Impact of Iran on resistance forces and people

The US-led Israeli aggression against Iran has imposed a complex landscape that will gradually become clearer. Iran has succeeded in preserving its sovereign gains, relying on a cohesive system of defensive strategies and indigenous capabilities that have exceeded the expectations of its enemies.

Despite the severe blows, and thanks to Iran’s military, security, diplomatic, and popular strength, Tehran has been able to show unprecedented deterrence that have inflicted unforeseen costs on its enemies.

This has been achieved through carefully considered operational performance that has efficiently confounded their calculations, while maintaining its constant readiness for any potential future surprise attack.

Tehran has avoided falling into the trap of depleting its strategic capabilities, which will establish more solid negotiating power in favor of the entire Axis of Resistance.

The legitimacy of the strategic vision of the Islamic Revolution, its institutions, and its alliances (not its arms, as the enemies promote) was strengthened, as it purified the Islamic popular consciousness and mood, which had been polluted by Western propaganda and fabricated nonsense.

The victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran compensated for the setbacks suffered by the peoples of West Asia, particularly after Egypt’s deviation from the resistance front and its subsequent normalization with the Zionist regime.

Over four decades since the blessed Islamic revolution, Iran has been able to shake the foundation of the illegitimate Zionist entity. Thus, the project of David Ben-Gurion, one of the colonial Israeli entity’s founders, has collapsed.

This imperialist project was based on forging strategic alliances with peripheral states (Iran and Turkey) in order to restrain the surrounding states (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt). 

Since the 1990s, despite the heavy toll of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, Tehran’s support for Hezbollah led to the May 2000 liberation, victory in the July 2006 war, and the successive victories of Gaza from 2008 to 2021, in addition to defeating the Takfiri project in 2017.

“A million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail. We must stop the Iranian attack on Israel,” Jay Sullivan, the US senator and AIPAC member, wrote on X, making no distinction between Iranians and the Arabs, even though the imperialist project tried hard to present them as opposites. 

What Tehran has established as a firm principle is that accepting the so-called “peace” concessions, as proven by the experiences of Egypt, the PLO, Jordan, and some Persian Gulf sheikhdoms, only breeds more humiliation, submission, and degradation.

Despite the events that have followed the Al Aqsa Flood Operation - including the ongoing attacks on Gaza and Lebanon – and the fall of Damascus, Tehran demonstrated the cohesion and resilience of the resistance project, which some had imagined had collapsed irretrievably.

Most importantly, Iran has demonstrated its institutional depth, structural cohesion, and extremely solid foundation.

What our enemies dub as an Iranian “project” has been evident to the Iranian people and the peoples of the region. It has also been evident to the herds of colonial settlers as Tehran succeeded in undermining the trust between them and their fragile entity that failed to provide them with security throughout occupied Palestine.

In Lebanon, Italy took over command of UNIFIL from Spain in the presence of the head of the committee supervising the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, US General Michael Lenny, who attended despite the warning from the US spy den (the embassy) in Beirut to “take strict security measures” for fear of being targeted. 

Since assuming his position, succeeding General Jasper Jeffers, Lenny will chair a meeting of the committee (which has been suspended since March 11) to review the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.

Given the continued Israeli occupation of tens of thousands of meters of lands along the southern border, including the five points, UNIFIL’s most difficult challenge is whether and how its mandate will be renewed at the end of next August.

This is in addition to its military and civilian personnel and equipment, the value of the general budget, and, most importantly, the extent of its powers, which have not yet been decided. The Lebanese government has been preoccupied with condemning the legitimate Iranian response against the American air base in Qatar, rather than pursuing the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army has arrested one of the most prominent ISIS leaders “following a series of security surveillance and monitoring operations”, seizing in his possession “a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, in addition to electronic devices and equipment for manufacturing drones.”

The Lebanese Army clarified in the statement that “the detainee had assumed leadership of the organization in Lebanon after the arrest of his predecessor (who was appointed as a Caliphate of Lebanon) along with a large number of terrorists.

Impact of Iran’s legendary resilience on the Resistance forces and people

 

 

Trump Blasts at Israel and Iran on Ceasefire Violations

What began as a high-profile diplomatic success is now unraveling, as US President Donald Trump openly criticized both Israel and Iran on Tuesday for violating the newly declared ceasefire. Speaking bluntly to the press, Trump said both countries have been fighting so long that “they don’t know what… they’re doing.”

The frustration comes after fresh violence erupted just hours into the ceasefire. Iran launched two missiles at northern Israel, prompting Defense Minister Israel Katz to authorize immediate retaliatory strikes on Tehran. In response, Trump expressed outrage over Israel’s rapid air assault, reportedly the most intense bombing campaign yet.

“I’m not happy with Israel,” Trump admitted. “You don’t go out in the first hour and drop everything you have on [them].” He added, “I gotta get Israel to calm down now,” before warning that the scale of the strikes exceeded anything previously witnessed.

While Trump insisted he was equally unhappy with Iran, his focus was on halting Israel’s response. He announced plans to travel to Israel to personally intervene and prevent the conflict from reigniting. “I’m gonna see if I can stop it,” he told reporters.

On social media, Trump doubled down, writing: “Israel is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect.”

