appear after him, a move Sa’ar tells the interviewer he is “not surprised” by.
The US Embassy in Iraq said on Sunday it is aware of an increased potential for violence or attacks against US-owned businesses and locations frequented by Americans.
“We urge all US citizens in Iraq to avoid locations frequented by foreigners and any large gatherings or crowds,” the embassy says in a statement.
On Thursday last week, the US Embassy in Iraq evacuated all non-essential personnel in anticipation of Israel’s offensive in neighboring Iran.
Police detain at least three people at a roughly 35-person protest against the war in Gaza and Israel’s attacks on Iran, at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.
Among those arrested is anti-war activist Itamar Greenberg. Officers push his face against a car and accuse him of resisting arrest, as he shouts that he is not.
Some three dozen police officers showed up as the protesters appeared set to shout slogans at the mostly empty road.
The officers declare the protest illegal under IDF Home Front Command rules, which forbid public gatherings due to the threat of missiles from Iran, and give the protesters five minutes to disperse.
The protesters then spread out across the square, standing in silence with signs bearing slogans against the Gaza and Iran offensives.
Officers form a row and comb across the plaza as the protesters refuse to disperse, snatching any signs they come across.
Some of the few pedestrians egg on the cops and curse the protesters.
Businesses at the central square are almost entirely closed because of the missile threat. The announcement for the protest included a caveat that there is a safe room nearby.
Some 20 remaining protesters wait about 15 minutes until police leave and begin chanting “Stop the genocide” while beating a drum.
Police detain anti-war activist @itamar_green at a small demonstration in Tel Aviv against Israel's attacks in Iran and Gaza. pic.twitter.com/RKNsTEo4Qi
— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) June 15, 2025
Israeli inflation in May retreated, led by declines in the costs of foreign travel and fresh vegetables, along with housing services, data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics shows.
Annual inflation over the past 12 months decelerated to 3.1 percent down from 3.6 percent in April, and 3.3% in March. The government’s annual target range of inflation is between 1% to 3%.
On a monthly basis, the consumer price index (CPI), a measure of inflation that tracks the average cost of household goods, declined in May by 0.3%, versus analysts’ expectations of a decline of about 0.1%. That’s after the CPI monthly figure in April rose by 1.1%.
In May, declines were seen in the costs of transportation, which fell 2.4%. Expenses for foreign travel and flights in Israel fell by 7.9%. The price of fresh vegetables went down 0.6%, and tenant-owned housing services, decreased by 0.3%.
These were offset by notable increases in the price of fresh fruit, which rose by 3.9%, clothing and footwear were up 1.4%, and culture and entertainment by 0.6%.
Rents on renewal of contracts rose 2.7% in May, and rents on contracts for new tenants went up 5.2%.
The IDF confirms the Israeli Air Force bombed an Iranian refueling plane at Mashhad Airport in northeast Iran, some 2,300 kilometers from Israel, marking the “most distant strike since the beginning of the operation.”
“The Air Force is working to achieve air superiority throughout Iran,” the military says.
تصویر دریافتی: انفجار در شهر #مشهد#iran #israel pic.twitter.com/q9cHsu1pZi
— Vahid Online (@Vahid) June 15, 2025
A large fire could be seen at Mashhad Airport following the Israeli strike.
عدوان صهيوني قرب مرقد الامام الرضا عليه السلام بمدينة مشهد المقدسة pic.twitter.com/fFXtY2ovle
— ميرزا ام جهاد (@merza500) June 15, 2025
غارات عنيفة استهدفت مطار مشهد في ايران pic.twitter.com/vKZbHdlvCa
— عمر مدنيه (@Omar_Madaniah) June 15, 2025
The strike on Mashhad Airport potentially marks the Israeli Air Force’s farthest-ever strike. In 1985, the IAF struck the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Tunisia, also over 2,000 kilometers from Israel.
Security forces arrested last night two Jewish Israelis suspected of carrying out missions for Iran, say the police and Shin Bet.
The two suspects are just one of 22 incidents of Iranian espionage thwarted by authorities since the outbreak of the war, according to spokespeople for the agencies.
The suspects’ identifying details remain barred from publication after a gag order was placed on the investigation.
“With a campaign against Iran in full swing, firing at population centers and strategic locations in Israel, we are witnessing the damage and danger posed by cooperating with the Iranian enemy, which exploits the information that these Israelis transferred in order to harm Israel,” says the Shin Bet in a statement.
The two suspects were arrested in an overnight raid by Shin Bet agents and officers in Yamam, the Border Police’s elite counter-terror unit.
They were interrogated by investigators in the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit and are being held on suspicion of committing grave security offenses, police say.
US President Donald Trump tells a news network it remains possible the United States will become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict and that he would be “open” to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator.
“It’s possible we could get involved” in the ongoing battle between the Middle East arch-foes, Trump says in an interview, according to ABC News, which reports the Republican president stressed that the United States is “not at this moment” involved in the military action.
As for Putin being a potential mediator in the conflict, “He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,” Trump tells an ABC News reporter.
Defense Ministry Director Amir Baram held a high-level security assessment with the heads of Israel’s leading defense industries, calling for an accelerated pace of weapons production and enhanced protection of critical infrastructure in light of the Iranian missile threat, the Defense Ministry says.
Baram praised the role of Israeli technology in recent strikes on Tehran and in intercepting Iranian ballistic missile barrages, saying such operations “would not have been possible without groundbreaking technology developed over the years.”
“Our defense is not hermetic,” he warned, emphasizing the life-saving importance of following Home Front Command directives. He also stressed the need to boost industrial capacity and fast-track the development of next-generation defense systems.
CEOs from Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, Elbit Systems, and Tomer participated in the meeting.
President Isaac Herzog condemns the early morning Iranian missile attack on the northern Arab Israeli city of Tamra, where four female members of one family were killed, and says he plans to visit the city very soon.
“Since this morning, I have been in constant contact with the Mayor of Tamra, Mr. Moussa Abu Roumi, following the painful incident that occurred last night as a result of the Iranian missile strike,” writes Herzog in an Arabic-language post on X.
منذ صباح اليوم، أنا على تواصل دائم مع رئيس بلدية طمرة، السيّد موسى أبو رومي، في أعقاب الحادثة الأليمة التي وقعت الليلة الماضية، إثر سقوط الصاروخ الإيراني.
في هذا الهجوم الغاشم، قُتل وجُرح إخوتنا وأخواتنا – يهودًا وعربًا، أطفالًا وكبارًا – دون تمييز. إيران لا تفرّق بين دم ودم،…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) June 15, 2025
“I also intend to visit the city of Tamra in the near future, to stand alongside the families of the victims and the wounded, and to support them in these difficult times,” he continues.
“In this brutal attack, our brothers and sisters — Jews and Arabs, children and adults — were killed and wounded without distinction. Iran does not differentiate between one blood and another; it targets the innocent and causes them harm,” he writes.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the Israeli Air Force is striking Iran’s “infrastructure and nuclear program in a precise and extensive manner, beyond what the enemy anticipated.”
“The offensive operations we are conducting in Iran are transforming Israel’s strategic reality. We are removing an existential threat and reinforcing our security,” says Zamir during a visit to the IAF’s central command center today.
“The IDF, through the air force, has completed paving the way to Tehran and is striking the regime’s infrastructure and nuclear program in a precise and extensive manner, beyond what the enemy anticipated,” he says.
“The defense and home front effort is critical. I send my condolences to the families of the fallen and call on everyone to continue acting responsibly and to follow the Home Front Command’s instructions,” Zamir continues. “A strong home front gives us the strength to continue our mission. We will continue to act with determination, strength, responsibility, and in full cooperation with all security branches, until all our objectives are achieved.”
In a bizarre turn of events, many residents of Kibbutz Re’im, a Gaza border community targeted in the October 7, 2023, onslaught, have over the past two days left their temporary accommodation in two towers in south Tel Aviv and headed home, according to the kibbutz secretary.
