Israel Iran war highlights: Missile sirens sound across Israel after Tehran launches fresh attack

French president Emmanuel Macron has said that UN nuclear watchdog IAEA must be able to continue its activities to ensure Iran does not perform nuclear enrichment.

Israeli media has said that as per initial reports a nuclear scientist was killed in Tehran in a strike on Friday.

A German government spokesperson said that Iran will probably be discussed at the NATO Summit; however, they refrained from making any comments on NATO allies' possible attack plans.

French president Emmanuel Macron said that Iran must show its willingness to return to the negotiating table.

French president Emmanuel Macron has called for an "absolute stop" of strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure in Iran-Israel conflict.

Qatari foreign minister said that Israeli strikes on Iran's economic facilities is "dangerous".

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that he has told the military to increase attacks on Iranian regime targets in Tehran.

Katz said that the strikes are aimed at destabilizing the Iranian regime. He  further said that the country "must strike at all regime symbols".

An Iranian health ministry spokesperson said that a hospital in Tehran was hit by an Israeli rocket in an attack early on Friday, reported stated media.

So far, Israel has announced attacks on Iran's Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. It said that the strikes are aimed at stopping Iran from building an atom bomb.

UN nuclear watchdog IAEA has reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, to the nuclear complex at Isfahan, including the Uranium Conversion Facility, and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran.

The IAEA said Israeli military strikes hit the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, which was under construction and had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water, Reuters reported.

An Iranian deputy foreign minister Khatibzadeh said that diplomacy will become an alternative in the Israeli conflict if aggression is stopped, reports ISNA news.

UK foreign secretary David Lammy is set to meet with his Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Friday.

Lammy will meet Abbas Araghchi alongside his counterparts from France, Germany, and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before US President Donald Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran.

An Israeli drone has targeted a residential building in the centre of Iran's capital city of Tehran, reports state media.

Iran's foreign minister will address the UN Human Rights Council on Friday, news agency AFP reported, citing council spokesman.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has guarantees from Israel on safety of Russian workers at Iran's Bushehr.

It also added that Russia is keeping regular, close, and substantive contacts with Iran.

The Iranian foreign minister told the state TV that the country's talks with E3 in Geneva will focus solely on nuclear and regional issues.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said that it continues its mission to “maintain aerial superiority in Iranian airspace” as the conflict between the two countries has entered day eight. The IDF said that it pounded several military production and nuclear sites across Iran overnight.

Sharing a video of one such strike, the timing of which is not clear, the IDF said that it struck missile systems and radar installations in Isfahan and Tehran cities of Iran. While Isfahan is home to a key nuclear site, Tehran is Iran’s capital.

The video, according to the IDF, shows its strike on an aerial defence system in Isfahan. In the video, a graphical reticule is seen inching closer air defence systems, however, the blasts or impact are not shown. Click here to watch the video.

Israeli airstrikes reached into the Iranian city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early Friday, Iranian media reported. Social media video posted online appeared to show explosions around the city. The semiofficial Fars news agency reported local air defense systems were firing into the night sky against the Israelis.

Ahead of the strikes, the Israeli military put out a warning urging the public to flee the area around Rasht’s Industrial City, which sits a few kilometers (miles) southwest of the city’s downtown.

The Israelis did not immediately describe what they sought to destroy in the area. However, with Iran’s internet being shut off to the outside world, it was unclear how many people in Iran would be able to see the message. (AP)

As Israel continues its attacks on Iran, US President Donald Trump and other global leaders are hardening their stance against the Islamic Republic. While considering a US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, Trump has threatened Iran’s supreme leader, claiming to know his location and calling him “an easy target”.

He has demanded “unconditional surrender” from Iran. Meanwhile, countries such as Germany, Canada, the UK and Australia have toughened their rhetoric, demanding Iran fully abandon its nuclear programme.

So, as the pressure mounts on Iran, has it been left to fight alone? Or does it have allies that could come to its aid? Read more.

Oil prices fell on Friday after the White House delayed a decision on US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, but remained on course for a third consecutive weekly rise.

Brent crude futures fell $2, or 2.5%, to $76.85 a barrel by 0648 GMT but still looked set to gain more than 3% on the week.

US West Texas Intermediate crude for July - which did not settle on Thursday as it was a U.S. holiday and expires on Friday - was down 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $75.

The more liquid August contract was up 0.3%, or 19 cents, to $73.69.

On Thursday prices jumped almost 3% after Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel. The week-old war between Israel and Iran showed no signs of either side backing down. (Reuters)

Israel Iran war Live: The head of Russia's nuclear energy corporation, Alexei Likhachev, said on Friday that Russian specialists were still working at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran and that the situation there was normal and under control.

Likhachev said he hoped Russia's warnings to Israel not to attack the site had been received by the Israeli leadership.

Russia, which has close ties with Iran, has warned strongly against U.S. military intervention on the side of Israel.

Iran's fragmented opposition groups think their moment may be close at hand, but activists involved in previous bouts of protest say they are unwilling to unleash mass unrest, even against a system they hate, with their nation under attack.

Exiled opponents of the Islamic Republic, themselves deeply divided, are urging street protests. In the borderlands, Kurdish and Baluchi separatist groups look poised to rise up, with Israeli strikes pummelling Iran's security apparatus.

While the Islamic Republic looks weaker than at nearly any point since soon after the 1979 revolution, any direct challenge to its 46-year rule would likely require some form of popular uprising.

Whether such an uprising is likely - or imminent - is a matter of debate. Read more.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared headed to Geneva for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. A plane with his usual call sign took off from the Turkish city of Van, near the Iranian border, flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed. Iran typically acknowledges his departure hours afterward. (AP) 

At least 657 people have been killed and 2,037 injured in a week of Israeli strikes across Iran, said a US-based group Human Rights Activists on Friday.

The group said the casualties include 263 civilians and 164 members of the security forces.

Japan's government said on Thursday it would send two Self-Defense Forces transport aircraft to Djibouti in preparation for the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Iran and Israel.

Japanese embassies in Israel and Iran are preparing to evacuate citizens to neighbouring countries by bus as early as Thursday.

The latest timeline President Trump has given for deciding whether to launch strikes on Iran is “within the next two weeks".

The “two weeks” time, according to a report by the New York Times, has long been one of Trump’s go-to answers.

Over the years, he’s promised update on everything - from Putin and tax reform to healthcare, ISIS, and infrastructure  -  in around two weeks, the report added.