Despite his demands, Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly held firm during a phone call with Trump, insisting that a retaliatory strike was still “necessary.”

Ultimately, Israeli officials agreed to scale back their response to a single target in Tehran a compromise that maintains deterrence while keeping diplomatic lines open.

Trump’s remarks come at a critical juncture. With the ceasefire already showing signs of collapse, and international attention focused on Jerusalem and Tehran, Israel continues to act within its right to defend itself while weighing the diplomatic costs of continued escalation.

 

Trump executing Netanyahu orders

In a commentary on Sunday, the Al Jazeera staff analyzed the history of Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in his first term as US president and up to the current days that the two have joined hands against Iran.

The following is an excerpt of the article:

President Trump announced his military has attacked three Iranian nuclear sites in the early hours on Sunday.

Trump also said Netanyahu and he had worked like “perhaps no team has ever worked before”. Those laudatory comments represent a stark contrast from the far more crude language that Trump used for the Israeli leader just four years ago, and their public tension over Iran less than a month ago.

In his televised address on Sunday, during the early morning hours in the Middle East, Trump thanked and congratulated Netanyahu. “I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu,” he said, referring to a name the Israeli PM is widely known by.

“We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel,” Trump claimed, referring to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

However, Israel remains the only country in the Middle East with a nuclear arsenal, though it has never officially acknowledged it.

The US strikes follow ten days of Israeli missile attacks against Iran, including on its nuclear facilities. Israel did not have the bombs needed to damage or destroy Iran’s most fortified nuclear site in Fordow, buried deep inside a mountain.  The US using its bunker-buster bombs, hit Fordow as well as the facilities in Natanz and Isfahan on Sunday.

Trump’s decision to align himself with Netanyahu in bringing the US into the war with Iran has split his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) support base.

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has publicly said it does not believe that Iran was building a nuclear weapon, an assessment shared by US intelligence agencies, which also drew the same conclusion earlier this year.

However, Trump has in recent days said his hand-picked spy chief, Tulsi Gabbard, and the intelligence community’s assessment were “wrong”.

Trump did best service to Netanyahu in first term

Trump recognized Jerusalem (al-Quds) as Israel’s capital and moved the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, a long-sought symbolic victory for Netanyahu. Trump appointed an ambassador who was ideologically aligned with Israel’s settler movement, David Friedman, in May 2017.

In March 2019, the US president also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, becoming the only world leader to back Israel’s annexation of the region that is recognized internationally as a part of Syria.

In September 2020, Trump hosted the signing of the Abraham Accords, which led to normalization of relations between Israel and four Arab states – Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan.

Trump formally withdrew the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal — in May 2018, through a presidential proclamation that reinstated US sanctions against Iran.

This marked a major shift from the previous US policy of implementing the JCPOA in January 2016 to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump declared the deal “defective at its core”.

However, in a December 2021 Axios interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, Trump revealed that his relationship with Netanyahu deteriorated after the Israeli PM publicly congratulated incoming President Joe Biden on his 2020 election victory — a loss that Trump has refused to accept.

“The first person that congratulated [Biden] was Bibi Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with. Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake,” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape.” “F*** him,” Trump said, expressing his anger.

Trump rallies behind Netanyahu’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians. While the incoming Trump administration initially claimed to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with some observers noting that he may rein in the Israeli military campaign, it soon rallied behind Netanyahu’s continuing genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.

In a joint news conference in February this year, Trump wildly proposed that the US should “take over” the Gaza Strip, redevelop it, and relocate Palestinians, a plan that Netanyahu publicly endorsed as “nothing wrong”.

Netanyahu also said he was “committed to US President Trump’s plan for the creation of a different Gaza”. The US approved US$2.5 billion worth of arms sales to Israel, including bombs and drones.

In March, Israel resumed major air attacks in Gaza after negotiations over the release of captives collapsed. The White House confirmed that Israel had consulted Trump before the attacks.

Trump’s position has seesawed from alignment with Netanyahu to his own distinct positions. During April 12 to June 13, 2025 the US led back-channel nuclear negotiations with Iran, mediated by Oman.

In May, during his Persian Gulf tour Trump stated that the US was in “very serious negotiations” with Iran and “getting very close” to a nuclear deal, signaling openness to diplomacy.

On May 28, Trump said he told Netanyahu to hold off on any strike against Iran to give his administration more time to push for a new nuclear deal. He told reporters at the White House that he relayed to Netanyahu a strike “would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution”.

In June, the IAEA claimed Iran had not been transparent enough in its nuclear program, and that elements of its approach were in violation of the country’s safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The US began evacuating its regional embassies. Tensions surged as Trump stated that diplomacy was stalling and hinted at serious consequences, if no deal was reached.

On June 13, Israel launched massive air strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing nuclear scientists, scholars, and top military commanders.

In the initial US reaction to Israeli attacks on Iran, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, called the strikes “unilateral” and claimed Washington was “not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region”.

The US-Iran talks over a nuclear deal were suspended. Trump admitted that he was aware of Israel’s plans to attack Iran.

On June 19, Trump, after nearly a week of Israel’s war against Iran, signaled support for Israel’s military campaign.

On June 21, Trump ordered US air strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities, coordinating with Israel.

