On Friday evening, Iran fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles towards Israel, hitting areas in central Israel, including Rishon Lezion, Bat Yam, and Tamra, in its retaliatory "Operation True Promise III" to Israeli attacks in the early hours Friday.
These operation resulted in at least 13 fatalities across Israel, and over 300 injuries. Damage to residential buildings and infrastructure was reported in cities like Tel Aviv, with rescue teams actively searching for missing persons under rubble.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said their missiles successfully hit Israeli military-industrial centers and fuel facilities, while Israel's defense systems intercepted many, but not all, incoming projectiles.
Simultaneously, Israel continued its "Operation Rising Lion" unleashing airstrikes across Iran for a third day on Sunday with expanded airstrikes deep inside Iran. Israeli army indicated strikes on dozens of targets, including residential areas and what they claimed were Iran's Defense Ministry headquarters in Tehran, an oil depot at Shahran, the Fajr Jam oil refinery, and a crucial part of the South Pars gas field, reportedly disrupting gas production.
Israel's attacks on Iran since Friday have killed over 220 Iranians, with over 1,000 wounded. 24 were killed in Israel and dozens were injured.
03:45 China's embassy in Israel on Tuesday urged its citizens to leave the country "as soon as possible", after Israel and Iran traded heavy strikes.
"The Chinese mission in Israel reminds Chinese nationals to leave the country as soon as possible via land border crossings, on the precondition that they can guarantee their personal safety," the embassy said in a statement on WeChat.
01:55 US President Donald Trump was leaving a Group of Seven summit early as he hinted of greater involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict after issuing an ominous warning for the capital Tehran to evacuate.
"Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Shortly afterward, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump would return to Washington due to the crisis, a day earlier than planned.
Monday 16 June
23:40 The Haifa-based Bazan Group said it had shut down all refinery operations after a power station used to produce steam and electricity was significantly damaged in an Iranian missile strike, according to a regulatory filing cited by Israeli media on Monday.
“As a result of damage to facilities, the power plant was significantly impacted, and therefore all refinery facilities and subsidiaries were shut down,” the company said. It added that three employees were killed in the incident.
The missile struck the Bazan oil refinery complex—Israel’s largest—in the early hours of Monday. The victims reportedly died in a fire that broke out following the impact, rather than from the strike itself.
23:00 The Israeli government has instructed domestic airlines not to allow citizens to leave the country on repatriation flights, stating that only non-citizens are permitted to depart.
Transport Minister Miri Regev said the measure was intended to prevent overcrowding at airports and facilitate the return of more than 100,000 Israelis stranded abroad since Israel began striking Iran on Friday, Times of Israel reported.
Israel’s airspace has remained closed since the start of the conflict, and the national carrier, El Al, has cancelled all flights through 17 June, with further cancellations through 23 June to free up aircraft for the repatriation effort, according to Reuters.
However, the restrictions, which bar Israeli citizens from departing while allowing foreigners to leave, have raised questions over whether authorities are seeking to limit the appearance of a mass exodus amid the ongoing escalation.
Following the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, more than 12,000 Israelis left the country permanently in October 2023—four times the number recorded in the same month the previous year—according to the Associated Press.
An estimated 30,000 more left in the five months that followed, with fewer citizens returning from abroad, according to the Times of Israel.
File Photo: Passengers look at a departure board at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel. AFP
22:40 Syria’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the temporary closure of Syrian airspace to civilian air traffic until 5am local time on Tuesday, 17 June.
In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the authority said its technical and administrative teams were closely monitoring developments and that any updates would be announced in coordination with relevant local and international bodies.
Airspace closures have also been reported across several countries in the region amid ongoing military escalation, now in its fourth consecutive day.
22:30 Iran has issued evacuation warnings for Israeli news channels after Israel attacked the building of Iran's state broadcaster, AFP reported, citing Iranian media.
"Iran has issued an evacuation warning for the N12 and N14 channels of Israel. This order comes in response to the hostile attack of Zionist enemy against the Islamic republic of Iran's broadcasting service," state TV said.
