Israel declares "air sovereignty over Tehran" - Minister openly threatens residents

11:15 a.m.: The Israeli army has announced that it has gained air supremacy over key parts of Iran, stating that it has control over the skies from the west of the country to the capital, Tehran.

10:22 a.m.: The Israeli Navy has deployed a system installed on a German-supplied corvette to defend against an Iranian drone for the first time. Israeli missile boats intercepted a total of eight unmanned aerial vehicles fired from Iran overnight, according to a military statement.

9:31 a.m.: The United States is apparently deploying its aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, toward the Middle East. According to "ntv," the warship left the South China Sea this morning. This is also confirmed by data from "Marine Traffic." Furthermore, a planned visit to the Vietnamese port city of Danang was canceled. The reason: "An urgent operational requirement," ntv quoted insiders as saying. There has been no official statement yet.

The USS Nimitz is one of the largest warships in the world.

8:54 a.m .: Following new deadly Iranian rocket attacks on Israeli cities, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Tehran with retaliation. "The loudmouthed dictator from Tehran has become a cowardly murderer, deliberately targeting Israeli civilians to deter the Israeli army from continuing the offensive that is collapsing his capabilities," Katz wrote in a post on the X platform. "The people of Tehran will pay the price—and soon."

8:47 a.m.: According to medics, eight people were killed and 92 injured in the new Iranian missile attacks on Israeli cities overnight. A spokeswoman confirmed that this brings the number of people killed in attacks in Israel since Friday to 23.

According to emergency services, there were a total of four impacts in the greater Tel Aviv area. The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, reported on X that the building of the embassy's branch in Tel Aviv had suffered minor damage due to tremors caused by a nearby rocket hit. No one was injured. In the northern port city of Haifa, three people were found dead in the rubble. Two more bodies were recovered from a building hit the previous day in Bat Yam.

In Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv, three people were killed by a direct hit in the shelter where they had sought refuge, the Israeli news portal "ynet" reported. The army consistently urges people to seek safety in private shelters or public air-raid shelters during attacks, as this saves lives.

8:09 a.m.: Iran says it has executed an agent of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, who was arrested in 2023. Esmaeil Fekri was hanged after a criminal trial, the Iranian justice website Misan Online reported on Monday. He was found guilty of charges including "corruption on earth" and "waging war against God."

The announcement of the execution came amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

7:06 a.m.: According to the British security company Ambrey, two hypersonic missiles were also used in the renewed Iranian attacks during the night. Ambrey reported this, citing video footage. According to the report, the two missiles hit Haifa in northern Israel, causing several fires to break out. The Israeli Ambulance Service reported that three people were killed in Israel during the night.

6:37 a.m.: The Israeli Air Force says it has attacked command centers of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran. The Quds Force is the overseas unit of Iran's elite military, whose official mission is to conduct covert operations abroad.

The Israeli army stated that terrorist attacks against the State of Israel were being planned in the command centers attacked in the Iranian capital with the help of the Iranian leadership's proxies in the Middle East. Details were not provided. There was no initial confirmation from the Iranian side.

The Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force is subordinate to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is given the final say in all strategic matters by the constitution.

The military wing of the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad, which is supported by Iran, also calls itself the Quds Force. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem and means "the holy." After Mecca and Medina, Jerusalem is the third holiest city in Islam.

5:27 a.m.: According to Israeli sources, Iran launched a new rocket attack on Israel on Monday morning. "Rockets fired by Iran into the territory of the State of Israel have recently been identified," the army announced on the online service Telegram. Air defenses are in operation, but Israelis are urged to go to shelters "and remain there until further notice."

Loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem, where air defenses were active, an AFP journalist reported. An AFP reporter in Haifa, northern Israel, saw several fires break out following the recent rocket attacks. A plume of smoke rose over the city.

Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Friday. Since then, the Israeli army has bombed nuclear and military facilities in the country, killing numerous high-ranking military officers. In response, Iran has since launched drone and missile attacks against Israel. Numerous people have been killed on both sides.

Monday, June 16, 1:02 a.m.: Iran has ruled out any negotiations during the ongoing major Israeli attack. The government in Tehran has made it clear to mediators Qatar and Oman that it "will not negotiate while under attack," an official familiar with the nuclear negotiations told AFP on Sunday. Only "when Iran has completed its response to the Israeli preemptive strikes" can serious talks begin.

In view of the massive Israeli attacks on targets in Iran, the nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington planned for Sunday were canceled under the mediation of Oman.

The official denied reports that Iran had asked Oman and Qatar to "engage the United States to broker a ceasefire with Israel and possibly resume nuclear negotiations."

9:06 p.m.: Iran has fired more rockets at Israel. Rocket alerts were issued in several parts of Israel, and people fled to shelters. The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that seven injured people were taken to hospitals in the north after the attack. Videos showed severely damaged buildings and several vehicles ablaze. The TV channel n12 reported on impacts near the city of Haifa and in Lachish, southwest of Jerusalem.

