Israel-Iran War LIVE: Trump gives 2 weeks to diplomacy, Netanyahu says will hit all nuke sites

Indian budget airline carrier IndiGo, which brought back the first batch of Indian nationals from Iran yesterday, has said that it is “honoured” to be part of Operation Sindhu.

We are deeply honoured to contribute towards evacuation efforts by participating in #OperationSindhu helping bring our stranded citizens back home to India.

We are thankful to @mygovindia, @MEAIndia , @MoCA_GoI and Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ram Mohan Naidu ji…

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) June 20, 2025

The Beersheba Municipality has confirmed that the Iranian missile attack in the southern city was a “direct hit” and “not fragments” from a projectile.

Israel’s Channel 12 said that the Israeli military has confirmed that the Iranian missile was not intercepted by air defences.

Meanwhile, several people have been reportedly injured by the attack.

Iranian missiles struck the Israeli city of Beersheba, and multiple fires have been reported near a Microsoft building in the town’s tech park.

Israel Police reported that munitions had fallen in open areas of the Southern District, causing property damage but no casualties.

Israel’s rescue service, Magen David Adom, has shared visuals of plumes of black smoke rising from a building in Beersheba where Iranian missiles struck a little while ago.

“No reports of casualties have been received at this stage,” it said.

MDA Spokesperson: Following the Red Alert sirens that were heard in the past few minutes in southern Israel, no reports of casualties have been received at this stage. MDA teams are being dispatched to scan the areas where reports were received. Updates as required pic.twitter.com/AioO24KS2a

— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) June 20, 2025

According to Quds News Network, an Iranian missile struck a building in the Israeli town of Beersheba. Iran launched a fresh wave of attacks against Israel earlier today.

من مكان سقوط الصاروخ الإيراني على هدف في بئر السبع المحتلة pic.twitter.com/6j2fMyj4bW

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) June 20, 2025

People in Venezuela held a march in support of Iran against Israeli strikes.

A man holds up a poster with an image of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, and late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, during a government-organized march against Israel’s attacks on Iran, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jesus Vargas)

A couple holding an Iranian national flag, left, and a woman on the right, holding a Palestinian flag, take part in a government-organized march against Israel’s attacks, on Iran in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jesus Vargas)

Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela, Ali Chegini, left, and Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, attend a government-organized march against Israel’s attacks on Iran, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jesus Vargas)

The Israeli Military has said that missiles have been launched from Iran against Israel and that the country’s defence systems are working to track and intercept the incoming projectiles. Meanwhile, residents in Israel have been asked to take shelter at the earliest.

“Sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces said.

According to Times of Israel, sirens have been sounded in Beersheba, the town where a hospital came under attack yesterday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that Beijing and Moscow’s “most urgent” task is to push for a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

During a call this week, Xi said, “Major countries with special influence on the parties to the conflict should work to stop the conflict and not extend it,” possibly referring to the US.

He added that Israel “should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent the situation from spiralling further and to avoid the spread of war.”

Here’s what has happened so far:

• White House has announced that US President Donald Trump will decide whether to attack Iran directly within “two weeks”
• British, German and French foreign ministers will meet their Iranian counterpart in Geneva later today to hold nuclear talks
• UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met State Secretary Marco Rubio, and the two agreed that Iran can “never get a nuclear weapon”
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the attack sight in a hospital in Beersheba which injured at least 71 people
• Australia has halted operations at its embassy in Tehran and asked all officials and their families living in Iran to leave the country immediately

US State Secretary Marco Rubio has met Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy. During their meeting, the two sides agreed that Iran “should never get a nuclear weapon”. Now, Lammy is headed to Geneva to attend nuclear talks with Germany, France and Iran.

Important meeting with UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy to discuss the conflict between Israel and Iran. The United States and the UK agree Iran should never get a nuclear weapon.

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 20, 2025

“A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution. 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,” Lammy said in a statement.

Explosions have been heard in the industrial town of Safidrood near Iran’s Kolesh Taleshan, in the northwestern part of the country. The development comes after Israel ordered an evacuation in the area.

Iran’s air defences also intercepted “hostile targets” over Isfahan, site of one of the country’s major nuclear facilities, and downed an Israeli drone near Kahrizak, south of Tehran, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster.

The head of Iran’s atomic energy, Mohammad Eslami, has slammed the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, for “inaction” during Israel’s attacks on the country’s nuclear sites.

“It is necessary to fulfill your constitutional duties by immediately ending this inaction and condemning these actions of the Zionist regime that are contrary to international regulations,” a letter from Eslami to Grossi read.

Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in the space of a “couple of weeks,” the White House said Thursday, as US President Donald Trump debated whether to take military action against the Islamic republic.

“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was “changing the face of the world” in its war with Iran, now in its seventh day.

“I said that we’re changing the face of the Middle East, and now I say we’re changing the face of the world,” he told public broadcaster Kan, adding that Israel had destroyed “more than half” of Iran’s missile launchers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he welcomed “all help” with destroying Iran’s nuclear sites, nearly a week into major Israeli air raids on the Islamic Republic.

Israel is “capable of striking all of Iran’s nuclear facilities” but “all help is welcome”, Netanyahu told public broadcaster Kan, also saying that US President Donald Trump “will do what is good for for the United States, and I will do what is good for the State of Israel”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he welcomed “all help” with destroying Iran’s nuclear sites, nearly a week into major Israeli air raids on the Islamic Republic.

Israel is “capable of striking all of Iran’s nuclear facilities” but “all help is welcome”, Netanyahu told public broadcaster Kan, also saying that US President Donald Trump “will do what is good for for the United States, and I will do what is good for the State of Israel”.