“Most of the community is in Re’im at the moment,” Zohar Mizrahi tells The Times of Israel. She adds, “It’s not clear whether they will stay or go back to Tel Aviv.”
Re’im is the first of eight border communities to which the state expects members and residents to return this summer, following renovations to buildings damaged during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre.
Until Friday, when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear and military targets and the Islamic Republic began firing ballistic missiles at the Jewish state in retaliation, around 200 out of 428 residents had returned to Re’im, with 170 still residing in the Tel Aviv tower blocks or elsewhere in the country.
However, the damage caused by Iranian missiles that have made it past Israel’s aerial defenses has so far been to buildings in the center and north of the country.
The State of Israel is “now working to remove the cancerous growth called the Iranian nuclear program that threatens our existence,” former prime minister Naftali Bennett tells Channel 13 at the site of an Iranian rocket attack in the coastal city of Bat Yam.
When it comes to battling Iran, “there is no right, no left, no opposition and no coalition,” he says.
Switching to English, Bennett addresses the Iranian people, calling on them to “rise up against their government.”
“This war is not between Israel and the Iranian people. We appreciate and respect the Iranian people. This is about the regime,” which is “corrupt, and despised” by its citizens, he says. “This is your moment, rise up.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid echoes Bennett’s declaration that there are no political differences between Israelis when it comes to Iran.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is my political rival, but his decision to strike Iran at this moment in time is the right one. The whole country is united in this moment, when faced with an enemy sworn to our destruction, nothing will divide us,” he writes in an English-language op-ed.
An Israeli official speaking to the Kan public broadcaster denies that Israel detonated car bombs in Tehran, after Iran’s IRNA news agency claimed that it did.
The media outlet had claimed that five car bombs had detonated in the Iranian capital and blamed it on Israel.
An Israeli-American hiker who went missing in northern India earlier this month has been found alive, says Magen, an Israeli organization that aided in the extensive search and rescue mission.
Samuel Vengrinovich, a 44-year-old resident of Jaffa, was last seen on Friday, June 6, during a trek to the Triund Ridge, a popular hiking destination in the Himachal Pradesh region.
He was found earlier today, after six days of intensive search operations carried out by the Israeli crew along with Indian and Nepali rescue teams, Magen says in a post on Instagram. He was evacuated from the mountain trail and taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
The cabinet approves extending the nationwide state of emergency declared by Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday until June 30.
The extension requires further approval of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, chaired by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein.
The state of emergency allows the cabinet to issue regulations that override Knesset legislation.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show large-scale sewage and water pipe explosions across Tehran, with Iranian news outlets seemingly confirming the reports.
Israel has not yet issued an official response to the incident.
#Iran: Israeli strikes busted a pipe near Tajrish Square in #Tehran, causing sewage water to flood into the streets. pic.twitter.com/GqskoScmwT
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) June 15, 2025
Etihad Airways says it has canceled flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv until June 22.
“This remains a developing situation, and some disruption and delays may be expected in the coming days,” it says in a statement.
Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport has been closed to all departures and arrivals since Friday and will remain closed “until further notice.”
At least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in Israeli attacks since Friday, including in car bombs, two sources in the Gulf say.
The names of nine of the scientists were published by the IDF yesterday, and it said many of them were successors to Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the “father of the Iranian nuclear project,” who was allegedly assassinated by Israel in 2020.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
Iran’s attack on Israel less than an hour ago comprised just “several” ballistic missiles, the IDF says.
According to the military, most of the missiles were intercepted by air defenses, and there were no reports of impacts within the country.
Israel and Iran “should make a deal,” writes US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, predicting the two archenemies “will make a deal.”
He boasts that he successfully intervened to end a brewing fight between India and Pakistan recently, and one between Serbia and Kosovo in his first term.
“Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”
Iran’s IRNA news agency reports that five car bombs were detonated in Tehran a short while ago.
The report blames Israel for the attack.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian urges Iraq to block Israel from using its airspace and territory to launch attacks on the Islamic Republic.
“We emphasise that the Iraqi government must exercise greater vigilance and protection of its borders and airspace so that Iraqi territory is not misused against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” says Pezeshkian in a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, according to the Iranian presidency website.
Germany says it is reinforcing security around Israeli and Jewish sites on its territory against possible reprisal attacks by Iran.
“We are also preparing ourselves in Germany in case Iran targets Israeli or Jewish institutions,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz says before flying out to attend a G7 summit in Canada.
France has already ordered similar measures on its territory amid Israel’s operations on Iranian nuclear and military industries and the Islamic Republic’s retaliatory attacks.
A list of talking points distributed to Israeli cabinet members emphasizes “indiscriminate” Iranian attacks on Israeli population centers. It states that Israel had “no choice but to attack Iran’s fuel depots,” which are used to fuel the production of weapons and launch missiles at Israel, television network i24 reporter Amiel Yarchi writes on X.
The talking points further state that “during the war, intelligence materials were collected that pointed to a concrete Iranian plan aimed at destroying Israel,” he continues, adding that “Iran has come closer than ever to obtaining nuclear weapons, to the point of no return. We have no choice but to act to protect ourselves.”
The content of the talking points is also shared in a separate post by Radio Kol Barama reporter Avi Moskoff.
There are no reports of impacts or injuries in the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, Magen David Adom says.
Home Front Command says people throughout the country can leave shelters.
National Unity chairman Benny Gantz praises Ronen Bar, who ended his tenure as chief of the Shin Bet security service on Sunday, as a “brave, determined, and cool-headed” leader.
Bar “will always remain a fighter for Israel’s security,” Gantz tweets, adding that he “took responsibility for his part in the failure of October 7” and that during the war he “discovered what a leader” Bar was.
“Nothing will erase October 7, but nothing should or will erase everything he did for Israel’s security before and after. Ronen, Thank you for always fighting for the people of Israel,” Gantz adds.
Sirens now sound across northern Israel amid an Iranian ballistic missile barrage.
A short while ago, sirens sounded across central Israel and the Jerusalem area.
Civilians in areas where sirens are sounding are instructed to remain in bomb shelters until further notice.
Sirens are sounding across central Israel and the Jerusalem area following a ballistic missile barrage from Iran.
The IDF says it is working to shoot down the missiles. Civilians in areas where sirens are sounding are instructed to remain in bomb shelters until further notice.
The IDF says it has detected a barrage of ballistic missiles launched from Iran at Israel.
Sirens are expected to sound in the coming minutes, as air defenses work to shoot down the threats.
Civilians in central and northern Israel are instructed to remain in bomb shelters until further notice.
Rescuers recovered a body from under the rubble of the building that was hit by an Iranian ballistic missile in Bat Yam this morning.
This brings the death toll in the missile strike to seven.
Three others are still feared missing.
The IDF Home Front Command instructs civilians in central and northern Israel to remain close to bomb shelters until further notice, as Israel anticipates a ballistic missile attack from Iran.
“Movement in public areas should be minimized, and public gatherings must be avoided. Upon receiving an alert, enter a protected space and remain there until an official update is issued,” the IDF says.
Following consultation with security officials and Opposition Coordinator Meirav Ben Ari, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana announces that the Knesset will convene on Monday at noon, but its agenda will remain limited to legislation considered urgent or important to the war. Such bills will be brought “by consensus only,” the Knesset spokesman says.
The Knesset will not convene on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, “urgent” parliamentary queries and motions will be considered, but any private member bills in their preliminary readings will not be.
In addition, no “nonessential” discussions are to be held in Knesset committees, the spokesman reiterates, adding that daily situation assessments are to be held to determine changes to the parliamentary agenda.
The Democrats MK Naama Lazimi writes to Ohana in protest of the decision, complaining that the Knesset Finance Committee must be convened, as it “deals with, among other things: property taxes, compensation for businesses, war costs, and more.”