22:20 Foreign ministers from twenty Islamic nations issued a joint statement on Monday condemning recent Israeli attacks on Iran as a "violation of international law." They called for de-escalation, a comprehensive ceasefire, and a return to calm in the volatile region.
The joint statement emphasised that a "swift return to the path of negotiations" is the "only viable means" to achieve a sustainable agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program.
In addition to addressing the immediate tensions, the nations reiterated their call for the establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.
They also stressed the critical importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in international waterways, urging all parties to refrain from undermining maritime security.
The signatory nations include: Egypt, Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Chad, the Union of the Comoros, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, Oman, and the UAE.
Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran. AFP
22:10 The semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, reported that several Israeli settlers were detained by security agencies for filming or photographing missile impact sites during recent Iranian retaliatory strikes.
While such behaviour is typically commonplace, the report said Israeli authorities are now treating it as espionage, alleging it could aid Iran.
Intelligence officials reportedly believe some individuals are operating as Iranian agents without receiving financial compensation.
The detentions were part of a wider crackdown aimed at preventing settlers from documenting missile strikes or sharing related footage online, as Israeli authorities seek to control the flow of information amid ongoing military confrontation with Iran.
22:00 Iran condemned Israel's attack on a state TV building in Tehran as a "war crime", calling on the UN Security Council to take action, AFP reported.
The strike on the offices of IRIB during a live broadcast was a "wicked act" and a "war crime", said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
"The UNSC must act now to stop the genocidal aggressor from committing further atrocities against our people," he added.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also condemned the attack, calling it "inhuman, criminal and a terrorist act."
21:50 Israeli Channel 14 reported that mobile phones across the country were exposed to an Iranian cyber attack.
Cybersecurity firm Radware said on Sunday there had been a 700% increase in cyberattacks against Israel over the past two days compared to the period before 12 June.
The data indicated a “significant escalation in malicious network activity targeting Israeli infrastructure,” the company said.
The alleged cyberattack came amid ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes, as Israel remained on high alert across multiple fronts.
21:20 An Iranian ballistic missile reportedly landed near Safad, close to an Israeli military site, according to Israeli media.
Earlier reports said around four missiles were fired at northern Israel in the latest barrage, with most intercepted. Video footage circulated by news outlets showed a fire at the site of the strike, caused by shrapnel from the missiles launched toward the area.
Israeli media said no direct impacts had been reported, adding that fire and rescue services were working to extinguish a blaze that broke out in an open area in a northern city due to falling interceptor debris.
Iran said its next wave of attacks on Israel would be directed “only toward military targets and related infrastructure,” according to the ISNA news agency.
21:15 The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iran’s armed forces air defence network shot down another US-made F-35 stealth fighter jet over the city of Tabriz, marking the fourth such aircraft brought down by Iranian defences.
The F-35 is a fifth-generation fighter supplied to Israel by the United States and forms a key part of its air fleet in long-range operations and precision strikes.
21: 00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was open to the idea of targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in an interview with ABC News.
Dismissing fears of escalation between both sides, he claimed the assassination would "end the conflict." Netanyahu was responding to a question about US President Donald Trump’s reported veto of an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei.
“We’ve had half a century of conflict spread by this regime,” he said. “The forever war is what Iran wants.”
Netanyahu dismissed Iranian statements suggesting a willingness to end the fighting and return to nuclear negotiations.
“They want to continue to have these fake talks in which they lie, they cheat, they string the US along,” he said. “And, you know, we have very solid intel on that.”
In response to questions about reported plans to assassinate Khamenei, an Israeli army spokesperson said in a televised interview: “We will reach all who threaten Israel.”
19:30 Israeli emergency services said on Monday that 400 people have been injured since the start of hostilities, up from 300 reported earlier.
Al Jazeera correspondent Elias Karam reported a higher figure, saying some 740 Israelis have been wounded.
Rescuers stand amid the debris of damaged building in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv following an Iranian missile attack. AFP
19:30 Two Iranian and three regional sources told Reuters that Tehran had asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire with Iran.
