Dubai, June 18: Explosions were heard in Tehran early Wednesday as intense Israeli airstrikes again targeted Iran’s capital in a conflict that a human rights group said had killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others.
Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded.
Iran has retaliated against Israel’s airstrike campaign by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel.
Egypt’s FM holds calls with Iranian counterpart and US envoy
Egypt’s top diplomat has held calls with both Iran’s foreign minister and US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, Cairo and Tehran say. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held the calls Tuesday with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff. Abdelatty reportedly stressed “the necessity of working toward de-escalation in the region and resorting to diplomatic and political solutions that contribute to containing the escalating situation and averting the risk of a widespread conflagration in the Middle East.”
Abdelatty “underscored the imperative of achieving an immediate ceasefire and returning to the path of negotiations as the only means to reach a sustainable agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program,” his office said in a statement. He “further emphasized the absence of military solutions to the crises currently facing the region.” A social media account associated with Araghchi confirmed the calls took place.
US officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Human rights group says 585 people killed in Iran
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 585 people and wounded 1,326 others, a human rights group said Wednesday. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 239 civilians and 126 security force personnel being killed.
Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country. Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people being killed and 1,277 others being wounded.
Israeli strikes hit Tehran
Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s capital early Wednesday after it issued a warning about a new area it could target. One major explosion could be heard around 5 am local time Wednesday morning, with other explosions booming 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 they began on Friday.
The Israelis had warned they could strike a neighbourhood south of Mehrabad International Airport.
That area includes residential neighbourhoods, military installations, pharmaceutical companies and industrial firms.
Satellite photos show US Navy ships out of Bahrain dock
Satellite images analyzed Wednesday by The Associated Press appear to show that there are no longer any vessels anchored off the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain as the strikes between Israel and Iran continue. The images, taken Tuesday, show the main dock there without any ships against it.
Dispersing ships is a common safety technique employed by navies around the world in times of trouble.
Meanwhile Tuesday, local media reported that Bahrain conducted a test of its air raid sirens.
Iran has threatened to target US military installations in the region, though there’s not been any attack so far since the Israeli campaign against Iran began on Friday. (AP)
