Israel says it is conducting strikes 'in the area of Tehran'

Israel and Iran continue exchanging strikes. Meanwhile, Israel is starting to bring citizens back from abroad and the United States has closed its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday. Follow DW for more. Israel says it is conducting strikes 'in the area of Tehran' IAEA says Iranian centrifuge facilities hit Iran vows to respond to Israeli strikes 'without restraint' Israel brings first planeload of citizens back from abroad The United States has closed its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday Below is a roundup of the latest developments on the Israel-Iran conflict and the wider crisis in the Middle East on Wednesday, June 18, 2025: Two centrifuge production facilities struck in Iran — IAEA The UN's nuclear watchdog said it had information that two facilities in Iran that made centrifuge parts have been hit. The International Atomic Energy Agency said: "The TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center, were hit." The agency added that both sites had previously been under IAEA monitoring. "At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured," the IAEA wrote on X. Centrifuges are machines used in enriching uranium, a process necessary for nuclear power and also nuclear weapons development. Iran's UN ambassador warns of response 'without restraint' to Israeli strikes Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Ali Bahreini, said the country would "respond strongly" to Israel's "aggression" as well as to the United States, should it join the hostilities. "We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land," he told reporters in Geneva. "We will respond seriously and strongly, without restraint." Bahreini accused the United States of being "complicit in what Israel is doing." "We have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody — including the United States," he said Bahreini also said Israeli strikes on nuclear sites was an act of "war against humanity." "The deliberate targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities not only constitutes a grave violation of international law and UN Charter but also risks exposition of all people in our neighborhood to possible hazardous leak," he said. "This is not an act of war against our country," he said. "It is war against humanity." Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Israel and the United States accuse Iran of working toward a nuclear weapon. The comments come as thousands flee Tehran and other major cities as Israel and Iran continuing launching strikes on one another. US President Donald Trump has called for Tehran's unconditional surrender. How close is Iran to getting a nuclear bomb? According to Iran's government, its nuclear program is purely civilian. Israeli officials, however, say it is aimed at making a nuclear bomb. Iran's high levels of uranium enrichment mean that the step to weapons-grade uranium is very small. Israel has justified its recent attacks on Iran by saying the country is too close to developing a nuclear bomb. Such a development would undoubtedly pose an existential threat to Israel, as Iran's regime has repeatedly declared its intention to destroy Israel. Despite Tehran's insistence that its nuclear program serves only civilian purposes, many members of the international community see military potential in it. Click here to read DW's analysis on Iran's prospects of developing a nuclear weapon. Greece repatriates 105 nationals from Israel The Foreign Ministry in Greece announced that it had repatriated 105 citizens and their family members from Israel. "The people repatriated were transported to Athens from Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, onboard C-130 and C-27 Greek air force planes," it said in a statement. According to the Foreign Ministry, the flight also returned citizens from other countries, including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Georgia, Switzerland, the United States, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Sweden. Visitors have been rushing to leave Israel amid the increased hostilities with Iran. China evacuates nearly 800 nationals from Iran with more to follow China's Foreign Ministry said nearly 800 citizens had been evacuated from Iran since Israel began launching strikes last week. "Currently ... 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing. He said another 1,000 people were in the process of being transferred. Guo went on to say some Chinese nationals had also been evacuated from Israel. Where does Donald Trump stand on the Israel-Iran conflict? Israel's assault on Iran was discussed with Washington before it was launched. "There were no surprises here," Fox News anchor Brett Bair said after an interview with US President Donald Trump last Friday. The US government has made clear that it was not actively involved in the attack, although questions arose as to whether this would remain the case when the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was rerouted from the South China Sea to the Middle East. And, on Tuesday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the United States knew the exact location of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. "He is an easy target, but is safe there," Trump wrote. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now." Click here to read DW's analysis about Trump's stance on Iran. First repatriation flight arrives back in Israel The first plane carrying Israelis who were stranded abroad because of flight cancellations has landed at Ben Gurion Airport. "Just a short while ago, the first flight of Operation Safe Return landed at Ben Gurion Airport," the AFP news agency quoted a statement by the Israeli airports authority as saying. The flight had been operated by national carrier El Al and brought Israelis home from Larnaca in Cyprus. Israel's airspace has been closed since the escalation in hostilities with Iran on Friday, stranding tens of thousands of citizens whose flights to Tel Aviv were canceled. Israel's Transportation Ministry has said as many as 150,000 citizens are abroad, and about one-third of them are trying to get home. IDF reports striking Iranian centrifuge production site among other targets The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said warplanes had struck an Iranian centrifuge production site in Tehran, along with a number of weapons factories in the latest series of strikes. "More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets ... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," the IDF said in a post on X. "As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted." The IDF said Iran was using the site to "expand the scope and rate of its uranium enrichment for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons." Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear energy program is for civilian purposes only. Israel's military also said that a number of weapons factories were hit, "including facilities for producing raw materials and components used to assemble surface-to-surface missiles." Nearly 600 Iranians killed in Israeli airstrikes since hostilities began The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists (HRA) said that Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed at least 585 people and wounded another 1,326 since hostilities escalated last week. The human rights group said it identified 239 of those killed as civilians and 126 as security personnel. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls from the conflict. The most recent number cited by a Health Ministry spokesperson was 224 deaths, announced early on Monday. HRA cited nongovernmental sources in its report. The organization previously compiled detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was arrested by Iran's "morality police" in September of that year. Her death in custody sparked months of anti-government protests across Iran. Israel to bring back stranded citizens from abroad Starting Wednesday, the first Israelis stranded abroad during the escalating conflict with Iran are expected to be flown home. Transport Minister Miri Regev said 100,000 to 150,000 Israelis were currently stranded abroad. The ministry stated that all of Israel's commercial aircraft had been sent outside the country to prevent damage to the planes during the air war. "Tomorrow [Wednesday] we will likely conduct rescue flights from the following destinations: Larnaca [in Cyprus], Athens, Rome, Milan, and Paris," El Al, the country's largest airline, announced. The passengers who are to be taken will be notified throughout the day, El Al said, adding that the flights are already fully booked. Meanwhile, some of the first returnees have already arrived by sea. On Tuesday evening, a ship carrying around 100 Israeli doctors and other medical personnel arrived in Haifa, according to the news portal Ynet. US closes its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday Amid mounting speculation about possible US intervention in the growing military conflict between Israel and Iran, the United States announced that it will close its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday. "Given the security situation and in compliance with Israel Home Front Command guidance, the US Embassy in Jerusalem will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday, June 18) through Friday (June 20)," the embassy said in a statement posted to its website. The embassy made no announcement regarding assistance for Americans leaving the "crisis area." Iran claims it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed that it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the countries as the conflict entered its sixth day. Iran warned people in Tel Aviv to prepare for an attack while the military said its hypersonic Fatah-1 missiles were "repeatedly shaking the shelters" in the Israeli commercial hub. "The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fatah-1 missiles" was carried out, the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television. Hypersonic missiles are harder to intercept as they travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can maneuver midflight. Israel and Iran trade strikes Early Wednesday, as the fighting between Israel and Iran entered its sixth day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they were attacking Tehran, Iran's capital. The air force "is currently conducting a series of strikes in the area of Tehran," the IDF posted on its Telegram channel at about 2:25 a.m. (2325 GMT). Later, the IDF reported that it had identified incoming missiles from Iran heading toward Israel once again, and that the Israeli Air Force was operating to eliminate the threat. Sirens were activated, and the IDF requested that the public follow Home Front instructions. Earlier, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces urged people to leave the major Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. Summary: What happened on Tuesday, day 5? The UN nuclear watchdog announced that an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear complex in Natanz directly affected its underground uranium enrichment facilities. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul assured all German nationals in Israel that they will be supported if they wish to leave the country. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed respect for Israel's attack on Iran, calling it a service to Western allies. "This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us," Merz said on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada. US President Donald Trump continued to send threats to Iran via his Truth Social platform, warning that "our patience is wearing thin." "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Trump said. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment of additional defensive capabilities to the Middle East. China accused Trump of "fanning the flames" of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel with his remarks. Welcome to our coverage Welcome to DW's coverage of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The countries continue to exchange strikes. Israel has begun to bring citizens stranded abroad back home. In addition to the latest news, this blog will bring you photos, videos, analysis and on-the-ground reporting from DW correspondents.