Israeli strikes killed 585 people in Iran, HR group says

Israeli airstrikes in Iran

DUBAI, June 18 (AP/UNB) — Israeli airstrikes struck Iran's capital with intensity early Wednesday, as a widening conflict has reportedly left at least 585 people dead and 1,326 injured across Iran, according to a Washington-based human rights organization.

The group, Human Rights Activists, which previously provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests following Mahsa Amini’s death, reported that of those killed in the Israeli strikes, 239 were civilians and 126 were members of the security forces. The organization cross-references local Iranian reports with a network of verified sources inside the country.

Iran has not issued frequent casualty updates during the conflict and has often downplayed the extent of damage and deaths. Its most recent figures, released on Monday, reported 224 fatalities and 1,277 wounded.

The ongoing Israeli offensive, now in its sixth day and focused on Iran’s military and nuclear facilities, has thrown the region into uncertainty, prompting large numbers of Tehran residents to flee their homes.

Israel maintains that the air campaign is necessary to prevent Iran from advancing closer to building a nuclear weapon. The strikes come amid diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington to revive negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Israel launched the offensive after the expiration of a 60-day deadline he had set for progress in the talks.

Iran has consistently claimed that its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. Nevertheless, it remains the only non-nuclear-armed country to enrich uranium to 60% purity—just a short technical step from the weapons-grade level of 90%. While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, continues to conduct limited inspections in Iran, U.S. intelligence agencies have stated that they do not believe Iran is currently trying to develop a nuclear bomb. 

People flee Tehran as strikes continue

A powerful explosion was heard around 5 a.m. Wednesday in Tehran, following a series of blasts that had already shaken the city earlier in the predawn hours. Iranian authorities did not acknowledge the attacks, a pattern that has become increasingly common amid the intensifying Israeli airstrike campaign that began on Friday.

One of the strikes reportedly hit Tehran’s eastern neighborhood of Hakimiyeh, where an academy run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is located.

In the aftermath, central Tehran saw a dramatic exodus, with many shops closing their doors, including the historic Grand Bazaar. The Bazaar, a symbol of the capital’s commercial life, has only shut down during major national crises, such as the 2022 anti-government protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, traffic on roads leading west out of the city was gridlocked, with vehicles stuck in bumper-to-bumper congestion as residents attempted to flee. 

Trump demands Iranian surrender

As the U.S. sends more warplanes to the Middle East, Trump made a series of statements about the conflict fueled confusion about the U.S.’s role, including demanding “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” in a post on social media and warning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the U.S. knows where he is hiding but that there were no plans to kill him “at least not for now.”

Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the evolving situation over the phone on Tuesday, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. 

Iran vows more retaliation

Iran did not immediately respond to the U.S. president’s social media posts, but the country’s military leadership warned that more attacks against Israel were imminent. In a video message, Gen. Abdul Rahim Mousavi, commander in chief of Iran’s army, stated, “The operations carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence. The punishment operation will be carried out soon.”

As Iran launched another wave of missiles on Wednesday, Israel’s military advised residents to stay close to shelters. However, officials reported that most of the missiles were intercepted, and emergency services had no immediate reports of injuries. Air raid sirens sounded across southern Israel, including the town of Dimona, which is home to Israel’s undeclared nuclear weapons program.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department announced that the American Embassy in Jerusalem would remain closed through Friday.

Iran has launched a smaller number of missiles in each successive barrage, with only a few fired on Wednesday. Although no official reason has been given for the reduced number of missiles, the drop follows Israeli strikes that targeted several Iranian launch systems.

Since the start of its retaliation, Iran has fired around 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. The attacks have so far resulted in 24 deaths inside Israel.