Iran strikes Israel as Trump extends Strait of Hormuz deadline (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

06 April 2026

The Iranian military has threatened a “double response” against US interests in the Middle East if attacks on civilian targets continue.

Military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that if such strikes are repeated, “the next stages of our offensive and retaliatory operations will be carried out much more forcefully and extensively,” and target the “enemy’s interest anywhere in the region.”

The US allegedly used a “bunker-buster” against Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, the country’s first vice president, Mohammed Reza Aref, has claimed in a post on X, describing the attack as a “symbol of Trump’s madness and ignorance.”

“He fails to understand that Iran's knowledge is not embedded in concrete to be destroyed by bombs,” the Iranian official wrote, stressing that “no barbarity in history has ever been able to strip science from the Iranian people.”

The Middle East conflict must be resolved through “peaceful means,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has urged, warning that a military escalation would entail “serious repercussions.”

Speaking to Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, he stressed the need to return to the negotiating table and “prioritize the language of reason.” Both officials also affirmed the need to stop “Iran’s unjustified aggression” against Qatar and other Gulf states.

Albares expressed his country’s “solidarity” with Qatar, emphasizing the importance of “de-escalation, preserving civilian infrastructure and facilities, and ensuring the safety of the energy sector,” according to the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, a senior Iranian official told Reuters. The unnamed official said Iran views Washington as lacking the readiness for a lasting agreement, casting doubt on prospects for a near-term de-escalation.

The official added that Tehran has received a proposal for an immediate ceasefire put forward by Pakistan and is currently reviewing it. However, Iran does not accept being pressured into decisions under imposed deadlines, the source said, underscoring that any agreement would need to meet its conditions for a permanent truce rather than a short-term pause.

Trump on Sunday demanded Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning Tehran to “open the f***ing Strait” or face severe consequences.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Major General Majid Khademi, head of its Intelligence Organization, has been killed, describing his death as “martyrdom.” 

In a statement, the corps said Khademi had played a “lasting and instructive” role in Iran’s intelligence and security sectors over decades of service, particularly in countering what it described as foreign efforts to undermine the country’s stability.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, accused the United States of violating international law and threatening war crimes, saying any use of force against Iran would breach the UN Charter and qualify as an act of aggression. He also said threats to strike civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges would constitute war crimes under international law.

Gharibabadi warned the US president could face individual criminal responsibility, adding that Iran would deliver a “decisive, immediate, and regret-inducing response” to any aggression, invoking its right to self-defense under the UN Charter.

Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, posted Quranic verses on social media citing Surah Al-Mujadila, including passages stating that those who oppose Allah “shall be among the lowest,” without providing further context.

Baqaei has repeatedly framed the current conflict as a defensive struggle against US-Israeli “aggression” and a broader moral or civilizational fight, accusing Washington and its allies of waging an “illegal war” and threatening Iran’s sovereignty and identity.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a series of airstrikes in Lebanon in recent days, targeting what it described as Hezbollah launchers and weapons storage facilities “concealed in the heart of the civilian population.” The military said the sites were embedded “within structures and civilian infrastructure in several areas in Lebanon,” and released footage it said showed the strikes.

The IDF accused Iran-aligned Hezbollah of “cynically” exploiting civilians to conduct attacks against Israel, adding that steps were taken “to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible,” including the use of “precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.” It said the operations were part of efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and respond to its “deliberate decision to attack Israel.”

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has renewed concerns about the safety of Iran’s nuclear facilities following the latest incident near the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

US Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari has criticized US-Israeli strikes on Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, questioning the targeting of a major academic institution. In a post on X, Ansari described Sharif as “Iran’s MIT,” noting that it has produced engineers who went on to build successful technology companies in the United States.

At least six children were killed in overnight US and Israeli strikes on Tehran province, Iranian media reported. The victims included four girls and two boys, all under the age of 10.