“We received a notice that the Finance Committee’s discussions are canceled for the coming week,” she writes in a letter signed by other opposition members of the panel as well. “We’ve never had a coalition so disconnected from the people.”
On Saturday evening, Ohana announced that all Knesset committee meetings not essential for the current conflict with Iran will be canceled.
In addition, all Knesset employees who are not considered essential will switch to remote work, and all planned visitor groups and tours will be canceled, he decided.
A drone launched at Israel, apparently from Iran, was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over the Jordan Valley a short while ago, the IDF says.
Since this morning, dozens of drones have been launched from Iran at Israel, with most being intercepted before reaching the country.
The secretary general of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades — one of the largest pro-Iranian militias in Iraq — asserts that “Iran does not need military support from anyone to deter the Zionist entity. It has sufficient personnel and capabilities for that.”
In an interview with an Iraqi news outlet, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi says the militia is monitoring the situation and warns that if the United States intervenes in the fighting between Israel and Iran, it will directly target American interests and bases in the region.
Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault in Israel, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq attacked US bases and launched drones toward Israel.
In December 2024, prior to the second ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, it was reported that an agreement had been reached between the militias and the Iraqi government to halt their actions against US forces.
Since then, the militias have not resumed operations against either Israel or the United States.
Iran did not send any message to Israel via a third country, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei says, after Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said earlier that Tehran had asked Nicosia to convey “some messages” to Israel.
Christodoulides had said he would speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later today and would convey the message then.
Lazar Berman contributed to this report.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon, during a phone call this morning with Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, according to a readout from the German government.
“The chancellor expressed his gratitude for Oman’s mediation efforts aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program and emphasized that Iran must never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons,” German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius writes.
“Both leaders agreed that the current priority is to prevent a further escalation of the conflict. They reaffirmed their willingness to contribute to ending the conflict through diplomatic means,” concludes the readout.
Oman confirmed that the planned sixth round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States in Muscat on Sunday will not take place following Israel’s surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites.
Widespread Israeli Air Force strikes are reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
⭕️حملات وحشتناک اسراییل به تهران#جاویدشاه pic.twitter.com/aW7eaYI1ny
— fireofGod1978(فایراف گاد سابق) چهارمین اکانت (@A94132868103641) June 15, 2025
Strikes are also reported against Iranian military sites in Shiraz.
انفجارات وتصاعد أعمدة الدخان من موقع استهداف الطائرات الإسرائيلية مجمّع #شيراز للصناعات الإلكترونية جنوبي #إيران.#مصدر_للأخبار pic.twitter.com/wBmS5EVcBs
— مصدر (@MSDAR_NEWS) June 15, 2025
The IDF has said its strikes against Iran’s nuclear program and military industries are ongoing. Earlier, it warned civilians to flee from the vicinity of weapons manufacturing facilities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran will pay a “very heavy price” for targeting Israel’s civilians, while visiting the site of the early-morning Iranian missile strike on a Bat Yam apartment building, where six Israelis were killed and dozens more wounded.
“Iran will pay a very heavy price for the murder of civilians — women, children — that it carried out deliberately. We will achieve our objectives, and we will strike them with overwhelming force,” says Netanyahu according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Four other people were killed in the northern Arab town of Tamra.
“We are here because we are in an existential battle — one that is now clear to every citizen of Israel. Think about what would happen if Iran had a nuclear weapon to drop on Israel’s cities,” the premier says.
“Think about what would happen if Iran had 20,000 missiles like this one — not one, but 20,000. That is an existential threat to Israel. That is why we launched a war of rescue… and we are doing so with strength. Our soldiers, our pilots, are above the skies of Iran,” he continues.
“On behalf of the entire people of Israel, I express sorrow over the loss of life that occurred here,” the premier continues, urging Israeli citizens to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command during missile attacks.
“Protect your souls, protect your bodies, protect your lives — and together, with God’s help, we will win. We are on the path to victory,” he tells the Israeli public.
While visiting the site of the early morning Iranian missile strike on a Bat Yam apartment building, where six Israelis were killed and dozens more wounded, President Isaac Herzog calls on the leaders of the G7 nations to work with Israel to confront the Iranian nuclear threat.
“I call upon the leaders of the G7 who will convene tomorrow in Canada: They should all be with us, because if you want to get the nukes out, better work together, with us, and make sure that Iran does not reach its capability – and that our region can move to peace and dialogue and coexistence and rapprochement,” Herzog tells international press at the scene.
The leaders of the Group of Seven nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States — will gather for a summit in Alberta, Canada, on Monday and Tuesday, hosted by this year’s Canadian G7 presidency.
“Our aim is to change the reality in the Middle East. It cannot be that the empire of evil will continue to attack and attack, send its proxies and its terror, its missiles, and of course, develop nuclear capability, which is the most dangerous capability for humanity. So we are defending not only Israel, but the Middle East, humanity itself, world peace,” the president says.
“Iran has decided that they are attacking civilians, no matter where, and no matter what. And we, of course, will continue to defend ourselves,” Herzog adds.
Touring the scene of the collapsed building hit by an Iranian missile in Bat Yam alongside senior Israel Police and Fire and Rescue Service officials, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says that Israel is “at peace” with the consequences of Iran’s strikes because Israel was “obligated” to attack Tehran’s nuclear program.
“We worked on the campaign against Iran for a very long time. It was clear to all of us that an Iranian nuclear weapon is the most serious thing that could happen and therefore we took into account what could happen if there were an Iranian nuclear weapon,” Ben Gvir says.
“We are at peace with this… and God willing, the State of Israel will win,” the far-right minister says in a video message recorded inside a damaged apartment.
Six people, including a child, were killed and three are still missing in the strike on the apartment building. Dozens were injured.
Ben Gvir praises the security services and says that when under attack Israelis should enter their shelters because “it saves lives.”
“We see it time and time again, even here in this building – pay attention to what remains of the building, only the protected area. Enter the protected areas,” he says.
Since fighting began between Israel and Iran on Friday, 13 people have been killed and hundreds have been wounded by missile impacts. All of those killed and seriously wounded were not in bomb shelters, according to the Home Front Command.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says that Iran’s nuclear program threatens Israel, the region, and France in an interview with French radio RTL.
“The Iranian nuclear program has a military purpose. It is an existential threat to Israel, to the countries of the region, and to us as well,” Barrot says.
The top French diplomat insists, “The only way to get rid of [this threat] is through negotiation,” adding, “No one has an interest in a regional conflagration. We call on all parties to exercise restraint.”
Iran said an Israeli strike that killed the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s missile program also took out seven of his trusted deputies, seriously disrupting its command.
Iran previously acknowledged the death of Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guard’s aerospace division in Friday’s strike.
Also killed were Gen. Mahmoud Bagheri, Gen. Davoud Sheikhian, Gen. Mohammad Bagher Taherpour, Gen. Mansour Safarpour, Gen. Masoud Tayyeb, Gen. Khosro Hasani and Gen. Javad Jarsara, the Guard says.
The Guard did not elaborate on why the men had gathered in one place.
El Al announces that all flights are canceled through June 17, since Israel’s airspace remains closed for landings and takeoffs due to Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure and Iranian missile and drone barrages.
Dozens more flights are canceled through June 23, even if some flights resume, to allow the airline to divert the planes for an operation to return thousands of Israelis stranded abroad.
The affected destinations are: Berlin, Tbilisi, Barcelona, Batumi, Warsaw, Rhodes, Munich, Tivat, Lisbon, Tokyo, Krakow, Venice, Thessaloniki, Marseille, Crete (Heraklion), Kefalonia, Santorini, Chisinau, Belgrade, Tirana, Porto, Mykonos, Lefkada, and Moscow.
“We understand the difficulty, uncertainty and stress experienced by El Al customers abroad who wish to return to Israel, as well as customers whose plans have been disrupted,” El Al says in a statement.
