More than 400 Iranians have been killed and at least 3,056 injured in a series of Israeli attacks over the past nine days, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.
Most of the casualties are civilians, as tensions between the two regional powers intensify to a level unseen since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
In a statement shared on social media Saturday, Hossein Kermanpour, head of public relations at Iran’s Health Ministry, said, “Nine days of attacks have killed more than 400 Iranians, including 54 women and children and wounded 3,056 others.” He added, “Most of the casualties have been civilians.”
Providing further details, Kermanpour said, “Among the injured, 2,220 have been treated and discharged from Ministry of Health hospitals, while 232 received outpatient care at the scene of the attacks. During this period, our dedicated medical teams across the country have performed 457 surgeries on the wounded.”
The Israeli military, meanwhile, confirmed it had struck a nuclear research facility in Iran overnight and claimed responsibility for killing three senior Iranian commanders in targeted attacks.
The Israeli military warned that it was preparing for the possibility of a drawn-out conflict, reports Al Jazeera.
On Saturday morning, plumes of smoke were seen rising from a mountainous area in Isfahan, where local officials reported an Israeli airstrike on the city’s nuclear research facility. The attack reportedly came in two waves and targeted two centrifuge production sites.
This marked the second Israeli assault on Isfahan since the conflict began, part of what appears to be a broader Israeli effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Akbar Salehi, Isfahan province's deputy governor for security affairs, confirmed that the Israeli strikes had caused damage to the facility but stated there were no human casualties in this particular incident.
Iran responded by launching a new wave of drones and missiles toward Israel. However, Israeli officials reported minimal damage, claiming most of the projectiles were intercepted by the country's missile defence systems.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the counterattack was a “small barrage” and that Israeli forces had succeeded in taking out more than half of Iran’s missile launchers.
“We've been able to take out a large amount of their launchers, creating a bottleneck — we're making it harder for them to fire toward Israel,” the official said. “Having said all that, I want to say the Iranian regime obviously still has capabilities.”
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said an Iranian drone had struck a two-story building in northern Israel, but no casualties were reported.
The Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Brig Gen Effie Defrin, said the armed forces were bracing for a prolonged operation. “We are deepening our strikes night after night and we have amazing achievements,” he said.
“We will continue until the threat is removed.” Defrin noted that Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir had directed the army to prepare for a “prolonged campaign” targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, enrichment facilities, and missile infrastructure.
According to AP, the current military campaign, named “Operation Rising Lion” by Israel, began with coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on June 13. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the operation targeted multiple nuclear facilities across Iran.
Explosions were reported in various parts of Tehran, with residents describing loud blasts and temporary power outages in parts of the capital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the campaign, calling it a preemptive measure against an “imminent threat to Israel’s very survival” posed by Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on that day confirmed several senior military officials and scientists were killed in the Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. Among those killed was Iran’s former national security chief, Ali Shamkhani.
“The assassination of Ali Shamkhani was also confirmed,” Iranian state media reported.
These attacks are considered the most serious Iran has faced since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
