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Israel and Iran traded heavy fire for a third straight day on Sunday, with mounting casualties and expanding targets marking a sharp escalation in hostilities between the longtime foes.Strikes in both countries persisted throughout the day, as the death toll rose following Israel’s large-scale attacks on Friday aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, sparking retaliation.The intensity of the exchanges fuelled concerns of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East, even as world leaders call for an end to the violence.Here are the latest developments:- Rising death tolls -Death tolls mounted on both sides, as strikes hit residential areas.Iran unleashed waves of missiles at Israel at the weekend, killing 10 people, including children, and bringing the overall toll to 13 dead and 380 wounded.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to make Iran pay “a very heavy price” for the civilian deaths.Sirens sounded again in multiple areas of Israel in the afternoon as Iran launched a new barrage.Israeli attacks on Iran killed at least 224 people since Friday, including children, Iranian media reported, citing the health ministry, with hundreds more wounded.Iran opened mosques, metro stations and schools as shelters for citizens from Israel attacks, as the Israeli military warned Iranians to leave areas near weapons facilities. – Expanding targets – The Israeli military said Sunday it had hit more than 80 targets in Tehran overnight, as its attacks expanded from Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as killing top commanders and scientists, to hit also oil and government sites. Israeli strikes hit two fuel depots in Tehran on Sunday. It also struck Ahvaz, in the oil-rich southwestern province of Khuzestan, said Mehr news agency.Iranian media on Sunday reported Israel had targeted Tehran’s police and defence ministry headquarters and a ministry-affiliated facility in Isfahan. Iran struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refuelling, said the Revolutionary Guards.Israel said it had intercepted seven drones, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they also fired missiles at Israel on Sunday.Its military said later it hit Mashhad airport in Iran’s far east in its longest-distance strike yet, as well as other targets across the country, including the capital.Iranian state television said at least five people had been killed in a strike on a residential building in downtown Tehran.A senior Iranian military official on Sunday warned of a “devastating response” to Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, adding that Israel would not be habitable as a result.- Faltering nuclear diplomacy -The fierce exchanges of fire came amid talks between Tehran and Washington seeking to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it denies.The sixth round of negotiations set for Sunday in Oman have been called off. Tehran said it would not attend talks with Washington as long as Israel kept up its attacks.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday hit out at Israel, saying its attacks were an “attempt to undermine diplomacy and derail negotiations”.Araghchi also accused Israel of having “crossed a new red line” by targeting Iran’s nuclear sites.Tehran has accused the UN nuclear watchdog of inaction over the Israeli strikes and pledged to limit cooperation with the agency.Mediators Qatar and Oman were told by Iran that Tehran “will not negotiate while under attack”, an official briefed on the talks said Sunday.- International unease -Countries have voiced growing alarm over the conflict spilling into the wider region, calling for de-escalation.Araghchi on Sunday slammed one of Israel’s strikes on a major gas facility along the Gulf coast, saying any military activity in the key waters “could involve the entire region — and possibly the whole world”. He said Tehran had “solid proof” that US forces and bases in the region had supported Israel in its attacks.Washington — a top Israel ally and Tehran rival — has denied involvement and called for an end to the exchanges of fire, with President Donald Trump on Sunday reiterating a call for the two sides to “make a deal”.Trump said later told ABC television the United States “could get involved” in the conflict.And, according to a US official, he also prevented an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News, said however that Israel “got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran”. Iran said later an Israeli strike killed Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief Mohammed Kazemi, along with two other officers.burs-sw/dv/jj

US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior US official told AFP Sunday.”We found out that the Israelis had plans to hit Iran’s supreme leader. President Trump was against it and we told the Israelis not to,” said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dodged a question about reports that Trump had asked his country not to kill Khamenei.”I’m not going to get into that,” he told Fox News.”But I can tell you,… we’ll do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for the United States,” he said.The comments came as Israel and Iran exchanged another barrage of missiles Sunday, with residents told to seek shelter as booms were heard over Jerusalem, and aerial defense systems reportedly activated in Tehran. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, the latest conflict marked the first time the countries have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East.It began Friday, when Israel launched an attack that has killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, and struck military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country.As Israel struck targets across Iran again on Sunday, Netanyahu vowed to make the country pay a “heavy price” for killing Israeli civilians.He also strongly suggested to Fox News that Israel had killed Iran’s intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi, saying it had recently “got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran” as its jets carried out raids over the capital.Trump has insisted that Washington, a strong ally of Israel, “had nothing to do” with Israel’s bombing campaign.But he also threatened to unleash “the full strength and might” of the US military if Iran attacked US interests, later urging the two foes to “make a deal.”Trump stressed to ABC News Sunday that the United States is “not at this moment” involved in the military action, but said it was “possible we could get involved.”He also said he would be “open” to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator to resolve the conflict.

