Fresh hostilities erupted between Iran and Israel early Saturday, deepening a crisis that has already rattled regional stability and pushed diplomatic efforts to the brink. The escalation came just hours after Tehran ruled out any negotiations over its nuclear programme while under direct military threat.
Iranian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes had targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility—one of the country’s most significant sites—though no radioactive leaks were detected. Additional reports claimed that a strike on a building in Qom killed a 16-year-old and left two others injured.
A satellite image shows the Isfahan enrichment facility in Iran in this handout image dated June 14, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
In response, Israel confirmed it had launched a broad offensive on missile storage and launch infrastructure inside Iran. The Israeli military said the strikes were aimed at curbing what it describes as a growing nuclear threat.
People attend the Friday prayers, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 20, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Around 2:30 a.m. local time (2330 GMT Friday), air raid sirens sounded across central Israel, including Tel Aviv and parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, after warnings of incoming missile fire from Iran. Israel’s air defense systems were seen intercepting projectiles, lighting up the sky over Tel Aviv with explosions that echoed across the metropolitan area. No immediate casualties were reported.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, addressed the Security Council on Friday, stating that military operations would continue until “Iran’s nuclear threat is dismantled.” Iran’s envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, called for international intervention and voiced concern over reports that the United States could be drawn into the conflict.
Russia and China have both issued urgent appeals for restraint, warning that the conflict risks spiraling beyond control.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that while Iran remains open to discussions on limiting uranium enrichment, it will reject any deal that halts enrichment altogether—particularly under the current military pressure from Israel.
The latest attacks follow Israel’s initial strikes on June 13, launched on the basis of claims that Iran was nearing nuclear weapons capability. Tehran, which insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, retaliated with its own barrage of missiles and drones.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based group monitoring events in Iran, Israeli air raids have killed at least 639 people, including high-ranking military officials and nuclear scientists.
Iranian strikes have reportedly claimed the lives of 24 civilians in Israel. Reuters notes that these casualty figures have not been independently verified.
A Filipino migrant family gathers between rows of tents in an old nuclear shelter under Tel Aviv’s central bus station in the southern area of the city, recommissioned by Israeli volunteers Brothers and Sisters in Arms, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Eritrean asylum seeker Tisgiti, 43 years old, uses her crutches to move in an old reopened nuclear shelter under Tel Aviv’s central bus station in the southern area of the city, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