“When approval is received from the relevant security and aviation authorities, we will do everything in our power to enable as many Israelis as possible to return home by gradually resuming a regular flight schedule, and operating rescue flights from destinations close to Israel.”
El Al says it will update its website and social media channels “when the option to book tickets for these flights opens (subject to approval to resume operations).”
“Registration for rescue flights will be done via a dedicated link on the El Al website,” El Al says. “The only way to reserve a seat on these flights is through registration on the El Al website only (registration at call centers will not be possible).”
Further Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel are expected in the coming days, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says in a press conference.
“Challenging days are ahead. There will be more launches and impacts in the coming days,” Defrin says.
He also says that the Israeli Air Force is “not stopping striking for a moment.”
“Even at this hour, we are striking dozens of targets in Tehran. We are deepening the damage to [Tehran’s] nuclear program and military capabilities, to disrupt and reduce the risk to the home front,” he says.
Vicky Cohen, whose son, Nimrod Cohen, is a soldier who was taken captive on October 7, 2023, says she wrote to Gal Hirsch, the government’s hostage point man, as Israel’s attack on Iran began, asking what this meant for the hostages still held in Gaza.
“It took him time to reply, and when he did, he wrote that they’re always looking for a way to negotiate,” says Cohen. “It was just a very generic statement that didn’t say anything. What can I gather from that?”
Cohen’s husband, Yehuda Cohen, is currently in New York, while her son, Yotam, is in Washington, DC, where they were both meeting with elected officials and community leaders as part of their ongoing efforts to bring Nimrod home. Both are now stuck in the US, as Israel’s airspace is closed due to the Iranian missile barrages.
“I’m here with my daughter,” said Cohen, referring to Nimrod’s twin sister. “We’re running to the safe room in the middle of the night, but it’s nothing compared to the worry I feel for Nimrod, held hostage for the last 618 days.”
Cohen said that it’s frustrating to be unable to go out and protest or rally, the things that are such a vital part of the hostages’ families’ struggle.
“Netanyahu has this achievement with Iran, but it’s time to finish the war in Gaza in order to put all the focus on Iran,” she says. “The war in Gaza isn’t accomplishing anything. If he puts an end to it, it will make the Israeli public more supportive of him. How much longer is he going to extend this nightmare of war and hostages in Gaza?”
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, in a press conference, confirms the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike in Yemen last night, at the same time as strikes in Iran.
The target of the Israeli strike in Yemen was Houthi military chief of staff Muhammad Al-Ghamari, according to Israeli officials. The results of the strike are not yet known.
“Last night, while the strikes in Iran were ongoing, air force fighter jets flew over 2,000 kilometers from Israel and struck in Sanaa in Yemen. We will update later on the results of the strike,” Defrin says.
The United Kingdom advises against all travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The previous warning, issued Friday, advised against “all but essential travel” to Israel.
Travel to Israel is all but impossible at the moment, with no flights in or out of the country.
The IDF releases footage of its overnight strike on Iran’s “nuclear program headquarters” in Tehran.
Earlier, the military said it hit some 80 targets in Tehran overnight, including fuel depots, the Iranian defense ministry headquarters, the “headquarters of the SPND nuclear project,” and other targets related to Iran’s nuclear program.
Some 50 fighter jets participated in the strikes, the IDF adds.
The IDF releases footage of its overnight strike on Iran's "nuclear program headquarters" in Tehran.
Earlier, the military said it hit some 80 targets in Tehran overnight, including fuel depots, the Iranian Defense Ministry headquarters, the “headquarters of the SPND nuclear… pic.twitter.com/sprgcGLFf9
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 15, 2025
Britain could potentially support Israel in its conflict with Iran, but the decision to send additional military jets to the Middle East was made mainly to protect British bases and personnel, British finance minister Rachel Reeves says.
Speaking to Sky News, Reeves calls for a de-escalation in the conflict and says the decision to send additional jets to the region was a “precautionary move.”
Asked if Britain would come to Israel’s aid if asked, Reeves said: “We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in.”
She added: “We’re sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.”
Britain was involved last year in protecting Israel from missile attacks from Iran. In April, British planes shot down Iranian drones heading for Israel and in October it said two of its fighter jets and an air-to-air refueling tanker were involved in trying to intercept Iranian missiles. The jets did not engage any targets.
Iranians can seek shelter in mosques and schools during Israeli attacks, as well as subway systems, which will be open at all times from tonight, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani tells state TV.
“There is no problem with the provision of food, medicine, fuel,” she added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen touring the site of the early morning Iranian missile strike on a Bat Yam apartment building, where six Israelis were killed and dozens more wounded, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
There is no official confirmation or statement from Netanyahu.
ראש הממשלה נתניהו הגיע לזירת הנפילה בבת ים @YCiechanover pic.twitter.com/rHrfaHKZZd
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 15, 2025
President Isaac Herzog also visits the site, where searches are ongoing for three more building residents.
“Dozens of homes in this area were completely damaged by a single missile launched from Iran in a cruel and terrible missile attack that was launched across the entire country,” Herzog says at the scene, according to a statement from his office.
“Over the past two days, thirteen Israelis have been killed — of various ages — children, adults, elderly people and new immigrants,” says the president, adding that “the missiles do not distinguish between Jews, Muslims, Christians, or any part of the wonderful Israeli mosaic.”
“This is a very significant moment in the history of Israel. We must show the emotional and mental resilience that we always have,” Herzog says.
He did not mention anything about a potential visit to Tamra, where four women were killed in an Iranian strike overnight.
Hadash-Ta’al party chairman Ayman Odeh slams the government for not providing enough public shelters, especially for Arab municipalities, following a deadly Iranian missile strike in the northern city of Tamra, which killed four residents.
“Tamra is not a village. It is a city of 37,000 residents. A city without public shelters. The heavy price of neglect, as well as of war, is now being revealed before our eyes,” Odeh posts on X following a visit to the scene of the tragedy.
During Saturday night’s Iranian barrage, a missile struck a two-story home in Tamra, killing four women and injuring some 10 people. The women were named as Manar Khatib and her two daughters, Hala, 20, and Shada, 13, as well as another relative, also named Manar Khatib.
“And it’s not just in Tamra: about 60% of local authorities in Israel lack public shelters completely. The threat that now looms over us all, a threat of unprecedented destruction, does not distinguish between blood and blood. But the state, unfortunately, still distinguishes between blood and blood,” he continues, stating that his “heart goes out to all the residents of this country, Jews and Palestinians alike.”
“No to war with Iran, enough of the war of annihilation in Gaza. Agreements save lives. Dictators think wars save them,” he asserts.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tells German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul that Israel’s military campaign against Iran will continue, in the second phone call between the leaders since the campaign began on Friday, says Sa’ar’s office.
Sa’ar tells his German counterpart “that the IDF operation in Iran will continue and still has important objectives to be accomplished,” and thanks Germany for supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, reads a statement from Sa’ar’s office.
Sa’ar stresses that Iran “is deliberately targeting civilians, which is completely prohibited under international law. On the other hand, Israel is focused on military goals and dealing with the Iranian nuclear program.”
Wadephul “updated Minister Sa’ar on his visit to the Middle East,” adds the statement.
Earlier today, Wadephul said that Germany, France and the United Kingdom are willing to immediately hold talks with Iran over its nuclear program to help de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, and noted that Tehran previously failed to enter into constructive nuclear negotiations.
Rescue workers, residents and onlookers gather on the street by the two-story house in Tamra where a ballistic missile struck, killing Manar Khatib and her two daughters, Hala, 20, and Shada, 13, as well as another relative, Manal Khatib.
“The missile didn’t differentiate between sects, religions or people,” says Jabar, who didn’t want his last name used. He says what upsets people in Tamra the most was to see people from Mitzpeh Aviv singing and celebrating that Tamra should “burn.”