Tens of thousands of people dressed in red marched through the streets of The Hague and in Brussels on Sunday to demand more action from their governments against what they termed a “genocide” in Gaza.In France on Saturday, thousands of other people joined similar protests, as part of a weekend mobilisation around the world against the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory.Some 150,000 people participated in the march in the Hague, according to organisers.In Brussels, where protesters were also calling for action from the EU, turnout was estimated at 110,000 by organisers and 75,000 by police.Rights groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam organised the demonstrations, which were aimed at creating a so-called “red line” on the issue.With many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting “Stop the Genocide”, the demonstrators in the Dutch city turned a central park into a sea of red on a sunny afternoon before a march towards the International Court of Justice.Protesters brandished banners reading “Don’t look away, do something”, “Stop Dutch complicity”, and “Be silent when kids sleep, not when they die”.- Protesters condemn ‘genocide’ -Organisers urged the Dutch government — which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party pulled out of a fragile coalition — to do more to rein in Israel for its military offensive on the Palestinian territory.”More than 150,000 people here dressed in red — and a clear majority of the Dutch population — just want concrete sanctions to stop the genocide in Gaza,” said Michiel Servaes, director of Oxfam Novib, a Dutch branch of the international aid group.”We demand action now from our government,” added Servaes.Dodo Van Der Sluis, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP: “It has to stop. Enough is enough. I can’t take it anymore.”Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “To all those people in The Hague I say: we see you and we hear you.””In the end, our goal is the same: to end the suffering in Gaza as soon as possible.”In Brussels, many families were seen taking part, with the crowd yelling “Free free Palestine!” and aiming invective at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.A large sign noted that Netanyahu was “Wanted for Crimes Against Humanity”, referring to an ICJ warrant out against him.In Paris on Sunday, meanwhile, a dozen protesters began a march to Brussels to demand EU sanctions on Israel.The group, which includes a French actress, Corinne Masiero, wants the European Union “to hear the voice of civil society reminding it of its duties”, said Nathalie Tehio, head of the NGO Human Rights League.The marchers want EU officials to meet with them on June 23, when a regular meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers is to be held.The Gaza war was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas.That assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 54 are still thought to be held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military has said are dead.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people, the majority of them civilians.The United Nations considers the figures reliable.The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a case brought by South Africa against Israel, arguing its actions in Gaza breach the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.Israel strongly rejects the accusations.