"We cannot let history repeat itself", Sanders

Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday drew similarities between the US air strikes on Iran this weekend and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He said, “We cannot let history repeat itself” reports CNN.

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, told the Texas crowd, “Brothers and sisters, we cannot let history repeat itself. The United States faces enormous problems here at home. We should be spending our money and our manpower rebuilding America, not going into a war against Iran.”

The progressive Vermont senator, speaking at a town hall in Fort Worth as part of his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, highlighted how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump used similar language around the strikes on Iran to what Netanyahu and then-President George Bush said surrounding the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Sanders quoted a Netanyahu congressional testimony from 2002, in which the Israeli leader said, “There is no question that Saddam Hussein is seeking nuclear weapons.”

Sanders then emphasized how “George Bush said, ‘Saddam’s regime is seeking a nuclear bomb,’ and he argued for a preemptive attack,” referencing an analogy by the then-president that the United States could not afford to wait for “the smoking gun which could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.”

“No weapons of mass destruction were ever found,” Sanders continued. “That war was based on a lie. A lie that cost US 4,500 young Americans, 32,000 wounded and trillions of dollars.”

Bush in 2003 announced the invasion of Iraq under the pretext of disarming it from weapons of mass destruction, a claim that was later debunked.

Netanyahu and Trump have both cited the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, with the US president saying Saturday from the White House, “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror.”

Regime change could make Iran more confrontational

Dina Esfandiary, the Middle East lead for Bloomberg Geoeconomics, outlined in an analysis this week, why regime change (were it to occur) could lead to a more confrontational Iran. Her replies were written before President Donald Trump launched airstrikes on Iran. Still, her replies are worth reading for the readers of this blog. 

How likely is regime change in Iran at this point, and what would that entail?

Regime change won’t come at the hands of Israel’s bombs. When an external enemy attacks, there tends to be a strong rally-around-the-flag effect in Iran, not unlike other countries. This means that whatever discontent Iranians feel — and that discontent has been rising — gets pushed aside momentarily so the country can unite in the face of an external enemy. For as long as these strikes continue, and the more images of death and destruction get shared, the stronger this sentiment gets. And this is exactly what Iran’s leadership wants, because it buys them some time and breathing space. 

You’ve written that the removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could lead to an even more confrontational Iran, why is that?

The Islamic Republic is no monolith. There are reformists, pragmatists and hardliners within the elites. There is also a rising cadre of young, more ideological elements within the system who believe that the Islamic Republic has lost its way, and call for a return to the tenants of the 1979 revolution. The system has been preparing for the Supreme Leader’s succession for several years now, with each faction within the political system jostling to get their preferred candidate in the winning seat. There is a chance that this young ideological cohort of officials are able to get someone in that represents their views, or that the Revolutionary Guards, who are traditionally more hardline on Iran’s foreign policy, are able to get someone in. That might make Iran more confrontational. 

If we did see regime change in Iran, what would you be watching next? Who gains, who loses, and how might markets respond?  

It’s really difficult to tell what will come next because there is no viable, organized opposition in Iran right now. There are a few figures outside the country, but they are divisive and unlikely to get much support inside the country. This means that the field will be open to those who are stronger inside. The vision of the next leader, along with what relationships that person has, inside and outside the country, will tell us a great deal about what direction they hope to take the country in. Will they be open to bringing Iran out of isolation or will they double down and harden Iran’s stance internationally? Markets are likely to panic at first, especially if the person is unknown.

United States Bombs Iranian Nuclear Facilities

According to Reuters, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that a "very successful attack" on three nuclear sites in Iran had been carried out, including at Fordow. In a posting on Truth Social, Trump added, "All planes are safely on their way home" and he congratulated "our great American Warriors."

The action came as Israel and Iran have been engaged in more than a week of aerial combat that has resulted in deaths and injuries in both countries.

Israel launched the attacks on Iran saying that it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons.

Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the hostilities had so far been unsuccessful.

According to Saudi Gazette, Israel struck a nuclear research facility in Iran early Saturday and killed multiple senior Iranian commanders, as its military warned of a potentially protracted war aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.

The Israeli military said the overnight strike targeted two centrifuge production sites near a mountain in Isfahan in a two-phase operation. It was the second attack on the city since the war began on June 13.

Akbar Salehi, deputy governor for security affairs in Isfahan province, confirmed the attack caused damage but reported no human casualties.

An Israeli military official said recent operations had disabled over half of Iran’s missile and drone launchers. He described Iran’s retaliatory drone and missile barrage overnight as a “small-scale” attack that was mostly intercepted. “We’ve created a bottleneck,” the official said. “But Iran clearly retains capabilities.”

Meanwhile, Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service, reported that a drone hit a residential building in northern Israel, though no injuries were reported.

Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, Israel’s chief military spokesperson, said the army has been instructed to prepare for a “prolonged campaign” focused on eliminating nuclear enrichment facilities and missile infrastructure. “We are deepening our strikes night after night,” he said.

“We will continue until the threat is removed.”

Diplomatic talks in Geneva on Friday failed to yield a breakthrough.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained open to diplomacy but would not engage with the US while Israeli attacks continued. “Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once aggression is stopped,”

Araghchi said, warning that any US military involvement would be “very dangerous for everyone.”

