Tehran vows retaliationAccording to Iran’s health ministry, Israeli strikes killed at least 224 persons and injured over 1,400 since Friday. US President Donald Trump urged both Iran and Israel to pursue diplomacy
Ajish P Joy, The Week, June 16, 2025 : Israel launched another wave of airstrikes on Iran early Monday, as hostilities between the two long-time enemies entered a fourth day. Despite growing international calls for de-escalation, the conflict has shown no signs of slowing, with both sides vowing further retaliation.
The Israeli military announced it was targeting missile sites in central Iran and advised its citizens to remain close to bomb shelters, suggesting that an Iranian counterattack was likely. The latest strikes came after a weekend of relentless bombardment, including a rare daylight assault on Tehran on Sunday that shook the Iranian capital. Roads leading out of the city were jammed, with residents seen queuing at petrol stations and trying to flee with packed suitcases, according to state media and local accounts.
The fighting began on Friday with a surprise Israeli offensive aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear programme. Since then, the violence has spiralled into one of the most intense military confrontations between the two nations in decades, stoking fears of a broader regional war involving global powers such as the United States.
On Sunday, Israel hit multiple targets deep inside Iran, including an airport 2200km from its territory, where it reportedly destroyed an Iranian refuelling aircraft. One of the most high-profile casualties was Mohammad Kazemi, the intelligence chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed alongside two senior officers. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said three intelligence generals were “assassinated and martyred” in Israeli strikes. According to Iran’s health ministry, the Israeli strikes have killed at least 224 people and injured more than 1,400 since Friday.
Iran responded with a barrage of at least 70 missiles, some of which penetrated Israel’s air defences. A strike on a refinery in Haifa caused damage to pipelines and transmission systems, though the Bazan Group, which operates the plant, confirmed there were no injuries. Other missiles landed in a Palestinian-majority town near the Sea of Galilee, killing four people, and brought down part of a high-rise in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv.
By Monday morning, the Israeli health ministry reported at least 14 deaths, with three people still missing and hundreds injured. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site in Bat Yam and accused Iran of intentionally killing civilians. He argued that Iran’s missile attack justified the Israeli campaign, which he described as a “war of salvation” against Iran’s nuclear ambitions and what he called a dual threat of destruction.
Netanyahu, a long-time advocate of regime change in Tehran, suggested in an interview that this goal “could certainly be the result” of Israel’s current campaign. He declined to confirm reports that the Israeli government had considered assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to a senior US official, the Trump administration was aware of the plan and rejected it, communicating its opposition to the Israeli government. The plan was ultimately shelved.
Trump, who has taken a cautious approach to the escalating crisis, urged both sides to pursue diplomacy. Posting on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday morning, he wrote, “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal.” Later that evening, while speaking to reporters, he repeated his view but added, “Sometimes they have to fight it out. We’re going to see what happens.”
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In a separate post, Trump appeared to link the Israel–Iran conflict to his broader record on diplomacy. He claimed that he had already contributed to halting wars elsewhere, such as those in Ukraine and Gaza, and promised that peace between Israel and Iran would follow. “Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!” he wrote, adding that numerous calls and meetings were taking place. “I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand.”
Despite these remarks, prospects for negotiations remain bleak. Talks scheduled for Sunday between Iranian and US officials on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme were called off, eliminating one of the few available diplomatic avenues.
Israeli military officials claim they have secured air dominance over Tehran, though some of Iran’s air defence systems remain operational. A military spokesperson said Israel was continuing to target surface-to-surface missile sites in Iran, confirming operations in both Israeli and Iranian skies.
