Israel claims attack on Quds Force HQ in Tehran
The Israeli military, in a post on X, says it struck the headquarters of the Quds Force in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The Quds Force is the IRGC’s overseas arm, which heavily influences its allied militias across the Middle East, from Lebanon to Iraq, Yemen and Syria.
Israel says Tehran residents ‘will pay price soon’ for attacks
Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned that people in Iran’s capital will “pay the price” for Iranian strikes on Israeli civilians after overnight missile attacks killed at least five people and wounded dozens.
Referring to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Katz wrote on his Telegram channel: “The boastful dictator from Tehran has turned into a cowardly murderer, deliberately firing at Israel’s civilian home front in an attempt to deter the [Israeli military] from continuing the offensive that is crippling his capabilities.
“The residents of Tehran will pay the price – and soon.”
IRGC commander, soldier killed in Israeli attack
The Ansar al-Mahdi Corp, a unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that an Israeli attack in Zanjan province killed one of its commanders and one soldier. Tasnim, a news agency affiliated with the IRGC, identified the dead as Reza Najafi, a commander of the IRGC in the Ijrud district of Zanjan, and Hassan Rasouli, a soldier.
More than 220 people, including military officials, scientists, and women and children, have been killed across Iran since Israel launched its attack on Friday.
Smoke billows after multiple explosions in western Iran
Videos shared online and verified by Al Jazeera, show heavy plumes of smoke rising in the city of Kermanshah. In one video, thick smoke is seen rising around the Dieselabad area of the western Iranian city after an Israeli strike.
Israel argues its assault on Iran’s top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists was necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran has always insisted that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003.
