Israel began bombing Iran on June 13 to, it says, stop Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons; Iran denies the charge and has answered with waves of missiles and drones.
Iranian rights monitors say 639 people, among them senior officers and nuclear scientists, have died in Iran. Israel puts its own toll at two dozen civilians.
Missiles and warnings
Israel’s military warned of another barrage at dawn. One missile tore into Beersheba, gouging a crater and burning cars; paramedics said six people were lightly hurt.
A day earlier, a strike injured 40 at the city’s main hospital. Israel accused Tehran of firing cluster munitions at civilians, a claim Iran did not address.
Israel says it has pounded nuclear and missile sites and “shaken” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule.
“Regime change may be a result, but that’s for Iranians to decide,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Iran insists it is hitting military targets; it struck a hospital by mistake, it says, while aiming at a nearby Israeli command post.
Diplomacy in Geneva
British, French and German foreign ministers and EU policy chief Josep Borrell met Iran’s Abbas Araqchi, urging de-escalation.
“No one wins from widening war,” Britain’s David Lammy said, stressing Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon. He and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed a “two-week window” exists for a diplomatic fix.
President Donald Trump, who has alternated threats and appeals for renewed nuclear talks, will confer with security aides on Friday.
An aide said he would decide within two weeks whether to intervene militarily, though similar deadlines have slipped before.
Russia and China condemned Israel’s campaign and called for restraint, the Kremlin said.
Strikes inside Iran
Overnight, Israel said it hit missile plants and a nuclear-research hub in Tehran. Iran reported further damage and power cuts but no new casualty count.
The conflict is among the gravest external threats to Iran’s 46-year clerical rule; activists say fear of war has stifled street protests.
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Source: Reuters, The Guardian, Axios