Iranian state media said air defence systems were activated Thursday against “hostile targets” over the capital Tehran, a week into a war triggered by major Israeli attacks.

“Iran’s air defences confront hostile targets in northern Tehran,” said official news agency IRNA without elaborating. Another news agency, Mehr, gave the same report.

Iranian missiles breached Israel’s sophisticated air defence systems again on Thursday, striking a major hospital in the south and residential areas in densely populated central regions.

Israel depends heavily on its multilayered missile defence architecture to shield cities and infrastructure from frequent rocket attacks originating from militants in Gaza and Lebanon. However, since Middle East tensions escalated dramatically in 2023, threats now also come from Iranian and Yemeni rebel missile launches, AP reported.

Developed over decades with significant assistance from the United States, Israel’s defensive array strategically identifies incoming threats, intercepting only missiles targeting population centres or vital infrastructure, allowing those headed for open terrain to pass.

This multilayered network includes systems capable of intercepting short-range rockets, medium-range missiles, attack drones, and ballistic missiles, including sophisticated long-range projectiles frequently launched by Iran.

Yet, Israeli military officials consistently emphasise that no air defence is entirely infallible. High interception rates notwithstanding, simultaneous missile barrages can overwhelm the sophisticated combination of technology and human oversight.

Since hostilities intensified on June 13, Iranian missile strikes have claimed at least 24 lives, leaving extensive damage across multiple Israeli towns and cities.

Israel’s air-defence system comprises:

The Arrow, a joint US-Israeli system designed specifically to counter long-range ballistic missiles, like those launched recently by Iran. Operating outside Earth’s atmosphere, the Arrow has also successfully intercepted missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels during this conflict.

David’s Sling, also developed in partnership with the US, targets medium-range threats such as those employed by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. It has been activated multiple times during the current conflict.

The Iron Dome, renowned for intercepting short-range rockets, was developed by Israel with US backing and has neutralised thousands of rockets since deployment, boasting a success rate exceeding 90 percent.

Additionally, Israel is testing the Iron Beam, an innovative laser-based interception system, hailed by authorities as a potential breakthrough due to its significantly lower operational costs. While each Iron Dome interception reportedly costs approximately $50,000, and other systems upwards of $2 million per missile, Iron Beam interceptions may cost merely a few dollars each. Despite promising results in recent testing, this technology has yet to become operational.

Russia on Thursday (June 19) warned the United States not to take military action against Iran, amid speculation over whether Washington would enter the war alongside Israel.

Moscow is one of Iran’s most important allies, with the two deepening military cooperation and inking a strategic partnership agreement just months ago. But the Kremlin has not provided military support to Iran in the face of Israeli air strikes, and President Vladimir Putin is pitching himself as a possible mediator even as he condemns Israel.

US President Donald Trump is reportedly not fully convinced that the US’ GBU-57 munitions, better known as “Bunker Buster” bombs, would effectively eliminate Iran’s nuclear enrichment facility at Fordow.

According to a report by The Guardian, he has suggested to defence officials that it would only make sense for the US to launch strikes against Iran if the bomb was guaranteed to destroy the critical uranium enrichment facility.

The efficacy of GBU-57s has been a topic of deep contention at the Pentagon since the start of Trump’s term, according to two defence officials who were briefed that perhaps only a tactical nuclear weapon could be capable of destroying Fordow because of how deeply it is buried.

"Early this morning, an Iranian ballistic missile directly hit the Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva. This hospital serves over one million Israelis, including Bedouins, Jews, Christians and Arabs alike...Iran targets civilians; we target an existential threat that endangers global… pic.twitter.com/c9bjGkrkT5

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 19, 2025

Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany together with the EU’s top diplomat will hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva Friday, officials and diplomats said.

The meeting comes as European countries call for de-escalation in the face of Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme — and as US President Donald Trump weighs whether to join the strikes against Tehran.

In a post on social media platform X, the IDF appeared to fact-check a map that they say is being used by the Iranian regime to justify its attack on the Soroka Medical Centre.

❗️ برای توجیه حمله به مرکز درمانی سوروکا، رژیم تروریستی ایران نقشه‌ای منتشر کرده که از اساس جعلی، ساخته‌ی هوش مصنوعی، و پر از غلط است.

در این «نقشه»:
🔸 کلمه‌ی Blvd حتی به‌درستی نوشته نشده
🔸 نام Gav Yam Technologies Park به‌طرز خنده‌داری تحریف شده
🔸 و بقیه چیزها هم کلاً تخیلی… pic.twitter.com/7r10cZKY5m

— ارتش دفاعی اسرائیل | IDF Farsi (@IDFFarsi) June 19, 2025

Meanwhile, Iran has said that the main target of a missile attack in which a hospital in southern Israel was hit was an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility.

A hospital in southern Israel and two towns near Tel Aviv were struck after a barrage of Iranian missiles, with Israeli rescuers reporting at least 47 people injured in Iran’s latest attacks.

Israel’s defence minister said Thursday that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist” after an Israeli hospital was hit during an Iranian missile attack.

“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,” Israel Katz told journalists in Holon near Tel Aviv. “Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.”

The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Thursday warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between its main backer Iran and Israel.

“I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump… that would be a very, very, very bad decision,” Barrack said, responding to a question on what the US position would be on any involvement by Hezbollah in the war.

Iran on Thursday accused the UN’s nuclear watchdog of acting as a “partner” in what it described as Israel’s “war of aggression”.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran in a report prior to the start of the Iran-Israel war of non-compliance with its obligations in its nuclear programme.

“You betrayed the non-proliferation regime; You’ve made IAEA a partner to this unjust war of aggression,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X, in a post addressed to the head of the agency, Rafael Grossi.