Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that targeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would end, not escalate, the ongoing fight between Israel and Iran that erupted late last week.

• When asked by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about reports from ABC News and other outlets that President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader, concerned that it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu said, "It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict."

December 17

• Netanyahu, Trump planned Iran strike far in advance, ran deception campaign
•  

December 21

• Netanyahu to present Trump with new Iran attack plans during US visit.

Dismay in Geneva as Iran attacks derail nuclear talks

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi was talking to US media about the real possibility of a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

There has been a lot of dismay here in Geneva, where the talks were being held, and quite a few European nations have reacted, calling for de-escalation and restraint.

Iran had been warning about this, and its diplomats had told me that if a war broke out, Iran would not be showing restraint as it did in previous rounds.

What we are seeing now are attacks on US military personnel in the region, but we still have not seen reactions from Iranian-allied groups in places including Yemen and Iraq.

During talks at Oman's diplomatic mission in Geneva to avoid a war, Jared Kushner told his father-in-law, the US president Donald Trump, that Iran was going to attack. So, Netanyahu started the war by assassinating Khamenei, while there where still negotiation between Iran and the US.

Tehran

• There’s heavy traffic outbound from Tehran, especially towards the provinces to the north.
• Authorities are facilitating the movement, including by delivering fuel in major congested expressways. This comes after the Supreme National Security Council told nearly 10 million residents to leave the capital.
• Iranian Red Crescent spokesperson Mojtaba Khaledi said at least 20 of Iran’s 32 provinces have been targeted. Citizens are urged to stay away from points of impact.
• The government has emphasised that it has enough food and fuel, and ministers and governors of border provinces have been given additional authorities to import essential goods when necessary.
• Universities and schools are closed until further notice, and classes will be moved online when possible. Many universities and schools had already been taken online over recent weeks amid student protests.
• One of the targeted sites in Tehran was Narmak to the east, around the believed residence of former populist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. No details were confirmed yet, but numerous videos are available online.
• According to the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency, paramilitary Basij forces will begin patrolling the streets of the capital tonight.

Who is Ali Shamkhani?

While former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Ali Shamkhani was among those Israel targeted in its attack on Iran this morning, it is not the first time he’s been targeted.

Last year, during Israel and the US’s 12-day war, Shamkhani, 70, was pulled out alive from under rubble following an attack on his home in Tehran.

But he first rose through the ranks of the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq war in 1980.

By 1982, he was appointed as deputy to IRGC commander-in-chief Mohsen Rezaei, and by the war’s end in 1988, he was commanding the organization's ground forces and appointed as minister of the IRGC.

The following year, with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei newly appointed, Shamkhani was transferred to the navy and, within a year, was given simultaneous control of both the regular and IRGC navies.

From 1997 to 2005, Shamkhani was appointed as the defense minister under former President Mohammad Khatami. In 2015, Shamkhani was involved in implementing the nuclear agreement.

After leaving the Supreme National Security Council in 2023, where he had been appointed since 2013, Shamkhani has served as a political adviser to Khamenei.

Air raid alerts sound in Israel

The Israeli military says alerts have “been activated in several areas across the country following the detection of missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory”.

In a post on X, it said, “at this hour, the air force is operating to intercept and strike wherever necessary to remove the threat.”

In a separate statement, it said it had completed an extensive wave of strikes against Iran’s strategic defense systems.

It claimed one of the targets attacked was an advanced SA-65 air defense system, located in the Kermanshah area in western Iran.

Iran’s foreign minister says Khamenei alive ‘as far as I know’: Report

In an interview with NBC News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive “as far as I know”.

He also stated:

• Trump’s message about regime change in Iran is “mission impossible”
• He said there is no communication with the US as of now, adding that is Washington wants to talk, they know how to reach out to the Iranians. But he added that attacks should stop before there is a possibility to talk.
• He said one or two commanders were killed, but most officials were alive.
• The diplomat stressed that there is a possibility of reaching a deal which can guarantee that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful.
• Iran does not have the capability to hit the US and will not build missiles that could do that.

