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Israel Strikes Iran for Second Night, Trump Says It’s Not Too Late for Deal

Army air defense firing is seen following the Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Army air defense firing is seen following the Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Israel Strikes Iran for Second Night, Trump Says It’s Not Too Late for Deal

Army air defense firing is seen following the Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Army air defense firing is seen following the Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Israel launched renewed attacks on Iran as evening fell on Friday, after its biggest ever attack against its longstanding foe blasted Iran's huge underground nuclear site at Natanz and wiped out its entire top echelon of military commanders. 

Iran said that in retaliation "the gates of hell will open", while Israel said the strikes were only the start of "Operation Rising Lion". US President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear program. 

As evening fell on Friday, Iranian media reported explosions on the northern and southern outskirts of Tehran and at Fordow, near the city of Qom, a second nuclear site which had been spared in the first wave of attacks. 

Air defenses were activated across Tehran and explosions could be heard in Isfahan. 

Israel's military said it was striking Iranian missile and drone launching sites, and had struck another nuclear site in Isfahan. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli campaign was aimed at defeating an existential threat from Iran, invoking the failure to halt the Holocaust in World War Two. 

Israel's operation "will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," he said in a TV address. "Generations from now, history will record our generation stood its ground, acted in time and secured our common future." 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel had "unleashed its wicked and bloody" hand and would suffer "a bitter fate". 

In a phone interview with Reuters, Trump said it was not clear if Iran's nuclear program had survived. He said nuclear talks between Tehran and the United States, scheduled for Sunday, were still on the agenda though he was not sure if they would take place. 

"We knew everything," Trump said of the Israeli attack plans. 

"I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out," Trump said. "They can still work out a deal, however, it’s not too late." 

Earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left." 

Israel's National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said military action by itself would not destroy Iran's nuclear program, but could "create the conditions for a long-term deal, led by the United States" to get rid of it. 

DECAPITATION 

Two regional sources said at least 20 Iranian military commanders were killed, a stunning decapitation reminiscent of Israeli attacks that swiftly wiped out the leadership of Lebanon's once-feared Hezbollah group last year. Iran also said six of its top nuclear scientists had been killed. 

Among the generals killed on Friday were the armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and the Revolutionary Guards chief, Hossein Salami. 

Major General Mohammad Pakpour, swiftly promoted to replace Salami as Guards commander, vowed retaliation in a letter to the Supreme Leader read out on state television: "The gates of hell will open to the child-killing regime." 

Iranians described an atmosphere of fear and anger, with some people rushing to change money and others seeking a way out of the country to safety. 

"People on my street rushed out of their homes in panic, we were all terrified," said Marziyeh, 39, who was awakened by a blast in Natanz. 

While some Iranians quietly hoped the attack would lead to changes in Iran's hardline clerical leadership, others vowed to rally behind the authorities. 

"I will fight and die for our right to a nuclear program. Israel and its ally America cannot take it away from us with these attacks," said Ali, a member of the pro-government Basij militia in Qom. 

Iranian media showed images of destroyed apartment blocks, and said nearly 80 civilians were killed in attacks that targeted nuclear scientists in their beds and wounded more than 300 people. 

Iran's ability to retaliate with weapons fired by its regional proxies has been sharply degraded over the past year, with the downfall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the decimation of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. 

Israel said a missile fired from Yemen - whose Houthi militia are one of the last remaining Iranian-aligned groups still able to fire at Israel - had landed in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent said three Palestinian children were wounded by shrapnel there. 

'COWARDLY' 

Israel said that Iran had launched around 100 drones towards Israeli territory on Friday, but Iran denied this and there were no reports of drones reaching Israeli targets. 

The United Nations Security Council was due to meet on Friday at Tehran's request. Iran said in a letter to the Council that it would respond decisively and proportionally to Israel's "unlawful" and "cowardly" acts. 

The price of crude leapt on fears of wider retaliatory attacks across a major oil-producing region, although there were no reports that oil production or storage was damaged. OPEC said the escalation did not justify any immediate changes to oil supply. 

