Iranâs state broadcaster was briefly knocked off air by an Israeli strike, and explosions rang out throughout Tehran on Monday (June 16, 2025), after a barrage of Iranian missiles killed 11 folks in Israel on the fourth day of an escalating air conflict.
After many years of enmity and a chronic shadow conflict, Israel on Friday (June 13, 2025) launched a shock aerial marketing campaign towards targets throughout Iran, saying they aimed to stop its arch-foe from buying atomic weapons â a cost Tehran denies.
Also Read | Israel-Iran battle LIVE: Updates on June 16, 2025
The sudden flare-up in hostilities has sparked fears of a wider battle, with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer saying from a G7 summit in Canada that he believed there was âa consensus for de-escalationâ amongst leaders of the membership of rich democracies.
Israelâs strikes have to date killed a minimum of 224 folks, together with prime army commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, in accordance with Iranian authorities.
Iran has launched a number of waves of missiles in retaliation, with Iranâs Revolutionary Guards warning on Monday (June 16, 2025) of âeffective, targeted and more devastating operationsâ to return.
In Tehran, the dwell feed of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) was abruptly minimize when an Israeli strike hit its constructing on Monday (June 16, 2025).
A presenter in the midst of lambasting Israel was pressured to flee mid-broadcast when a strong explosion rocked the constructing, knocking out the screens behind her and sending particles and mud falling from the ceiling, footage confirmed.
Israel had beforehand issued an evacuation warning for the a part of city the place IRIB is positioned, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying earlier than the strike that Iranâs âpropaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappearâ.
He later warned that Israel would âstrike the Iranian dictator everywhereâ.
IRIB resumed its broadcast shortly after the strike, with a senior official on the service saying, (*11*).
Explosions is also heard elsewhere throughout the capital, together with in the west, the place a cloud of black smoke billowed into the sky.
After days of repeated strikes, residents seemed to be streaming out of the town, in accordance with social media posts verified by AFP, exhibiting big visitors jams on the primary highway heading north.
Children screaming
In Israel, Iranian assaults on Monday (June 16, 2025) hit Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and Haifa â abandoning shattered properties, smouldering wreckage and shocked residents choosing by particles.
âI have four children, four boys. Weâre very scared, but everyone is OK,â mentioned Idan Bar, whose constructing in Petah Tikva was amongst these hit.
The demise toll in Israel rose by 11 on Monday (June 16, 2025), the prime ministerâs workplace mentioned, bringing the overall since Friday (June 13, 2025) to 24. The determine included three folks killed when a missile struck an oil refinery in Haifa on Sunday (June 15, 2025), in accordance with an Israeli official.
U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee mentioned {that a} close by missile strike additionally evenly broken a constructing used by the American embassy in Tel Aviv, whereas the U.S. State Department warned residents on Monday (June 16, 2025) to not journey to Israel on account of safety considerations.
At the identical time, the plane service USS Nimitz was leaving Southeast Asia after cancelling plans to dock in Vietnam, amid studies it’s headed to the Middle East to spice up the U.S. presence as Israel and Iran do battle.
âCool down the tensionsâ
Britainâs Starmer instructed reporters on the Group of Seven summit in the Canadian Rockies on Monday (June 16, 2025) that he believed his fellow leaders have been united in wanting de-escalation between Israel and Iran.
âThe risk of the conflict escalating is obvious, I think, and the implications â not just for the region but globally â are really immense, so the focus has to be on de-escalation,â he mentioned.
China urged each side to âimmediately take measures to cool down the tensionsâ and keep away from plunging the area into deeper turmoil.
Also Read: Escalation spiral: on the Israel-Iran battle
Iran, in flip, demanded that the International Atomic Energy Agency to âtake a firm positionâ in condemning Israeli strikes on its nuclear services.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the meantime instructed his Iranian counterpart in a cellphone name that Ankara was able to play a âfacilitating roleâ to finish the battle.
âMake a dealâ
The Israeli army mentioned on Monday (June 16, 2025) it had destroyed 120 missile launchers, describing this as a 3rd of Iranâs complete.
Addressing Iranâs parliament, President Masoud Pezeshkian urged residents to âstand strong against this genocidal criminal aggression with unity and coherenceâ.
U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted Washington had ânothing to doâ with its ally Israelâs marketing campaign, however warned any Iranian assault on American pursuits would set off âthe full strengthâ of the U.S. army.
After oblique nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran have been scuttled by Israelâs assault, Mr. Trump on Monday (June 16, 2025) urged Iran to return again to the negotiating desk.
âThey have to make a deal, and itâs painful for both parties, but Iâd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately before itâs too late,â he mentioned from the G7 summit.
A senior U.S. official instructed AFP that Mr. Trump had intervened to stop Israel from finishing up an assassination of Iranâs supreme chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Published – June 17, 2025 12:23 am IST
