Dubai: Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s capital early Wednesday in a conflict that a human rights group said had killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others.
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel.
The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, cross-checks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country.
Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimised casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded.
Uncertainty roiled the region and residents of Tehran fled their homes in droves on the sixth day of Israel’s air campaign aimed at Iran’s military and nuclear programme.
Israel asserts it had to launch its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. It came as Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran’s programme, though President Donald Trump has said Israel’s campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks.
Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme was peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, was still conducting inspections, though limited, in the country. US intelligence agencies as well have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb.
People flee Tehran as strikes continue
A major explosion could be heard around 5 am in Tehran Wednesday morning, following other explosions that boomed earlier in the predawn darkness.
Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since they began Friday.
At least one strike appeared to target Tehran’s eastern neighbourhood of Hakimiyeh, where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has an academy.
Downtown Tehran emptied out, with many shops shuttered as well as the ancient Grand Bazaar. The Bazaar has closed only in times of crisis, such as during the 2022 anti-government protests and the coronavirus pandemic.
On roads to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper.
Trump demands Iranian surrender
As the US sends more warplanes to the Middle East, Trump made a series of statements about the conflict fueled confusion about the US’ role, including demanding “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” in a post on social media and warning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the US knows where he is hiding but that there were no plans to kill him “at least not for now.”
Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the evolving situation over the phone Tuesday, according to a White House official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Iran vows more retaliation
Iran offered no immediate response to the president’s posts, but the country’s military leaders vowed that Israel would soon see more attacks.
“The operations carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence,” Gen Abdul Rahim Mousavi, the commander in chief of Iran’s army, said in a video. “The punishment operation will be carried out soon.”
Israel’s military warned the population to stay close to shelters as Iran fired new salvos of missiles Wednesday, but officials said most were intercepted and Israel’s rescue services had no immediate reports of injuries. Sirens blared in southern Israel, including in the desert town of Dimona, the heart of Israel’s never-acknowledged nuclear arms programme.
The US State Department announced that the US Embassy in Jerusalem will remain closed through Friday.
Iran has fired fewer missiles in each of its barrages, with just a handful launched into Wednesday. It has not explained the drop in missiles fired, but the decline comes after Israel targeted many Iranian launchers.
Iran has retaliated by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel.
AP
