Middle East
Strike exchange continues as nuclear fears mount
Israel has hit Iranian government targets in Tehran in a series of strikes that follow a salvo of missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel in the wake of the Trump administration’s massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites the day before.
The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday’s attack by the United States on three nuclear facilities. The Israeli military did not elaborate.
In Tehran attacks, Israel’s Defence Ministry said it hit targets that included the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian capital and the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.
“The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” the ministry said.
The strikes also hit Tehran's Palestine Square and other “military command centres belonging to the Iranian regime,” it said.
Brigadier-General Effie Defrin stated during an online briefing that despite a decrease in Iranian missile strikes on Israel, further attacks were anticipated.
"Today we identified several (missile) falls without injuries. Continue to remain vigilant and stay updated on the instructions at all times. Although the number of launches has decreased in recent days, the Iranian attacks are not behind us," Defrin said.
According to an Israeli official familiar with the government’s strategy, Israel is targeting these sites to put pressure on the Iranian administration but is not actively seeking to topple it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations.
The Israeli move came just hours after President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social website: “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???”
Nuclear fears mount after US strikes
In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility already following the Sunday's US airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs.
“Given the explosive payload utilized ... very significant damage ... is expected to have occurred,” said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
With the strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the US had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.
Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time.
'Very significant damage' - IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi describes the damage at the Fordo nuclear site. - AP
Grossi told the IAEA board of governors on Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had informed him on June 13 that Iran would “adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.”
“I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,” Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded.
Israel and Iran press their attacks
Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as as a new wave of its Operation “True Promise 3,” saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television.
Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of damage.
In Iran, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes hit areas around Iran’s capital, Tehran, around midday. Iranian state television confirmed one Israeli strike hit the gate of Evin Prison.
The report shared what appeared to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike. The prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.
Smoke rising in northern Tehran following new strikes by Israel. - AP
Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners and those with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both US and European Union sanctions.
Earlier Monday, Iranian General Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to "act against US interests and its army.”
Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles.
