Explainer: what we all know thus far within the Israel-Iran battle

[ad_1] Israel’s shock assault on targets throughout Iran on Friday, has been adopted by three days of escalating strikes , as either side threatened extra devastation within the largest ever confrontation between the longstanding enemies.

Right here’s a round-up of the battle thus far:

Israel hit greater than 100 major targets in Iran on Friday , together with nuclear amenities and missile websites, and killed senior navy commanders and scientists. Satellite tv for pc imagery confirmed important harm to areas of the Natanz nuclear web site , Iran’s most vital nuclear enrichment facility, however the gasoline enrichment plant seemed to be undamaged. A nuclear analysis centre in Isfahan was additionally hit.

Among those killed were senior military figures – together with the chief of employees of Iran’s armed forces, Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri , and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Gen Hossein Salami – in addition to no less than six Iranian nuclear scientists.

Israeli strikes continued over the weekend and into Monday, because the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) focused air defences across the Tehran and claimed that they had gained control of the skies over the capital . Israel’s navy mentioned it had hit “greater than 80” targets in Tehran since Saturday, together with the defence ministry headquarters and missile launchers used to strike Israel and defend Iran. The Iranian oil ministry mentioned Israel had focused two gasoline depots within the Tehran space. Iran has accused Israel of hitting civilian areas in Tehran with the well being ministry reporting that Israeli strikes had killed 224 folks since Friday.

Iran has launched several waves of missiles at Israel since Friday , with Israeli authorities saying no less than 14 folks had been killed since Friday and 390 injured. Rescuers and medics mentioned a strike late on Saturday destroyed a three-storey constructing within the city of Tamra , killing 4 girls, and 6 folks had been killed and no less than 180 injured on the web site of a missile strike in Bat Yam , close to Tel Aviv . These quantity had been set to rise on Monday after Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv and Haifa , with fires had been seen burning at an influence plant within the northern metropolis.

<gu-island name="InteractiveBlockComponent" priority="critical" deferuntil="idle" props="{"url":"https://interactive.guim.co.uk/uploader/embed/2025/06/archive-zip/giv-3255411YiUbmcBbjZ/","scriptUrl":"https://interactive.guim.co.uk/embed/iframe-wrapper/0.1/boot.js","alt":"Maps of Iran and Israel","format":{"design":7,"display":0,"theme":0},"elementId":"b1fd8b79-2a72-4be2-b273-43acaf56cf84","isMainMedia":false}"> Maps of Iran and Israel Iran warned the US , UK and France that their navy bases and ships could be focused in the event that they helped block the Iranian missile and drone retaliation for Israel’s assault. US officers informed some media that American air defence methods and a Navy destroyer helped Israel shoot down some incoming ballistic missiles on Friday. The UK was moving jets and other military assets to the Middle East , as UK prime minister Keir Starmer refused to rule out defending Israel.

In justifying the assault, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu , mentioned he had acted to pre-empt a secret Iranian programme to build a nuclear bomb , claiming Tehran already had the capability to construct 9 nuclear bombs. The Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) board dominated on Thursday that Iran had violated its obligations below the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in failing to cooperate absolutely with IAEA inspections and for amassing an estimated 400kg of extremely enriched uranium. Western intelligence assessments till now have typically mentioned Iran has not taken the ultimate determination to construct a bomb.

Iran’s supreme chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , threatened “severe punishment” and claimed residential areas had been focused. The most recent spherical of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday had been cancelled and Tehran reportedly informed potential mediators Qatar and Oman that it was not open to negotiating a ceasefire whereas it's below Israeli assault.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio , mentioned early on Friday that the US had not taken half within the Israeli assault, which he described as “unilateral”, however by later within the day, president Donald Trump told reporters that the US had been conscious of the approaching assault. On the G7 convention in Canada on Sunday, Trump claimed he was working behind the scenes on a deal, whereas elsewhere Reuters reported that the president had vetoed an Israeli plan in current days to kill Iran’s supreme chief.