An Israeli security source said Mossad commandos had been operating deep inside the country before the attack, and the Israeli spy agency and military had mounted a series of covert operations against Iran's strategic missile array. 

Israel also established an attack-drone base near Tehran, the source added. The military said it had bombarded Iran's air defenses, destroying "dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers". 

Israeli officials said it may be some time before the extent of damage to the underground nuclear site at Natanz is clear, where Iran has refined uranium to levels Western countries have long said are suitable for a bomb rather than civilian use. 

Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. The UN nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. 

Tehran had been engaged in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program to replace one that Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran had rejected the last US offer. 

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World

Taiwan Says Chinese Drone Made 'Provocative' Flight over South China Sea Island

Motorists maneuver at the street in Taipei, Taiwan, 14 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
Motorists maneuver at the street in Taipei, Taiwan, 14 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Says Chinese Drone Made 'Provocative' Flight over South China Sea Island

Motorists maneuver at the street in Taipei, Taiwan, 14 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
Motorists maneuver at the street in Taipei, Taiwan, 14 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

A Chinese reconnaissance drone briefly flew over the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top end of the South China Sea on Saturday, in what Taiwan's defense ministry called a "provocative and irresponsible" move.

Democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, reports Chinese military activity around it on an almost daily basis, including drones though they very rarely enter Taiwanese airspace.

Taiwan's defense ministry said the Chinese reconnaissance drone was detected around dawn on Saturday approaching the Pratas Islands and ⁠flew in its airspace for eight minutes at an altitude outside the range of anti-aircraft weapons.

"After our side broadcast warnings on international channels, it departed at 0548," Reuters quoted it as saying in a statement.

"Such highly provocative and irresponsible actions by the People's Liberation Army seriously undermine regional peace and stability, violated international ⁠legal norms, and will inevitably be condemned," it added.

Taiwan's armed forces will continue to maintain strict vigilance and monitoring, and will respond in accordance with the routine combat readiness rules, the ministry said. A spokesperson for China's Southern Theater Command said that drones had conducted "normal flight training" in the airspace, in a statement on its official WeChat account.

China also views the Pratas as its own territory.

In 2022, Taiwan's military for the first time shot down an unidentified civilian ⁠drone that entered its airspace near an islet off the Chinese coast controlled by Taiwan.

Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance - more than 400 km (250 miles) - from mainland Taiwan.

The Pratas, an atoll which is also a Taiwanese national park, are only lightly defended by Taiwan's military, but lie at a highly strategic location at the top end of the disputed South China Sea.

World

Cautious Calm in Iran Amid Heightened Security Measures

Iranians walk past a sign reading in Persian “This is not a protest” on a street in Tehran (EPA) 
Iranians walk past a sign reading in Persian “This is not a protest” on a street in Tehran (EPA) 
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Cautious Calm in Iran Amid Heightened Security Measures

Iranians walk past a sign reading in Persian “This is not a protest” on a street in Tehran (EPA) 
Iranians walk past a sign reading in Persian “This is not a protest” on a street in Tehran (EPA) 

Iran is facing a sweeping security crackdown after a wave of arrests and the heavy deployment of forces in Tehran and other cities, as residents and a rights group said protests have largely abated under the weight of the clampdown.

Accounts from residents in the capital described a cautious calm since Sunday, with drones circling overhead and patrols stationed at major intersections and squares, amid a sharp curtailment of information flows because of internet outages and restricted communications.

Videos circulating online pointed to what were described as “maximum security” conditions in cities, including Mashhad, where security personnel in dark uniforms and special vehicles were seen on the streets, alongside a complete internet blackout that has lasted for eight days.

Despite the broader lull, videos showed a group of residents in Zahedan marching through the city’s streets on Friday after weekly prayers, even as reports spoke of tight security and extensive measures around the prayers. Independent rights sources, including the Baloch Activists Campaign, said Zahedan had seen a heavy security presence.

Protests erupted on Dec. 28 after a surge in inflation and worsening economic conditions in Iran, whose economy is weighed down by sanctions, before escalating into one of the biggest challenges to the ruling establishment since 1979.

