No signs of détente between Iran and Israel

According to local media, at least two more people have been killed in recent Iranian missile attacks in Israel. A rocket hit a residential building in Rishon Lezion, south of Tel Aviv, according to the Times of Israel newspaper. In addition to the two fatalities, many others were injured. Air raid sirens were sounded in several parts of the country.

The armed forces stated that they had intercepted several drones. They had succeeded in significantly weakening Iranian air defenses, facilitating their own operations over the territory of the Islamic Republic. According to Palestinian sources, five people were injured by falling debris near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank .

Injured also in Jordan

Jordan also reported several injuries caused by debris. In the northern Jordanian city of Irbid, three people were hospitalized after an "unknown object" fell on their house, the General Directorate of National Security reported. Jordan was involved in defending against Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is holding his country's citizens hostage. They must pay a high price for the harm Iran inflicts on Israeli civilians. If the Islamic Republic continues to fire rockets at Israel , "Tehran will burn," Katz warned in a statement.

Attacks on densely populated areas

Iran had previously launched several waves of ballistic missile attacks against Israel. According to the Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom, at least 34 people were taken to hospitals after the first two waves of attacks, which hit the outskirts of the densely populated coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. A 60-year-old woman who was critically injured in these attacks has since died.

According to Iranian state media, an Israeli attack on a residential complex in Tehran killed approximately 60 people. Among the victims were children, it said. A hangar containing several fighter jets was hit at Mehrabad Airport near the capital.

The airport is located near important Iranian leadership centers and houses an air base. It is primarily used for domestic flights and serves as a base for the government's fleet. Imam Khomeini International Airport is located approximately 30 kilometers southwest of the capital.

Mullahs' military bases in the crosshairs

Impacts were also reported in the northwestern city of Tabriz and parts of the western regions of Lorestan, Hamedan, and Kermanshah. These areas contain important Iranian military bases.

While Iran claims to have shot down a modern Israeli fighter jet, Israel has not confirmed this. The aircraft was allegedly an F-35; the plane crashed in the west of the country, according to state radio. Iran had already reported the downing of several fighter jets on Friday. The Israeli military initially denied the reports.

However, the armed forces confirmed an incident in which seven Israeli soldiers were injured when a rocket hit the center of the country on Saturday night. They were taken to a hospital for medical treatment and then released home.

Meanwhile, Tehran announced the deaths of two more generals. Deputy Chief of the Intelligence Department of the General Staff, Gholamresa Mehrabi, and Deputy Chief of Operations Mehdi Rabani, fell victim to Israeli bombing. This brings the total number of confirmed deaths among the Iranian military leadership to eight.

Iran threatens Western powers with violence

According to several Iranian media reports, the leadership in Tehran threatened the United States , France , and Great Britain with military retaliation if they supported Israel in defending against Iranian missiles . Possible targets were mentioned as regional military bases of the countries as well as ships in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Friday night. According to Iranian UN Ambassador Amir Irawani, 78 people were killed and several hundred injured in the first wave of attacks.

The attacks targeted nuclear facilities and military installations. Senior military figures of the Islamic Republic, including the head of the powerful Revolutionary Guard, and several nuclear scientists were also killed.

Netanyahu calls on Iranians to overthrow the regime

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address that this was "one of the largest military operations" in his country's history, and that the attacks would continue in the coming days. At the same time, Netanyahu called on the Iranian people to rise up against the "evil and oppressive regime" in Tehran.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to exercise restraint. "Enough of the escalation. It's time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail," Guterres said.

US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also discussed the conflict. Both agreed on "the importance of diplomacy and dialogue," the government in London announced. Starmer also reiterated "the United Kingdom's grave concern about Iran's nuclear programs."

Pope Leo XIV called on the conflicting parties to show "responsibility and reason." The head of the Catholic Church also called for dialogue.

Israel: The clock is ticking

Israel justifies its attacks with Iran's advanced nuclear activities. Intelligence agencies have provided evidence that Tehran could enrich radioactive uranium to military levels and build a nuclear bomb "within a short period of time," it said. Iran denies any such intention.

At the end of May, however, a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was made public, according to which the Islamic Republic had significantly increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent in recent months. An enrichment level of approximately 90 percent is required to build nuclear weapons.

Delegations go around in circles

The United States and Iran have been negotiating over the nuclear program for about two months, but recently there has been no discernible progress. A new round of talks was originally scheduled for Sunday; whether it will take place is unclear. A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Tehran said the government no longer sees any point in the talks. There has been no official cancellation yet.

Israel has felt its very existence threatened by Iran for decades. The leadership in Tehran has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction.

Iran first attacked Israel directly from its territory with more than 300 rockets and drones in April 2024. The regime in Tehran also supports militant Islamist militias in the region that carry out attacks on Israel, including Hamas in the Gaza Strip , Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

jj/AR/wa (dpa, afp, rtr, ap)