Image Source: Agencies

June 19, 2025: Israel on Thursday carried out overnight strikes on Iran, targeting a reactor near Arak, a facility near Natanz, and areas close to the Khondab heavy-water research site, which are part of Iran’s nuclear programme, according to ISNA. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles that struck a medical building in Israel, damaging nearby apartments, AP reported. Following the attack, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist,” accusing him of ordering strikes on hospitals and seeking Israel’s destruction, AFP reported. Meanwhile, around 100 Indian students evacuated from Iran arrived in Delhi under Operation Sindhu.
The Associated Press reports that Israel's air campaign has killed senior generals and nuclear scientists at a number of military and nuclear sites. 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 is aware of my actions. 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: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 'can no longer be allowed to exist' - Katz
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Israel Katz, Israel's defense minister, stated on Thursday that Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "can no longer be allowed to exist" following an Iranian missile strike on Soroka Hospital in southern Israel. Speaking to reporters in Holon, near Tel Aviv, Katz said:
“Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed – he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal,” adding,
“Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.”
Israel-Iran News LIVE Updates: Missile strikes skyscraper in Ramat Gan
A missile struck the base of a skyscraper on Jabotinsky Street in Ramat Gan, just east of central Tel Aviv and around 200 metres from the city’s diamond exchange.
Witnesses told the Guardian a local pizza takeaway absorbed the brunt of the impact, though nearby older apartment buildings also sustained significant damage. The blast shattered windows throughout the district.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. After nearly a week of war, many residents had grown used to scrambling for shelter at the sound of incoming fire.
Hezbollah entering the war would be a bad decision
A top US official visiting Beirut on Thursday warned the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah against entering the ongoing war between Iran and Israel, calling such a move a “very, very, very bad decision.”
Thomas Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey, met with Lebanese officials in the capital as tensions escalated in the region following days of Israeli and Iranian strikes. The United States of America has maintained its pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and limit its influence. Speaking after a meeting with Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a longtime Hezbollah ally, Barrack said: “I can say on behalf of President Trump—who has been very clear, as has Special Envoy Steve Witkoff—that would be a very, very, very bad decision,” when asked what the US response might be if Hezbollah entered the conflict.
Iran claims that the United Nations nuclear watchdog is a "partner" in Israel's "war of aggression." Iran on Thursday sharply criticised the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, accusing it of siding with Israel amid the ongoing conflict between the two nations.
In a fiery statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei lashed out at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing it of bias and complicity in what he called Israel’s “war of aggression”.
Just prior to the start of the Iran-Israeli war, the IAEA published a report that claimed Iran was not complying with its nuclear obligations. This led to the accusation. In a post that was blunt and direct, Baqaei addressed IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on X, which was previously Twitter. “Misleading narratives have dire consequences, Mr. Grossi, and demand accountability,” he wrote.
“You betrayed the non-proliferation regime; You’ve made IAEA a partner to this unjust war of aggression.”
Kremlin warns US against intervening in Iran-Israel conflict, calls it a 'terrible spiral of escalation'
According to Interfax (IFX), the Kremlin has warned that any US intervention in the Iran-Israel conflict would trigger yet another "terrible spiral of escalation." Iran accuses IAEA chief of siding with Israel in 'unjust war'
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Director Rafael Grossi has “betrayed” the nuclear non-proliferation regime and made the IAEA “a partner to an unjust war of aggression” by Israel, according to a statement on X.
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.
Experts believe that the site's partially constructed heavy-water reactor, which could produce plutonium suitable for use in weapons, was the target of the Israeli military's claim. 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. The conference will also be addressed by President Tayyip Erdogan. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 57 member states, has long served as a political and diplomatic forum for Muslim countries.