The Israel-Iran conflict has intensified dramatically as it enters its sixth day, with Israeli forces conducting three waves of airstrikes across Iran while Iranian authorities report mounting casualties from the sustained bombardment. The latest escalation came as Israel targeted Iran’s national police headquarters, injuring several people according to Iranian state news agency IRNA, while Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed his country had destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s public security.
On Wednesday, Israel launched its most extensive military operation against Iran since the conflict began, carrying out airstrikes in three waves across the day.
The first wave, overnight, struck around 40 targets in the Tehran area , including centrifuge manufacturing sites and anti-tank missile production facilities. By afternoon, a second series of strikes hit 20 additional locations, focusing on three major missile production centers. The evening assault targeted surface-to-surface missile launch and storage sites in western Iran.
The sustained bombardment has triggered a mass exodus from Tehran and other Iranian cities. Thousands are fleeing, with reports of widespread panic and heavy congestion along evacuation routes.
Iranian authorities and human rights groups now estimate at least 585 people have been killed and over 1,300 injured since the start of hostilities , many of them civilians.
Infrastructure across the region is reeling. Airport closures and travel restrictions continue to disrupt civilian movement and affect foreign nationals throughout West Asia.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Israeli strikes successfully hit two centrifuge production sites that were once monitored under the 2015 nuclear deal , a development seen as a significant escalation in efforts to degrade Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Iran has responded with overwhelming force, launching over 400 ballistic missiles and approximately 1,000 drones at Israel since hostilities began. While Israel’s defense systems intercepted the majority of incoming projectiles, at least 20 missiles struck urban areas, resulting in 24 confirmed deaths and more than 500 wounded Israelis. Fires and destruction have been reported across Tel Aviv and other major cities as air raid sirens continue to sound throughout the country.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has vowed continued retaliation while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected mounting international pressure for de-escalation. Iran has issued stark warnings that any direct United States intervention would trigger ‘irreparable consequences’ and an ‘all-out war’ throughout West Asia, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
U.S President Donald Trump has dramatically escalated American involvement by demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender” while increasing military deployments to the region. The administration is reportedly weighing direct strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and has begun evacuating some embassy personnel from Israel in preparation for possible expanded hostilities. Trump’s shift from earlier calls for restraint to open support for Israeli military actions marks a significant policy change that could reshape the conflict’s trajectory.