Iran, Israel escalate strikes as death toll rises
Israel comes under heavy missile attacks at multiple locations early Monday Israel strikes surface-to-surface missile sites in Iran President Trump says he hopes Israel and Iran can strike a deal US embassy in Iraq warns of potential attacks against Americans Iran's death toll climbs to 224, with more than 1,200 injured Israel reports 13 people killed
Below is a roundup of the latest developments on the Israel-Iran conflict and the wider crisis in the Middle East on Monday, June 16, 2025:
The United States ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said the US embassy's Tel Aviv branch had suffered "minor damage" as a result of an Iranian missile hitting Tel Aviv.
In a post on his X account, Huckabee said no US personnel were injured, also adding that the embassy and consulate in Israel will remain closed.
Our @usembassyjlm US Embassy in Israel & Consulate will officially remain closed today as shelter in place still in effect. Some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits near Embassy Branch in @TelAviv but no injuries to US personnel.
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 16, 2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened Iran following the overnight Iranian missile attacks on Israel, which claimed the lives of five people.
In a post on his X account, Katz labeled the Iranian regime as a "braggy dictator" and a "cowardly murderer," blaming Iran for deliberately targeting Israeli civilians.
"The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon," Katz said.
The Israeli army said its air force had struck command centers belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as Iranian military centers, in Tehran.
According to the Israeli military, the targeted command centers were used to advance "terrorist attacks against the State of Israel" through Iran-backed groups in the Middle East.
Among the groups backed by Iran are the Houthis in Yemen, Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas, designated terrorist organizations by the US, the UK, Canada and other countries.
Five people were killed as a result of Iranian missiles in Israel overnight, with three people still being unaccounted for. Some 100 people were injured.
One of the Iranian missiles exploded in close proximity to a foreign embassy in the Tel Aviv area, Israeli media reported, with the US ambassador to Israel later confirming the embassy's Tel Aviv branch suffered minor damages as a result of one of the rockets. No staff were injured.
In the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam, where an Iranian missile caused large-scale destruction, two more bodies were found under the rubble, bringing the overall number of casualties in the incident to nine.
Ukraine said that five of those killed in Bat Yam are Ukrainian nationals.
Israeli media are reporting that a number of locations have been hit in the latest missile barrage from Iran in the early hours of Monday morning, some of them directly.
Emergency teams are reponding to calls and conducting seaches at the impact sites.
Emergency services Magen David Adom said that their teams were providing medical treatment to injured people.
Following the rocket strikes. So far, MDA teams have evacuated 12 injured patients to hospitals, including 2 in moderate condition and the rest in mild condition. Large MDA forces are conducting searches at the scenes in the Gush Dan area. Further updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/XVPkzADDDW
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) June 16, 2025
Journalist Josh Breiner from Israel's Haaretz newspaper posted a video he said was from the center of Israel showing the aftermath of the latest strikes.
ככה זה נראה במרכז הארץ: פגיעה ישירה בבניין רב קומות, נזק רב לעשרות דירות, מראות לא פשוטים. pic.twitter.com/SzwSbviWH7
— Josh Breiner (@JoshBreiner) June 16, 2025
Israeli media reported loud explosions in Jerusalem and fires outside the coastal city of Haifa.
London-based news channel Iran International English posted video footage that it said appeared to show missiles fired from Iran towards Israel early Monday.
Received several videos that appear to show missiles fired from Iran toward Israel early Monday, June 26, visible in the skies over Isfahan, Bushehr, Hamedan, and Karaj.pic.twitter.com/SqGP0txdHG
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 16, 2025
Earlier, Israel's military had warned of new missile salvo from Iran, saying its defensive systems were working against the threat.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has arrived in Canada to attend the G7 summit.
Speaking before his departure, Merz said the conflict between Israel and Iran was at the top of his agenda.
"Iran must not be allowed to develop or have nuclear weapons," he said on Sunday.
"Israel has the right to defend its existence and the security of its citizens," he said, adding that Iran's nuclear weapons program was an existential threat to Israel.
Merz also said that Germany would send fire-extinguishing agents to Israel, which had requested them.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he hopes Israel and Iran can make a deal but said sometimes countries have to fight it out first.
"I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal and we'll see what happens," Trump said to reporters as he left for the G7 summit in Canada.
"Sometimes they have to fight it out, but we're gonna see what happens," Trump said.
Trump said the United States will continue to support the defense of Israel but declined to say if he asked Israel to pause strikes on Iran.
The US embassy in Iraq is warning of the potential for increased terrorist attacks against US businesses and locations frequented by US citizens.
"We urge all U.S. citizens in Iraq to avoid locations frequented by foreigners and any large gatherings or crowds," the embassy warned in a statement.
It repeated its warning against traveling to Iraq for any reason.