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering US intervention but has delayed a decision for up to two weeks.

Analysts note that only American “bunker-buster” bombs could reach Iran’s underground Fordo enrichment facility.

Since June 13, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 722 people in Iran, including 285 civilians, according to an Iranian human rights group based in Washington. Over 2,500 people have been wounded.

Iran has launched more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, killing 24 and injuring hundreds.

Among the most high-profile killings, Israel confirmed the deaths of Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Gen. Hossein Salami, and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh in its opening strikes.

On Saturday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the killing of Saeed Izadi, a senior Quds Force commander tied to Hamas, in an airstrike in Qom.

Another top Quds Force figure, Behnam Shahriyari, allegedly responsible for weapons transfers to Hezbollah and Hamas, was also killed in western Iran.

Israel further claimed it had eliminated a senior Iranian drone commander overnight.

On Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi warned the UN Security Council of the catastrophic risk of targeting Iran’s only commercial nuclear reactor in Bushehr.

“A direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity,” Grossi said. So far, Israel has avoided striking the Bushehr plant, instead focusing on facilities at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan, and the Arak heavy water reactor.

Iran, which once accepted international oversight under the 2015 nuclear deal, began ramping up enrichment and curbing inspections after Trump withdrew the US from the agreement.

On Saturday, senior adviser Ali Larijani threatened Grossi in a social media post, blaming his remarks for prompting Israeli aggression. “Grossi will pay after the war,” Larijani wrote, without elaboration.

While Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, it remains the only non-nuclear-weapons state enriching uranium to 60%.

Israel, which has never confirmed possessing nuclear weapons, is widely believed to be the Middle East’s sole nuclear power

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iran likely to attack US bases in Middle East

More than 40,000 US service members and civilians — as well as billions of dollars in military equipment — are in the Middle East, spread out across bases in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Those working in countries closest to Iran, including Iraq and Kuwait, would conceivably have only minutes to prepare for an incoming Iranian strike. The Hill suggests, President Donald Trump should order the US military to join Israel’s bombing campaign.

Israel, last week unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on Iran that set off the largest conflict ever between the two regional adversaries, with Tehran responding with its own attacks.

Trump has not yet decided on possible US military action against Iran, telling reporters through his top spokesperson that he would make his decision within two weeks.

In response, Iran has threatened to directly attack US forces should they enter Israel’s war campaign, with the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning Wednesday, “Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.” 

Tehran’s threats aren’t idle, as the country has retaliated against Washington in the past, most notably in January 2020, when Trump in his first term ordered an airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.

The strike, which happened as Soleimani traveled to Baghdad, prompted a swift response from Iran, which days later hammered Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq and another US base in Erbil with 13 ballistic missiles. While no Americans were killed in the largest ballistic missile attack ever against US forces abroad, more than 100 were later diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries.

Reportedly, Trump is considering using the GBU-57 — known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator or so-called bunker buster bomb — to damage Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, a similar attack from Tehran can’t be ruled out. Iran has the ballistic missiles ready to go, those strikes could happen in less than 15 minutes.

 

Iranian missiles hit Israeli port city

According to CNN, nearly two dozen people were wounded in parts of Israel on Friday after Iran unleashed a fresh barrage of missiles. Foreign ministers from the Britain, France, and Germany met their Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Friday.

The talks come as US President Donald Trump says he will decide within two weeks whether to join Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, amid reports that Washington is actively considering intervention.

Iran said the latest attack targeted “military objectives, defense industries, and command centers” in Israel, a spokesperson for the country’s Revolutionary Guard said.

Haifa's mayor stressed need for peace after the Iranian missile barrage on Friday.

The “name of the game is peace,” Yona Yahav, mayor of the northern Israeli city, told CNN. He said the two-week deadline set by President Donald Trump to decide on whether the US will join Israel’s military action on Iran is too long.

Speaking to CNN’s Nic Robertson from the city in the aftermath of a fresh Iranian missile barrage, Mayor Yona Yahav confirmed that no one had been killed in the attack.

According to Israeli emergency services, a total of 21 people were injured in Haifa during the attacks, including three with severe injuries.

Yahav also said “I don’t like wars,” after having personally experienced 10 of them, adding that the “name of the game is peace.”

He said his culturally mixed city has been a mostly peaceful home to both Jews and Arabs for over 100 years.

When asked about the talks that are being held in Geneva between Iran and European countries, Yahav said he hoped that a peace treaty would be the ultimate end result.

The mayor said that the two-week deadline President Trump had given to decide US actions on Iran was “too much,” as he said it is difficult for residents to live while wrapped up in war.

“A fixed answer I can’t get from Trump, and this bothers me,” he said.

“Because I like stability, and I think that he has to give me this stability.”

Western media paving way for Israel to act against Iran

In the wake of Iran’s missile response on Israeli military centers, a wave of media and diplomatic reactions has started in the West and Israel seeking to pave the way for intensifying strikes and engineering a global consensus against Tehran through resorting to playing blame game and highlighting civilian casualties. 

The propaganda, supported by the Zionist security and media as well as Western mainstream, aims to provide the audience with a biased narration of the recent developments, introducing the Islamic Republic as the country that creates crisis and threat, not a nation giving a natural defensive response to the aggression.

