Iran and Israel exchanged more missile strikes as their war entered its sixth day. On Wednesday morning, Israel said Iran fired two missile barrages, and explosions echoed over Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed it used Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles in “the 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3,” asserting full control over “the skies of the occupied territories.”
In response, Israel urged people in the Tehran area to evacuate before launching airstrikes on military sites. Additionally, Iranian outlets reported explosions in Tehran and Karaj. Moreover, Iran said Israeli cyberattacks hit digital systems and that authorities banned officials from using mobile phones.
According to five sources, Israeli strikes earlier in the week killed top military aides to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, thereby weakening his inner circle.
On Truth Social, US President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
He wrote, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” which raised doubts about US neutrality. Furthermore, he warned, “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding … We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
Later, Trump met with his National Security Council for over an hour to explore military options. These include using 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, which Israeli bombs can’t destroy.
Additionally, The New York Times reported that Trump may allow US tanker planes to refuel Israeli jets, enabling them to carry out long-range attacks.
According to Reuters, the US has deployed F-16, F-22, and F-35 jets to defend Israel. These aircraft have already intercepted drones and missiles. In addition, AFP confirmed through satellite images that four B-52H bombers were present at Diego Garcia, a US base in the Indian Ocean.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the deployments are defensive. Currently, around 40,000 US troops remain in the region. Meanwhile, lawmakers Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna introduced a resolution to prevent the US entry into the conflict, stating, “This is not our war.”
At the G7 summit, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer added that the US was not about to join the war.
Furthermore, the IAEA confirmed that Israel hit underground enrichment halls at Natanz. Iran, a member of the NPT, insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. In contrast, Israel, which is not part of the treaty, neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons.
So far, the war has killed at least 224 Iranians and 24 Israelis, mostly civilians. As a result, many residents continue to flee. Haaretz reported that flotillas are forming at marinas in Herzliya, Haifa, and Ashkelon as people try to escape.
Additionally, strikes hit the South Pars gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar. This development alarmed global oil markets.
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