“When the missile fell, it brought out the hatred,” he says sadly.
“We want peace, we want coexistence,” says Hisham Diab, a volunteer in the Home Front Command medical volunteer group. “I’ve lived here for 40 years and I never heard one person say he was anti-Israel.”
The National Security Council warns Israelis not to try to reach Israel by land through Jordan or Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, citing a high risk of danger to Israelis in the neighboring countries.
They are both under Level 4 warnings, which means, according to the NSC website, that “travel to this destination is prohibited. Those who are already there must leave immediately.”
Ben Gurion International Airport has been closed since last week, and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future as Israel and Iran trade air and missile strikes.
The NSC asks Israelis abroad to wait for updates from the Transportation Ministry on what options will be made available for returning home.
Israel has not yet offered any compensation for citizens stuck abroad.
The resignation of Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, goes into effect on Sunday.
The banner headline of Hamodia, a newspaper linked to Goldknopf’s Gur Hasidic sect, details the reasons for Goldknopf’s resignation and quotes the outgoing minister as stating that his decision was “final.” The front page of Sunday’s edition deals with Goldknopf’s resignation rather than the ongoing war between Israel and Iran.
In a post on X, Yediot Aharonot reporter Shilo Fried notes that members of Gur have pushed the group’s leadership to have Goldknopf reverse his move and that Hamodia’s coverage is meant to emphasize that the decision remains unchanged.
Goldknopf resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet on Thursday afternoon, after failing to pass a bill to dissolve the Knesset in an overnight vote.
His Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction of UTJ largely supported the dissolution and opposed a compromise on Haredi military conscription that Shas and the Degel Hatorah faction (part of the UTJ alliance) agreed to with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein, which paved the way for the measure’s defeat.
In a letter to Netanyahu, Goldknopf said the premier had been warned that if no progress were made on legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service by early June, “significant steps” would be taken against the coalition.
Despite Goldknopf’s position, Agudat Yisrael was ultimately split both on the bill to dissolve the Knesset, with two out its three MKs voting in favor and one against, and in its response to the measure’s failure.
According to the Ynet news site, MK Yisrael Eichler, who voted against the Knesset dissolution bill, may be tapped to replace Goldknopf in the cabinet.
Iran says it had arrested two individuals it accused of being members of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad in Alborz province while they were preparing explosives and electronic devices, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.
The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee will convene on Monday in a closed meeting in order to receive a classified intelligence-operational overview of the conflict with Iran.
“At the end of the review, the committee will hold a vote to approve the declaration of a special situation on the home front,” the Knesset announces.
Against the backdrop of missile attacks from Iran, Brothers and Sisters in Israel, the civilian arm of Brothers and Sisters in Arms, is offering help to local authorities to supply people evacuated from damaged buildings to hotels with basic equipment such as clothing and toiletries.
It is also organizing food and equipment for redeployed soldiers in the field.
In addition, the organization is receiving requests from military units sent to new locations for everything from shade net and mobile shower units to books and food.
According to CEO Hadas Danieli-Yalin, it is supplying mattresses both to soldiers and to bomb shelters in northern towns.
It is currently waiting for Home Front permission to open a logistics center in the north of the country.
Brothers and Sisters in Israel played a key role in the civilian operation to help soldiers and civilians in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of southern Israel that saw the brutal murder of 1,200 mainly civilians and the abduction to the Gaza Strip of 251.
Iran’s overnight attacks on Israel included a total of 70 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones, according to the IDF’s latest estimates.
The missiles were fired in three waves at 11 p.m., 2 a.m. and 2:55 a.m., coinciding with the dozens of drones.
One projectile struck a home in the town of Tamra, killing four civilians; another struck Bat Yam, killing at least six civilians and wounding nearly 200; and another struck Rehovot, wounding another 40 people.
The military says that so far, Iran’s attacks are below the “reference scenario,” or what the IDF had anticipated in a war with Iran. The IDF had estimated far larger numbers of casualties and more significant damage.
Iran is still believed to possess thousands of ballistic missiles.
The Israeli Air Force overnight bombed several Iranian ballistic missile launchers, along with air defense systems and radars, the military says, attaching footage of the strikes.
According to the IDF, some of the launchers that were struck were used to fire ballistic missiles at Israel earlier.
The IDF says it will continue to “hunt down” Iran’s ballistic missile launchers in western Iran, to prevent attacks on Israel.
The air defenses and radars were struck “as part of the IDF’s aerial superiority in Iranian airspace,” the military says.
חיל האוויר תקף באיראן לאורך כל הלילה והשמיד משגרי טילי קרקע-קרקע חמושים המוכנים לשיגור. בסגירת מעגל מהירה, חיל האוויר תקף גם משגרים ששיגרו טילים לעבר מדינת ישראל.
בנוסף, הותקפו תשתיות טילי קרקע-אוויר ומכ"מי גילוי של המשטר האיראני באיראן, כחלק מהעליונות האווירית של צה״ל בשמי… pic.twitter.com/s4igW92z3V
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 15, 2025
Additionally, some 80 targets in Tehran were hit overnight, according to the IDF.
The targets in the Iranian capital included fuel depots, the Iranian Defense Ministry headquarters, the “headquarters of the SPND nuclear project” and other targets related to Iran’s nuclear program.
IAF fighter jets also hit gas infrastructure near Bandar Abbas. The military says the fuel and gas sites are used by Iran for military purposes and for its nuclear project.
In all, since early Friday, the IDF says it has hit 720 separate assets in some 250 strikes in Iran.
Police have opened a hotline for family members whose loved ones went missing in the wake of Iranian missile strikes amid war with the Islamic Republic.
Relatives can report a missing person “in cases where there is concern for human life and/or contact has been lost with individuals as a result of the attack,” police say.
Reports on missing persons can be filed with the police by calling the 115 hotline or the number 03-502-3913.
Currently, three people are still missing after an Iranian strike on a Bat Yam apartment building after police located dozens. The missile impact killed six people, including two children, and injured over 100.
Reports of missing persons can also be submitted online or reported in person at a nearby police station.
Relatives are asked to come with the missing person’s identifying information, dentist’s contact details, a belonging that can provide a DNA sample and a photo of the person in question.
The new ministerial committee established by the government to provide a recommendation on firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara postpones a hearing that had been set for Tuesday to hear her arguments against being fired.
The government had been seeking to fire Baharav-Miara and approved a new method of firing her last week, but postponed the hearing following the outbreak of war with Iran.
Baharav-Miara was pictured in a photo of a security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Saturday night.
The government is also unlikely to respond to the High Court of Justice today regarding petitions requesting that the court annul the new dismissal process, due to the current conflict with Iran.
The deadline for filing responses to the request of petitioners to freeze the new dismissal process until a final decision on the case is today.
It is unclear whether the Attorney General’s Office will send the state’s response to the petitions today. The Attorney General’s Office told the government before it approved the new dismissal process that the proposal was unlawful, and will therefore side with the petitioners in the case.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides tells reporters that Iran “has asked us to convey a message to Israel,” according to the Cyprus Mail.
“We will do so,” he says, adding that he has a phone call scheduled today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The role of the Republic of Cyprus in the region, I want to reiterate, as well as our characteristic, is that we will talk to everyone and to the best of our ability… we try to convey messages, to create the conditions so that this difficult state of affairs can be ended,” he says.
The Defense Ministry announces it will take part in the Paris Air Show, which opens tomorrow, despite ongoing flight cancellations from Israel and the conflict with Iran
Following a security assessment, Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. Amir Baram confirms that the ministry and Israeli defense industries will proceed with their planned participation.
The ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) pavilion and booths of various defense firms will open as scheduled, though presentations will be scaled back due to travel disruptions.
Rescue officials say that contrary to multiple reports, there was no direct missile impact in Jerusalem overnight during Iranian barrages that targeted central and northern Israel.