In this regard, Western media such as CNN, BBC, and FOX News try to depict an emotional and dramatic image of attack on Soroka Medical Center, while, Iran targeted military and security positions and has not confirmed any reports on damage against medical centers.

Similarly, Israeli media has initiated a propaganda campaign regarding the medical center to take advantage of the incident, turning it into the symbol of Iran’s crimes in a bid to prepare ground for the international arena to pile more pressure on Iran.

What is important about this campaign is that it excludes Israel’s aggression on the Gaza Strip, aggression on Syria, assassination of the Iranian scientists, and continued violation of regional countries’ sovereignties. 

It presents a biased narration to the global audience, drawing attention to the emotional and biased consequences of Iran’s response, not explaining the reasons for the natural reaction.

What is taking place is a multi-layered project to play the blame game, manage public opinion in the world, and pave the way for exerting further political, security, and military pressure on Iran. 

To react effectively against this media hype, it is necessary for pro-Resistance media and independent elites to correct this narration, clarifying the defensive and deterrence nature of this response since it is regarded as legitimate and essential for nations to effectively respond to continued acts of aggression.

Who has killed more civilians? Israel or Iran

The killing of civilians in conflicts involving Israel and Iran is a deeply complex and politically charged issue. A cursory look show the following:

Israel:

The recent killing in Gaza and earlier conflicts show a high number of civilian casualties caused by Israeli military actions. In the ongoing Gaza conflict – post October 07, 2023, thousands of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, have been killed due to Israeli airstrikes and ground operations.

UN, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other observers have accused Israel of disproportionate use of force and potential war crimes.

However, Israel claims it targets militants and Hamas infrastructure, and blames Hamas for operating among civilians.

Iran:

Iran has been involved indirectly in several regional conflicts through proxy groups like: Hezbollah (Lebanon), Houthis (Yemen) and Shiite militias (Iraq, Syria). These groups have been accused of launching rockets or attacks that have killed civilians in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.

Iran’s direct role in killing civilians is less visible, but its support of armed groups has fueled violence that resulted in civilian deaths.

Media reports suggest Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and civilian targets; Hezbollah rockets into Israeli towns; Syrian regime backed by Iran targeting civilian areas.

It may be concluded that Israel is directly responsible for a large number of Palestinian civilian deaths, particularly in Gaza.

Iran is indirectly responsible through its proxies, contributing to civilian casualties across the region.

Both Israel and Iran (often through proxies) have been responsible for civilian deaths, but Israel's military actions tend to cause more immediate, large-scale casualties, especially in Gaza. Iran’s impact is more indirect, spread across multiple countries and conflicts.

As regards the most recent conflict between Israel and Iran, which has escalated sharply in mid‑June 2025, following are the observations:

Recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran

As part of a large-scale bombing campaign targeting nuclear and military sites—including Arak, Natanz, Isfahan, and Tehran—Israel launched over hundreds of airstrikes on Iran beginning around June 13, 2025.

According to Iranian human rights monitors, less than 650 people have been killed, of whom around 260 are civilians.

Official Iranian health authorities report 224 civilian deaths, with over 90% of casualties in hospitals being women and children.

Independent sources estimate fatalities ranging from 400 to 650, with up to 260 civilian deaths.

Iranian retaliatory strikes on Israel

Iran has fired approximately 450–650 ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli territory. These strikes have resulted in at least 220 to 240 deaths in Israel, including around 24 civilian casualties.

Israeli strikes on Iran are currently responsible for significantly more civilian deaths—estimates far exceed 200—while Iran’s retaliatory attacks have caused dozens of civilian fatalities in Israel.

It is a fact that civilians in both the countries have been killed.

The largest civilian toll is currently in Iran, due to Israel’s ongoing air campaign.

In Israel, Iranian missiles and drones have also killed civilians, though on a much smaller scale.

 

 

 

Israel raises false flag Iran targeting hospital

Amid escalating conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Iranian officials and media sources have denied claims that Iranian missiles targeted a hospital in southern Israel. 

The denials come in response to reports in Hebrew-language media alleging that an Iranian missile struck Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

The false narrative is part of a psychological campaign aimed at sanitizing Israel’s military image and concealing the extent of the blow to its intelligence infrastructure.

As mentioned by Al Jazeera, Soroka Hospital has been used by the Israeli military to treat soldiers wounded during operations in Gaza. However, Iranian sources stress that the hospital itself was not the intended target.

Soroka Hospital is located between two major Israeli military sites, the IDF’s main intelligence headquarters and a central command facility, both of which are situated in the Gav-Yam Technology Park. 
These installations reportedly serve as critical hubs for Israel's cyber operations, digital command systems, and military intelligence infrastructure (including IDF C4I and C4ISR systems).

Hospital sustained shockwave damage from nearby blasts, it was not directly hit, Iranian reports emphasize.

Israel has been accused of engaging in psychological warfare by falsely linking the missile strike to civilian infrastructure, in order to deflect attention from the damage inflicted on its military command network.

Contrary to this, Israeli strikes targeted two civilian hospitals in Iran — one in Tehran and another in Kermanshah — an action that has drawn little international condemnation.