It would be in return for Tehran’s flexibility in nuclear negotiations, the sources added.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal, citing officials, reported that Iran has been signalling that it seeks an end to hostilities and resumption of talks over its nuclear programs.
It added that Iran has been sending the messages to Israel and the United States via Arab intermediaries.
19:00 US President Donald Trump said Iran was not winning its conflict with Israel and should re-enter negotiations "before it's too late," AFP reported him as saying.
"They have to make a deal, and it's painful for both parties, but I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it's too late," Trump told reporters at a G7 summit in Canada.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if the US does not "rein in the Israeli regime, Iran’s responses will be more painful," Iranian state media reported.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Tel Aviv was “on the path to victory”.
“We are on our way to achieve our two main objectives, eliminating the nuclear threat and eliminating the missile threat, Netanyahu said, claiming the Israeli air force was "in control" of Tehran's skies.
“We are telling the citizens of Tehran: ‘Evacuate’, and we are taking action.”
Smoke billows from an explosion at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building in Tehran. AFP
18:30 Iranian state TV is now back to broadcasting live after going off air for a few minutes following Israel's attack.
The broadcaster says in text being displayed on screen that all its programmes “are resuming live without any interruptions.”
Another news ticker says Israel “in a brutal violation targeted one of the buildings of Iran’s state TV.”
The broadcaster says that Israel was trying to "silence the voice of truth" by attacking it.
The Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran's state TV broadcaster, says it has been attacked by Israel, according to reports in Reuters.
It follows threats earlier today from the Israeli defence minister, who said the state broadcaster was "about to disappear".
18:30 The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building was struck in an Israeli attack on Monday, cutting live coverage immediately, according to media reports.
The blast occurred as the presenter was live on TV, lambasting Israel before she was seen leaving the live broadcast, Iranian media reported, sharing a video of the incident.
18:30 Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Iran's state television and radio were "about to disappear", after an evacuation warning was issued for the district in Tehran where the broadcaster is based.
"The Iranian propaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappear," he said in a statement. "Evacuation of nearby residents has begun."
Israel's military urged residents in a portion of the capital's northern District 3 to evacuate "immediately" on Monday, saying it intended to carry out air strikes there.
"In the coming hours, the (Israeli military) will operate in the area, as it has in recent days throughout Tehran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime," the military said in a post on X in Persian.
The area marked for evacuation is an upmarket part of the Iranian capital home to at least four hospitals and medical centres, a major police building and state broadcaster IRIB.
It also houses several embassies, including those of Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, as well as UN offices and the Agence France-Presse bureau.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli army said that it had achieved "total air superiority in the skies over Tehran".
18:25 The Iranian Revolutionary Guards issued an urgent warning to the residents of Tel Aviv, urging them to leave "immediately" for their safety and never return.
The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement reported by the Iranian Al-Alam channel on Monday, "We have studied all possibilities and prepared ourselves for any situation in war.
Our modern equipment will enter the field when we deem it appropriate." They added, "We are working with great force to destroy the missile launch sites in Tel Aviv."
17:55 Iran has been urgently signalling that it seeks an end to hostilities and resumption of talks over its nuclear programs, sending messages to Israel and the United States via Arab intermediaries, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing officials.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
17:50 Iran’s education ministry has designated schools as bomb shelters amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the country, according to state-affiliated media reports.
Semi-official news agency ISNA quoted Iran’s education minister, Alireza Kazemi, calling for people to help the ministry so schools can provide services as emergency bases. He said the schools already have water, electricity, gas and necessary school equipment.
The deadly escalation in the conflict between Iran and Israel entered its fourth day today.
17:45 Israel's military urged residents of a northern district of Tehran to evacuate "immediately" on Monday, saying it intended to carry out air strikes there.
"In the coming hours, the (Israeli miliary) will operate in the area, as it has in recent days throughout Tehran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime", the military said in a post on X in Persian, indicating a part of Tehran's District 3 on a map and telling citizens to "evacuate the marked area" for safety.