Iranian officials have previously accused the United States and Israel of causing civilian casualties, including children, during the ongoing conflict. On February 28, strikes hit a girls’ school in Minab, killing around 175 people, most of them children.

Israeli strikes have hit gas infrastructure and a residential area in Tehran, according to local authorities, with emergency crews containing a major leak and rescuing survivors from the rubble. The Tehran Fire Department said a gas pressure reduction station in a central district was hit by projectiles, causing a “severe” leak that was brought under control within about 30 minutes without igniting. In a separate strike in the city’s southeast, a residential building was completely destroyed, with seven people rescued alive and three others killed, officials said.

Earlier, the mayor of Tehran’s District 9 said a gas post serving Sharif University of Technology was struck, blaming Israel for the attack and reporting a temporary outage in the surrounding neighborhood. Traffic along the Azadi axis was blocked following the incident but is being gradually reopened, with full access expected within hours. 

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation has condemned a US-Israeli strike on its Khondab heavy water facility as a “crime against science and human health,” saying heavy water is essential for medicine and advanced industries and vowing its work would continue.

The UN nuclear watchdog said the plant was hit on March 27 and is no longer operational. The strikes are part of a broader US-Israeli campaign that has also targeted sites at Natanz and areas near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where a recent attack killed a security guard.

Footage from Tel Aviv on Monday morning appears to show the aftermath of overnight missile strikes.

Several people were injured in central Israel after being hit by missile fragments during an Iranian attack, according to Israel’s national emergency medical service.

Hamas has voiced full support for Iran, denouncing what it called “US-Israeli aggression” and hailing Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. In a statement, the group said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and armed forces had delivered “powerful blows” against Israeli targets in cities including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Dimona and Arad, describing the attacks as a justified response. 

Hamas also cited the Minab school strike, one of the deadliest incidents since the conflict began, as evidence of a broader pattern of US-Israeli aggression, referring to the February 28 attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school that killed at least 175 people, mostly children.

Footage circulating on social media appears to show fires and damage in the northern Israeli city of Haifa following reported Iranian missile strikes.

The Israeli military said it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory, adding that air defense systems were actively working to intercept the threat.

In a statement, the IDF said the Home Front Command had issued precautionary alerts to mobile phones in affected areas, instructing residents to move to protected spaces and remain there until further notice. Authorities urged the public to follow official guidance, stressing that leaving shelters should only occur upon explicit instructions.

Iranian media reported heavy airstrikes near Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.

According to Fars News Agency, at least 13 people were killed in a strike on a residential building in the capital.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said the Strait of Hormuz would “never return to its previous status,” especially for the US and Israel.

The IRGC added that it was finalizing preparations to defend Iran’s sovereignty in the strait.

The IRGC Navy suffered a heavy blow during the early stage of the conflict, when the US and Israel sank or damaged dozens of warships. However, it retains the ability to strike land and sea targets with drones and missiles.

Iran fired a new barrage of missiles at central Israel, with interceptions reported over Tel Aviv.

The Iranian Embassy in Zimbabwe mocked US President Donald Trump’s demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying: “We’ve lost the keys.”

The Iranian Embassy in South Africa responded: “Shh… the key’s under the flowerpot. Just open for friends.”

05 April 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with US President Donald Trump and congratulated him on “a bold decision and a perfectly executed American mission to rescue the downed pilot from enemy territory.”

“I am deeply proud that our cooperation off the battlefield is unprecedented, and that Israel could contribute to saving a brave American warrior,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into the failure to intercept the missile that struck a residential building in Haifa, according to The Times of Israel.

Investigations had previously been launched into interception failures in Dimona and Arad, where nearly 200 people were injured in Iranian strikes on March 21.

The popular Iranian Telegram news channel Middle East Spectator (MES) reported that charred remains found in wreckage following a US commando raid belonged to an Iranian soldier whose vehicle was destroyed by a US missile, rather than an American service member.

“Unfortunately, Iranian state media rushed to conclusions by reporting unverified information from the landing site, where the wreckage of several Iranian cars was accidentally mixed with the destroyed aircraft,” MES wrote.