Thursday morning’s missile barrage, claimed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was a "precise and direct" strike against military assets — not civilian targets.

 

Israeli attacks on Iran, what it gained or lost?

No one could believe that the United States or Israel launch attacks on Iran in the middle of a diplomatic process. The sixth round of indirect nuclear talks with the US was scheduled later in the week. There were expectations a breakthrough was possible this time.

US President Donald Trump had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid attacking Iran. Even if Trump is "crazy," many analysts argued, he seemed capable of clear thinking when it came to West Asia, understanding that another war in the region - especially one that involves Iran - would benefit no one.

However, Trump turned out to be just as crazy and ignorant as people knew he was. He provided Israel with logistics and intelligence needed to strike residential buildings, nuclear facilities, and military sites across Iran while a meeting was scheduled in Oman.

Why did Israel attack Iran?  

Netanyahu claims the attacks aimed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons a justification few accept, even those minimally informed about Iran s nuclear program.  

The IAEA and Western intelligence agencies have confirmed time and time again that despite nuclear advancements, Iran has neither pursued nuclear weapons nor demonstrated political will to do so. If Iran develops such weapons in the future, it will likely be a direct result of Israel s brazen aggression, making them feel such arms are necessary.

Israeli attacks on the Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities failed to cause significant damage. As per Iran's nuclear chief's latest announcement, both sites are currently operating normally. This did not come as a surprise, as the whole world had known for a while that the main part of Iran's nuclear facilities are placed deep under the ground, and that it is impossible to destroy them with conventional weapons.. 

To understand why Iran was attacked, we must first examine the Israeli offensive.  

Israeli operation against Iran comprised of three elements: 1) assassinating military leaders, 2) attacking nuclear sites, and 3) terrorizing civilians.  

Israel believed its offensive would result in three things: 1) The assassination of top Iranian commanders would delay or prevent retaliation, 2) All or a significant number of Iran's missile launchers, depots, and military sites would be destroyed through Friday's campaign, and 3) Killing of Iranian civilians and striking the heart of Tehran would pit the people against the government and spur an uprising

All assumptions proved false. While the loss of five of its top military leaders did deal a blow to Iran, it did not cripple the Iranian Armed Forces. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei took only a couple of hours to replace the assasinated generals. 

While analysts don't know how much damage Israel has managed to inflict on Iran's military assets, it is clear that a large part of the country's defensive and offensive calibilties are still in tact. 

Since the conflict began, Iran has launched multiple waves of missile strikes against the occupied territories, hitting critical targets like the Haifa oil refinery, the Mossad and Aman headquarters, military bases, and nuclear research centers. The Iranian Armed Forces claim they have enough missiles to hit Israeli targets every day for two years.  

Another Israeli prediction that proved false was that given the various financial and societal issues gripping Iran in recent years, the people would choose to topple the government in order to "save" their lives.

Netanyahu issued a message to the Iranian people, and later did an interview with a US-based Persian speaking channel to tell them he was only at war with the government, and that he wanted to bring Iranians freedom and prosperity.

The Israeli aggression only made Iranians more united and even prompted well-known individuals with a long history of anti-goverment activisim to rally behind Ayatollah Khamenei.

What Israel gained or lost? 

Netanyahu managed to gain a temporary period of Euphoria. Settlers in the occupied territories are accustomed to waging war not facing existential threats. For the first time in Israel s history, its citizens fear for their lives. Iranian missiles strike at will, a reality Israelis recently confronted. As Hebrew media reports, residents barred by authorities from fleeing now pay smugglers to transport them by boat to Cyprus.

Journalists say they are appalled at what's happening, military analysts say Israel's interceptors, which have so far only downed older Iranian missiles designed to preoccupy air defense systems, will be out soon.

Netanyahu and Trump essentialy entered a war they can not finish. It appears Israel failed in estimating Iranian capabilities. They may have to sit back and watch how Iran writes the ending to their story.

 

Israel launches new wave of airstrikes on Iran

Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s capital, Tehran, early on Wednesday. The Israelis earlier warned they could strike a neighborhood south of Mehrabad International Airport, which includes residential buildings, military installations, pharmaceutical companies and industrial firms.

The attacks come just a day after US President Donald Trump warned Tehran's residents to evacuate and demanded the country’s unconditional surrender.

Israel has yet to successfully target Iran's Fordo facility, which lies deep within a mountainside. Hitting Fordo would require the US to get involved militarily and deploy B-2 stealth bombers to drop its bunker-busting bomb. The 14,000 kg GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets.

Israel announced a new wave of strikes on Tuesday evening as explosions and anti-aircraft fire boomed throughout Tehran, shaking buildings. The Israeli military said its warplanes had targeted 12 missile launch sites and storage facilities.

Israel's military warned the population to stay close to shelters as Iran fired a new barrage of missiles, but officials said most were intercepted.

Sirens sounded in southern Israel, including in the desert town of Dimona, the heart of Israel's never-acknowledged nuclear arms program.

Early on Tuesday, downtown Tehran saw a significant decrease in activity, with numerous shops closed, including the historic Grand Bazaar, which typically shuts its doors only during periods of crisis, such as the 2022 anti-government protests and the coronavirus pandemic.

