A destroyed building at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Ramat Gan in central Israel
The Iran Military has confirmed in a statement on Telegram that it has begun a "new round of combined missile and drone attacks" on military sites in Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Here are the latest developments:
- The White House said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump will decide whether to get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."
- The Iran Military has confirmed in a statement on Telegram that it has begun a "new round of combined missile and drone attacks" on military sites in Haifa and Tel Aviv. "An escalatory and impact-focused trajectory of missile operations targeting military and military-industrial sites remains on the agenda," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said.
- The Israeli military has said Iran used at least one missile with multiple warheads, posing a new challenge to its defences, per the Associated Press. While descending, the missile warhead splits, posing a threat to a much wider area than other ballistic missile warheads. A submunition was found in central Israel, according to the IDF. On Thursday, IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, said that Iran had launched more than 450 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel. He also added that Israel had destroyed about two-thirds of Iran's missile launchers.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "all of Israel is paying a price" for the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, as he visited the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva which was attacked by Iran with a ballistic missile. Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that they had targeted an Israeli intelligence and command centre "near a hospital".
- Russia warned Israel against striking Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, saying "it will be a catastrophe comparable to Chernobyl..." Russia has helped build Iran's only operating nuclear power plant and some of the workers there are Russian. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry said that the Kremlin is "particularly concerned about the safety of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which employs Russian specialists."
- On Friday, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi will meet European representatives from three countries for talks in Geneva, Switzerland, Iran's state-run news agency IRNA reported. According to CNN, the foreign office said that the meeting will allow "continued engagement with our greatest ally".
- Soroka Medical Centre, a major hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva was extensively damaged in Iranian strikes. After the attack, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to "intensify strikes against strategic targets" in Iran, in order to "destabilise the Ayatollahs' regime", apart from removing other threats.
- The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran has confirmed the attack in Arak, per Al Jazeera. "In continued violation of international laws that explicitly prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities, the Zionist enemy launched an assault this morning targeting the Shahid Khondab heavy water complex and its research reactor," the organisation stated. The organisation futher clarified that since the facility was not operational, there would be "no radiological effects".
- During a visit to the Soroka Medical Centre in Beer Sheva, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that the US is "already helping a lot" in its conflict against Iran. He told CNN, "They're participating in the protection of the skies over Israel and its cities. I think it's a remarkable cooperation."
- Per Reuters, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi have spoken several times to find a diplomatic end to the conflict since the commencement of the attacks last week. Aragchi said that Iran will not return to negotiations till Israel stops attacking. A diplomat close to Tehran also said that the foreign minister told Witkoff that they "could show flexibility in the nuclear issue" if the US pressures Israel to end the war.
