Iran fires rocket barrage on Israel as Tehran reels from major attack
Iran launched hundreds of rockets at Israel in a second wave of attacks, causing some injuries and damage, as night fell after a day which began with Israel launching massive strikes across Iran overnight on Friday.
Israel's attacks targeted Tehran's nuclear programme, killing Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami, Chief of Staff Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, and Emergency Forces Commander Gholam Rashid and other military officials, as well as at least six top nuclear scientists.
In response, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Iran had launched "approximately 100 UAVs towards Israeli territory," which were successfully neutralised.
Meanwhile, Israeli jets have struck multiple targets in the Iranian cities of Tabriz and Shiraz midday on Friday, according to Iran's state-run media.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran was given a 60-day ultimatum to reach a nuclear agreement before Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian territory.
The Trump administration has insisted that Washington was not involved in Israel's military operation.
Review how Friday unfolded as Euronews reporters from the region and around the world brought updates and reactions from the dramatic events in the Middle East.
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LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Europe's paradoxical support for Israel's attack against Iran
Calling for restraint and diplomacy, without condemning Israel or disavowing its strikes: France, the United Kingdom and Germany reacted on Friday, June 13, in a somewhat unexpected, even acrobatic manner, to the vast offensive launched by Israel against Iran. One after another, the three European states – which, in 2015, were signatories with Iran, the European Union, the United States, Russia and China, of the agreement intended to limit the expansion of Iran's nuclear program, buried by Donald Trump three years later – supported Israel's "right to defend itself" in the face of what they see as an existential threat: The prospect of the Teheran regime possessing nuclear weapons. Until now, Paris, London and Berlin had tried, unsuccessfully, to talk Benjamin Netanyahu out of carrying out his threats in order to favor the diplomatic option. No hard feelings. On Friday, the French, British and German leaders each called the Israeli prime minister to express their solidarity, despite the clear deterioration, at least for the first two, of their relations with Netanyahu because of the war in Gaza. "Israel has the right to defend its existence and the safety and security of its citizens. The aim must be to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking promptly. The British leader Keir Starmer emphasized in the afternoon Israel's "right to self-defense" and the "UK's grave concerns" regarding Iran's nuclear program.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
‘It's the civilians who will pay the price': Iranians prepare for the worst after Israeli strikes
'I noticed that my internet connection was very weak [Thursday] when I was going to bed, but I never would have imagined waking up to this, even if news was going around about an eventual attack by Israel. We've been hearing it for so long that we got used to living our lives as if nothing were about to happen,' said Ahmad*, a resident of the Shariati neighborhood in Tehran, his voice hoarse after little sleep. 'I was woken up very early by my mother who wanted to know if we were safe. She lives in the east of Tehran. She was awoken by nearby explosions.' The 40-year-old engineer and father said he feared what was to come, even though he said he was used to the emotional ups and downs of living in a country where international tensions often threaten to devolve into a full-blown war with Israel and the United States. Although Israeli strikes have already targeted Iran three times in the past – in April, July, and October 2024 – a new line has been crossed. 'The Israeli attack was unprecedented because of its scale, and it will without a doubt influence the future of the region in upcoming months,' said Jonathan Piron, a historian specialised in Iran at the Etopia research centre in Brussels in an interview with FRANCE 24. Israel carried out the strikes on Iran overnight Thursday into Friday, using 200 airplanes against a hundred targets, especially in Tehran and on Iran's nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. Residential buildings in the Iranian capital were also struck. At least 78 people were killed and 329 injured in Tehran, according to the Iranian news agency Nournews. The director of a hospital in the city said at least "four young children" died in the Israeli strikes early Friday, according to the official IRNA news agency. The massive attacks also targeted senior military commanders and several nuclear scientists, leaving civilian casualties. 'I saw videos of collapsed buildings, the residents on the floors below the targeted apartments were killed," said Ahmad. 'I've already lived through a war' Neguine* learned about the death of a friend's uncle in one of the early-morning strikes. "He was a civilian,' she said. 'He had nothing to do with it. Luckily, his wife and son were away on a trip.' "There's worry, anxiety, and anger. But these are feelings I'm used to. I was born in 1979; I've never known serenity," said Neguine, who had celebrated her 13-year-old son's birthday the evening before by taking him to the movies. "I've already lived through a war, and I will never rejoice in bombings for any reason. I don't think anyone who has experienced that can rejoice in such an event." Many of Tehran's residents had left the city on Friday, Iran's weekly day of rest, because Saturday was the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir. Such was the case of Solmaz*, who had just spent two days on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Reached by telephone on her way back to Tehran, the 30 year old said she wanted to return home to her family: "We don't know what will happen next." 'It's the civilians who will pay the price' Residents in Tehran rushed to stores to stock up on groceries as lines in front of the gas stations grew. "People are expecting prices to increase," said Neguine. "It's a blow. We were already struggling with an economic crisis. It's going to get even worse." She decided to have lunch at her mother's house on Friday afternoon as planned to try to take her mind off the attacks. "Our moments of peace are rare. We have to make the most of them. But we'll be careful not to take certain roads and avoid tunnels. You never know." In the meantime, advice on social media abounded: "Don't go to gatherings", "Avoid going to the sites of the strikes", "Stay home". Mina* was among those who decided to go out anyway. "I'm actually not that sad," said the 39 year old. "Those targeted by these strikes are worse than our enemies abroad. They've done us a lot of harm. Our government has completely abandoned us," she said. "Experiencing a second war in my lifetime would be terrible, but I feel like we're heading straight for that. Our society is already dying. We're overwhelmed with debt and economic problems," Mina continued, adding that she had lost all hope. "I know very well that, in the event of war, it's the civilians who will pay the price.' Farideh*, a resident of the Amir Abad neighbourhood, woke up at 3am Friday to the sound of explosions, followed by salvos from the missile defence shield a few hours later. She claimed her last remaining hope was with US President Donald Trump. "I'll be closely following the [nuclear] negotiations scheduled for Sunday with the Americans. Our peace of mind depends on it," she said. The US president exhorted Tehran on Friday after the strikes to "make a deal, before there is nothing left', warning that Israel's attacks "will only get worse".
Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
France boosts security, including around Jewish, US sites
"Special vigilance" must be given "to all sites that could be targeted by terrorist or malicious acts by a foreign power," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a dispatch to French regional security chiefs that was seen by AFP. He said security should be heightened around "places of worship, schools, state and institutional buildings, sites with high traffic", including "festive, cultural or religious gatherings". The order applied also to "Israeli and US interests as well as to establishments in the Jewish community", the order said. Israel and Iran are engaged in open conflict, firing missiles at targets at the other since Friday, to deadly effect. The exchange of fire started when Israel launched massive attacks on Iran, killing senior military commanders and several nuclear scientists, and targeting some of its arch-foe's nuclear sites. Advertisement Iran retaliated with missile launches, some of which struck Israel's main city, Tel Aviv. France is home to the biggest Jewish community in Europe.