Tehran is one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with around 10 million residents, roughly equivalent to Israel's entire population.

Iran asserts that its nuclear program is peaceful, while the United States and other nations have determined that Tehran has not engaged in a systematic effort to develop a nuclear weapon since 2003.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities have delayed the nation's nuclear program by a "very, very long time”,

Israel has yet to successfully target Iran's Fordo facility, which lies deep within a mountainside. Hitting Fordo would require the US to get involved militarily and deploy B-2 stealth bombers to drop its bunker-busting bomb. The 14,000 kg GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets.

 

Trump calls unconditional surrender by Iran

Iran and Israel launched new missile strikes at each other on Wednesday as the air war between the two longtime enemies entered a sixth day despite a call from US President Donald Trump for Tehran's unconditional surrender, reports Reuters.

The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv.

Israel told residents in a southwestern area of Tehran to evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Iranian news websites said Israel was attacking a university linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the east of the capital.

Iranian news websites said Israel was also attacking a university linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the country's east, and the Khojir ballistic missile facility near Tehran, which was also targeted by Israeli airstrikes last October.

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence says Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. Iran has said its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US, Israel and other potential regional targets.

Trump warned on social media on Tuesday that US patience was wearing thin. While he said there was no intention to kill Iran's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "for now," his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement.

"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," he wrote on Truth Social. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now ... Our patience is wearing thin."

Three minutes later Trump posted, "Unconditional Surrender!"

Trump's contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close US ally Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic overtures, not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to foreign policy.

A source familiar with internal discussions said Trump and his team are considering a number of options, including joining Israel on strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.

A White House official said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday.

Trump also met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said. Details were not immediately available.

The US is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes. The US has so far only taken indirect actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel.

A source with access to US intelligence reports said Iran has moved some ballistic missile launchers, but it is difficult to determine if they were targeting US forces or Israel.

 

 

 

 

Trump joins Israel in erasing Iranian nuclear facilities

US President Donald Trump said he wanted a "real end" to the nuclear dispute with Iran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said meanwhile that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and eventually hanged after a trial, reports Reuters.

"I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens," Katz told top Israeli military officials.

Speaking to reporters after his early departure from Canada, where he attended the Group of Seven nations summit on Monday, Trump predicted that Israel would not be easing its attacks on Iran.

Trump said his departure from the G7 summit had "nothing to do with" working on a deal between Israel and Iran, after French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. had initiated a ceasefire proposal.

Khamenei has seen his main military and security advisers killed by Israeli air strikes, leaving major holes in his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors.

Israel's military said Iran's military leadership is "on the run" and that it had killed Iran's wartime chief of staff Ali Shadmani overnight four days into his job after replacing another top commander killed in the strikes.

 

 

G7 at height of hypocrisy

The Group of Seven nations expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Monday and labeled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East, with the G7 leaders urging broader de-escalation of hostilities in the region, reports Reuters.

The air war between Iran and Israel - which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran with air strikes - has raised alarms in a region that had already been on edge since the start of Israel's military assault on Gaza in October 2023.

"We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel," G7 leaders said in the statement.

"Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror," the statement added and said the G7 was "clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

Israel attacked Iran on Friday in what it called a preemptive strike to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Since then the two Middle Eastern rivals have exchanged blows, with Iranian officials reporting over 220 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians were killed.

It is on record that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons and has said it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.

Although the US has been saying it is not involved in the Israeli attacks, Trump has admitted he was aware of Israel's strikes in advance and called them "excellent." Washington has warned Tehran not to attack US interests or personnel in the region.

An Israeli strike hit Iran's state broadcaster on Monday while Trump said in a social media post that "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran."

Separately, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed the Israel-Iran war in phone calls with his British, French and European Union counterparts on Monday.

 

Trump and Netanyahu ask Iranians to leave Tehran immediately

US President Donald Trump has warned residents of the Iranian capital, Tehran, to immediately evacuate, hinting at a possible major Israeli bombardment.

“Iran should have signed the “deal” I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life,” said Trump in a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social.

“Simply stated, Iran nan not have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!,” added Trump.

Israel on Monday warned some 300,000 people in Tehran to evacuate ahead of airstrikes.

It’s the fifth day of conflict between Israel and Iran. Both countries have intensified their strikes on each other in recent days, with exchanges of missiles resulting in dozens of casualties between the two countries.

The conflict started when Israel moved to strike multiple targets in Iran, including nuclear and military sites in a surprise attack in the early hours of Friday.

The first wave of attacks also eliminated top Iranian officials, including the armed forces’ chief of staff, Mohammed Bagheri, and head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corp, Hossein Salami.

Israel says the decision to attack Iran was “preemptive selfdefense”, as it expressed concerns over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. Israel has repeatedly warned of the threat an Iran equipped with a nuclear weapon would pose on its very survival.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Monday that the strikes have set Iran’s nuclear program back “years" and said he is in touch daily with Trump.

Iran’s Foreign Minister and chief nuclear deal negotiator Abbas Araghchi says Israel’s attacks on his country deal a huge blow to diplomacy. The comments were made during a call with his French, British and German counterparts.

