Iran Israel war highlights: Israeli forces conducting a series of strikes in Tehran

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the Group of Seven (G-7) nations expressed support for Israel and labelled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East, in a statement issued late on Monday that called for peace and stability in the region.

Israeli military officials said their fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.

Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that his country's forces had "achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies.”

On Monday, Israel’s military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that houses the country’s state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 

The city, one of the region's largest, is home to around 9.5 million people.

Three vessels or oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, before nearing the Strait of Hormuz have caught fire on Tuesday. Images circulating on social media show ships or tankers on fire.

Hindustan Times cannot verify the authenticity of the photos at the moment.

Iran maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organised effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency also repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so.

Israel said its sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists was necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. 

The strikes between Israel and Iran have killed at least 224 people since Friday in Iran and 24 in Israel.

US President Donald Trump said Iran wants to talk about de-escalating the deadly conflict with Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled that the strikes will continue, reported Bloomberg.

“It’s painful for both parties but I would say that Iran is not winning this war,” Trump said at the start of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at a Group of Seven leaders summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.

China warned the Iran-Israel conflict may spread wider instability in the Middle East, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaching out to both countries as their days-old conflict shows no end in sight, Bloomberg reported.

“If the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to escalate or even spill over, the other countries in the Middle East will inevitably bear the brunt,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in a regular briefing Monday.

The Israel Defence Forces on Tuesday said that they have identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat.

Upon receiving an alert, the public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.

The United States is refusing to back a proposed Group of Seven statement urging Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

Another person didn’t rule out Trump agreeing to an amended statement later on.

US forces in the Middle East remain in a "defensive posture, and that has not changed," the White House said Monday as Israel and Iran traded heavy strikes for a fourth day.

"We will defend American interests," White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer added in a post on social media.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Monday that US President Donald Trump would depart from the G7 summit a day earlier, on Monday night, due to escalating tensions in the Middle East. READ FULL STORY

Iranian authorities claimed to have busted a drone-producing factory of the Israeli Intelligence Agency Mossad in Tehran, ARY News reported, citing Iranian news agency IRNA.

As per details, Iranian authorities arrested two individuals accused of working for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency in separate operations across Tehran and Alborz provinces.

European foreign ministers told their Iranian counterpart in a call on Monday to return to nuclear negotiations with the US and refrain from escalating conflict with Israel, to which Iran's foreign minister said Tehran's priority was to confront Israel for now,  Reuters reported, citing a French diplomatic source.

After US President Donald Trump's warning for civilians to evacuate the Iranian capital Tehran, China on Tuesday called on its nations to leave Israel immediately, reported Raw Alerts.

A massive explosion was heard in Parchin, near Iran's capital of Tehran, reported The Spectator Index. This comes after US President Donald Trump called for the evacuation of Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Monday.

According to a Fox News report, US President Donald Trump requested that the National Security Council be prepared in the situation room when he arrives in Washington, DC as he left the G-7 Summit a day early.

Loud blasts were heard near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on Tuesday as the Israel-Iran tensions entered day four, The Spectator Index reported.

Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the Israeli forces destroyed the principle uranium enrichment facility of Iran's Natanz nuclear site on June 14.

Iran Israel war LIVE: Iran has activated high level air defences in Tehran in anticipation of Israeli strikes.

Iran Israel war news LIVE: Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday urged Iranians to resist ‘radical tyranny’ of regime and said "you're not our enemy. We're not your enemy."

"We have a common enemy, and we're resolutely fighting them, and I believe you'll have an opportunity to be free soon," he added.

"This is evil against good, and it's time for good people to stand up with the good -- the good people of Iran and good people everywhere -- against this madness foisted on all of us by this radical tyranny," he told Iran International.

Iran Israel war news LIVE: Three Iranian Red Crescent workers were killed in an Israeli strike during rescue operations in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency reported, as per Reuters.

Iran Israel war news LIVE: Iranian Air Defences thwarted an attack on Monday on the Iranian South Pars gas field, the Iranian Fararu news website reported.

Iran shares the South Pars gas field with Qatar. The world's biggest gas field was struck by Israel on Saturday, leading Iran to partially suspend gas production.

Iran Israel war news LIVE: Iran has issued evacuation warnings for Israeli news channels after Israel attacked the building of Iran's state broadcaster, Iranian state TV reported on Monday.

"Iran has issued an evacuation warning for the N12 and N14 channels of Israel. This order comes in response to the hostile attack of Zionist enemy against the Islamic republic of Iran's broadcasting service," state TV said.

Iran Israel war news LIVE: Israel's Netanyahu stated that the country was "well coordinated' with the US during the military campaign against Iran. I