The remains were found at a site linked to an operation to rescue a crew member of a downed US F-15E Strike Eagle.

Rescue workers continued searching for survivors trapped under the rubble of a residential building in Haifa, Israel, destroyed by an Iranian missile.

“This is a complex scene,” Home Front Command chief Major General Shai Klapper said.

A total of 15 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours after receiving permission from Iran, Fars News Agency reported.

According to Iranian media, some of the vessels that obtained permits belong to China, India, and Pakistan.

Iran will respond “in kind” if its infrastructure is attacked, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has said, commenting on Trump's latest threat.

“Our armed forces would target any similar infrastructure owned by, or in any way related to, the United States, or contributing to its acts of aggression against Iran,” he added.

Iran’s Fars news agency has removed an image it had claimed showed the skull of a US serviceman in a downed aircraft, citing doubts about its authenticity. The outlet said it is reviewing the image and will announce its conclusions later.

Israeli rescuers are searching for three people “believed to be trapped under the rubble” after an Iranian ballistic missile struck a building in the city of Haifa, according to Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian.

Iran’s permanent mission to the UN has accused the organization of staying “silent in the face of the overt and shameless threat by the war-mongering President of the United States to target civilian infrastructure.” The statement referred to Trump’s post declaring Tuesday “Power Plant Day and Bridge Day” and warned that such rhetoric amounts to “incitement to terrorize civilians” and an intent to “commit war crimes.”

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has said US President Trump is “stuck in the Stone Age,” as evidenced by his willingness to sacrifice his “people’s welfare to threaten others.” Trump has repeatedly said the US military will bomb Iran into the “Stone Ages” unless Tehran accommodates his ultimatums.

“Trump last night spoke about his inability to provide ‘childcare and healthcare’ for the American people, citing war as an excuse, and today he threatened Iran with destroying ‘power plants and bridges’,” Aref wrote.

Iranian media has published a graphic photo, attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that it claims shows the remains of an American service member inside the wreckage of a destroyed aircraft. Reports also claim that the US government’s statements about a successful rescue of the downed warplane’s pilots in Iran are false.

Ex-congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once an outspoken supporter of US President Donald Trump, has sharply criticized his latest profanity-laden threat to Iran. Trump “has gone insane,” she wrote on X, urging “everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian… to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God.”

“Our President is not a Christian and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians,” she added. Greene also accused Trump of launching an “unprovoked war against Iran based on the same nuclear lies they’ve been telling for decades,” saying he has betrayed his 2024 campaign promises.

“This is not making America great again, this is evil,” she said, adding that the US was acting on Israel’s behalf, despite West Jerusalem being “more than capable of defending” itself and allegedly possessing undeclared nuclear weapons.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has stated. Lavrov said that for de-escalation efforts in the Middle East to succeed, the US must “abandon the language of ultimatums.”

The two foreign ministers also called for an end to the “reckless and illegal attacks on civilian, industrial and energy infrastructure” in Iran, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which has been targeted by US-Israeli strikes at least four times since late February.

Lavrov and Araghchi stressed that attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities risk triggering a “radioactive catastrophe for the entire region,” according to the statement.

A building has collapsed in the Israeli city of Haifa after an Iranian missile strike, Iranian media reports.

According to the Times of Israel, citing the country’s Magen David Adom emergency service, four people have been injured in the attack, including one seriously.

Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian, citing Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service, reports that the “building in Haifa that sustained a direct impact of an Iranian ballistic missile is at risk of collapsing” after a “blaze erupted at the scene.”

Israeli rescuers believe that there may still be people trapped under the rubble, according to Fabian.

“It’s been a very bloody Easter Sunday here in Lebanon, with a number of massacres taking place across the country,” RT correspondent Steve Sweeney reports from Beirut. Israeli strikes hit the Dahieh area in the southern suburbs of the capital, sending thick smoke into the sky.