16:05 Iranian Nobel laureates and filmmakers on Monday called for an end to hostilities between Iran and Israel, urging Tehran to stop the conflict by halting its enrichment of uranium.
"We demand the immediate halt of uranium enrichment by the Islamic Republic, the cessation of military hostilities, an end to attacks on vital infrastructure in both Iran and Israel, and the stopping of massacres of civilians in both countries," said the activists in an op-ed in French newspaper Le Monde.
The signatories included Nobel Peace Prize winners Shirin Ebadi and Narges Mohammadi, as well as the winner of the top prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Jafar Panahi and his fellow director Mohammad Rassoulof.
16:00 Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, says that Farabi Hospital in the city of Kermanshah was targeted and, in a post on X, called the attack a "grave violation of international law" and a "war crime".
International humanitarian law states that hospitals should not be attacked during armed conflicts, with some exceptions, and a violation of this can constitute a war crime.
The BBC has verified footage of damage to the hospital.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) did not report any casualties, but said rescue teams had been sent to the hospital.
The ICU ward is thought to have been the worst affected.
Farabi Hospital is the main neurology centre in Kermanshah province and also has a psychiatry department.
15:30 Israeli messages asking people to evacuate cities are part of the "enemy’s psychological operations," an Iranian government spokesperson has said.
Fatemeh Mohajerani also confirms that Iran's internet has been "slowed down" for "combating cyber-attacks" on the country.
Israel's defence minister has warned that Tehran's residents will "pay the price" for Iranian attacks on Israeli citizens and asked residents to evacuate.
Yesterday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning asking Iranians living near weapons production facilities to leave the area.
Meanwhile, from what I’m hearing from people in Tehran, there’s still heavy traffic on roads leading out of the city, and people have been queuing up for fuel like yesterday.
A resident told me that they would be staying in Tehran because they have “no friends or family in other provinces and no other place to go”.
A general view of Iran's capital Tehran. AFP
14:45 Pakistan has closed all its border crossings with neighbouring Iran for an indefinite period, provincial officials said on Monday, as Israel and Iran trade intense strikes and threaten further attacks.
"Border facilities in all five districts -- Chaghi, Washuk, Panjgur, Kech and Gwadar -- have been suspended," Qadir Bakhsh Pirkani, a senior official in Balochistan province, which borders Iran, told AFP.
Crossing into Iran "has been suspended until further notice", said Atta ul Munim, an official at one of the crossings in Chaghi district.
However, there was "no ban on trade" activities at the border and Pakistani nationals needing to return to their country from Iran can cross, he added.
"We're expecting around 200 Pakistani students coming today," Atta said.
On Sunday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said 450 Pakistani pilgrims were evacuated from Iran, with more to follow, as well as from Iraq -- the two countries hosting the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
Pakistan, the only Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons, said on Friday it "stands in solidarity with the Government and the people of Iran" against strikes by Israel, which both Islamabad and Tehran do not recognise.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday warned that the world "should be wary and apprehensive about Israel's nuclear prowess" and accused it of lacking "any international nuclear discipline".
Israel is the Middle East's only undeclared nuclear power.
File Photo: Flags of Iran and Pakistan at a closed border crossing in Taftan. AFP
13:45 Tehran's Grand Bazaar, the city's largest and most prominent marketplace, was closed as fighting between Israel and Iran entered a fourth day, an AFP journalist reported.
The journalist added that the main gate of the bazaar was fully shut, and the streets were largely deserted. Most shops across the capital were closed except for a few grocery stores.
Shops remain shuttered Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar. AP
13:30 Israel's military claimed it had destroyed one-third of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers.
Since the start of Israeli escalation against Iran on Friday, "more than 120 missile launchers -- constituting one third of the Iranian regime's total launchers -- have been destroyed," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a statement.
13:20 Turkey is ready to play a "facilitating role" to end the conflict between arch foes Israel and Iran, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call, his office said.
