Iran-Israel War: Latest Developments

On the sixth day of the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday ruled out any possibility of his country’s surrender, responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for unconditional capitulation.

Khamenei also warned the United States against any direct involvement in the military confrontation, a possibility Trump has left ambiguous, saying, “I might do it, I might not.” He emphasized that any direct U.S. intervention would cause “irreparable damage.”

Israel announced in the afternoon that it had destroyed the “Interior Security Headquarters” of Iran in Tehran, describing it as the “main repressive organ of the Iranian dictator.” Later in the evening, the Israeli military reported detecting missile launches originating from Iran.

The past hours saw intense exchanges of strikes between the two sides. Israeli airstrikes targeted several military sites in Tehran, with journalists reporting powerful explosions and visible smoke plumes across various districts of the Iranian capital. The Iranian Red Crescent also reported an Israeli attack near its building.

In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missiles, the Fattah-1, toward Israeli territory.

On the diplomatic front, U.S. Ambassador to Jerusalem Mike Huckabee announced preparations for the voluntary evacuation of American citizens from Israel. Several European countries, including Germany and Italy, repatriated hundreds of their nationals. China evacuated nearly 800 of its nationals from Iran, with more ongoing evacuations, expressing “deep concern” over the risk of the conflict spiraling out of control.

In a notable development, Iranian state television urged the public to delete the WhatsApp application, alleging it transmits data to Israel—a claim denied by the American tech giant Meta. Iranian authorities also announced the arrest of five individuals accused of being Mossad agents allegedly involved in “defaming” the Islamic Republic online.

Since the start of Israeli attacks, Iran has experienced a near-total internet blackout, according to London-based internet monitoring group NetBlocks.

So far, Israeli bombings have killed at least 224 people and injured over a thousand in Iran, according to the latest official Iranian figures released Sunday. Iranian missile and drone attacks on Israeli urban centers have resulted in at least 24 deaths and 592 injuries, according to Israeli authorities.

In his televised address, Khamenei reiterated that Iran will never surrender under pressure and vowed a strong response to any aggression. He warned that “the era of quick strikes is over” and that “Israel will make a grave mistake and will be punished.” He added that the Iranian people will never forget the blood of martyrs or violations of national sovereignty, affirming that the armed forces are fully prepared to defend the homeland with the support of officials and the populace.

These statements come amid a rapid escalation in the confrontation between Iran and Israel, with international warnings about the risk of the conflict spreading further across the Middle East.

About محمد الفاسي