Jnah, a densely populated residential neighborhood, was also struck.

“The scenes that we’ve seen unfolding there look catastrophic – the emergency services are still working on the scene, along with volunteers – they are taking the dead and the wounded to the nearby Rafik Hariri Hospital,” Sweeney reports.

An eyewitness said the area is home to many migrant workers, including from India and African countries. Lebanese authorities put the death toll at four, while survivors claim it is “much higher” after a strike allegedly hit a civilian building.

Strikes also hit Kaffa Hata in the Sidon district, where displaced people had taken refuge. At least seven people were killed there, including a Lebanese army officer, according to Sweeney.

An Israeli drone production plant in Tel Aviv was destroyed after an Iranian missile carrying a “large warhead” hit the industrial site on Thursday, Ynet Global reports, citing Aero Sol CEO Israel Vaserlauf. The company supplies pilot helmets, bomb components, and drones to the IDF, according to the publication.

The US Central Command has published a short video clip, purportedly depicting the destruction of an Iranian drone in midair.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) reports that a rescue vehicle “was completely destroyed following an airstrike” in Fars Province. Aid workers managed to leave the vehicle shortly before the attack, emerging unscathed, the statement said.

“This act, classified as a war crime, occurred despite the Geneva Conventions clearly emphasizing that ambulances must not be targeted,” the IRCS stated.

The group added that since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran in late February, at least 46 ambulances in the country have come under attack, with four IRCS personnel killed.

The UAE’s air defenses “engaged” nine Iranian ballistic missiles, one cruise missile, and 50 drones on Sunday, the Defense Ministry reports. According to the statement, the attacks did not result in any casualties on the ground.

In a separate post, Trump celebrated the rescue of a “seriously wounded, and really brave” F-15 crew member from “deep inside the mountains of Iran,” calling it “an AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all.”

He also teased an upcoming press conference with the military to lay out the details, suggesting more self-congratulation may be on the way.

Trump has issued a fresh threat to Iran, warning of imminent strikes on key infrastructure while demanding Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fu*kin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” he wrote on Truth Social.

The remarks escalate Trump’s recent ultimatums, in which he has threatened to target Iran’s energy and transport infrastructure if the strategic waterway — crucial for global oil shipments — is not reopened.

Rosatom chief Aleksey Likhachev said the company has re-established limited contact with the Iranian nuclear authorities during the ongoing conflict, though exchanges are taking place under “wartime realities” and remain constrained.

Likhachev noted that some counterparts are government-linked figures who could become targets of US-Israeli attacks, complicating coordination.

Likhachev added that Rosatom is ready to share experience from operating nuclear facilities in conflict conditions, citing its work at the Russian-controlled Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. Despite the hostilities, both Moscow and Kiev have at times agreed to temporary ceasefires brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency to allow for critical repairs.

All 198 evacuated staff from the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant are safe and expected to cross into Armenia overnight, according to Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization reported on Saturday that another strike had hit an area near the plant. A projectile landed close to the facility, killing a security guard. Key infrastructure was not damaged.

The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that strikes on nuclear power plant sites and surrounding areas are unacceptable, as they host equipment critical to nuclear safety.

Likhachev stressed that “the absolute priority” is the safety of personnel. He urged all sides to “prevent any aggressive actions” around active nuclear sites.

A Fox News correspondent has claimed Donald Trump believes he can secure a deal with Iran “as early as tomorrow,” adding that negotiations are allegedly underway.

“I think there’s a good chance tomorrow,” Trump was cited as saying.

Neither Washington nor Tehran has confirmed that talks are currently in progress, despite repeated claims by the US president that negotiations are ongoing.

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has warned that oil prices could surge to $150+ per barrel “within the next two weeks” if the US-Israeli war on Iran continues.

The warning comes amid a sharp market spike, with Brent crude recently climbing above $109 per barrel and WTI topping $111, as fears grow over supply disruptions across the Middle East.