During the call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Erdogan said, according to his office, "Turkey is ready to play a facilitating role for the immediate end of the conflict and return to nuclear negotiations. "
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that Russia remains ready to act as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and Iran, and Moscow’s previous proposals to store Iranian uranium in Russia remain on the table.
Russia’s previous proposals to resolve the conflict are still on the table, but the outbreak of hostilities has complicated the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, AFP reported.
"Following the Zionist criminal regime's attack on a nearby workshop in Kermanshah city, Farabi Hospital also suffered serious damage," the Tasnim news agency reported.
Fars news agency carried a video of the hospital showing shattered glass, collapsed ceilings, and extensive damage in patient rooms.
"There has been no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and the main Fuel Enrichment Plant," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement to an extraordinary board session.
"However, the loss of power to the cascade hall may have damaged the centrifuges there," he added.
“Germany, France, and England should have very clearly condemned the Zionist regime’s crimes, especially against the Natanz nuclear facility,” said Baqaei, adding that European powers should focus on “stopping the aggression” and holding Israel “accountable”.
“We assume we will be ready in the next few dozen hours, [the evacuation] will concern those who are stuck as tourists and those staying for a short stay,” Henryka Moscicka-Dendys told reporters.
"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen fell prior to crossing into Israeli territory," the military said in a statement.
On Sunday, Yemen's Houthi group said it carried out “a military operation targeting sensitive targets of the Israeli enemy" in central Israel.
The group said it had targeted the area "at different times over the past 24 hours" with "a number of Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missiles."
They said their attacks were "coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian military".
Gold prices also rose back towards a record high thanks to a rush into safe havens, but while most equity markets dropped further into the red the losses were limited on hopes that the conflict does not spread through the Middle East.
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.1 percent at $75.02 per barrel.
Gold rose to around $3,450 an ounce and close to its all-time high of $3,500.
The toll issued on Monday includes 11 deaths recorded since midnight, the office said, including four in Petakh Tikva near Tel Aviv, three in Haifa and one in the Bnei Brak suburb of Tel Aviv. It also includes two bodies retrieved following a previous strike on Bat Yam and one more killed in an unspecified location.
The total number of those killed on Sunday night and the early hours has now reached eight, with 22 people having been killed since the start of the conflict.
Damage was reportedly caused to a power plant in Haifa and in central Israel by an Iranian overnight and early morning attack, the Guardian reported.
Fires were observed at the power plant in the vicinity of Israel's Haifa port, after Iranian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on port infrastructure amid escalations with Israel.
The Guardian said it observed video footage of the Israeli military intercepting the attack, followed by impacts from two hypersonic missiles.
The Israel Electric Corporation confirmed that Iran caused damage to the central power grid but insisted, “Teams are working on the ground to neutralize safety hazards, in particular the risk of electrocution due to torn electrical wires,” the Israel Electric Corporation said.
"Every difference, issue, and problem that has existed must be put aside today, and we must stand strong against this genocidal criminal aggression with unity and coherence," Masoud Pezeshkian said, addressing parliament.
"Esmaeil Fekri, a Mossad agent convicted of the capital offences of 'corruption on earth' and 'moharebeh' (waging war against God) was hanged after going through the full process of criminal procedure," the judiciary's Mizan Online news website said.
He added that the US embassy and consulate in Israel will remain closed on Monday.
The casualties were from strikes on four sites in central Israel, the MDA said in a statement, adding those killed included "two women and two men around the age of 70, as well as one additional fatality".
"So far, MDA teams have evacuated 92 injured individuals to hospitals, including a 30-year-old woman in serious condition with facial injuries, six in moderate condition, and 85 in mild condition," it added.
The MDA said search and rescue operations were ongoing at two of the four sites.
Iran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities early Monday, after Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran, with both sides threatening further devastation.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned on Monday that Tehran's residents would "pay the price" for Iranian strikes on Israeli civilians.
The Israeli air force "struck command centres belonging to the Quds Force of the IRGC and the Iranian military, with precise direction from the (Israeli military) Intelligence Directorate," an army statement said, specifying the targets were located in the Iranian capital.