On June 19, the conflict between Israel and Iran continued to escalate when Israel launched a large-scale airstrike targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, while Tehran responded with missiles hitting a hospital in the city of Beersheba, southern Israel. The confrontation that has lasted for the past week has shown no signs of cooling down.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay full responsibility after Soroka Medical Center was attacked. Israeli Defense Minister Katz said the military had received orders to increase strikes on strategic targets in Tehran, aimed at significantly weakening Iran's offensive capabilities and destabilizing the regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Israeli and Western officials said the operation was not only aimed at destroying Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities, but also to shake the foundation of the Tehran government. The deeper goal is to force Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment program, stop developing ballistic missiles and end support for armed forces in the region.
However, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar affirmed that regime change in Iran is not an official goal of the security cabinet at this time.
Israel said it had airstrikes on nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan. Tel Aviv had previously claimed to have attacked the Bushehr nuclear power plant, but later corrected that it was a mistake.
An Iranian diplomat accused Israel of conducting a ps yological war when mentioning Bushehr, warning that any attack on the plant could cause serious nuclear disasters due to the presence of Russian technicians and its location near the Arab countries.
US President Donald Trump has not yet made a clear statement about the possibility of the US going to war. He has continuously changed his views, from calling for peace to threatening Iran to surrender unconditionally. Previously, Mr. Trump had hinted at the possibility of killing the Supreme Leader of Iran and expressed that the possibility of intervention was not ruled out.
The conflict has caused serious casualties on both sides. Hundreds of people have been killed in Iran, while Tehran's retaliations have killed at least two dozen Israeli civilians.
Tensions also spread to the Hormuz Strait, a key global oil transport route. An Iranian lawmaker said the country is considering the possibility of closing the Strait, while many commercial vessels have stayed away from the waters near Iran. Data shows that Iran is looking to continue oil exports by adjusting the location of tankers near China.
The airspace in the region remains blocked, while many countries are urgently evacuating citizens from Iran and Israel.
