Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warns ‘Tehran will burn’ if attacks continue as fires rage across Iranian capital
Iran’s defence ministry headquarters and multiple fuel depots hit in devastating Israeli airstrikes
Six killed in Bat Yam including two children after Iranian missile scores direct hit on residential building
Tehran threatens to target UK, US and French military bases if Western powers help defend Israel
Israel has launched a devastating series of strikes on Tehran, hitting the defence ministry and multiple fuel depots, causing huge fires to break out across the Iranian capital.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a chilling warning that “Tehran is burning” as dramatic images showed massive blazes illuminating the night sky over Iran’s sprawling capital city.
The explosive escalation comes as both nations trade increasingly deadly missile and drone attacks, with at least 10 Israelis killed overnight – including two children who died when their apartment building in Bat Yam took a direct hit.
TEHRAN IN FLAMES
A massive blaze was seen in southern Tehran as Israel said it conducted strikes over the Iranian capital, with the Shahran oil depot in northwest Tehran erupting in flames after being struck by Israeli forces.
Iranian officials confirmed that a blaze had erupted at the South Pars gas field – one of the country’s most vital energy sources – after it was struck by Israeli forces on Saturday.
Iran attempted to downplay the devastation, claiming the “situation was under control” even as fire crews battled multiple infernos across the capital city.
The Israeli military confirmed striking the Iranian Ministry of Defence headquarters as well as the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research building, marking a dramatic escalation in targeting the heart of Iran’s military establishment.
CHILDREN AMONG THE DEAD
The human toll mounted horrifically overnight as Iranian missiles rained down on Israeli cities. Six died in the city of Bat Yam, on the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv. They included two children, killed when their apartment building took a direct hit.
Emergency services are still frantically searching through rubble for others believed to have been trapped in the building when it was struck.
An Iranian missile struck near homes in the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, killing two more people and wounding 19, according to Israel’s paramedic service Magen David Adom. Israel’s Fire and Rescue service said four homes were severely damaged.
NETANYAHU’S STARK WARNING
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the assault would intensify, declaring: “We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days.
Defence Minister Israel Katz issued an even more chilling threat: “If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn.
An Israeli military spokesman warned that while Tel Aviv will continue to attack and destroy Iranian surface-to-surface missile sites, Tehran still has an arsenal that can cause “grave damage” to Israel.
IRAN’S DEVASTATING LOSSES
Fars News Agency reported that at least 78 people have been killed and another 329 were injured during Israel’s attacks on 13 June, with Iran’s UN ambassador saying the “overwhelming majority” of those killed were civilians.
Iran said 78 people were killed on the first day and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children.
The attacks have decimated Iran’s military leadership, with at least 20 senior commanders killed in the strikes, including the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
WESTERN BASES THREATENED
In a chilling escalation, Tehran has warned the United States, Britain and France that it will target the military bases and ships of any country that helps repel Iranian attacks against Israel.
Iran hinted at a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial oil shipping lane – should the conflict deepen, a move that would send shockwaves through global energy markets.
The threat comes as Britain deploys RAF fighter jets to the Middle East for “contingency support”, with Sir Keir Starmer confirming the deployment while flying to the G7 summit in Canada.
NUCLEAR TALKS CANCELLED
The escalating conflict has torpedoed diplomatic efforts, with Iran-US nuclear talks, originally set to take place in Oman on Sunday, cancelled.
Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, told state-run media on Saturday that it was “still unclear what decision we will make” on Sunday’s talks.
US President Donald Trump had tied the diplomatic effort to Iran’s agreement to roll back its nuclear programme, warning on Truth Social that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse” and urging: “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left.
UNPRECEDENTED SCALE OF ATTACKS
The Israeli military claimed to have struck more than 150 Iranian targets and warned its operation could continue for weeks.
Israel’s assault targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, with the main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz struck, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. It also appeared to strike a second, smaller nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo.
The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz has been destroyed, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council.
CIVILIANS FLEE IN TERROR
Tehran residents described scenes of panic as explosions rocked the capital. Smoke and dust were filling all the house and we couldn’t breathe,” 45-year-old Tehran resident Mohsen Salehi told Iranian news agency WANA after an overnight airstrike woke his family.
One woman said people were crowded outside gas stations fueling their cars and trying to get out of the capital, as fears mount of further devastating strikes.
THE SPIRALLING CONFLICT
The current crisis exploded after Iran launched hundreds of missiles on June 13, as Israel responded by attacking over 150 targets in Iran.
Yesterday evening, Iran launched strikes into Israel, with the death toll continuing to mount as emergency services work through the night searching for survivors in the rubble.
Israel’s main international airport said Saturday it will remain closed until further notice, underlining the severity of the security situation.
As the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war, with both nations vowing to continue their attacks, the international community watches in horror as the death toll mounts and the prospect of a catastrophic regional conflict looms ever larger.
