Key events
The first aircraft bringing home Israelis stranded abroad by flight cancellations resulting from the conflict with Iran landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday, the airports authority said, as reported by Agence France Presse.
“Just a short while ago, the first flight of Operation Safe Return landed at Ben Gurion Airport,” a statement said, adding that the flight had been operated by national carrier El Al and brought Israelis home from Larnaca in Cyprus.
In a clear indication of the strikes that have been occurring in the Middle East, there are gaping holes over the world’s most perilous air zones, as seen in this map published by flight radar.
In the span of a few days, Israel has killed more than a dozen of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, taken out much of its military hierarchy, and launched a wave of attacks against its nuclear programme, writes the Guardian’s chief Middle East correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison, in this compelling analysis.
“It has been a powerful display of Israeli military and intelligence dominance, but has not critically damaged Iran’s widely dispersed and heavily protected nuclear programme, Israeli military commanders and international nuclear proliferation experts agree.”
Read the full piece below.
IDF claims hit on ‘centrifuge production’ site in Tehran
Posting on X, the IDF says that it has attacked “a centrifuge production site and several weapons manufacturing sites” overnight. The Guardian was unable to verify the claims and the Iranian government has not acknowledged the attacks.
The IDF wrote:
Over 50 Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate, completed a series of strikes on military targets in the Tehran area in recent hours.”
“During the wave of attacks, several weapons manufacturing sites were targeted. Among the weapons production facilities attacked was a site for producing raw materials and components for assembling surface-to-surface missiles that the Iranian regime has launched and continues to launch toward the State of Israel.”
Major explosion heard in Tehran before dawn
The Associated Press has reported that a major explosion could be heard around 5 am in Tehran on Wednesday morning, following other explosions that boomed earlier in the predawn darkness.
Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since it began on Friday.
At least one strike appeared to target Tehran’s eastern neighbourhood of Hakimiyeh, where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has an academy.
Traffic stood bumper to bumper on roads to the west and downtown Tehran emptied out, with many shops shuttered as well as the ancient Grand Bazaar. The Bazaar has closed only in times of crisis, such as during the 2022 anti-government protests and the coronavirus pandemic.
Opening Summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the deepening conflict between Israel and Iran, as speculation mounts about whether the US will directly engage by lending military support to Israel, or push for negotiations between the two countries.
If you are just tuning in, here is a quick summary of what you need to know.
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Israel’s defence forces said they launched a fresh wave of strikes on Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday morning, warning residents in parts of the city to urgently evacuate. “Dear citizens, for your safety and well-being, we urgently request that you immediately evacuate the designated area in Tehran’s Area 18. Your presence in this area puts your life at risk,” the IDF posted on social media.
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Residents in Tehran are fleeing the capital, with witnesses citing strong explosions hitting buildings in western and eastern parts of Tehran on Tuesday evening, the Associated Press reported. On the roads out of Tehran to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper, and long lines also could be seen at gas stations. However, the impact and extent of any damage from the latest round of Israeli strikes remains unclear.
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In Israel, the IDF said that families across the country had sought shelter due to missile launches from Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that hypersonic missiles were used during the latest attack on Israel. The extent to which they caused any damage also remains unclear.
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Responding to the ongoing conflict, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei vowed on X that Iran would retaliate. “We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,” he said.
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Those messages were posted after Donald Trump wrote on social media that the United States knows the location of the Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei, adding that the US would not kill him “for now” but called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.
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In an apparent response to the president’s post, senator Bernie Sanders said the president “must not take illegal military action against Iran”. Yesterday, Democratic senator Tim Kaine also introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit US armed forces from taking direct action against Iran without explicit authorisation from Congress or a declaration of war.
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Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that Iran’s supreme leader could face the same fate as Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and was eventually hanged after a trial.
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Following a Situation Room briefing with members of his national security team, Trump is evaluating whether to lend his support to Israel by targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility is located beneath a mountain that will be difficult for Israeli forces to penetrate without the assistance of the United States, which is the only country that possesses bombs that can break through the underground bunker.
