Israel has asked the US over the past 48 hours to join the war with Iran, but the US is not currently considering such a move, reported Axios and The Times of Israel, citing Israeli and American officials.
Israel and Iran launched a fresh wave of missile strikes against each other, as the conflict between the two countries escalated. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump on Saturday, calling for efforts to bring the hostilities to an end, according to Reuters.
A woman and her two daughters, as well as their relative, were killed when an Iranian missile struck a building in Tamra, in northern Israel, on Saturday night, Jerusalem Post updated on Sunday.
At least 28 were wounded following an Iranian missile barrage on northern Israel on Saturday night. In addition, over 90 people were wounded and another killed in another barrage on central Israel early on Sunday morning, per the report.
Iran launched waves of drones and ballistic missiles from Saturday into Sunday over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in response to Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iran’s nuclear sites and top military commanders on Friday, France24 reported.
The Israeli military said it conducted an “extensive series of strikes” on the headquarters of the Iranian Defence Ministry and the SPND nuclear project. The Israeli Defence Forces said the targets also included the place where Iran “hid its nuclear archive,” multiple media outlets reported.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin was quoted as saying on Saturday local time that over 70 Israeli Air Force fighter jets participated in the overnight operation, during which the military “established aerial superiority from western Iran to Tehran.” He said “The dozens of aircraft are flying freely over Tehran, thanks to the opening blow that removed the threat of Iranian air defense systems,” noting that it was the deepest area in Iran in which the Israeli Air Force had operated so far, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel’s military said early Sunday that it had struck Iran’s defense ministry headquarters, “nuclear weapons project” infrastructure sites and other targets, as the two nations exchanged fire for a third day, lemonde.fr reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, focusing on hostilities between Israel and Iran and calling for efforts to bring them to an end, Reuters reported on Sunday.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said in a statement that Putin denounced the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressed grave concern over the possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire Middle East region, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.
According to Ushakov, US President also views the situation as very alarming, and the Russian and US presidents do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Xinhua reported.
Iran has warned the US, UK and France that their military bases and ships will be targeted if they help block the Iranian missile and drone retaliation for Israel’s attack, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
With war raging against Iran and Hamas, Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency Director Ronen Bar’s term ends, and the deputy Shin Bet chief, known as the Hebrew initials Shin, takes over as acting head of the domestic intelligence agency.