Dmitriev earlier said that prices could even approach $200, arguing “the oil issue is no longer just about the Strait of Hormuz,” but is being driven by attacks on energy infrastructure across the region.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi say operations at the Borouge petrochemical plant have been suspended after debris from an intercepted Iranian air attack sparked multiple fires.

Officials confirmed that three fires broke out at the site following the “successful interception” by air defense systems, adding that emergency crews quickly brought the situation under control.

While no injuries were reported, there was damage to the facilities and an assessment is ongoing.

Vladimir Zelensky has conceded that Ukraine is no longer “the priority” for the US, as Washington’s attention shifts to the Middle East.

“We have to recognize that we are not the priority for today. I feel that their focus is in the Middle East… all the world understands that,” he told AP, adding he is “afraid” a prolonged regional war “will give us less support.”

He also complained that US aid is already “not very big,” warning assistance “will be smaller and smaller day by day” as resources are diverted to the war on Iran.

Moscow has long argued that Western military aid only prolongs the fighting, and has repeatedly accused Zelensky of stalling any settlement.

Devastating scenes of destruction after the Israeli attacks on Jnah, southern Beirut.

An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon has killed seven people, including a four-year-old girl, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

The strike reportedly targeted Kfar Hatta in the Sidon district.

Since the escalation of hostilities in early March, at least 1,422 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the latest reports from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health and the UN.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wished Christians “a blessed and joyful Easter,” touting Israel’s “unwavering” commitment to freedom of worship — a conveniently timed message amid mounting backlash.

“Christians are persecuted across the Middle East… but in our region, Israel alone protects our Christian community,” he wrote on X.

The outreach comes days after Israeli police blocked senior Catholic clergy from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday, sparking global outrage before a partial reversal. It also follows criticism over Netanyahu’s recent comparison of Jesus to Genghis Khan — a remark that drew sharp backlash from Christians.

The US-Israeli war on Iran could trigger a global economic and energy catastrophe Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the director of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development and special adviser to three UN secretaries-general, has warned. He said attempts to “bomb Iran to the Stone Age” risk collapsing supply chains and plunging the world into crisis within weeks, as vital oil and gas infrastructure comes under sustained attack.

In a wide-ranging interview with Afshin Rattansi, Sachs described the conflict as a “flagrant, reckless, utterly illegal” war of aggression driven by long-standing US ambitions for global hegemony, warning that escalating strikes on Iran could have “enormous” consequences far beyond the region and urging major powers to intervene before the situation spirals further out of control

The crew member of a US F-15E fighter jet that was reportedly rescued in Iran has been transported to Kuwait, the New York Times reports, citing sources.

According to the outlet, the serviceman – a colonel – spent over a day behind enemy lines in mountainous terrain before being recovered.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has reported “significant material losses” after an Iranian drone attack hit several facilities, KUNA news agency says.

The strike sparked fires at multiple sites, with firefighters deployed to contain the blaze. No injuries have been reported.

Footage filmed by an RT crew captures the moment of an Israeli strike on a building in the al-Janah area on Beirut’s southern outskirts.

Footage posted on X by Press TV purportedly shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike that hit a fuel station in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district.

The outlet also reports that several people have been injured after Israeli shelling hit Ain Baal in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has “commended” Donald Trump and the US military for the “successful” rescue of an American pilot of an F-15E jet that was shot down over Iran on Friday.

“Israeli and American pilots and crew members are the best and bravest in the world… Together, they are crippling the Iranian terror regime and making the world a safer place,” he wrote on X – though Tehran claims it downed four US aircraft involved in the operation.

The ExplosiveMedia team has separately also mocked US CENTCOM’s recent silence, sharing an image of a cartoonish IRGC fighter telling a US soldier hunched over a laptop: “Get up, man, tweet something!”

The jab highlights the contrast with CENTCOM’s earlier stream of regular updates and “unclassified” strike footage, suggesting the sudden quiet reflects setbacks on the ground.

