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The conflict between Israel and Iran continued into the fifth day as residents of flashpoint areas bear the brunt of the violence.
About 224 people have been killed in Iran and 24 in Israel since the war began. Several top Iranian security chiefs are among the dead, and more than 1,400 people have been injured.
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Israel has issued an evacuation warning to the 330,000 residents in a part of central Tehran, where the country’s state television station, the national police headquarters, and three major hospitals, one of which is operated by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, are located.
Tehran, one of the largest cities in the region, is home to approximately 9.5 million people.
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On Monday, Israel attacked Iran’s state-run television, which was forced to abruptly stop a live broadcast after the Tehran-based station was hit. At least two people were killed in that attack, which has been condemned by global journalism groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The war broke out on Friday after Israel launched an attack on Iran, describing it as a pre-emptive strike to stop the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the strike came just two days before Iran was expected to resume nuclear talks with the United States. Iran has since withdrawn from the negotiations.
In response to the Israeli air raids, Iran fired back with a wave of drones and ballistic missiles. Since then, both countries have continued trading attacks, despite mounting international pressure to de-escalate the conflict.
Israel on Iran’s nuclear programme
The Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin boasted that the country’s forces had “achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it had succeeded in setting Iran’s nuclear programme back a “very, very long time.”
He described the Masoud Pezeshikan regime as weak, while noting that he has been in constant touch with President Donald Trump.
The country argued that the murder of Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists and the destruction of uranium enrichment sites is necessary to stop the government from building an atomic weapon.
The Israeli military also said it has destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, and also two F-14 planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft.
Meanwhile, Iranian missiles have hit the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva. It has also affected oil refineries in the northern city of Haifa for the second night in a row. Israel’s largest oil refinery, in Haifa, has been shut down due to the impact of the strikes.
Early morning strikes on Monday killed three workers, ignited a significant fire and damaged a building, according to Israel’s fire and rescue services.
Call for negotiations
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Araghchi, has hinted that the country is open to negotiation.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Iran had cancelled the US-Iran nuclear negotiations.
The country had described the continuation of nuclear talks with the US as unjustifiable while Israeli attacks targeted its facilities.
“The other side [the US] acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime [Israel] to target Iran’s territory,” it had said.
However, according to CNN, Mr Araghchi has stated that if Trump is “genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential.”
“It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy,” he said.
But President Trump’s latest post on Truth Social was a call for the Iranians to evacuate Tel Aviv.
“IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” He wrote.
Shortly after the post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt disclosed that he would be returning from the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the escalating conflict. Mr Trump left the G7 summit abruptly on Monday evening while it was still on.
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