Israel unleashed a punishing barrage of strikes across Iran Sunday, hitting targets from the west to Tehran and as far east as Mashhad, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to make the country pay a “heavy price” for killing civilians.With no let-up in sight, Iran said it would begin opening mosques, metro stations and schools to serve as makeshift bomb shelters for civilians, as Israel kept up its withering blows.After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, the latest conflict marked the first time the arch-enemies have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East.As Israel targeted sites across the Islamic republic Sunday, Iran responded with barrages of missiles, with residents told to seek shelter as booms were heard over Jerusalem, and aerial defence systems reportedly activated in Tehran.Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the hostilities broke out two days ago, with Netanyahu on Sunday slamming Iran for allegedly targeting civilians.”Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children,” he said during a visit to the site of a missile strike on a residential building in the coastal city of Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv.The remarks came hours after Iranian missile fire targeting Israel killed at least 10 people overnight, according to authorities, pushing the death toll up to 13 since Iran began its retaliatory strikes Friday, with 380 reported injured.Iranian state television, meanwhile, reported at least five people killed Sunday by an Israeli strike that hit a residential building in downtown Iran, adding the toll could rise as the strike was in a densely populated area.Local media citing Iran’s health ministry had reported at least 128 people killed in Israeli attacks from Friday to Saturday, including women and children, with 900 more injured.On Sunday, Israel’s military said its air force hit Mashhad airport in Iran’s far east, making it the longest-range strike of the conflict, with the target “approximately 2,300 kilometres (1,430 miles) from Israel”.Netanyahu also strongly suggested to Fox News that Israel had killed Iran’s intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi, saying it had recently “got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran” as its jets carried out raids over the capital.- ‘Make a deal’ -A heavy cloud of smoke hung above Tehran after Israeli aircraft struck two fuel depots. Local media also reported an Israeli strike on the police headquarters in the city centre.The Israeli military said its air force had hit “more than 80” targets in the capital overnight.Long lines snaked around gas stations as most businesses remained closed, while the head of Tehran’s traffic police told the IRNA news agency that “heavy traffic was reported at the capital’s exit points”.Some residents, however, were determined to stay put. “It is natural that war has its own stress, but I will not leave my city,” Shokouh Razzazi, 31, told AFP.  US President Donald Trump said Washington “had nothing to do” with Israel’s bombing campaign, which was launched early Friday and has hit key military and nuclear sites.But Trump also threatened to unleash “the full strength and might” of the US military if Iran attacked American interests, later urging the two foes to “make a deal”.Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi nonetheless said Tehran had “solid proof” that US forces had supported Israel in its attacks.Israeli police said six people were killed and at least 180 injured at the site of an overnight missile strike in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.First responders wearing helmets and headlamps picked through the bombed-out building as dawn broke.”There was an explosion and I thought the whole house had collapsed,” said Bat Yam resident Shahar Ben Zion.”It was a miracle we survived.”In northern Israel, rescuers and medics said a strike late Saturday destroyed a three-storey building in the town of Tamra, killing four women.- ‘Red line’ -Early Sunday, a series of blasts rattled Tehran.Israel said its forces had struck the defence ministry headquarters in Tehran, where Iranian news agency Tasnim reported damage.The Israeli military also said it had struck nuclear sites, including the secretive Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), fuel tankers and other targets.Iranian media later said that police had arrested two suspects over alleged links to Israel’s Mossad spy agency.Israel, in turn, said it had taken two individuals into custody over alleged links to Iranian intelligence. On Sunday, the Israeli military warned Iranians to evacuate areas near weapons facilities nationwide.”The Zionist regime crossed a new red line in international law” by “attacking nuclear facilities”, Araghchi told foreign diplomats, according to state TV.”If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop,” he added.Iran scrapped nuclear talks with the US planned for Sunday, saying it was “meaningless” to negotiate while under fire.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they had struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refuelling.burs/ds/smw

Tens of thousands of people dressed in red marched through the streets of The Hague Sunday to demand more action from the Dutch government against what they termed a “genocide” in Gaza.Rights groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam organised the demonstration through the city to the International Court of Justice, creating a so-called “red line”.With many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting “Stop the Genocide”, the demonstrators turned a central park in the city into a sea of red on a sunny afternoon.One of the organising groups, Oxfam Novib, estimated 150,000 people particpated in the march. Dutch police generally do not give estimates of demonstration turnouts.Protesters brandished banners reading “Don’t look away, do something”, “Stop Dutch complicity”, and “Be silent when kids sleep, not when they die”.Organisers urged the Dutch government — which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party pulled out of a fragile coalition — to do more to rein in Israel for its military offensive on the Palestinian territory.”More than 150,000 people here dressed in red — and a clear majority of the Dutch population — just want concrete sanctions to stop the genocide in Gaza,” said Michiel Servaes, director of Oxfam Novib.”We demand action now from our government,” added Servaes.Dodo Van Der Sluis, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP: “It has to stop. Enough is enough. I can’t take it anymore.””I’m here because I think it’s maybe the only thing you can do now as a Dutch citizen, but it’s something you have to do,” she added.A previous protest in The Hague on May 18 drew more than 100,000 people, according to organisers, who described it as the country’s largest demonstration in 20 years.Police also did not give an estimate for that gathering.- ‘Suffering in Gaza’ -Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “To all those people in The Hague I say: we see you and we hear you.””In the end, our goal is the same: to end the suffering in Gaza as soon as possible.”The Gaza war was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas.That assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 54 are still thought to be held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military has said are dead.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people, the majority of them civilians.The United Nations considers the figures reliable.The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a case brought by South Africa against Israel, arguing its actions in Gaza breach the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.Israel strongly rejects the accusations.

Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran, which have killed top military leaders and nuclear scientists, required years of meticulous intelligence gathering and infiltration, experts say.Israel said it hit hundreds of targets on Friday alone, and has since continued its attacks, striking a defence facility and fuel depots on Sunday.The fiercest-ever exchange of fire between the arch foes came in the midst of ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington seeking to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.”Israel has been following the nuclear programme for 15 years,” Israeli analyst Michael Horowitz told AFP.”The strikes we see are the result of years of intelligence gathering and infiltration of the Islamic republic.”Israel has previously carried out more limited attacks against Iranian military sites, including in October last year.”It seems that this week’s operation had been in preparation for months, with an acceleration after the operation last year significantly weakened Iranian air defences,” Horowitz said.The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon.Tehran denies that, but has gradually broken away from its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers, which the United States withdrew from during President Donald Trump’s first term.The landmark accord had provided Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme.- ‘Impressive’ precision -Israel is long believed to have carried out sabotage operations inside Iran through its Mossad espionage agency, but the attacks that started on Friday are by far the broadest in scope.The campaign has shown Israel to be capable of precisely locating and taking out high-ranking Iranian officials and nuclear scientists.A European security source said the strikes showed “an impressive degree of precision and mastery”.Israel says it has killed 20 military and security targets, including the armed forces’ chief of staff and the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, as well as nine nuclear scientists.Danny Citrinowicz, of the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said the ability to take out high-ranking officials showed “intelligence, but also operational superiority of Israel over Iran”.”It’s highly connected to the ability to collect information, intelligence in Iran for years, excellent intelligence that actually allows you to detect where they’re living, the seniors, also the nuclear scientists,” he told AFP.The latest targeted strikes come after Israel killed Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, in a Tehran guesthouse in July last year.Haniyeh had been in town for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and was reportedly killed by an explosive device that Israeli operatives had placed in the guesthouse weeks before.Analysts at the time saw the attack as a major intelligence failure by Iran.But “still Iran didn’t learn and didn’t have the ability to lock the holes in their system”, said Citrinowicz.- Smuggled drones -News site Axios reported that Mossad agents inside Iran helped prepare Friday’s strikes, pre-positioning weapon systems near air defence targets, including by hiding them inside vehicles, and launching them when the attack started.An Israeli intelligence official told Axios that Mossad had “established an attack drone base inside Iran with drones that were smuggled in long before the operation”.A former Israeli intelligence official told The Atlantic that “Iranians opposed to the regime make for a ready recruiting pool”, and that “Iranians working for Israel were involved in efforts to build a drone base inside the country”.Alain Chouet, the former number three in the French intelligence, said he was convinced Israel had “half a dozen cells capable of acting at any moment” inside Iran.Iran regularly executes people it accuses of spying for Israel.It is unclear what role, if any, Israel’s key military and diplomatic ally the United States had in the latest strikes.Before the attack early on Friday, Trump publicly urged Israel to allow time for diplomacy, as a sixth round of US-Iranian nuclear talks were set to be held in Oman at the weekend.The US president on Sunday said Washington “had nothing to do” with ally Israel’s campaign.But Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said Tehran had “solid proof of the support of the American forces and American bases in the region” for the attacks.And Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday his country was acting with “the clear support of the president of the United States”.