Monday June 16, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — A wave of Israeli airstrikes across Iran in recent days has killed at least 224 people, including more than 70 women and children, according to Iranian officials, in one of the deadliest escalations between the two countries in decades. Tehran condemned the strikes—which hit cities including Tehran, Kermanshah and Zanjan—as a ‘massacre’ targeting both military facilities and civilian infrastructure, including a children’s hospital and multiple oil depots.
In retaliation, Iran launched a coordinated barrage of ballistic missiles and drones early Monday, striking Tel Aviv, Haifa, Petah Tikva, and Bnei Brak. Israeli authorities said at least eight people were killed and more than 85 injured, including several pulled from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Haifa. The attack is one of the largest direct assaults on Israeli territory in recent history.
The airstrikes in Iran destroyed fuel storage facilities and heavily damaged Hakim Children’s Hospital in Tehran. Iran’s Health Ministry said the majority of casualties occurred in residential areas, with dozens of homes flattened and rescue crews still combing through debris. Video verified by Al Jazeera showed emergency workers pulling survivors from wreckage and treating children in makeshift triage zones.
Among those killed in the Israeli strikes was Maj. Gen. Mohammad Kazemi, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence unit, and two other senior commanders. The IRGC confirmed the deaths and vowed further retaliation. Iranian state media also reported fires at multiple military and energy facilities in Zanjan, Kermanshah, and the Tehran region.
In a televised address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Israel’s actions as “criminal aggression” and said the Islamic Republic would not retreat. “We are not the aggressors,” he said. “Our nation has stood tall before, and we will again.”
Pezeshkian also reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful, but lawmakers in Tehran appear to be preparing a more confrontational stance. On Monday, Iran’s parliament began drafting legislation to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which would end international inspections of its nuclear facilities and further escalate tensions.
Israeli officials said their operations were aimed at military targets, including surface-to-surface missile sites, the Quds Force headquarters in Tehran, and other “threat nodes.”. However, Iranian officials accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilian areas and vowed to continue their retaliatory strikes “until Israel’s war machine is dismantled.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it was acting within its right to self-defence and accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed Iran’s strikes were deliberately aimed at civilians and vowed “massive retaliation.” Israeli intelligence sources, quoted by Channel 12, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had considered targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the plan was reportedly blocked by the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, confirmed that during his administration he rejected an Israeli proposal to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Sometimes they have to fight it out. But we are going to see what happens. I think there’s a good chance there will be a deal,” Trump said. However, he did not mention any current U.S. efforts toward brokering a ceasefire.
Trump previously warned that Washington would respond with “overwhelming force” if Iran retaliates against the United States “in any way, shape or form.” He said the U.S. was not involved in the Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iranian officials responded by accusing the U.S. of complicity through inaction.
The Israeli military said it intercepted multiple incoming missiles and drones, including one originating “from the east” and another from Yemen. Fires were reported at a Haifa power plant and near a military facility in central Israel. Air raid sirens were activated across major cities, and rescue operations are still underway.
While Iran claims it has withheld full use of its military capabilities, it also warned that “more devastating operations” will follow. The IRGC issued a statement saying it had been preparing for “years of confrontation” and urged Israelis to avoid “vital infrastructure areas.”
Reports in regional media have speculated that Israel may be bolstering troop deployments along its northern border, raising fears of a broader front with Hezbollah in Lebanon. While official confirmation is lacking, regional media say the Israeli army is considering a large-scale ground incursion into southern Lebanon.
Global reaction has been restrained. China’s Foreign Ministry issued a warning that “Middle Eastern countries will suffer first” if the conflict intensifies. European leaders called for diplomacy while affirming Israel’s right to self-defence. The G7 is expected to release a joint statement urging restraint, while European leaders have called for a de-escalation of hostilities. Several countries have begun evacuating their nationals from Iran and Israel. Poland is routing its citizens out of Israel via Jordan, while India is relocating students from Iran. Chinese citizens were urged to avoid public gatherings and remain alert.
Military analysts warned that with civilian infrastructure increasingly targeted, the war risks spiralling beyond containment. “So now they (Israelis) are realizing what the Palestinians have been suffering, what the Lebanese have been suffering,” said political analyst Elijah Magnier. “They see the destruction in front of them—buildings in Tel Aviv, in Haifa destroyed, fire everywhere. The properties no longer exist.”
