Israel-Iran attacks live: Latest news and reactions from the conflict today, Friday, June 20
The Israeli Air Force confirmed it attacked Tehran, the Iranian capital, with 60 manned warplanes aimed at destroying military industrial plants and missile engine raw material production plants. “More than 60 Air Force fighter jets attacked dozens of military targets in the heart of Tehran last night (Thursday) using approximately 120 munitions,” the Air Force said in a statement.
"Military industrial plants for the production of missile components and raw material production plants for missile engine casting were attacked. These facilities, built over years, constituted the industrial center of gravity of Iran's Ministry of Defense and Nuclear Affairs," they explained.
In addition, Spand's headquarters in Tehran, "which is used for research and development of advanced technologies and weapons for the Iranian regime's military capabilities," was attacked.
Various Iranian media reported at least ten deaths in the Israeli nighttime attack.
Through its official X accounts, Israel reported that “in recent days, warplanes have attacked Iranian missile and radar systems in the areas of Isfahan and Tehran, which were aimed at damaging IDF aircraft and preventing their attacks.”
According to the Times of Israel, Australia has ordered all its officials and their dependents to leave Iran and suspended operations of its embassy in Tehran, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said at a press conference in Adelaide.
"This is not a decision taken lightly. It's a decision based on the deteriorating security situation in Iran," he said.
Through one of the multiple X accounts attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Ayatollah shared a strong message against the Israeli state, amid the escalating war between the two countries. " The Zionist enemy is being punished. It is being punished right now ," he posted.
According to Haaretz , five people were "lightly injured" after an Iranian missile struck Beer Sheva. Paramedics reportedly treated the victims on-site for blast injuries, smoke inhalation, and anxiety-related injuries before evacuating them to Soroka Medical Center.
By BBC Mundo
Israel and Iran have been engaged in an intense exchange of drone and missile attacks for a week, with unpredictable consequences.
What is noteworthy in this situation is the fact that, while Israeli missiles almost always hit their target, most Iranian missiles are intercepted in the air by Israel's advanced defense system composed of the Iron Dome and its complementary modules: the David's Sling and the Arrow 2 and 3 family of ballistic missiles.
This week, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at various locations in Israel.
Iranian authorities have appointed Majid Khademi as the new head of intelligence for the Revolutionary Guard, following the deaths of the previous leader, Mohamed Kazemi, and his deputy, Hassan Mohaqeq.
“In the few years that our martyred generals Kazemi and Mohaqeq were in charge of IRGC intelligence, we witnessed very positive growth in all aspects of IRGC intelligence,” Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Pakpur said, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA.
Kazemi and Mohaqeq were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Tehran last Sunday, when an Israeli military attack on the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard Intelligence, or Pasdaran, in the Iranian capital destroyed the premises.
Jademi's appointment as the new head of the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence follows that of Pakpur's own successor as commander of the corps' Ground Forces, Mohamed Karami, after the current Revolutionary Guard leader replaced his predecessor, Hosein Salami, who was also killed in an Israeli airstrike.
By BBC Mundo
In an exclusive interview with BBC journalist Lyse Doucet, Saeed Khatibzadeh said that if the US enters the war between Israel and Iran, there will be “hell in the whole region,” adding that if President Donald Trump decides to intervene directly in the conflict, he will be remembered for having participated in “a war that was not his . ”
Trump announced Thursday that he will decide within the next two weeks whether his country will become directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran, the White House reported.
More than 270 people were injured in Israel after Iran fired a series of missiles on Thursday, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.
Violence against children caught up in various conflicts reached "unprecedented levels" last year, with the highest number of rapes reported in Gaza and the West Bank, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti, according to a UN report released Thursday night.
Secretary-General António Guterres ’ annual report on Children in Armed Conflict detailed “a shocking 25% increase in grave violations” against children under 18 since 2023, when the number of such violations increased by 21%.
In 2024, the UN chief declared: “Children have borne the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks, and have been affected by the disregard for ceasefires and peace agreements, and by deepening humanitarian crises.”
The United Nations verified 41,370 grave violations against children: 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 committed earlier but verified last year. The violations include the murder, mutilation, recruitment and abduction of children, sexual violence against them, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denying young people access to humanitarian aid.
The UN kept Israeli forces on its blacklist of countries that violate children's rights for a second year, citing 7,188 verified grave violations committed by its military, including the killing of 1,259 Palestinian children and the injury of 941 more in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry has reported much higher figures, but the UN has strict criteria and noted that its verification process is ongoing.
Explosions were heard in the industrial town of Safidrood, near the northwestern Iranian city of Kolesh Taleshan , Al Jazeera reported. Israel had ordered people in the area to evacuate.
As reported by The Guardian via AFP reporters, amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, the Israeli state continues its offensive against Gaza and in the last 24 hours has killed 72 people , including 21 who had gathered near food distribution sites set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there was a "window" to "reach a diplomatic solution" with Iran , following a meeting at the White House on Thursday with his US counterpart Marco Rubio.
Lammy met in Washington with Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff , a day before traveling to Geneva to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi , along with his French, German and European Union counterparts.
"We discussed the need for Iran to sign an agreement to avoid escalating the conflict. There is now a window in the next two weeks to reach a diplomatic solution," Lammy said in a statement issued by the British Embassy in Washington after the talks, according to AFP .
The Salvadoran Public Ministry reported on Thursday that it handed over to Israeli authorities citizen Eluzur Rumpler, leader of the ultra-Orthodox group Lev Tahor, who is wanted in his home country for child abuse .
Rumpler was handed over to Israel on Wednesday, where he is charged with child abuse and violence against minors and the homeless , as well as violating the law, AP reported.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric today unequivocally condemned the escalation of military attacks between Israel and Iran and charged that "wars always end up being paid for by the innocent."
“Israel attacks Iran, Iran attacks Israel. Civilians are dying in Iran, civilians are dying in Israel. And civilians continue to die in Gaza. Today, an Iranian missile damaged a hospital in Israel and injured more than 40 people,” the president wrote on his X account.
Iran has appointed a new intelligence chief for the Revolutionary Guard Corps (Pasdaran) following the death of its predecessor in an Israeli attack last week.
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of the intelligence division , IRNA reported.
Pakpour replaces Mohammed Kazemi , who was killed Sunday along with two other Revolutionary Guard officers, Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri, in an Israeli attack.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for people in the industrial zone of the Kalash village of Taleshan in northern Iran. It warned it would launch attacks against what it described as military infrastructure. "Their presence in this area puts their lives at risk," a military source told CNN .
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