Several of the missiles were intercepted in the skies over Jerusalem, however, with accompanying loud explosions.
The fire service reported an impact in the greater Jerusalem district, but later clarified that there was no impact in Jerusalem itself.
There were also reports of shrapnel from an interceptor falling near a yeshiva in the city. There were no reports of injuries.
Also, a false report of a direct strike in East Jerusalem was called in to emergency services. On one occasion, first responders were attacked in East Jerusalem, according to Hebrew media reports.
Some media and multiple social media posts had reported missile impacts in Jerusalem.
Iran has fired some 280 ballistic missiles at Israel in several barrages since the IDF began its operation against Tehran’s nuclear program early Friday morning, according to the military.
Most of the missiles were intercepted by air defenses at interception rates similar to those in Iran’s April and October 2024 attacks on Israel, the IDF says.
The military says dozens of missiles were not intercepted, “according to protocol,” allowing them to strike open areas without causing damage to any critical infrastructure.
Several missiles, though, have made it through air defenses, striking residential areas in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Rishon Lezion, Bat Yam, and Rehovot in central Israel, and Haifa and Tamra in the north, causing casualties and damage.
The military has routinely emphasized that, as good as Israel’s multilayered air defenses are, they are not hermetic. It has urged Israelis to heed Home Front Command instructions to take shelter in safe rooms and bomb shelters when incoming missile warnings are received.
In all, 13 people have been killed and hundreds have been wounded in missile impacts. All of those killed and seriously wounded were not in bomb shelters, according to the Home Front Command.
The scenes of devastation at the sites of impact are largely attributed to the large explosive warheads that the missiles carry. The military estimates that Iran’s ballistic missiles have a 500-kilogram (1,100-lb) warhead, the same kind it fired at Israel in April and October 2024.
However, unlike in the Iranian attacks in 2024, which mostly targeted the Nevatim Airbase in the Negev desert — a sparsely populated area — the latest barrages have focused on the Gush Dan area in central Israel, and to a lesser degree the Haifa area in the north, which are far more densely populated. This means that missiles that are not intercepted are more likely to cause harm.
The military says that all of its bases, including air bases, are operating as usual with no harm to their functionality.
Dozens of drones launched from Iran have also been shot down by the Israeli Air Force and Navy.
Rescue officials say that four of the seven people reported missing after the deadly Iranian missile strike on a Bat Yam apartment building have been found in hospitals.
Searches are ongoing for another three people.
Six people were killed in the strike and dozens wounded.
Former IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari is returning to the Spokespersons Unit to help out amid the conflict with Iran, Walla news reports.
The IDF confirms the report, saying that “Hagari is assisting the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, like many reservists who were called up following the launch of the operation, at the request of the IDF Spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.”
Walla says Hagari will head a central command center in the Spokesperson’s Unit.
Hagari, who was extremely popular, was reportedly forced out of the army after criticizing political leaders
Civilians who were inside bomb shelters in the building in Bat Yam that was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile this morning were unharmed, a Home Front Command search and rescue official says.
Each floor in the apartment building has a shared safe room for the use of residents of that floor, and the building also has an underground shelter.
The missile, which carried a warhead of hundreds of kilograms, struck the building directly, killing at least six people and wounding nearly 200. Seven people are still feared missing. Part of the building collapsed.
According to the Home Front Command official, everyone who was in shelters was unharmed, while all of the casualties were outside of the shelters.
The military has routinely emphasized that, as good as Israel’s multi-layered air defenses are, they are not hermetic. It has urged Israelis to heed Home Front Command instructions to take shelter in safe rooms and bomb shelters when incoming missile warnings are received.
A drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over the Arava area in southern Israel a short while ago, after sirens sounded in several towns.
The drone was apparently launched from Iran.
Pipelines and transmission lines between facilities in the Bazan oil refinery complex in the northern city of Haifa sustained localized damage during the night’s missile attack from Iran, the company reports to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
There are no reports of casualties.
The company says refining activities continue, although other facilities on the site have shut down. It adds that it is examining the impact on its operations and the return of the shuttered facilities to activity.
It makes no mention of a possible environmental impact on Haifa residents.
The greater Haifa area was targeted with some 40 missiles overnight, and one projectile struck a home in the nearby town of Tamra, killing four civilians.
Authorities cautions stranded Israelis against proactively traveling to Larnaca or Athens as they seek gateways to return home, emphasizing that Israeli airspace remains closed for takeoffs and landings until further notice.
“There is no recommendation for Israelis staying abroad to travel to Larnaca or Athens at this stage, intending to board a flight back to Israel from there,” the Israel Airport Authority says. “Even when the security establishment allows the resumption of flights, the rate of flights will be limited to minimize risks and maintain the safety of passengers and aircraft.”
“Passengers can expect to wait for days until a return flight is actually possible,” the airport authority says.
The authority is asking Israelis stranded abroad to “act responsibly, to wait for official updates.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that the attacks on Israel will end once Israel halts its military campaign against the Islamic Republic.
“We are defending ourselves; our defense is entirely legitimate,” says Araghchi in a meeting with foreign diplomats, adding that “this defense is our response to aggression. If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop.”
Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel Saturdaynight and early Sunday, with many targeting civilian areas. At least 10 Israelis were killed in overnight strikes.
The foreign minister said the Israeli strikes on the offshore South Pars gas field Iran shares with Qatar were “a blatant aggression and a very dangerous act.”
“Dragging the conflict to the Persian Gulf is a strategic mistake, and its aim is to drag the war beyond Iranian territory,” he says.
The foreign minister accuses Israel of seeking to sabotage ongoing Iran-US nuclear talks, which according to him could have opened the way for an agreement. Tehran was set to present a proposal this Sunday during a now-canceled sixth round of talks.
“Israel’s attack would never have happened without the green light and support,” Araghchi says, adding Tehran does not believe American statements that Washington had taken no part in recent attacks.
“It is necessary for the United States to condemn Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if they want to prove their goodwill.”
President Isaac Herzog speaks by phone to Tamra Mayor Musa Abu Rumi, Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot and Rehovot Mayor Matan Dil.
All three cities suffered casualties yesterday as the result of direct strikes from Iranian missiles, including four deaths in Tamra and six in Bat Yam.
Herzog emphasizes the importance of protecting every citizen in Israel, according to his office.
In his conversation with Abu Rumi, Herzog says: “I wish to strengthen you. The Khatib family and all the residents of Tamra are sisters and brothers, citizens of the country, who were slaughtered in a brutal barrage of missiles.”
“The destruction is very extensive,” says Abu Rumi. “There are many homes that were damaged, but fortunately there were no serious injuries to these homes. We have about 40 injured, but not seriously and not life-threatening.”
“The street is already starting to return to normal,” says Dil. “We are now working to clean up and get life back on track as quickly as possible. It is important for us to give strong support to the IDF and our country.”
After the IDF warned Iranians to evacuate military facilities in Iran, Defense Minister Israel Katz says the military “will strike the sites and continue to peel the skin off the Iranian snake in Tehran and everywhere, stripping it of nuclear capabilities and weapons systems.”
“The Iranian dictator is turning Tehran into Beirut and its residents into hostages for the sake of his regime’s survival,” he adds.
Iran launched some 80 ballistic missiles at Israel overnight in two barrages, according to the IDF’s latest estimates.
In the first barrage of some 40 missiles toward northern Israel, one projectile struck a home in the town of Tamra, killing four civilians.
In the second barrage of some 35 missiles on central Israel, one projectile struck Bat Yam, killing at least six civilians and wounding nearly 200, and another struck Rehovot, wounding another 40 people.
Shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange plunge amid waves of strikes against Iran and its nuclear program.