8:19 p.m.: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned in a phone call with US President Donald Trump against a regional escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran. Erdogan emphasized in the phone call on Sunday that "urgent action" was needed "to prevent a catastrophe that could ignite the entire region," the Turkish presidential office said.

The "spiral of violence" set in motion by Israel's attacks on Iran on Friday has caused "irreparable economic and civilian damage" on both sides, Erdogan reportedly added. It is urgently necessary to "stop this dangerous escalation." This was the second phone call between Erdogan and Trump within 24 hours.

7:28 p.m.: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reported the killing of the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's intelligence agency, Mohammed Kasemi, in Israeli airstrikes. "A few moments ago, we caught the head of the intelligence agency and his deputy in Tehran," Netanyahu said in an interview with the US broadcaster Fox News on Sunday. Israeli aircraft over Tehran again attacked military and nuclear facilities, he added.

6:45 p.m.: US President Donald Trump is said to have vetoed and stopped Israeli plans to kill Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei in recent days, the Reuters news agency reported, citing sources within the US government.

6:09 p.m.: According to the army, the Israeli Air Force launched an attack on the airport in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Sunday. The air force fired on an Iranian tanker aircraft at the airport, which is about 2,300 kilometers from Israel, the army said. This was the furthest target since the Israeli attacks on Iran began on Friday.

Iranian media also reported an attack on Mashhad. The Fars news agency reported that explosions and fires occurred at two locations in Mashhad. Air defenses were activated in the area. Mashhad is home to the shrine of Imam Reza, one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims and an important pilgrimage site.

4:31 p.m.: In light of the escalation in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump has pushed for a deal between Israel and Iran. "Iran and Israel should make a deal and will make a deal," Trump declared on Sunday on his online service Truth Social. He added that "many phone calls and meetings" are currently taking place regarding the conflict. A peace between the two arch-enemies could be concluded "soon."

In an interview with the US broadcaster ABC, Trump did not rule out US interference in the conflict. "It's possible that we will get involved," the US president said. However, the US is not currently involved in the conflict.

Trump also expressed his openness to a possible mediating role for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the conflict. The Kremlin chief "is willing, he called me about it, and we talked about it at length," Trump told ABC.

3:20 p.m.: Rocket alerts have been sounded again in Tel Aviv and other locations in central Israel. Sirens also sounded in the north of the country.

Iran had previously fired another wave of missiles at targets in Israel, the Iranian news agency Fars reported.

Israel's Homeland Security issued instructions to people across the country on Sunday afternoon. They should stay close to shelters and bunkers, it said. All movement in public spaces should be kept to a minimum, a military spokesperson said. Public gatherings should be avoided. These orders remain in effect until an update is issued.

2:56 p.m.: While visiting a destroyed building in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Iran with retaliation. "Iran will pay a very high price for the deliberate murder of civilians, women, and children," the 75-year-old said, according to his office. "We will achieve our goal and strike them a severe blow. They will feel the force of our arm."

According to a government spokeswoman, at least six people, including two children, were killed when an Iranian missile struck a residential building in the city south of Tel Aviv early this morning. Rescue workers continued to frantically search the rubble for seven more missing people. The severely damaged building is in danger of collapsing.

Netanyahu said at the scene: "We are here because we are in an existential struggle that is clear to every citizen of Israel today. Just think about what would happen if Iran had nuclear weapons that it could fire at Israeli cities."

Regarding the destruction caused by the missile attack, the prime minister said: "Think of what would happen if Iran had 20,000 of these missiles. Not just one—20,000." Tehran's missile program also poses an existential threat to Israel.

2:30 p.m.: Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog describes the fight against Iran as a defense not only of his country. "Our goal is to change the reality in the Middle East," he said during a visit to Bat Yam, central Israel, where several people were killed overnight in Iranian missile attacks.

"It cannot be that the evil empire continues to attack, sends its proxies, its terror, its missiles, and, of course, develops nuclear capabilities, which are the most dangerous capability for humanity," Herzog said.

Therefore, Israel is defending not only itself, "but the Middle East, humanity itself, and world peace," the President said. He appealed to the heads of state and government at the G7 meeting in Canada to stand with Israel.

12:35 p.m.: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced further military attacks in Iran. Following a military call for evacuation of people near arms factories in Iran, Katz said: "The military will attack the targets and skin the Iranian snake in Tehran and elsewhere of nuclear capabilities and weapons systems. The Iranian dictator is turning Tehran into Beirut and the people of Tehran into hostages for the survival of the regime."

The pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon had been firing rockets at Israel for more than a year since the start of the Gaza War in October 2023, developing into a low-level conflict with mutual fire. In the fall of last year, the conflict escalated: Israel launched massive airstrikes, including on the capital Beirut, and launched a ground offensive in the south of the country. The Hezbollah militia was severely weakened as a result. A ceasefire has been in effect since November. Nevertheless, Israel has attacked targets in Lebanon several times since then, resulting in casualties.

11:47 a.m.: Following an Israeli attack on a gas refinery in southern Iran, Tehran accused the other side of seeking to expand "the war beyond Iranian territory." "Dragging the conflict into the Persian Gulf region is a strategic mistake," Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told foreign diplomats on Sunday. The Israeli attack on the Pars South gas field was "very dangerous."

On Saturday, Israel launched a drone attack on a refinery in Pars South, one of Iran's most important gas fields in the Persian Gulf. Iranian media reported a "massive explosion" after the attack, indicating the facility was ablaze.

11:29 a.m.: Following the Iranian missile attacks, several people are still trapped in a damaged building in central Israel. Army special forces and rescue dog teams are working to rescue them, the newspaper Haaretz reported, citing the Israeli Homeland Security. The approximate location of the buried people is known, but no contact has yet been made. Those who were in the bunker in the basement of the building at the time of the attack are believed to have survived.

10:22 a.m.: Iran's foreign minister has promised an end to the rocket attacks in the war with Israel. The attacks were "solely for self-defense and a response to aggression," said Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, according to the state news agency IRNA. "When the aggression stops, our response will also end," the minister said at a meeting in Tehran with ambassadors from numerous countries. The Iranians have suffered heavy losses following the previous Israeli attacks – both at the military leadership level and in their own military equipment.

A new round of negotiations with the US in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program was actually planned for today. "Today we should have presented our own proposal for a nuclear agreement with the US – that could have paved the way for an agreement," complained Aragchi. The mediator, Oman, had already announced the cancellation of the meeting on Saturday.

10:04 a.m.: The Israeli military has called on residents living near Iranian military installations to evacuate the affected areas. "For your safety, we ask you to leave these areas immediately and not return until further notice," Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee posted in Arabic and Persian on the online service X on Sunday. "Proximity to these installations endangers your life."

The evacuation order is directed "at all people currently in or near military facilities in Iran," Adraee explained.

9:03 a.m.: The death toll in Israel from Iranian attacks on Sunday night has risen to ten. Two more bodies were recovered from a residential building hit by an Iranian missile, police in Bat Yam announced on Sunday. "Six people were killed and 180 injured," said police chief Daniel Hadad in front of the hit house in the central Israeli city. In addition, four more people were killed in an attack in northern Israel, according to authorities.

The Israeli army also reported that it intercepted seven drones heading toward Israeli territory on Sunday morning. It did not provide any information about their origin.

8:16 a.m.: US President Donald Trump has warned Iran of a possible attack on the US. In such an event, "the full force and power of the US armed forces will be brought down upon you on an unprecedented scale," Trump declared to Tehran on Sunday. At the same time, he assured Tehran that the US "had nothing to do" with the Israeli attacks on Iran.

"Should we be attacked in any way, shape, or form by Iran, the full force and power of the U.S. military will be brought down upon you on an unprecedented scale," Trump wrote on his online service Truth Social. He also added: "We can easily reach a deal between Iran and Israel." He did not provide details on how this would be possible.

4:34 a.m.: Eight people were killed in Iranian missile attacks on Israel overnight into Sunday, according to rescue workers. Four people were killed in the center of the country, including a ten-year-old boy, the Magen David Adom rescue service reported on Sunday. Around 100 people were also injured. Another 37 people were injured west of Jerusalem.

According to Magen David Adom, three women were killed in a rocket attack on a residential building in the Western Galilee. Another house was destroyed near the northern Israeli city of Haifa, and a young woman was later recovered dead from the rubble.

3:54 a.m.: The latest wave of Iranian attacks on Israel has left at least one more dead and dozens injured, according to rescue workers. There were reports of buildings being hit in several cities, including the port city of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

People are now allowed to leave shelters in several areas in central and northern Israel, the army announced overnight. Search and rescue teams are operating in several locations across the country where shells have been reported.

3:05 a.m.: According to the military, the Israeli Air Force bombed "infrastructure facilities of the Iranian nuclear weapons project" and oil depots in the Iranian capital Tehran. The "series of attacks" has been completed, the army announced on Telegram overnight.

The targets included the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Defense and the headquarters of a state nuclear research organization. Attacks were also carried out on other targets intended to "thwart Iran's efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon"—including the hiding place of the state's nuclear archives.

Sunday, June 15, 1:54 a.m.: Iran launched another rocket attack on Israel on Sunday morning, according to state media. "A new wave of Operation 'True Promise 3' began a few minutes ago," Iranian state television reported.

As AFP journalists reported, explosions were heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and air raid sirens sounded in both cities. The Israeli army wrote on the online service X that millions of Israelis rushed to shelters in numerous cities.