While residents said streets appeared calm, many asked not to be named for safety reasons. A resident in a northern city on the Caspian Sea said conditions there were also quiet, with security overshadowing daily life. An elderly woman in a northwestern town that was an early flashpoint said sporadic protests were still occurring but with less intensity, adding she had never seen scenes like those that accompanied the earlier escalation in violence.

Iran’s education ministry said it would decide on Saturday whether Tehran’s schools would return to in-person classes or continue remote learning, as they did last week, a sign of broader disruption to public life.

On the ground, a woman in Tehran told Reuters by phone that her daughter was killed on Friday after taking part in a protest near their home. She said the girl was 15 and rejected descriptions of her as a “terrorist” or “rioter,” adding that her daughter was chased by Basij forces as she tried to return home.

The Iranian Kurdish rights group Hengaw, based in Norway, said no protest gatherings had been recorded since Sunday, adding that “security conditions remain extremely tight” with a dense military and security presence in several areas.

Hengaw said its independent sources confirmed a significant security and military deployment in cities and towns that had seen earlier protests, as well as in places that had not witnessed large demonstrations, reflecting the breadth of precautionary measures.

In Isfahan, Tasnim, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, said “rioters” had set fire to a local education office in the Falavarjan district.

New videos from last week showed protests in the Piroozi area in eastern Tehran, with sustained gunfire audible. A voice in one video is heard telling people, “They are shooting at us. One of us has been killed.”

Official narrative

In an effort to reinforce the security agencies’ account, state-owned Press TV quoted Iran’s police chief as saying calm had returned nationwide, while state television aired footage of traffic flowing through major Tehran intersections.

Alongside that narrative, state television aired a report on disturbing images from a forensic medicine center in southern Tehran, presenting them as evidence of what authorities described as the “organized and violent nature” of the unrest, insisting armed elements and “terrorist attacks” were involved.

Videos circulating in recent days showed scenes of panic inside the center, with dozens of bodies lying on floors and stretchers, most in body bags and some uncovered.

A security expert interviewed on state television said forensic facilities had been overwhelmed by the number of bodies, leading to overcrowding in halls, which the report framed as a sign of a “non-spontaneous killing wave.”

The expert said forensic examinations showed the use of weapons and ammunition “not in circulation in Iran,” alongside hunting rifles and bladed weapons. He pointed to knives, sharp tools, and injuries he said were caused by “prepared” gunfire.

He described repeated strikes carried out by more than one attacker and killings he called “brutal,” including broken necks, arguing that the nature of the injuries pointed to “organized terrorist attacks” rather than spontaneous clashes, according to Tasnim.

State television also aired footage it said showed the arrest of armed suspects in security operations linked to the unrest, while official media broadcast videos of pursuits and weapons seizures.

Tasnim published clips it said showed confrontations between security forces and “rioters,” including what it described as a surprise arrest of armed men by police.

Tasnim said “rioters” broke into a public parking garage and destroyed all vehicles inside, part of an official narrative that blames opponents of the state for organized sabotage.

Arrests and casualties

Casualty figures reported by the rights agency HRANA showed little change since Wednesday, standing at 2,677 dead, including 2,478 protesters and 163 people identified as government-affiliated, according to the group.

An Iranian official told Reuters this week that about 2,000 people had been killed in the unrest, a lower figure than HRANA’s tally, which is based on a network of sources inside the country.

The differing numbers come amid the absence of comprehensive official data.

HRANA said more than 19,000 people had been arrested, while Tasnim put the number at 3,000.

Tasnim said many leaders of what it called “riots” had been detained in Kermanshah in western Iran, adding that five suspects were arrested over the vandalism of a fuel station and a Basij base in the southeastern city of Kerman.

In a parallel display of deterrence, state television broadcast funerals for security personnel in Semnan in northern Iran and Semirom in central Iran, highlighting state losses and framing them within a narrative of “defending security.”

“Await severe retaliation”

Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, said, “If our young men wanted to confront the instigators with weapons, they would have resolved the matter and rounded them all up within two hours,” in a direct threat.

