The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, blamed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and likened Iran’s supreme leader to “the modern Hitler”.
“Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed — he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal,” Katz said.
“Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.”
The top two floors of the Soroka Medical Center are thought to have been empty when the missiles hit
AMIR COHEN/REUTERS
‘No radiation danger’ from Israeli strike on Arak heavy water reactor
Iranian state television says there is “no radiation danger whatsoever” after Israeli strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.
The facility had been evacuated before Israel’s latest attack on Iran’s sprawling nuclear program.
The facility, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) southwest of Tehran, may pose a nuclear proliferation risk because it can produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb.
The heavy water nuclear facility in Arak, central Iran, was hit by Israel as Tehran hit targets including a hospital near Tel Aviv
How a US strike on Iran could unfold, step by step
If President Trump gives the order, he would have to contend with possible nuclear fallout and retaliation by the Tehran regime
• Read in full: How a US strike on Iran could unfold, step by step
Iran’s foreign minister to meet European diplomats
The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was due to arrive in Geneva on Friday to negotiate with European diplomats, marking the country’s first face-to-face talks in the crisis.
The British foreign secretary, David Lammy, will head to the Swiss city for talks, his office said on Thursday.
Lammy’s trip to Switzerland is on the heels of his visit to Washington on Thursday, where he met the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the White House special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
“We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon … A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,” Lammy said in a statement.
“Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.”
The foreign ministers from France and Germany will join Lammy to meet the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at Germany’s permanent mission in Geneva before holding a joint meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, a German source previously told Reuters.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi
IRAN’S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Australia shuts down Tehran embassy
Australia has suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran, citing a deteriorating security situation.
The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said Australian defence personnel and aircraft were being deployed to the Middle East as part of contingency plans to help evacuate its citizens and diplomats when the airspace opens. She specified they would not be used for combat.
“We have a very volatile security situation in Iran,” Wong said during a media conference on Friday.
“We do not have to cast our minds back too far in history to understand the risk to foreign officials in Iran in times of unrest.”
Consular staff are being sent to neighbouring Azerbaijan to support Australians departing Iran by road, said Wong.
“We are in the process of getting a crisis response team into Azerbaijan, and the purpose is to assist any Australians who get to that border, and that is the border crossing that is the most likely for exit from Tehran,” she added.
About 2,000 Australians and their families in Iran have sought assistance to leave the country, official data showed.
Sirens sound in Israel after missiles launched from Iran
Sirens sounded in southern Israel on Friday morning after missiles were launched from Iran, the Israeli army said.
There were reports of a smoke plume rising near a Microsoft facility in Beersheva after the reported Iranian attack.
Earlier, the Israeli army warned people in Iran’s northern industrial area of Sefidrood to evacuate ahead of strikes.
Trump gives Iran ‘two-week’ reprieve
President Trump has stepped back from bombing Iran, giving Tehran up to two weeks to negotiate an end to the conflict with Israel.
Trump is looking for an “off-ramp” after advisers became concerned at Iran’s ability to hit United States bases across the Middle East and kill American troops in retaliation for any military intervention, such as the targeting of nuclear facilities with bunker-busting bombs, The Times understands.
Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, quoted the president as saying: “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”
