Iran-Israel LIVE News Updates: The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had carried out overnight strikes on Iran, targeting a nuclear reactor near Arak and a site near Natanz that it described as a nuclear weapons development facility. Israel also struck near Iran’s Khondab heavy-water research facility, previously known as the Arak reactor and part of its nuclear programme, ISNA reported. Meanwhile, Iran launched a missile barrage that hit a medical building in Israel and damaged nearby apartment blocks, AP reported. Rescuers said it was a “direct hit,” though there were no immediate reports of casualties. In a separate event, around 100 Indian students evacuated from Iran arrived in Delhi Thursday morning under Operation Sindhu.
Death toll: According to AP, Israel’s air campaign has targeted several nuclear and military sites, killing senior generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group reported that at least 639 people have been killed in Iran, including 263 civilians, and over 1,300 injured. In retaliation, Iran has launched around 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds.
Trump remains undecided: US President Donald Trump has kept the world guessing about whether the United States will join Israel’s offensive against Iran, saying, “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.” He also claimed Iranian officials wanted to talk but added, “It’s a little late.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “progressing step by step” in dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure and thanked Trump for his support. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei rejected Trump’s call for surrender, warning that “any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iran foreign minister to attend OIC meet in Turkey on Saturday, source says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is expected to attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Saturday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Thursday, as war rages between Israel and Iran. The source said a special session of the 51st OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to focus on Israel’s recent strikes against Iran, including Thursday’s attack on the Khondab nuclear site in Arak.
The Israeli military said it targeted a partially built heavy-water reactor at the site, which experts say could produce weapons-grade plutonium. Turkey has sharply criticised Israel, called its actions illegal and said Iran was legitimately defending itself. Opening the two-day summit, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to call on Muslim countries to unite in the face of “destabilising actions” across the region, the ministry source said. President Tayyip Erdogan will also address the conference.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 57 member states, has long served as a political and diplomatic forum for Muslim countries.
Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Iranian official warns US against involvement in Israel-Iran conflict
Iran’s deputy foreign minister warned against any direct US involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran, saying Iran had “all the necessary options on the table”, in comments reported by Iranian state media on Thursday.
“If the US wants to actively intervene in support of Israel, Iran will have no other option but to use its tools to teach aggressors a lesson and defend itself… our military decision-makers have all necessary options on the table,” Kazem Gharibabadi said, according to state media. “Our recommendation to the US is to at least stand by if they do not wish to stop Israel’s aggression,” he said.
Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: At least 40 wounded in Iranian missile strikes across Israel
An Iranian missile hit Soroka Medical Center, the main hospital in southern Israel, early Thursday, causing extensive damage and injuring several, the hospital said. The emergency room remains operational only for life-threatening cases. Additional Iranian strikes hit a Tel Aviv high-rise and other central locations, wounding at least 40 people, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.