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-125 index drops 2%. The TA-35 index of blue-chip companies is down 2.1%. The TA-90 index, which tracks the shares with the highest capitalization not included in the TA-35 index, falls 1.4%, and the TA-Insurance and Financial Services index dives 3.5%.
The shekel depreciated more than 1% on Friday, trading at around NIS 3.61 per dollar.
Early Friday, Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile factories at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran, which vows to destroy Israel, from building nuclear weapons. In response, Iran launched major barrages of hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend.
The IDF Home Front Command estimates that it will take at least a day to complete scans at the scene of the Iranian ballistic missile impact in Bat Yam.
Six people were killed and nearly 200 were wounded after a ballistic missile struck a building, partially collapsing it.
The Home Front Command search and rescue forces are continuing to search the area for those possibly trapped under the rubble, it says.
Seven people are still feared missing.
Israel’s airspace remains closed for landings and takeoffs at Ben Gurion Airport, the airport authority says.
Any announcement of its reopening will give six hours’ advance notice, the Israel Airport Authority says in a statement.
The Israel Airport Authority states that it is collaborating with Israeli airlines on a systematic plan prepared by the Transportation and Road Safety Ministry and the Israel Civil Aviation Authority to bring back Israelis stranded abroad.
“All air crews and aircraft are ready for action as soon as this becomes possible,” the airport authority says. “However, this may take a long time, depending on the security situation.”
“A decision on the return of flights to Israel will only be made when we know that it is safe,” the authority says.
Land border crossings to Jordan and Sinai are open for business and passenger traffic.
The National Unity party comes out against a video circulating on social media that shows a Jewish family cheering as Iranian ballistic missiles fall in the Arab Israeli city of Tamra.
“Tonight we witnessed a video circulating online in which Israelis can be heard cheering at the sight of missiles falling on an Arab community in the north. We say clearly and unequivocally: This is not our way,” the party says in a statement.
“Throughout the long months of war, Arab society expressed solidarity and demonstrated full partnership in the war effort at the front and in the home front. This morning, we all send condolences to the families of the murdered and pray for the safety and security of all citizens of Israel,” the party says.
One missile impacted in Tamra, an Arab city east of Haifa, killing four people.
“On the village, on the village!” a man can be heard shouting in the clip.
He and others then break into singing the anti-Arab phrase “May your village burn,” clapping their hands as missiles rain down on the neighboring city.
Germany, France and Britain are ready to hold immediate talks with Iran over its nuclear program in a bid to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says.
Wadephul, who is on a visit to the Middle East, says he is trying to contribute toward a de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, and notes Tehran previously failed to take the opportunity to enter into constructive talks.
“I hope that’s still possible,” Wadephul tells German public broadcaster ARD. “Germany, together with France and Britain are ready. We’re offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear program. I hope (the offer) is accepted.”
“This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict — that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the State of Israel or to Europe.”
Regional police commander Daniel Hadad says that there are currently seven people missing at the scene of the missile strike in Bat Yam.
Hadad tells reporters that so far, the death toll at the scene is currently at six, with 180 people wounded.
“Our main effort at the moment is to find the missing and to coordinate between reports of those who are missing,” Hadad says, adding that police are setting up a hotline for the public.
The public should dial 105 if they have concerns about missing people or a dangerous situation.
“There is great destruction here, lots of rubble and debris that has to be lifted to find the missing,” Hadad says, adding that several buildings were damaged by a missile with a very large warhead.
“This could take days,” he says, noting that local authorities were also working to help the hundreds of people who have been made homeless.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claim to have launched two ballistic missiles at Israel in the past day in coordination with Iran, targeting “sensitive Israeli enemy targets” in the Tel Aviv area.
Despite the claims, military officials tell The Times of Israel that the IDF is unaware of any ballistic missile fire from Yemen in the previous 24 hours.
A missile launched by the Houthis on Friday hit a Palestinian town in the West Bank, wounding several people. The group did not take responsibility for the launch.
Contrary to claims by Iran, Israeli military officials say the missiles launched at Israel by Iran are not maneuverable.
The Iranian Fars news agency claimed this morning that Israel was hit by the “Haj Qassem guided ballistic missile,” which Iran unveiled in May and said was equipped with a maneuverable warhead.
According to IDF officials, the missiles launched by Iran in the past two days have been similar to those fired at Israel in April and October 2024.
The military has previously said that Iran does not possess “hypersonic missiles,” and the missiles launched at the country are not maneuverable.
A military official tells The Times of Israel that Iran’s missiles are “not something we don’t know how to intercept.”
In the past hour, seven drones launched at Israel were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force and Israeli Navy, the military says.
The drones were all apparently launched from Iran.
The IDF releases footage showing one of the interceptions by a Navy missile boat.
In the past hour, seven drones launched at Israel were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force and Israeli Navy, the military says.
The drones were all apparently launched from Iran. pic.twitter.com/2oCBjnfNzO
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 15, 2025
Two bodies were recovered by rescuers from under the rubble of the building that was hit by an Iranian ballistic missile in Bat Yam, first responders say.
This brings the death toll in the missile strike to six.
Some 20 people are still feared missing.
Overnight, the Israeli Air Force identified and struck several ballistic missile launchers in Iran, the military says, attaching footage of the strikes.
In the last hour, another wave of strikes was carried out in western Iran, targeting infrastructure used to store and launch ballistic missiles, the IDF adds.
במהלך הלילה: זוהו והותקפו משגרי טילים באיראן – חיל האוויר השלים בשעה האחרונה גל תקיפה נוסף במערב איראן לעבר תשתיות לאחסון ולשיגור טילים pic.twitter.com/CLB5ciRYVp
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 15, 2025
The chief of the IDF Home Front Command, Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo says the deadly missile impact in Bat Yam “is a reminder of how important it is to follow the Home Front Command guidelines.”
Four people were killed and dozens wounded in Bat Yam, where a missile hit an apartment building. Some 20 people are still feared missing.
He says that in Rehovot, where another Iranian missile hit, “we managed to rescue a survivor from under the rubble.”
The Magen David Adom rescue service says 40 people were injured in that strike.
“Difficult days lie ahead, but we are determined. We have the spirit, the strength to act together with you, to protect you, and to continue saving lives,” Milo adds.
President Isaac Herzog mourns the Israelis killed in Iranian missile strikes overnight, saying it was “a very sad and difficult morning.”
“Our sisters and brothers were murdered and injured last night by criminal Iranian attacks against the civilian population in Bat Yam, Tamra and other communities. Jews and Arabs, veteran citizens and new immigrants, including children and the elderly, women and men,” he says in a post on X.
“I share in the heavy mourning of the families and grieve the terrible loss. I pray for the recovery of the injured and to find the missing. We will mourn together. We will overcome together,” he says.
At least eight people were killed and dozens wounded in a series of strikes that hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv and at a home in the northern city of Tamra. Searches are ongoing for some 20 missing people in Bat Yam.
US President Donald Trump says that if Iran attacks the United States in any way, it will face the might of the US military “at levels never seen before.”
Trump says in a post on his Truth Social platform that the US had nothing to do with an attack on Iran overnight and that “we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!”
Suspected drone infiltration sirens now sound in Nazareth and nearby towns in northern Israel.
Sirens were activated earlier in the Beit She’an area, close to the Jordan border, and crept westward.
The IDF says it is investigating.
Soldiers of the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade continue to operate at the site of an Iranian ballistic missile impact in Bat Yam, the military says.
Daylight reveals a much clearer image of the impact site in Bat Yam, to the south of Tel-Aviv, where the death toll currently sits at 4 and the injuries at over 200, while around 35 are believed to still be missing beneath the rubble. Search-and-rescue teams with IDF Homefront… pic.twitter.com/ZzC6XB3BMN
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 15, 2025
The strike killed four people and wounded over 100.
Currently, some 20 people are still feared missing.
An IDF soldier was killed during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.
