PARIS — Israel ‘s military said it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran’s foreign minister warned that US military involvement in it “would be very, very dangerous for everyone.”
The prospect of a wider war threatened, too. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would resume attacks on US vessels and warships in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joins Israel´s military campaign.
The US ambassador to Israel announced the US has begun “assisted departure flights,” the first such flights from Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, AP reported.
Israel’s military said it struck an Iranian nuclear research facility overnight and killed three senior Iranian commanders in targeted attacks as it pursued its goal to destroy Iran´s nuclear program.
Smoke rose near a mountain in Isfahan, where the province´s deputy governor for security affairs, Akbar Salehi, confirmed Israeli strikes damaged the facility.
The target was a centrifuge production site, Israel’s military said. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the attack and said the facility – also targeted in the war’s first day – was “extensively damaged,” with no risk seen of off-site contamination.
Iran again launched drones and missiles at Israel but there were no reports of significant damage. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under army guidelines to brief reporters, estimated that the military has taken out more than 50 per cent of Iran’s launchers.
“We’re making it harder for them to fire toward Israel,” he said.
The Israeli military´s chief spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, later said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the army to prepare for a “prolonged campaign.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that US military involvement “would be very, very dangerous for everyone.”
He spoke on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Turkey. Araghchi was open to further dialogue but emphasized that Iran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continues to attack.
The war erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists.
At least 722 people, including 285 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,500 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
