DUBAI, June 5: Israel has carried out airstrikes across Iran for a third day, escalating a sharp conflict with no immediate signs of resolution. Some Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli air defenses, striking buildings inside Israel in the first daytime missile attack since the fighting began. Planned talks on Iran’s nuclear program, viewed as a possible path to de-escalation, were canceled amid the rising violence.
According to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists, Israeli strikes have killed at least 406 people and wounded 654 in Iran, although Tehran has not confirmed official casualty numbers.
The conflict erupted after Israel’s surprise attack on Friday targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing several top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with over 270 missile launches into Israel, 22 of which breached air defenses. Both sides remain defiant, signaling a potentially prolonged conflict.
Israel justifies the airstrikes as essential to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Israel is widely considered the Middle East’s only undeclared nuclear power and views Iran as its primary regional threat.
Iranian missile strikes in Israel killed at least 14 civilians, including children, and wounded hundreds, with attacks hitting cities such as Bat Yam near Tel Aviv and the northern Arab town of Tamra.
Iran accused Israel of widening the conflict by attacking two oil refineries, sparking fears about damage to its heavily sanctioned energy sector and impacts on global markets. Iranian state media reported a powerful explosion at a natural gas processing plant in the South Pars field, a critical energy resource. In anticipation of further strikes, Iran designated metro stations and mosques as bomb shelters to protect civilians.
International leaders called urgently for de-escalation. China condemned Israel’s attacks on nuclear sites as setting a “dangerous precedent.” The UN nuclear watchdog recently censured Iran for its nuclear activities. The conflict is also intertwined with Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, an Iranian ally, following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed calls to halt the strikes, warning of stronger military actions ahead. Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, but the U.S. and others note Iran’s enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels and its potential to develop nuclear weapons quickly if it chooses.
Satellite images show extensive damage to Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility and the uranium conversion site at Isfahan. The UN atomic agency confirmed no radiation increase but noted serious damage to key buildings, with repairs expected to take months. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed full support for Israel and warned Iran that any retaliation would trigger a response “at levels never seen before,” signaling readiness for a broader military confrontation. The conflict risks prolonged instability in the already volatile Middle East. (AP)