He said protesters had used “human shields,” while “our young men defended this country and its people with their lives alone,” remarks that sought to justify the use of force and underscore readiness to escalate.

For his part, Ahmad Khatami, Tehran’s Friday prayer imam, called for the execution of detained protesters and for the arrest of anyone who supported the protests “in any form.”

He described protesters as “servants of Netanyahu” and “soldiers of Trump.”

Khatami said in his sermon that Netanyahu and Trump should “await severe retaliation,” and that Americans and “Zionists” should not expect peace.

He cited figures he said showed damage to 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls, and 20 religious sites, as well as 80 homes of Friday prayer leaders.

International dimension

The internal developments came as fears of a US attack eased from Wednesday, when President Donald Trump said he had received information indicating that killings had declined.

The White House said warnings of “severe consequences” remained in place.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump and his team had warned Tehran of consequences if killings continued, adding that Trump was aware of a halt to 800 executions while keeping “all options” on the table.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US military was expected to send additional defensive and offensive capabilities to the region, without detailing their nature or timing. US Central Command declined to comment.

A source familiar with the matter said David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad, was visiting the United States for talks on Iran and was expected to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff, with no immediate comment from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In contrast, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Iran in separate calls with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing Moscow’s readiness to mediate and ease tensions.

Iranian state media said Pezeshkian told Putin that the United States and Israel had played a direct role in the unrest.

“Key figures of the system”

At home, the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged what it called the system’s “key figures” to act publicly and break their silence, addressing prominent political figures across factions, including former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, his ally Hassan Rouhani, hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and former parliament speaker Ali Akbar Nategh-Nuri.

The weekly magazine “Voice of Iran,” affiliated with the leader’s office, said responsibility lay with elites to counter what it called “the enemies’ nonsense” and stand with “the facts,” adding there was “no longer room for doubt or silence” because the issue “concerns Iran itself.”

In a swift response, Mohammad Khatami described the protests as a “major, premeditated conspiracy,” saying he did not doubt the role of Israel and the United States.

He said the entry of “naked violence” had quickly altered acceptance of the right to protest.

Khatami added that Israeli officials’ statements and US support left no doubt about the “formation of a major conspiracy,” while also saying the protests stemmed from “existing policies and structural imbalances,” as well as sanctions and external pressure.

He called the failure to draw lessons from past events regrettable, but said the conduct of Pezeshkian’s government in the early days of the protests had been “civil.”

Pahlavi calls for international help

In Washington, Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, urged the international community to intensify political, economic, and military pressure to help protesters overthrow the ruling system.

Speaking at a news conference, Pahlavi said “large segments” of the army and security forces had pledged loyalty to him “in secret,” and that the time had come for the international community to join fully. Pahlavi has lived outside Iran since before 1979.

“The Iranian people are taking decisive action on the ground. Now is the time for the international community to join them fully,” he said, according to Reuters.

He said he was uniquely positioned to ensure a stable transition, although the US president expressed skepticism this week about Pahlavi’s ability to mobilize support inside Iran.

The opposition remains fragmented among competing groups and rival ideological factions.

World

Israel Sees Spike in Suicide Among Troops

Israeli soldiers stand on tanks, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, January 1, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo
Israeli soldiers stand on tanks, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, January 1, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo
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Israel Sees Spike in Suicide Among Troops

Israeli soldiers stand on tanks, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, January 1, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo
Israeli soldiers stand on tanks, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, January 1, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo

Israel is grappling with a dramatic increase in post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide among its troops after its two-year assault on Gaza, precipitated by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Recent reports by the Defense Ministry and by health providers have detailed the military's mental health crisis, which comes as fighting persists in Gaza and Lebanon and as tensions flare with Iran, according to Reuters.

The Gaza war quickly expanded with cross-border fire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and saw hundreds of thousands of soldiers and reservists deployed across both fronts in some of the heaviest fighting in the country's history.

