Iran fires hypersonic missiles at Israel as war enters sixth day
Iran said it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel on Wednesday morning after its capital, Tehran, endured a heavy night of bombing.
As the conflict enters a sixth day, US President Donald Trump has again insisted that Washington is playing no part in Israel's bombing campaign.
In Tehran, explosions were heard early on Wednesday as Israeli air strikes intensified. Iranian state media reported explosions ricocheting in the Piroozi, Sabalan and Sayyad areas of the city.
In retaliation, Iran told residents of Tel Aviv to prepare for an attack, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming its hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles were 'repeatedly shaking the shelters' in the commercial hub of the Israeli city.
'The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles' was carried out, the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television. Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.
Iran also sent a 'swarm of drones' towards Israel, where the army said it intercepted two over the Dead Sea area.
Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls from the conflict and according to its last update, issued on Monday, 224 people have been killed and 1,277 others wounded.
Iran has retaliated against Israel's air strike campaign by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel since the conflict started on Friday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the public broadcaster ZDF that if Iran doesn't return to the negotiating table, then 'the complete destruction of Iran's nuclear programme may be on the agenda'.
Iran had been negotiating a nuclear deal with the US for two months before Israel launched its assault. The talks, now suspended, were about curbing Tehran's atomic programme, which it insists is for peaceful purposes, in return for sanctions relief.
Mr Trump said on Tuesday in a post on social media that 'we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran', crediting US military equipment for helping Israel gain air superiority.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
32 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
78 countries engaged in conflict: World least peaceful since World War II, says report
[Editor's Note: Follow the KT live blog for live updates on the Israel-Iran conflict.] There are currently 59 active state-based conflicts, the most since the end of WWII and three more than the previous year, according to a new study. 'Global peacefulness continues to decline and many of the leading factors that precede major conflicts are higher than they have been since the end of WWII. More countries are increasing their levels of militarisation against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions, increasing conflict, the breakup of traditional alliances and rising economic uncertainty, according to Global Peace Index, released by Institute for Economics & Peace. The study noted that there are currently 59 active state-based conflicts, the most since the end of WWII and three more than the previous year. Some of the major cross-border disputes are Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, US-Russia, China-US, Iran-US, Israel-Syria, Armenia-Azerbaijan, India-Pakistan, EU-Russia, UK-Russia, US-Venezuela, Yemen-Saudi Arabia, Turkiye-USA, North Korea-US, Germany-Russia, China-Taiwan and many African countries. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. The attacks between Israel and Iran is the latest military conflict which has shaken global peace. Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday, June 13, killing its senior military leadership and also targeted military and nuclear installations. In addition, Ukraine-Russia is another major military conflict which involves multiple countries. 78 countries engaged in conflicts The study ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness, covering 99.7 per cent of the world's population. It said conflicts are also becoming more internationalised, making solutions more difficult as 78 countries are engaged in a conflict beyond their borders, blaming geopolitical fragmentation, increasing major power competition, and the rise in influence of middle level powers, who are becoming more active within their regions. Importantly, it added that the almost two-decade-long trend of falling militarisation has also reversed, with 106 countries having deteriorated in the militarisation domain in the past two years. 'Additionally, the successful resolution of conflicts is lower than at any point in the last 50 years. Conflicts that ended in a decisive victory fell from 49 per cent in the 1970s to nine per cent in the 2010s, while conflicts that ended through peace agreements fell from 23 per cent to four per cent over the same period,' said the 19th edition of the Global Peace Index. Most and least peaceful countries This year's results revealed that the level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.36 per cent, with 74 countries improving and 87 deteriorating. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland. Russia, for the first time, is the least peaceful country in the world, followed by Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Yemen. Regionally, Western and Central Europe is the most peaceful in the world while the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region remains the world's least peaceful region. South Asia is the second least peaceful region as its ranking deteriorated primarily due to repressive measures in Bangladesh under the previous government, and heightened cross-border tension between India and Pakistan. South America was the only region to record an improvement in peacefulness last year as seven of the 11 countries improved.
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Iran's medics fear 'another Gaza' as Israeli strikes overwhelm hospitals
Even as thousands of Iranians attempt to flee the capital Tehran in the wake of Israel's bombardment, many of those working in essential services have been forced to remain. Healthcare workers, working in a sector already battered by years of US sanctions, face a particular struggle to cope with the hundreds being killed and wounded on a daily basis. Golnaz, a 34-year-old woman living in Tehran with her husband Keyvan, dreads the sound of explosions getting closer and closer. "There's barely an hour without an explosion nearby. Every time, I look at my husband and ask, 'do you think we'll survive this?'" she told Middle East Eye. Golnaz and Keyvan have no choice but to stay - Keyvan, 39, is a nurse and has to show up for work every day. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'There's every kind of injury,' he said. 'Children, teenagers, adults, elderly… and the number just keeps rising every day.' He said the casualties so far have been 90 percent civilian. "The hospital is in a state of chaos," he said. "We're not short on staff yet, and we still have medical supplies and equipment, but there's a growing sense of psychological distress among both the medical team and the people. Everyone is anxious about what might happen next." Imitating Gaza? While Israel has claimed to be only targeting military sites, people in Tehran tell a different story. Afshin lost both his wife and young child in the strikes, which have so far killed at least 585 people according to rights groups. "When I left home that morning, I had no idea it would be the last time I'd see them. I was at work when I saw the news - Sohrevardi Street in central Tehran had been bombed," he said. "I immediately tried calling my wife, but no one answered. I rushed home as fast as I could, only to find that our apartment was now just a pile of rubble." Smoke plumes billow following an overnight Israeli strike on Tehran on 17 June 2025 (Atta Kenare / AFP) In 2018, US President Donald Trump unilaterally out of the nuclear deal signed by his predecessor Barack Obama and reimposed sanctions on Iran under the principle of "maximum pressure" against the Islamic Republic. Although there were ostensible exemption for humanitarian goods, rights groups said the sanctions heavily restricted Iran's ability to finance payment for essential medical goods. Last year the Iranian parliament's health committee said Iran faced shortages in as many as 300 medicines. Treatments for cancer, immunodeficiency disorders, multiple sclerosis, haemophilia and mental illnesses were among those hardest hit. 'Israel has shown time and again that it's willing to commit any crime, but then wraps it in a polished narrative to manipulate public opinion' - Keyvan, nurse in Tehran Though part of the blame has been levelled at the government over allegations of corruption and mismanagement, the ongoing pressure by the sanctions regime has played a major role. A total of $6bn in Iranian assets earmarked for humanitarian use - unfrozen and transferred to Qatar after a prisoner swap in 2023 - have been held up over Iran's alleged support for Hamas in Israel's war on Gaza. Keyvan said he feared Israel would repeat across Iran the kind of attacks that had been inflicted in Gaza, which have obliterated the enclave's healthcare system. He pointed to an attack on Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah on Monday. "Israel has shown time and again that it's willing to commit any crime, but then wraps it in a polished narrative to manipulate public opinion," he said. "What we witnessed in Gaza - the suffering of doctors and nurses - was a tragedy for all of us. We are colleagues across the world." Tehran exodus The Israeli military has been posting warnings on social media, advising residents of certain neighbourhoods to evacuate within hours or risk losing their lives, echoing similar actions in Lebanon and Gaza. But with war-time conditions and unstable internet access, many Tehran residents are unable to even see these warnings. 'I call on doctors and nurses everywhere to put themselves in our shoes and speak out' - Keyvan, nurse Meanwhile, the rush to leave has caused massive gridlock on highways heading out of the city in every direction. Mahsa and her husband Mehdi were initially hesitant to leave but finally decided on Tuesday to drive to Pardis, a small town near Tehran. 'My parents live there,' she said. 'So we decided to go stay with them. But it took us six hours to drive just 48 kilometers. The traffic was so horrible we honestly wanted to park the car on the highway and just sleep there.' Some Iranians critical of the Islamic Republic had hoped that Israel's strikes would only target government leaders. But many now feel abandoned and betrayed. "Netanyahu kept saying in speeches and interviews that they had nothing against the people of Iran, that they just wanted to go after regime officials,' said 31-year old Ali. Israeli attacks reawaken Gulf war trauma as Iranians attempt to flee Tehran Read More » 'I believed that - many of us did. But what I see now are residential buildings, offices, and hospitals being hit. I feel like we were lied to. He wants to turn us into another Beirut, another Gaza.' Iranians don't know how long the war will last. But many of them are just as angry at their own government as they are at Israel - for failing to protect them. A country that hasn't seen full-scale war in decades is now burning, and no one knows how far this fire will spread. As Keyvan and his wife settle down in Tehran for the long haul, he called for the world not to lose sight of medical workers like himself. "I call on doctors and nurses everywhere to put themselves in our shoes and speak out, so Israel cannot bring the same disaster it brought upon Gaza's medical staff to us here in Iran," he said.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
US envoy Tom Barrack to visit Beirut as Iran-Israel war rages
US special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack is expected to arrive in Beirut on Thursday to meet Lebanon's leaders, sources told The National, as the region reels from open warfare between Israel and Iran. Mr Barrack – who is of Lebanese origin – will not be accompanied by Morgan Ortagus, deputy US special envoy to the Middle East, amid speculation she will no longer oversee the Lebanon file and will take on a new role within the US administration. Political sources told The National they did not know what message Mr Barrack would deliver from Washington, but he is expected to raise the issue of Hezbollah 's disarmament, a crucial component of the group's November ceasefire deal with Israel that brought 14 months of conflict to a near halt. 'There's a ceasefire that Lebanon is committed to,' one of the Lebanese sources said. "We want them [Israel] to commit also." The source was referring to continued bombardments by Israel since the truce deal was signed. The agreement called for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to disarm. While the militant group has largely stood down, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy in its place in southern Lebanon, Israel continues to occupy parts of the country and launch air strikes. Israel still has a presence at five locations in southern Lebanon and has been mounting near-daily attacks on what it claims to be Hezbollah infrastructure. On Monday, an Israeli drone struck the town of Houla in southern Lebanon, killing a beekeeper. The Israeli army said it had hit a Hezbollah operative. Finding Hezbollah tunnels in south Lebanon mountains The Israeli attacks on Lebanon have lessened in frequency since the outbreak of war with Iran last week, though they have not ceased entirely, one of the sources told The National. 'My estimation is that the Israelis don't want to mess with Lebanon because they're trying to dedicate themselves to fighting Iran full time,' the source said. Hezbollah has given assurances it will not join Iran in retaliating against Israel. As the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates, Tehran-backed Hezbollah, weakened after months of fighting, remains unable to aid its ally from Lebanese territory. The vast majority of the group's arsenal and infrastructure in Lebanon, south of the Litani river, has been either confiscated or destroyed by the Lebanese army under the terms of the ceasefire. Washington has pressed Lebanese officials to fully and rapidly disarm Hezbollah, a demand Lebanese leaders say is difficult because of Israel's occupation, attacks and domestic political constraints. Ms Ortagus had been expected to visit Beirut this month to push for an accelerated timetable for disarming Hezbollah and its allies.