Iraq: The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence or attacks against U.S. businesses and locations frequented by U.S. citizens. We urge all U.S. citizens in Iraq to avoid locations frequented by foreigners… pic.twitter.com/duErDdYLg2
— Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) June 15, 2025
The US embassy in Israel advised on Sunday that it is closed on Monday, 16 June, and is "not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel."
Israel has been under a US "reconsider travel" advisory since January 2025 because of the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
As for Iran, the US does not have consular relations with the Islamic Republic. It is warning its citizens to depart Iran immediately if they are there.
Switzerland, which represents US interests in Iran, closed its embassy in Iran on Sunday until further notice.
Due to the current situation, the embassy will remain temporarily closed until further notice.New information will be communicated in due course. pic.twitter.com/L2UHexyL3m
— Swiss Embassy Iran (@SwissEmbassyIr) June 15, 2025
The Israeli military is targeting more Iranian military sites.
"The IDF is currently striking surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran," IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani posted on X late Sunday evening.
"We are operating against this threat in our skies and in Iranian skies," the post said.
The IDF posted earlier on Sunday that it had "completed a wide-scale wave of strikes on numerous weapon production sites."
This included a surface-to-air missile launcher, it said.
Surface-to-air missile launcher in Tehran struck: pic.twitter.com/vTFoO9n2Ak
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 15, 2025
These claims have not been independently verified.
Israeli strikes on Sunday killed the chief of Iran's armed forces intelligence unit, Mohammed Kazemi.
He was one of three intelligence generals killed by Israel in the past day, Iranian media confirmed on Sunday.
At total of 224 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Friday, Iran's health ministry said late on Sunday, while more than 1,200 have been injured.
Some 90% of these are civilians, the health ministry said.
In Israel, the country's total death toll rose to 13 as of late Sunday.
Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Sunday evening as Israel's Iron Dome shot down missiles fired from Iran.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that it was possible the United States could get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Speaking to a US broadcaster, Trump however stressed that the US wasn't involved "at this moment".
Israel initially launched an attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure and other targets on Friday.
For more insights on what happened on Sunday, check out DW's Middle East updates for June 15.
Otherwise follow along here for what's happening on Monday June 16.
Welcome to DW's coverage of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
In addition to the latest news, this blog will bring you photos and videos, analysis and on-the-ground reporting from DW correspondents.
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Newsweek
22 minutes ago
- Newsweek
US Deploys Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz Over Iran-Israel Conflict
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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise, oil slips as Israel-Iran conflict enters 4th day
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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israel's Vaunted Air Shield Tested as Iran Rains Down Missiles
(Bloomberg) -- As Iran fires masses of ballistic missiles, Israel's vaunted air defenses are being tested like never before. Shuttered NY College Has Alumni Fighting Over Its Future Do World's Fairs Still Matter? As Part of a $45 Billion Push, ICE Prepares for a Vast Expansion of Detention Space As American Architects Gather in Boston, Retrofits Are All the Rage Iran launched around 200 such missiles at Israel on Friday night — in retaliation for a wave of Israeli strikes that day — and 70 or so on Saturday evening, according to the Israel Defense Forces. More came on Sunday and Monday. In total, Tehran's sent 370 ballistic missiles toward Israel, with around 30 hitting targets in the country, the Israeli government says. They have killed 24 people and injured almost 600. Towns such as Rishon LeZion and Bat Yam near Tel Aviv have suffered extensive damage to homes. Haifa, a port city in the north, has been heavily targeted, as has central Tel Aviv. 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Israel has faced barrages of missiles and drones before from Iran-backed groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But neither possesses the sophisticated ballistic projectiles fired by Iran, which travel at much faster speeds, carry heavier explosives, can maneuver mid-air and spend much of their flying time outside the Earth's atmosphere, making them difficult to intercept. The Houthis in Yemen have fired such missiles at Israel, but usually no more than one at a time. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis there would be further attacks in the coming days from Iran and urged them to rush to bomb shelters when air-raid sirens sound or they get phone alerts. Stopping Iran from firing missiles is a top priority for the IDF. It has tried to target launch sites since Friday and officials have said that roughly a third — or 120 — of them have been taken out. Netanyahu says Israel is in 'an existential campaign' that aims to set back Iran's nuclear program by years, if not forever. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Israel will 'pay a very heavy price' for its strikes, which have killed 224 people, including top generals and atomic scientists, according to the Iranian government. Iran still has thousands of missiles left that can reach Israel, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel's Army Radio on Monday. That's more than the figure of 2,000 suggested by comments from many Israeli officials in recent weeks. Yet, even if the lower number is accurate, Iran can still launch salvos for several days, if not weeks. One major advantage for Israel is that it has blunted the firepower of Hezbollah and Hamas in its wars with them since October 2023. Around 2011, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak said 500 people could be killed in Israel by retaliatory attacks if his government hit Iranian nuclear sites. 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