Israeli forces have killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in Gaza and 4,400 in southern Lebanon, according to Gazan and Lebanese officials, and Israel says more than 1,100 service members have been killed since October 2023.

The war has left much of Gaza destroyed and its 2 million people overwhelmingly lack proper shelter, food or access to medical and health services.

Palestinian mental health specialists have said Gazans are suffering “a volcano” of psychological trauma, with large numbers now seeking treatment, and children suffering symptoms such as night terrors and an inability to focus.

Post-Trauma Cases UP 40% Among Soldiers
Israeli studies show the war has taken its toll on the mental health of soldiers carrying out Israel's stated war aims of eliminating Hamas in Gaza, retrieving hostages there and disarming Hezbollah.

Some soldiers who came under attack when their military bases were invaded by Hamas on October 7 are also struggling.

Israel's Defense Ministry said it has recorded a nearly 40% increase in PTSD cases amongst its soldiers since September 2023, and predicts the figure will increase by 180% by 2028. Of the 22,300 troops or personnel being treated for war wounds, 60% suffer from post-trauma, the ministry said.

It has expanded the health care provided to those dealing with mental health issues, expanded the budget, and said there was an increase of about 50% in the use of alternative treatments.

The country's second-largest healthcare provider, Maccabi, said in its 2025 annual report that 39% of Israeli military personnel under its treatment had sought mental health support while 26% had voiced concerns about depression.

Several Israeli organizations like NGO HaGal Sheli, which uses surfing as a therapy technique, have taken on hundreds of soldiers and reservists suffering from PTSD. Some former soldiers have therapy dogs.

Feeling Guilty
Ronen Sidi, a clinical psychologist who directs combat veteran research at Emek Medical Center in northern Israel, said soldiers were generally grappling with two different sources of trauma.

One source was related to “deep experiences of fear” and “being afraid to die” while deployed in Gaza and Lebanon and even while at home in Israel.

Many witnessed the Hamas assault on southern Israel - in which the militants also took around 250 hostages back into Gaza - and its aftermath firsthand.

Sidi said the second source is from moral injury, or the damage done to a person's conscience or moral compass from something they did.

“A lot of (soldiers') split-second decisions are good decisions,” which they take under fire, “but some of them are not, and then women and children are injured and killed by accident, and living with the feeling that you have killed innocent people... is a very difficult feeling and you can't correct what you have done,” he said.

One reservist, Paul, a 28-year-old father of three, said he had to leave his job as a project manager with a global firm because “the whistles of the bullets” above his head lingered with him even after returning home.

Paul, who declined to give his last name over privacy concerns, said he deployed in combat roles in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

Although fighting has abated in recent months, he said he lives in a constant state of alert.

“I live that way every day,” Paul said.

Untreated Trauma
A soldier seeking state support for their mental health must appear before a defense ministry assessment committee which determines the severity of their case and grants them official recognition.

That process can take months and can deter soldiers from seeking help, some trauma professionals said.

Israel's Defense Ministry said it provides some immediate help to soldiers once they start the evaluation process and has increased this effort since the war began.

An Israeli parliamentary committee found in October that 279 soldiers had attempted suicide in the period from January 2024 to July 2025, a sharp increase from previous years.

The report found that combat soldiers comprised 78% of all suicide cases in Israel in 2024.

The risk of suicide or self-harm increases if trauma is untreated, said Sidi, the clinical psychologist.

“After October 7 and the war, the mental health institutions in Israel are overwhelmed completely, and a lot of people either can't get therapy or don't even understand the distress that they are feeling has to do with what they have experienced.”

For soldiers, the chance of seeing combat remains high. Israel's military remains deployed in over half of Gaza and fighting has persisted there despite a US-backed truce in October, with more than 440 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers killed.

Its troops still occupy parts of southern Lebanon, as the Lebanese army presses on with disarming Hezbollah under a separate US-brokered deal.

In Syria, Israeli troops have occupied an expanded section of the country's south since the ouster of former leader Bashar al-Assad.

As tensions flare with Iran and the US threatens to intervene, Israel could also find itself in another violent confrontation with Tehran, after last June's 12-day war.