He is named as Sgt. First Class (res.) Noam Shemesh, 21, a squad commander in the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion, from Jerusalem.
Shemesh was killed by RPG fire in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, according to an initial IDF probe.
A drone infiltration siren is sounding in Beit She’an and several nearby towns in northern Israel, close to the border with Jordan.
The IDF says it is investigating.
Wolfson Medical Center in Holon says 65 injured have been admitted after the latest barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran. Five are in critical condition, seven moderate and the rest lightly hurt.
Shamir Medical Center in Be’er Ya’akov says it is treating 28 people. One is in critical condition, one is moderate, and 20 are lightly injured. Six people are being treated for anxiety.
Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer reports that 37 people with light to moderate injuries are being treated.
Assuta Medical Center in Ashdod says five people are being treated — one in critical condition and four in moderate condition.
The conflict with Iran will take “weeks, not days,” according to American and Israeli officials quoted by CNN.
The officials say the operation has the White House’s implicit approval, with an Israeli official cited as saying the US president is on board with the weeks-long timeframe.
“The Trump administration firmly believes this can be solved by continuing negotiations with the US,” with the exact length of the conflict dependent on Iran’s actions, a US official is quoted as saying.
An Israeli Air Force female combat navigator who took part in this weekend’s unprecedented airstrikes on Iran says it was a historic and emotional mission aimed at neutralizing a major threat to Israel.
“I felt the responsibility in the cockpit to remove a real and existential threat to the State of Israel,” says Maj. Shin, identified only by the first Hebrew initial of her name, in rare public remarks for a female member of an IAF air crew.
“We’re doing this for the peace of tomorrow. For our home. That is our mission,” she adds.
Maj. Shin flew over 1,500 kilometers (about 1,000 miles) from Israel in what she describes as a “complex and powerful aerial operation designed to ensure that our children will have a better and safer future.”
A Magen David Adom spokesman says one man is alive under the rubble at the site of a missile strike in Rehovot.
Rescuers are working to extract him.
Channel 12 news reports that he is alive and in good condition.
The body of an 8-year-old girl has been recovered from the rubble at the scene of a missile strike in Bat Yam, rescue services say, bringing the death toll there to four.
A Magen David Adom spokesman speaking to Channel 12 news puts the number of injured in overnight missile barrages from Iran at around 200.
According to assessments reported in Hebrew media, some 35 people are still considered missing after a missile strike on a residential building in Bat Yam.
Rescuers are racing against time to extract the missing amid fears that the building could collapse.
Ichilov Medical Center reports that 25 people, including one baby, arrived at the hospital after the latest barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran.
Three are in moderate condition, and the rest in good condition.
The hospital has opened a hotline for families to locate victims: 125-5133.
The four victims of the missile impact earlier tonight on a building in the city of Tamra in the north are all women from the same family, according to Hebrew media reports.
The women are named as Manar Khatib and her two daughters, Hala, 20, and Shada, 13, as well as another relative, also named Manar Khatib.
נשבר הלב. מרוסק.
ומי אתם, אנשים מתועבים, ששמחים במותן, שרוקדים על דמן?
תסתכלו עליהן, במה אתם טובים מהן, אנשים חשוכים? במה?תושבי טמרה, אחים שלנו היקרים,
מחבקת אתכם ושולחת ניחומים בשם כל מי ששפוי במדינה הזאת.
כולי תקווה שזה הרוב.
איתכם, אחים, בלילה הנורא הזה.
💔 pic.twitter.com/B6PCEL7G1O— (AKA שני הדר) אלה צביאלי🎗 (@tsviella) June 15, 2025
A building belonging to the Weizmann Institute for Science in Rehovot was reportedly damaged in the latest barrage of missiles from Iran.
According to The New York Times, citing images shared with the newspaper, there was a fire in “at least one building containing laboratories.”
There are concerns that people may be trapped inside, according to Hebrew media reports.
Three people have been confirmed dead after a missile fired by Iran struck a building in Bat Yam earlier this morning, police say.
Those killed are a woman aged 80, another woman aged 69 and a 10-year-old boy, according to Magen David Adom.
According to first responders, more than 130 people in total were wounded in the two impact sites in both Bat Yam and Rehovot, including a number who were seriously injured.
The building in Bat Yam is in danger of collapsing, say first responders.
Sirens sound in Ezuz, a small town in the south near the border with Egypt, warning of a possible drone infiltration.
A number of sirens sounded earlier tonight in the Eilat area as well as in the Jordan Valley area amid drone infiltrations.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service updates the number of those wounded in the latest Iranian missile attack to at least 93, in addition to the woman who was killed in the barrage.
MDA says that 65 people were wounded in the missile impact in Bat Yam, with three seriously wounded and five moderately wounded.
In Rehovot, at least 28 people were wounded, including two seriously and seven moderately, the ambulance service reports.
The IDF publishes video showing Israeli Air Force combat helicopters intercepting drones launched from Iran overnight.
“Alpha on target – hit,” the pilot can be heard saying in the clip.
The Rambam Medical Center in Haifa says that it is treating 13 people wounded in the latest round of ballistic missile fire from Iran who are in moderate and mild condition, and eight other people suffering from anxiety.
Ichilov Medical Center says five injured people have been evacuated there from the latest barrage of ballistic missile fire from Iran, one in moderate condition and four in mild condition.
At least one person was killed and at least 30 people were wounded in the latest round of ballistic missile fire from Iran, the Magen David Adom emergency service says.
In Bat Yam, MDA reports one person killed — a woman aged about 60 — one seriously wounded, two moderately wounded and some 17 lightly wounded.
In Rehovot, two people are reported seriously wounded, four moderately wounded and one lightly wounded, according to first responders.
Impacts were also reported in Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, but information on the wounded is not yet clear.
The IDF lifts its instruction to Israelis to remain near bomb shelters following the latest barrage of rockets from both Iran and Yemen.
Sirens sounded across most of the central Israel including Tel Aviv, Ashdod and parts of Jerusalem. A number of impacts were reported.
Meanwhile sirens are still sounding in area of the north amid a drone attack. It is not immediately clear where the drone originated.
Initial reports in Hebrew media indicate a number of missile or shrapnel impacts in central Israel following the latest barrage from Iran.
First responders say they are responding to reports of impacts in a number of locations, including major damage on a building in Bat Yam.
Magen David Adom says there are a number of moderately and lightly injured people in Bat Yam, and first responders are still searching the building.
Initial reports from the Fire and Rescue Services also indicate a possible direct impact on a building in Rehovot, an impact in Tel Aviv and in a mall in the central town of Kiryat Ekron.
The death toll in an Iranian missile strike that hit the city of Tamra, near Haifa, has risen from three to four, according to Hebrew media reports.
All the fatalities are reportedly female members of the Khatib family.
Fresh sirens are sounding in Tel Aviv and the surrounding area following a missile launched from Yemen, the military says.
The sirens come just minutes after a barrage of missiles from Iran sent millions of Israelis to shelter.
The IDF issues an update saying that Israeli jets completed “an extensive series of strikes on targets in Tehran related to the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons project,” confirming striking fuel depots in the country.
According to the military, the targets included the Iranian Defense Ministry headquarters as well as the “headquarters of the SPND nuclear project, and additional targets, which advanced the Iranian regime’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon and where the Iranian regime hid its nuclear archive.”
Sirens are sounding across Tel Aviv, much of central Israel, Ashdod and parts of Jerusalem following a barrage of missiles fired from Iran.
Earlier the IDF said it had identified a barrage fired from Tehran, instructing people to seek shelter.
Upon hearing a siren, Israelis are told to remain in their shelters until further notice.
The IDF warns that Iran has launched an incoming missile attack toward Israel, telling people to enter their shelters when sirens sound and listen to Home Front Command guidelines.
Air defenses are working to shoot down the threat, the IDF says.
Sirens are expected to sound in parts of the north and center of the country soon.
