The Washington Post – The death toll grew Sunday as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks for a third straight day, with Israel warning that worse is to come.
Israel targeted Iran’s Defense Ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites it alleged were associated with Iran’s nuclear program, while Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses and slammed into buildings deep inside Israel.
In Israel, at least 10 people were killed in Iranian strikes overnight and into Sunday, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service, bringing the country’s total death toll to 14. The country’s main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day.
In Iran, the health ministry reported 224 people have been killed since Israel’s attack began Friday. The agency said another 1,277 people were hospitalized and said over 90% of the casualties were civilians.
The region braced for a drawn-out conflict after Israel’s strikes hit nuclear and military facilities, killing several senior generals and top nuclear scientists. President Donald Trump said the U.S. had “nothing to do with the attack on Iran” and warned Tehran to expect “the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces” if it retaliates against the United States.
Here’s the latest:
Iran’s health ministry says 224 killed since Israel’s attack began Friday
Iran’s health ministry says 224 people have been killed since Israel’s attack began Friday.
Spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on social media that 1,277 other people were hospitalized, and asserted that over 90% of the casualties were civilians.
Israel has said 14 people have been killed there since Friday and 390 others wounded.
EU foreign ministers to meet Tuesday by video link
The European Union’s top diplomat will convene an emergency meeting of the 27-nation bloc’s foreign ministers Tuesday to discuss the conflict between Israel and Iran.
The meeting, to be held via video link, “will provide an opportunity for an exchange of views, coordination on diplomatic outreach to Tel Aviv and Tehran, and possible next steps,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’ office said Sunday.
“We will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue which can only be through a negotiated deal,” it said.
Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran’s supreme leader, US official says
President Donald Trump vetoed a plan presented by Israel to the U.S. to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei. After being briefed on the plan, the White House made clear to Israeli officials that Trump was opposed to the Israelis making the move, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the sensitive matter.The Trump administration is desperate to keep Israel’s military operation aimed at decapitating Iran’s nuclear program from exploding into an even more expansive conflict and saw the plan to kill Khamenei as a move that would enflame the conflict and potentially destabilize the region.
Erdogan and Trump discuss the Israel-Iran crisis on the phone, Turkey says
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the Israel-Iran conflict for the second time in as many days on Sunday, Erdogan’s office said.
The Turkish leader “emphasized that immediate action must be taken to prevent a disaster that could throw the entire region into flames,” according to a statement posted on X. He also welcomed Trump’s statements on ending the attacks and establishing peace.
Erdogan further offered to facilitate diplomatic efforts amid “irreversible economic and civilian damage to both sides.”
US Sen. Rand Paul praises Trump on Israel-Iran conflict
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul praised President Donald Trump for having shown restraint in the Israel-Iran conflict.“One of the things I like about President Trump is he has shown restraint,” Paul said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “But there’ll be a lot of pressure from Lindsey Graham and others to get involved in this war. And I hope that his instincts will prevail.”
Paul said he disagreed with Graham, who has said it is in the U.S. national security interest to help Israel if Iran does not come to the negotiating table.
Paul said the feeling in Iran is likely the negotiations were “a ruse to put them at ease until the bombing happened. So, I think it’s going to be very hard to come out of this and have a negotiated settlement.”
Israeli strikes in Iran have killed at least 406 people and wounded 654, a rights group says
Israeli strikes in Iran have killed at least 406 people and wounded another 654, a human rights group said Sunday.The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said its figures covered the entirety of Iran.
Iran’s government has not offered any overall casualty figures from Israeli attacks that have decimated its military leadership and targeted its nuclear sites. Individual officials have offered piecemeal figures.
Human Rights Activists, which also had provided casualty figures during 2022 anti-government protests in Iran, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country.
So far, its death toll breakdown included at least 197 civilians, 90 members of the military and 119 others it could not identify. The wounded included 100 civilians, 71 troops and 483 others it could not identify.