ExplosiveMedia, an AI design team behind viral Lego-style animations depicting the US-Israeli war on Iran, has mocked Washington in a new clip, showing a cartoonish IRGC fighter turning US aircraft into kebabs.

The imagery references Iranian claims that its forces downed four US aircraft during a recent mission to rescue a crew member from an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran on Friday.

Iran’s internet blackout – imposed over a month ago – is now the longest nationwide shutdown on record in any country, according to NetBlocks, an independent global internet monitor based in London.

In a post on X, NetBlocks noted that while some countries have faced longer intermittent or regional disruptions, and North Korea has never been connected to the global internet, none match the scale of Iran’s ongoing outage.

Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has claimed the US “so-called rescue operation” for a missing F-15 jet was “thwarted” by Iranian forces, calling it a pretext to infiltrate the country’s southwestern regions.

“Two C-130 military transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed by... Islamic warriors,” he said in a televised address, adding the incident underscored “the repeated failures of the US military.”

Zolfaghari also slammed Trump over his “blabbering and deflections,” insisting that “the reality on the ground clearly shows the superiority of the Iranian armed forces.”

The Israeli military says it has identified around 165 Hezbollah rocket launches that landed inside or near UNIFIL — a local UN peacekeeping mission — positions in southern Lebanon over the past month.

The IDF claims Hezbollah is exploiting its proximity to UN posts to carry out attacks on Israel. Hezbollah has repeatedly denied the accusations, calling them a “pretext” for Israel to target international peacekeepers and undermine Lebanese sovereignty. At least three UNIFIL peacekeepers have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon over the past month.

The Israeli military has claimed it has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

It earlier issued an evacuation warning for the area, urging residents in the Ghobeiry neighborhood – including those in a building marked on a published map and nearby structures – to leave immediately and move at least 300 meters away.

In a statement, Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed the site was near a Hezbollah-linked facility, without providing evidence.

The war on Iran risks spiraling into a catastrophic nuclear crisis, Peter Kuznick, the director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, told RT, warning that a direct strike on Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant could render large parts of the Gulf region uninhabitable and contaminate vital water supplies.

Bushehr has been targeted several times since late February. Other nuclear-related facilities have also come under attack, including Iran’s Natanz enrichment complex, as well as sites linked to uranium processing and heavy water production.

Kuznick said the conflict has become “so reckless and out of control that anything is possible,” adding that radioactive fallout could spread across countries including Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE. He also cautioned that a strike on Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility could have similarly devastating consequences, while urging an immediate ceasefire and diplomatic resolution to prevent a wider disaster.

A direct hit on Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant “could trigger a nuclear accident” with health impacts that would “devastate generations,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned on X, condemning the latest US-Israeli strike near the facility that damaged an auxiliary building and killed a guard.

“With every passing day of this escalating conflict, the stakes and threats are raised higher and higher. We must de-escalate now,” he wrote.

The IDF has released footage purportedly showing its Air Force striking an alleged Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon.

The military claims that since the start of its ongoing operation against Hezbollah, the Israeli Air Force has hit more than 2,000 targets, though multiple media reports and witnesses accounts note that the sites hit are mostly civilian facilities. 

A smoking package has triggered a hazardous materials alert at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, with footage circulating online showing firefighters in protective gear inspecting the suspicious item.

Airport staff were evacuated from the area as a precaution, according to the Fire and Rescue Service. It is currently unclear what the package contained.

At least five people have been killed in US strikes in southwest Iran during search operations for a downed F-15 crew member, Tasnim reports, citing sources.

The US earlier claimed that the pilot from the downed jet was rescued.

Israel’s expanding military activity in southern Lebanon is “widely viewed under international law as a violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” Salawati Mat Basir, an international law professor at the National University of Malaysia, told RT.

She argued that claims of self-defense mask what she described as a push toward a “de facto occupation,” referring to a series of recent deadly incidents involving UN peacekeepers, including late-March attacks in which three Indonesian members of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were killed in separate explosions during intensified Israeli strikes in the south, prompting UN condemnation and calls for an investigation.