Iran signed a nuclear deal in 2015 with these three countries, along with the EU, US, China and Russia. Washington later unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 under Trump’s first term in office.

Meanwhile, the US says it’s deploying “additional capabilities” to bolster its defenses in the Middle East. The announcement was made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a post on social media platform X.

“Over the weekend, I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility,” said Hegseth.

“Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region,” he added.

Israel: Iranian attacks expose bunker shortages

A ballistic missile fired from Iran struck the wall of a building in central Israel on Monday, breaching a reinforced shelter. At least four people were killed, three inside the shelter and one in a nearby building, reports Euronews.

The incident has sparked widespread concern across Israel and intensified public anger towards the government amid reports that bunkers are failing to withstand strikes from heavy missiles.

The Israel Hayom daily paper quoted the Israeli Home Front Command as stating that approximately 40% of Tel Aviv residents live in buildings without shelters that meet current safety standards, and that tens of thousands of older buildings in the city lack proper protective infrastructure.

Tel Aviv and Haifa are already facing a severe shortage of bomb shelters amid escalating Iranian attacks. Israel Hayom quoted residents in the capital as saying they "have no shelter", adding that neighbors "are closing their shelter doors to us."

The shelter crisis gained renewed urgency after a spokesperson for the Iranian army declared that "shelters are no longer safe" and urged Israelis to evacuate all territories.

Israel's 1951 Civil Defense Law mandates that all residential and commercial buildings must include bomb shelters, although multiple buildings may share a single shelter.

Arab communities within the Green Line, the 1949 international boundary between Lebanon and Mandatory Palestine, also face significant gaps in preparedness against rocket attacks, largely due to longstanding neglect.

This includes a lack of adequate shelters and what many view as clear discrimination in the Israeli air defense system, which often designates Arab towns as "open areas," effectively excluding them from active protection during emergencies.

There is also a noted lack of compliance among some Arab citizens with Home Front Command guidelines, further complicating emergency response efforts.

On Saturday, Israeli air defenses failed to intercept an Iranian missile, which hit a building in the city of Tamra. Four were killed in that strike, and several others were injured.

Tamra's Mayor Musa Abu Rumi told international media that only 40% of the town's 37,000 residents have access to safe rooms or adequate shelters. He also noted that Tamra lacks public bunkers, which are common in most Israeli cities and towns.

In conflict zones like Iran, Lebanon and Yemen, authorities often rely on metro stations and schools as makeshift shelters, as purpose-built fortified rooms are scarce.

 

Israel hiding its damages

Israeli authorities have imposed strict censorship, blocking the dissemination of information about the aftermath of Iran’s attacks. However, footage captured by residents reveals widespread destruction in the port city of Haifa, with thick plumes of smoke rising from multiple locations and fires breaking out in several areas.

Iran launched missiles at Israel on Friday evening in response to the Israeli operation against the Iranian nuclear program at dawn on Friday.

The country’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a televised address to the nation that the Israeli leadership "unleashed a war" against Iran, so Iran will not let Israel go unscathed and will "use all force" to make that country regret what it has done.

General Ahmad Vahidi, adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the Iranian retaliation will continue as long as necessary.

TASS has put together the key facts about the shelling of Israel:

The strikes hit more than 150 targets, including air bases hosting F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighter jets, along with refueling and transport aircraft, command and control posts and electronic warfare centers.

Also attacked were military centers and defense plants used to produce missiles, military equipment, and other weapons, as well as other military targets.

The strikes were carried out in phases, with at least three waves taking place.

According to the IRGC, dozens of missiles hit designated targets.

Missiles twice struck the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.

Several missiles also hit the Israeli Ministry of National Security in Tel Aviv.

A small leakage of radioactive substances occurred at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility following an Israeli strike. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said no contamination has spread to the outside environment and people are safe in terms of radiation levels.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told a UN Security Council meeting that radiological and chemical contamination has been detected at Iran's Natanz nuclear facilities following Israeli strikes. He said the type of radiation found inside the facility - mainly alpha particles - can be controlled with proper measures.

Iran's Fars news agency reported that Iran's air defenses shot down several Israeli warplanes, including two F-35 fighter jets.

According to the Tasnim news agency, the female pilot of one of the downed jets was taken prisoner.

Israel

The US government confirmed to TASS that the US participated in repelling Iran's retaliatory missile strike.

A woman injured in Israel during the first wave of the Iranian attacks died in the hospital from injuries.

CNN reported that and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz are in a shelter, assessing the situation after Iran's retaliatory strikes. Several Israeli ministers and senior defense officials are also taking part in the assessment.

 

Israel threatens to make Tehran burn

Iran and Israel traded missiles and airstrikes on Saturday. Israel said it had attacked more than 150 targets. Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex

In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky. At least three people were killed overnight. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves.

Israel says its operation could last weeks, and urged Iran's people to rise against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers.

"If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

Tehran warned Israel's allies that their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles.

Gulf Arab states that have long mistrusted Iran but fear coming under attack in any wider conflict have urged calm as worries about disruption to the Gulf region's crucial oil exports boosted oil prices by about 7% on Friday.

Iranian general and parliament member Esmail Kosari said the country was seriously reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz, the outlet for oil shipped from the Gulf.

With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved".

In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel.

Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders.