Summary

Media caption,

Watch as the BBC reports from an Israeli hospital that was struck by an Iranian missile

  1. Iranians abroad desperate to reach family memberspublished at 12:32 British Summer Time

    We’re now hearing from Iranians living abroad who are desperately trying to reach friends and family in Iran.

    Sepideh, who lives in Germany, tells the BBC she hasn’t heard from his family since yesterday afternoon.

    “The internet is down, and I can’t make calls through WhatsApp either. There is no way to contact them directly or indirectly, and right now, I am extremely worried because I don’t know what condition my family is in,” she says.

    Amin, who lives in the UK, is in a similar situation. He hasn’t heard from his family for several days and doesn’t know if they are safe.

    “Even when I make direct calls, no one answers,” Armin says. “I can’t even work anymore.”

    A mobile showing Sepideh texting her family
    Image caption,

    Sepideh hasn’t heard from his family since yesterday afternoon

  2. Which areas have been hit by strikes?published at 12:22 British Summer Time

    The Iran-Israel conflict has now been going on for almost a week. It started when Israel launched missiles at Iran last Friday, and there’s been daily exchanges of fire since then.

    According to the Washington DC-based group Human Rights Activists, around 585 people have been killed in Iran by Israel’s attacks.

    The Israeli military says Iran has launched 450 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones since Friday, killing 24 people in Israel.

    The maps below show where strikes have landed in both Israel and Iran, as well as a closer look at Tehran, which has been targeted more than 100 times.

    A map of Israel and Iran with strike sites marked with dots
    A map of Tehran with areas where strikes have hit marked with dots
  3. The latest on the Israel-Iran conflict at a glancepublished at 12:16 British Summer Time

    In Israel

    In Iran

    What happens next?

    Stay with us for the latest developments.

    A general view of Soroka Medical CenterImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Soroka hospital director says several wards have been completely destroyed

  4. Several wards completely demolished, says Soroka Hospital directorpublished at 12:04 British Summer Time

    The director-general of Soroka Medical Centre says several wards at the hospital were "completely demolished" after it was hit by an Iranian missile this morning.

    "There is extensive damage across the entire hospital, with damage to buildings, structures, windows, ceilings, across the medical centre," Shlomi Kodesh says.

    He says patients had been evacuated from the northern surgical building before the strikes. "This specific building, because it's an older building, was evacuated by us in the past few days," he says, adding that the department "was empty at the time it was hit".

    But other departments that still had patients in them were also affected, Kodesh says.

    "We have 40 injured people from people who were in the hospital at the time. The vast majority of these staff and patients are likely wounded from broken glass, falling ceilings, and other effects."

    The hospital will transfer over 200 patients to other medical centres while teams assess the damage, he adds.

  5. 'This would destabilise the whole situation' - Russia warns US against Iran interventionpublished at 11:46 British Summer Time

    Vitaly Shevchenko
    BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

    Dmitry Peskov stands in front of ornate wallpaperImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says US intervention in Iran would be "terrible"

    America’s intervention in the conflict between Israel and Iran would lead to “another terrible spiral of escalation”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told Russian state news agency TASS.

    The US and Russia are supporting different sides in the conflict.

    While Donald Trump is demanding an “unconditional surrender” from Iran and is reportedly considering strikes against it, Moscow sees Tehran as a key ally.

    Earlier this year, Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, Article One of which says they are keen to develop defence and security cooperation.

    Iran has also supplied Moscow with Shahed drones that have played a key part in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

    The Russian foreign ministry has condemned Israel’s strikes as “cynical” and “unprovoked”, and just yesterday Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US not to provide military assistance to Israel.

    “This would dramatically destabilise the whole situation,” he said.

    All this sets Moscow and Washington on a collision course over the Israel-Iran crisis, and could prove to be a major hurdle in the Russia-US relationship that has been improving since Donald Trump’s re-election.

  6. Israel defence minister says Iran's leader should 'no longer exist'published at 11:36 British Summer Time

    Israeli Foreign Minister Israel KatzImage source, EPA

    Israel's defence minister says Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, "can no longer be allowed to exist" after the Soroka hospital was hit during an Iranian missile attack, according to local media and the AFP news agency.

    Speaking to journalists in Holon, near Tel Aviv, Israel Katz reportedly said: "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed, he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals.

    "He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal...Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist."

    Earlier, Iranian state media said the main target of this morning’s missile strike was a military site next to Soroka Hospital, not the hospital itself.

  7. A look at the US military presence in the Middle Eastpublished at 11:27 British Summer Time

    The US has a strong military presence in the Middle East, with plenty of bases scattered across the region, including near Iran.

    Iran has warned it would hit back if the US launched an attack. The country’s Supreme Leader said yesterday that “any form of US military intervention will undoubtedly be met with irreparable harm”.

    US President Donald Trump has not given a clear answer on whether the US would attack Iran, only saying, "I may do it, I may not do it" when asked about it.

    A BBC map shows the presence of US military bases in the Middle East, with nearby Iran marked. The US has a cluster of bases in Kuwait, and one each in Bahrain, Qatar, Syria and the UAE. It has military presence dotted through those same countries, plus Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Oman
  8. Washington divided on Iran strikes over ability to end its nuclear programme - US diplomatpublished at 11:20 British Summer Time

    David SatterfieldImage source, Getty Images

    US diplomat David Satterfield says disagreements in Washington over a possible US strike on Iran are "not over the effect" of a strike on the Fordo nuclear facility.

    "It's rather whether such an action would in fact put a decisive end to the Iranian nuclear programme," he tells BBC Radio 5 Live.

    "It's one thing for the US to robustly support Israel. It is another thing for the US itself, its aircraft, its weapons, to strike on Iranian soil," he adds.

    Iran has repeatedly denied it is making nuclear weapons. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has also said Iran is not building a nuclear bomb, but Trump has dismissed her comments.

    Our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher says the divide mirrors the 2003 rift over the Iraq war.

  9. Analysis

    Could there still be a diplomatic breakthrough?published at 11:09 British Summer Time

    Lyse Doucet
    Chief international correspondent

    Will the next 24 hours bring the moment President Trump gives the green light to a US military plan or a breakthrough in diplomacy?

    Trump is boasting he “likes to decide at the last second”.

    Is this part of psychological warfare, or his belief it’s the best way to do a deal?

    Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to attend talks in Geneva tomorrow with his British, German and French counterparts and the UN Security Council will convene in New York.

    Other countries with close ties to Trump including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE had made it clear to him on his recent foreign tour that they don't want a war in their neighbourhood.

    Trump is still hinting a negotiated agreement is possible.

    Just days before Israel launched its strikes I saw Iran’s foreign minister and Oman’s top diplomat Al Busaidi, the mediator, and they were focused on talks which had been set to take place last Sunday.

    There was a sense, shared by western diplomats too, a deal could be done.

    But one of the main issues was whether the US would drop its demand for Iran to reduce nuclear enrichment to zero – a red line for Iran.

    So Tehran and Washington are talking tough, attacks by Iran and Israel intensify, and, behind the scenes, telephone lines are burning.

    Flag of United States, flag of Israel displayed on a phone scree and flag of Iran displayed on a phone screenImage source, NurPhoto/Getty Images
  10. Hours after missile strike near Tel Aviv, glass and metal continue to fallpublished at 11:00 British Summer Time

    Tom Bennett
    Reporting from Ramat Gan

    A members of Israel's Home Front Command stands near the site of an Iranian missile strike in a residential area in Ramat GanImage source, EPA

    About five hours ago, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the business district of Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv, where there are several glass-panelled skyscrapers.

    Just now, a large sheet of glass from a balcony dropped out of its frame and fell several floors onto a roof. A few seconds later a warped metal rod from an electrical pylon fell out of the sky.

    Authorities are clearly worried about the risk of falling objects and have cordoned off most of the pavement.

    About 20 people are believed to have been injured by the blast here, authorities say, and there are large rescue crews sorting through the wreckage.

  11. In pictures: Holon after Iranian strikepublished at 10:54 British Summer Time

    Israeli authorities say three people have been seriously injured after an Iranian missile hit Holon earlier today.

    Here are the latest pictures we're getting from the area.

    Emergency personnel gather at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on IsraeImage source, Reuters
    Emergency personnel gather at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on HolonImage source, Reuters
    Onlookers gather at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on HolonImage source, Reuters
  12. Casualties rise to 89 after Iranian strikes - Israeli medicspublished at 10:42 British Summer Time

    A rescuer uses his phone at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in HolonImage source, Reuters

    The number of people injured in the latest wave of strikes on Israel from Iran has risen to 89, according to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA).

    Rocket impacts around Tel Aviv and in the south of the country have left three people seriously hurt, while two others are in a moderate condition.

    Medics say many of those wounded suffered blast and shrapnel injuries.

  13. 'We will get through these difficult days' - Iranian presidentpublished at 10:30 British Summer Time

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in IlamImage source, Reuters

    Iran's president has spoken to the nation in a social media post, saying he has directed every part of the government to "serve Iran".

    "All ministries and government agencies have been assigned the mission to serve Iran with all their might and resources, in line with your patience and support, without sparing any service," Masoud Pezeshkian says.

    "By the grace of God and with the help of empathy and solidarity, we will get through these difficult days," Pezeshkian adds.

  14. Iran vows to 'teach aggressors a lesson' in warning to US – state mediapublished at 10:17 British Summer Time

    Iran's deputy foreign minister has warned the US as President Donald Trump considers whether to join Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

    Iranian state media quotes Kazem Gharibabadi as saying: "If the US wants to actively intervene in support of Israel, Iran will have no other option but to use its tools to teach aggressors a lesson and defend itself."

    "Our recommendation to the US is to at least stand by if they do not wish to stop Israel's aggression," he says, adding that Iran's "military decision-makers have all necessary options on the table".

  15. Trump 'doesn't second-guess himself', says former US national security adviserpublished at 10:12 British Summer Time

    As the world waits for Trump’s decision, his former deputy national security advisor KT McFarland has given some insight into how he might decide.

    She tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the US president may turn to his personal network for advice on whether to attack Iran.

    McFarland says that, unlike most presidents who rely on their staff and cabinet for briefings, Trump prefers to talk to people he knows, like Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

    But in the end, McFarland says, it will be Trump alone who makes the call.

    “And once he’s made the decision, he doesn’t second-guess himself. He just lets it happen,” she says.

    When the US bombed Syrian airfields in 2017, McFarland says Trump went to have dinner with President Xi of China straight after ordering the strikes.

    “He got word in the middle of eating chocolate cake for dessert that the American mission had been completed,” she says.

    Trump pictured at dinner with Xi at Mar-a-Lago in 2017Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Donald Trump pictured dining with Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in 2017

  16. World still waiting for Trump's decision on Iranpublished at 10:06 British Summer Time

    Media caption,

    Trump declines to say if US will join Israel strikes on Iran

    "I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do."

    That was what Trump said on the White House lawn yesterday, when asked if the US was getting closer to striking nuclear sites in Iran.

    Since then, reports say he approved plans for a US attack, but is holding off for now in case Iran agrees to give up its nuclear programme.

    Iran's mission to the UN has cast doubt on this happening, saying it does not "negotiate under duress".

    Trump's former deputy national security adviser KT McFarland says the US president will wait until the last minute to decide.

    But without an outside deadline, it’s not clear what that might mean.

  17. The whole building shook, says student near Soroka Hospitalpublished at 09:55 British Summer Time

    A building with debris on the ground, cars nearby.

    Arielle Harper, a third-year medical student in Beersheba, told BBC World Service's Newsday she was next to Soroka Hospital when the Iranian strike happened.

    "There was an incredible thud and shake of the whole building, louder than anything I have heard," she says.

    Harper also says the Israeli military's Home Front Command have done everything possible to keep people safe, sending alerts and sharing information about shelters.

  18. Israelis search debris in Holon after Iranian strikespublished at 09:39 British Summer Time

    Tom Bennett
    Reporting from Holon

    Israeli emergency teams work at the site of an Iranian missile strike in a residential area in HolonImage source, EPA

    I’ve just arrived in Holon where Israeli authorities say three people were seriously injured by an Iranian missile that struck here earlier.

    A block of flats has had its roof caved in, and dozens of police and rescue workers are combing through the debris.

    As we’ve seen with almost all of these ballistic missile strikes, buildings as far as 200m (656ft) away have had their windows and shutters blown through by the shockwave.

    One man, whose apartment was torn apart by the blast, managed to escape with his pet parrot.

    A man holding his parrot
  19. 'Lucky no-one was hurt,' soldier at Soroka Hospital sayspublished at 09:23 British Summer Time

    Lucy Williamson
    Middle East correspondent, reporting from Beersheba

    People in medical uniforms transporting patients in wheelchairs

    The reception area at Soroka Hospital is full of army, police and emergency teams.

    There's a chemical smell mixed in with the dust floating through the doors to the surgery department.

    One of the soldiers assisting with the clean-up there says it looks bad, and it's lucky no-one is hurt.

    Doctors tell Israeli radio that patients were moved from this department only yesterday to a secure underground site.

    Others, including one man waiting in the emergency department, are covered with debris in the blast.

    A stream of officials and politicians are now arriving at the site as a drone flies constantly overhead.

    Smoke rises above Soroka Hospital
  20. Iranian nuclear site and Israeli hospital struck - what you need to knowpublished at 09:19 British Summer Time

    Media caption,

    Damage seen inside and outside of Israeli hospital in Beersheba

    Here are the latest updates:

    In Israel

    In Iran

    Elsewhere

    • Donald Trump has approved plans to attack Iran, but hasn't made a final decision on whether to go ahead, according to the BBC's US partner CBS

    Stay with us for the latest developments.