Israel conducted a series of assassinations of Iranian military figures this morning and launched attacks targeting multiple locations in Isfahan province, including the city’s crucial nuclear facility.
Isfahan’s Deputy Governor Akbar Salehi confirmed that the nuclear site in Isfahan was a primary target of the strikes, which triggered a response from Iran’s air defense systems.
Israel also claimed on Saturday that its forces carried out a targeted strike in western Iran that killed Behnam Shahriari, commander of the Combat Vehicle Transport Unit (Unit 190) of Iran’s Quds Force.
According to a statement from Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee, Shahriari was “eliminated” inside his vehicle.
Shahriari is the third high-ranking Iranian commander reported killed by Israeli forces in recent hours.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed the killing of Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in a strike on an apartment in the city of Qom.
The Israeli Air Force also claimed responsibility for the targeted killing of Amin Pour Joudaki, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Second Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Brigade.
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There has been no immediate confirmation or response from Iranian officials regarding the reports.
Also this morning, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi announced that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes has risen to 430, with more than 3,500 civilians wounded since the start of the attacks on June 13.
Iran has retaliated with coordinated drone and missile attacks on Israeli territory.
On the Israeli side, at least 25 people have been killed and more than 2,500 injured in Iranian strikes, according to figures released by Israeli authorities.
In Israel, sirens sounded on Saturday across the central part of the county as missile fire from Iran triggered alerts, according to the Israeli army.
Residents reported hearing explosions shortly after an Iranian missile struck a building in the Gush Dan area of Tel Aviv, according to an initial report by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Fire erupted on the roof of a three-story building in Holon following damage from intercepted missile fragments, the report said. Firefighters are working at the scene, and residents have evacuated the building. No injuries or trapped individuals have been reported.
According to Israeli media, an estimated five of the 10 Iranian missiles launched were intercepted.
This comes after at least 55 people were injured in an Iranian missile attack on the northern Israeli city of Haifa yesterday.
At least 55 people were wounded from blast and shrapnel, including three in serious condition, the Israeli Channel 12 said.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav arrived at the impact site and said: “I am very depressed. Two strategic points were hit by the Iranians,” reported the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
For its part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that they hit a range of Israeli targets, including military centres, defence industries, command and control centres and the Nevatim and Hatzerim air bases, the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected the assessment of his intelligence community that Iran is not developing a nuclear weapon, directly dismissing testimony by his director of national intelligence.
“Then my intelligence community is wrong. Why would the intelligence community say that?” Trump told reporters when asked about the official U.S. position that Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon.
When the reporter responded that it was Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, who explained that position, Trump shot back: “She’s wrong.”
The president was responding to congressional testimony from Gabbard, who told lawmakers in March that the intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
“The IC continues to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program,” she said, using an acronym for the U.S. intelligence community.
And in Geneva, top European diplomats stressed the urgency of continued dialogue with Iran following talks aimed at de-escalating regional tensions and reviving negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his counterparts from the UK, France, and Germany as well as Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief.
Speaking after the meeting, Kallas said the talks made clear that “regional escalation benefits no one,” underlining the need to maintain open channels with Tehran.
“We agreed that we will discuss nuclear but also broader issues that we have, and keep the discussions open” to make progress, she said.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy gave a similar message, urging Tehran to remain at the table.
“We are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States,” he said. “This is a perilous moment, and it is hugely important that we don’t see regional escalation of this conflict.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that the initiative had been closely coordinated with key allies and could lay the groundwork for broader negotiations.
“We believe that this diplomatic initiative should pave the way for negotiations,” Barrot said. “And we came here after closely coordinating – our colleagues have said it – with our American, Israeli, and regional partners. The Iranian foreign minister expressed his willingness, and we expect Iran to open up to discussion, including with the United States, in order to reach a negotiated settlement through dialogue for this crisis, which carries risks not only for the Middle East region but also for Europe.”
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the foreign ministers of the E3 – France, Germany, and the UK – and the EU foreign policy chief reiterated their “strong commitment to the security of Israel” and called on all parties to avoid steps that could deepen the regional crisis.
They said Iran’s nuclear program “has no credible civilian purpose” and urged Tehran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing its latest report.
The group also welcomed US efforts to pursue a negotiated solution and expressed readiness to meet again.
In a separate media appearance after the talks, Araghchi said Iran’s defence capabilities “are not negotiable.”
“Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again once the aggression stops and the aggressor (is) held accountable,” he said, referring to Israel.
He also voiced concern about the E3 and the EU not having condemned the attacks on Iran.
“We support continuation of discussions with E3 and EU and (we) express our readiness to meet again in the near future,” he said.