She added that such incidents suggest Israeli forces “don’t care” about UN missions or personnel on the ground, which she described as part of efforts to establish and control a buffer zone in the area.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has mocked the US over IRGC shootdowns of its aircraft, sharing images purportedly showing the wreckage of a C-130 and two Black Hawk helicopters from a rescue mission for a downed F-15E pilot.

“If the United States gets three more victories like this, it will be utterly ruined,” he wrote on X.

Iran has released footage purportedly showing the wreckage of a US C-130 aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters destroyed during a search-and-rescue mission for a downed F-15E pilot.

Conflicting reports suggest that some of the aircraft may have been destroyed by US forces to prevent capture, while Iran claims they were downed during the mission.

The US and Israel are responsible for the regional instability and its global impact, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told his Pakistani counterpart, according to Fars.

In a call with Ishaq Dar, Araghchi stressed Iran’s “firm determination” to defend its sovereignty “using all means.”

Pakistan has called for a negotiated solution and continued consultations between the sides. Trump earlier gave Iran until Monday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face “punishing” strikes.

Members of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Haredi community have staged a protest outside a Jerusalem recruitment office, Shetah News reports.

The demonstrators oppose a new draft policy ending their long-standing exemption from military service. Local media reported that, with the IDF stretched by the wider regional escalation, the government has moved to enforce the draft, prompting Haredi leaders to denounce it as a “war on religion.”

Clashes broke out in Tel Aviv on Saturday as police moved to disperse protesters opposing the military operation against Iran. Footage shows officers confronting demonstrators, deploying mounted police and pushing crowds back as tensions escalated. Several people were detained while ambulances treated the injured.

The unrest followed a wider wave of protests across Israel against the war and government policy. In Jerusalem, hundreds gathered to call for an end to the war.

A video shows crowds drumming and holding banners reading “Funds for public, not for coalition” and “Stop the war.” Rallies were also reported in Paris, London, Berlin, and New York, where activists called for sanctions and an end to the war.

Bahrain’s Bapco Energies has confirmed that an oil tank at one of its storage facilities caught fire following an Iranian missile strike, adding that the blaze has since been extinguished.

The company said no injuries were reported and damage is being assessed.

The Laser and Plasma Research Institute at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University has been “completely destroyed” in US-Israeli airstrikes, RT’s Saman Kojouri reports from the scene, saying the facility “had nothing to do” with the military.

“This Laser and Plasma Research Center was involved in scientific activities for peaceful purposes… and had nothing to do with military installations,” Kojouri said.

He added that more than 60 students have been killed so far, with over 30 Iranian universities targeted, saying it’s “unbelievable” that these attacks are occurring “in the age of international law and human rights.”

US taxpayers will face soaring gasoline prices for decades as a result of the war, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned, slamming Trump and his administration over the “legacy” they will leave.

Irish demonstrators have marched in Cork in support of Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon, calling for an end to the war and civilian casualties.

Iran has condemned US strikes on the B1 bridge and Mahshahr petrochemical plants as “blatant acts of state terrorism” and “war crimes.”

Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, urged the UN to denounce the attacks, accusing the US and Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure.

Iran’s IRGC claims it intercepted and destroyed a US aircraft searching for the pilot of a downed F-15 south of Isfahan. Press TV has released an image purportedly showing the crash site.

Massive fire has erupted at Bahrain’s Bapco oil refinery after reported missile and drone strikes, Press TV says, publishing footage purportedly showing the initial impact.

The Israeli military has said that the air force struck more than 120 targets across central and western Iran over the past 24 hours, including air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, and drone-related infrastructure.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the targets included missile array positions linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as facilities used for the production and launch of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The IDF said the strikes dismantled air defense systems that posed a threat to its fighter jets and were aimed at maintaining Israeli air superiority over Iran, releasing video footage showing the attacks.