#Israel has struck one of the buildings belonging to the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has said.

"Israel deliberately and ruthlessly struck one of the buildings belonging to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. <...> Several civilians were injured, including a number of my colleagues," he wrote on his social media page.

#Trump says Israel-Iran will come to deal ‘soon’ and warns Tehran against retaliating against U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected 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 was not authorized to comment on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

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.

Asked about the plan during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not directly address whether the White House rejected the plan.

“But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we’ll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri later called reports about the Israeli plan to kill Khamenei “fake.”

Netanyahu in the Fox interview also said regime change “could certainly be the result” of the conflict “because the Iranian regime is very weak.”

Trump’s rejection of the proposal was first reported by Reuters.

Meanwhile, Trump on Sunday issued a stark warning to Iran against retaliating on U.S. targets in the Middle East while also predicting Israel and Iran would “soon” make a deal to end their escalating conflict.

Trump in an early morning social media posting said the United States “had nothing to do with the attack on Iran” as Israel and Iran traded missile attacks for the third straight day. Iran, however, has said that it would hold the U.S.--which has provided Israel with much of its deep arsenal of weaponry--for its backing of Israel.

“If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,” Trump said.

Hours later Trump took to social media again to predict “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal.”

The U.S. president said he has a track record for de-escalating conflicts, and that he would get Israel and Iran to cease hostilities “just like I got India and Pakistan to make” after the two countries’ recent cross-border confrontation.

India struck targets inside Pakistan after militants in April massacred 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any links to the attackers. Following India’s strikes in Pakistan, the two sides exchanged heavy fire along their de facto borders, followed by missile and drone strikes into each other’s territories, mainly targeting military installations and airbases.

It was the most serious confrontation in decades between the countries. Trump on Sunday repeated his claim, disputed by India, that the two sides agreed to a ceasefire after he had offered to help both nations with trade if they agreed to de-escalate.

Trump also pointed to efforts by his administration during his first term to mediate disputes between Serbia and Kosovo and Egypt and Ethiopia.

“Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!” Trump said. “Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump is set to travel later Sunday to Canada for Group of Seven leaders summit where the Mideast crisis will loom large over his talks with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan and the European Union.

There’s a divide in Trump world about how far the president should go in backing Israel.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson are among the prominent backers of Trump who have argued voters backed Trump because he would not involve the nation in foreign conflicts.

GOP Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul praised Trump for having shown restraint and said he hoped the president’s “instincts will prevail.”

“So, I think it’s going to be very hard to come out of this and have a negotiated settlement,” Paul said in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I see more war and more carnage. And it’s not the U.S.’s job to be involved in this war.”

In an interview aired on CBS’ “Face the Nation” GOP South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he preferred diplomatic efforts, but if diplomacy doesn’t work Trump should “go all in” on destroying Iran’s nuclear program.

“If that means providing bombs, provide bombs,” he said. “If that means flying with Israel, fly with Israel.”

Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press

Eight killed in latest shooting near Israeli and U.S.-supported aid site in Gaza. The war in Gaza is still raging, more than 20 months after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack ignited it. That attack also set off a chain of events that led to Israel’s surprise attack on Iran on Friday.

The witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire around dawn toward crowds of desperate Palestinians heading to two aid sites in Rafah. Experts and aid workers say Israel’s blockade and military campaign have caused widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine.

The shooting happened hundreds of metres (yards) away from the sites, which are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a group that Israel and the United States hope will replace the UN-run system of aid distribution. The United Nations has rejected the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles.

There have been near-daily shootings near the sites since they opened last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on the crowds and health officials say scores have been killed. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at what it says were suspects approaching its forces.

“There were wounded, dead, and martyrs,” Ahmed al-Masri told The Associated Press on Sunday as he returned from one of the sites empty-handed. “It’s a trap.”

Umm Hosni al-Najjar said she joined the crowd heading to the aid point in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. She said the shooting began as people were advancing to the site a few minutes after her arrival.

“There were many wounded and martyrs,” she said. “No one was able to evacuate them.”

The Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis said it received eight bodies after the shooting.

The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while the UN system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May.

Israel and the U.S. say Hamas has siphoned aid off of the UN-run system, while UN officials say there is no evidence of systematic diversion. The UN says the new system does not meet Gaza’s needs, allows Israel to control who gets aid and risks further mass displacement as people move closer to the sites.

Two are in the southernmost city of Rafah — now mostly inhabited — and all three are in Israeli military zones that are off limits to independent media.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points. It has warned people to stay on the designated routes and recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military.

Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s military campaign has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead, but doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90 per cent of its population, often multiple times. The vast majority rely on international aid because the offensive has destroyed nearly all of Gaza’s capacity to produce food.

Magdy reported from Cairo.

WASHINGTON, June 15. The United States has nothing to do with the latest attack of Israel against Iran, President Donald Trump said on his page in Truth Social.

