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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Israel appeared to beryllium expanding its aerial run connected Tehran 5 days aft its astonishment onslaught connected Iran's subject and atomic program, arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous connection informing residents of the metropolis to evacuate.
“IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote Monday nighttime earlier returning to Washington early from a Group of Seven acme successful Canada. “Everyone should instantly evacuate Tehran!” helium added.
Trump aboriginal denied reports that helium had rushed backmost to Washington to enactment connected a ceasefire, saying his aboriginal departure “has thing to bash with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that,” without elaborating.
Earlier, the Israeli subject had called for immoderate 330,000 residents of a vicinity successful the metropolis halfway to evacuate. Tehran is 1 of the largest cities successful the Middle East, with astir 9.5 cardinal people.
Israel says its sweeping battle connected Iran’s apical subject leaders, atomic scientiests, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic rocket programme is indispensable to forestall its longtime adversary from getting immoderate person to building an atomic weapon. The strikes person killed astatine slightest 224 people since Friday.
Iran has retaliated by launching much than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones astatine Israel. So far, 24 radical person been killed successful Israel and much than 500 wounded.
The back-and-forth has raised concerns astir all-out warfare betwixt the countries and propelled the region, already connected edge, into adjacent greater upheaval.
Before leaving the acme successful Canada, Trump joined the different leaders successful a associated connection saying Iran “can ne'er person a atomic weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities successful the Middle East, including a ceasefire successful Gaza.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth headed to the White House Situation Room to conscionable with the president and his nationalist information team.
Hegseth didn’t supply details connected what prompted the gathering but said connected Fox News precocious Monday that the movements were to “ensure that our radical are safe.”
Israeli subject spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that his country’s forces had “achieved afloat aerial superiority implicit Tehran’s skies.”
The subject said it destroyed much than 120 surface-to-surface rocket launchers successful cardinal Iran, a 3rd of Iran’s total, including aggregate launchers conscionable earlier they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel. It besides destroyed 2 F-14 combatant planes that Iran utilized to people Israeli aircraft, the subject said.
Israeli subject officials besides said combatant jets had struck 10 bid centers successful Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite limb of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducts subject and quality operations extracurricular Iran.
Israel’s subject issued an evacuation informing to 330,000 radical successful a portion of cardinal Tehran that houses the country’s authorities TV and constabulary headquarters, arsenic good arsenic 3 ample hospitals, including 1 owned by the Guard.
Israel’s subject has issued akin evacuation warnings for parts of the Gaza Strip and Lebanon up of strikes. Health authorities reported that 1,277 radical were wounded successful Iran. Iranians besides reported substance rationing.
Rights groups specified arsenic the Washington-based Iranian advocacy radical Human Rights Activists person suggested that the Iranian government’s decease toll is simply a important undercount. The radical says it has documented much than 400 radical killed, among them 197 civilians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes person acceptable Iran’s atomic program backmost a “very, precise agelong time,” and told reporters helium is successful regular interaction with Trump.
Iran maintains that its atomic programme is peaceful, and the U.S. and others person assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to prosecute a atomic limb since 2003. The caput of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the state has capable enriched uranium to marque respective atomic bombs should it take to bash so.
So far, Israel has targeted aggregate Iranian atomic programme sites but has not been capable to destruct Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility.
The tract is buried heavy underground — and to destruct it, Israel whitethorn request the 30,000-pound (14,000-kilogram) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a U.S. bunker-busting weaponry that uses its value and sheer kinetic unit to scope profoundly buried targets. Israel does not person the munition oregon the bomber needed to present it. The penetrator is presently delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber.
Iran’s overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to marque a veiled plea Monday for the U.S. to measurement successful and negociate an extremity to hostilities betwixt Israel and Iran.
In a station connected X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is "genuine astir diplomacy and funny successful stopping this war, adjacent steps are consequential.”
“It takes 1 telephone telephone from Washington to muzzle idiosyncratic similar Netanyahu,” Iran’s apical diplomat wrote. “That whitethorn pave the mode for a instrumentality to diplomacy.”
The connection to Washington was sent arsenic the latest talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran were canceled implicit the play aft Israel's astonishment bombardment.
On Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran volition halt its strikes if Israel does the same.
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Lidman reported from Jerusalem and Melzer from Nahariya, Israel. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat successful Tehran, Iran, and Tara Copp successful Washington contributed to this report.
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