"The US had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight," Trump said. "However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict," he stressed.

Any attack of Iran against the United States will have a response of the US Armed Forces with "full strength and might," the US leader added.

Israeli authorities have imposed strict censorship, blocking the dissemination of information about the aftermath of Iran’s attacks. However, footage captured by residents reveals widespread destruction in the port city of Haifa, with thick plumes of smoke rising from multiple locations and fires breaking out in several areas. Preliminary reports indicate at least one Zionist has been killed and three others wounded during the latest wave of strikes.

Iran’s first night of attacks, which began late Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday, primarily targeted Tel Aviv and surrounding towns. According to a statement from the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), at least 150 military and spy sites were successfully struck by ballistic missiles.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has declared that Iran’s Armed Forces will leave Israel "helpless." Military officials, replacing those assassinated by Israel this week, have vowed to "open the gates of hell" to the regime and continue the attacks for as long as necessary. The Pezeshkian administration has firmly aligned itself with the Leader and military officials’ stance.

#Israeli research institute struck in #Iranian missile attack - NYT

An Iranian missile attack damaged the prominent research center The Weizmann Institute for Science in Rehovot south of Tel Aviv on Saturday, the New York Times reported citing imagery it had obtained.

A fire occurred in at least one building containing laboratories, the newspaper added.

Two UAVs were intercepted by the IAF after sirens sounded in the area of Arava

TEL AVIV, June 15. The #Israeli Air Force (IAF) intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles in the south of the country, the Israel Defense Forces said.

"Two UAVs that were launched toward Israeli territory were intercepted by the IAF" after sirens sounded in the area of Arava," the statement reads.

#OTTAWA, June 15. Leaders of the member-countries of the Group of Seven (G7), which comprise the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan will gather for their 51st summit.

Their meeting will take place this year from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alberta. Guests are expected to gather on June 15. According to Canadian mass media, only informal meetings of leaders are expected on that day and the official part will start on Monday, June 16.

Main topics of the meeting are expected to be the conflict in Ukraine, the situation in the Asia-Pacific Region and the tariff policy of US President Donald Trump, sources in the Canadian government said before. Western leaders will maximize the use of bilateral meetings to solve economic problems in the first instance.

The situation in the Gaza Strip is outside the official agenda but may go to the forefront, considering the latest aggravation of the situation between Iran and Israel.

#Iran will not notify IAEA about its nuclear activities anymore — Foreign Ministry
Iran will not be able to cooperate with #IAEA as before, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said

June 15. Iran will not notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about its activities for nuclear program implementation after Israel’s attacks, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said.

"New and special measures for protection of nuclear materials and equipment will not be communicated to the International Atomic Energy Agency since now on. Iran will not be able to cooperate with IAEA as before," the diplomat said on the air with the Iranian television.

Overnight into June 13, Israel kicked off Operation Rising Lion aimed against Iran’s nuclear program. The Israel Defense Forces said that 200 fighter jets attacked more than 100 targets in Iran, including nuclear facilities.

On the evening of June 13, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that Iran retaliated by attacking dozens of targets in Israel with missiles, including military facilities and air bases, striking, in particular, the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. Israel said some targets were hit but most of the missiles were intercepted.

#Israel's mission hinges on destroying Iran's hardest nuclear target, One factor that could determine whether Israel's audacious attack on Iran proves a daring success or a dangerous mistake is the fate of Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment site.

Israel will require unforeseen tactical ingenuity or U.S. assistance to destroy Fordow, which is built into a mountain and deep underground. But if the facility remains intact and accessible, a nuclear program Israel is determined to "eliminate" could actually accelerate.

"The entire operation... really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told Fox News on Friday.
That's why the Israeli government hopes the Trump administration ultimately decides to join Israel's operation.

Breaking it down: Israel lacks the huge bunker busters needed to destroy this facility and the strategic bombers to carry them. The U.S. has both within flying distance of Iran.

An Israeli official claimed to Axios that the U.S. could still join the operation, and that President Trump even suggested he'd do so if necessary in a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the days leading up to launch.
But a White House official denied that, telling Axios Trump said exactly the opposite. The U.S. currently has no intention of getting directly involved, the official said.

Yes, but: Some experts think Israel could try to replicate the effect of a massive bunker buster by repeatedly bombing the same location.

A much riskier approach would be sending special forces to raid the facility.
Israeli special forces conducted such a raid last September, albeit on a smaller scale, when they destroyed an underground missile factory in Syria by planting and detonating explosives. The entire operation took two hours.

Driving the news: Netanyahu argued Israel was compelled to act because of Iran's growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and because intelligence suggested Iran was resuming R&D on nuclear weaponization.

Israel targeted nuclear enrichment facilities, centrifuge production lines and nuclear scientists in hopes of decimating the program.