Iran’s supreme leader to speak soon, Al-Alam TV says

Iran’s ⁠Supreme Leader ⁠Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ⁠will speak within minutes, ‌Iran’s Al-Alam TV reported.

Iranian missiles strike central Israel; no casualties reported

Initial reports suggest two areas suffered from direct impact of Iranian missiles in central Israel.

Emergency crews have been called there but no casualties have been reported so far.

This comes following more Iranian missiles directed towards Israeli territory – this has been nonstop since the morning hours.

The Tel Aviv and Haifa area on the coast have been most affected by sirens and warnings.

Israeli army says it is striking ‘missile launchers’ in Iran

The Israeli army said its air force has begun new air strikes targeting “missile launchers” in Iran.

Netanyahu, Trump speak on the phone

The office of Israel’s prime minister has published a picture showing Benjamin Netanyahu holding a phone call.

The description said Netanyahu was having a conversation with US President Donald Trump.

Iran calls on the UN to ‘address the US and Israeli regime’s acts of aggression’

Iran has submitted a letter to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in which it called on the UN to “bear responsibility for international peace”.

The letter said, “Iran urgently calls upon the members of the Security Council to convene, without delay, an emergency meeting of the Council to address the US and Israeli regime’s acts of aggression, breach of peace which is a real and serious threat to international peace and security, and to take the necessary and immediate measures to halt this unlawful use of force and to ensure accountability.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on all Member States of the United Nations that bear responsibility for international peace and security to unequivocally condemn this act of aggression and to undertake urgent and collective measures to confront it, as it undoubtedly poses an unprecedented threat to regional as well as global peace and security.”

Trump spoke with Netanyahu, monitoring Iran situation: White House

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that Trump spoke with Netanyahu over the phone.

She also said the US president monitored the situation overnight at Mar a Lago and will continue to do so with his national security team.

Leavitt added that before the attacks on Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called “all members of the gang of eight to provide congressional notification, and he was able to reach and brief seven of the eight members”.

The “gang of eight” is a group of lawmakers in the US Congress who are briefed on classified national security measures.

All US, Israeli bases and assets in region are legitimate military targets, Iran tells UN

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has written a letter to the United Nations secretary-general and president of the UN Security Council, IRIB news agency is reporting.

The details of the letter, according to IRIB:

• Iran will continue to exercise its right to self-defense decisively and without delay until the aggression is completely and unconditionally stopped.
• The air strikes carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime are a clear violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4, of the UN Charter and are a clear example of armed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• In response to this act of aggression, the Islamic Republic of Iran is exercising its inherent and legitimate right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
• The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will use all necessary defensive capabilities and facilities to confront this criminal aggression and deter hostile actions.
• Accordingly, all bases, facilities, and assets of hostile forces in the region will be considered legitimate military targets within the framework of Iran’s exercise of its right to self-defense, and Iran will continue to exercise its right to self-defense decisively and without delay until the aggression is completely and unconditionally stopped.

Israeli army announces new wave of air attacks on Iran

The Israeli army has announced a new wave of attacks against Iran, saying it is striking missile launch sites and defense systems in central Iran.

Israeli army says it conducted ‘largest military flyover’ in its history

The Israeli army has said about 200 fighter jets have struck Iranian missile and air defence systems in western and central Iran.

It described the operation as the “largest military flyover in the history” of its air force. The military said the fighter jets dropped hundreds of munitions targeting about 500 objectives, including aerial defense systems and missile launchers across several locations in Iran, simultaneously.

“The strikes on the defense systems allowed the expansion of the IAF’s aerial superiority over Iranian aerial territory, and severely degraded the offensive capabilities of the Iranian regime – the launch sites in western Iran”, read the statement.

It added that one of the strikes targeted a surface-to-surface missile launching site in Tabriz, in western Iran.

Iran sends new wave of missiles towards Israel: Report

This news comes to us from Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim.

Scattered fires, damage seen across Israel as Iran retaliates

Israelis rushed into bomb shelters as Iranian projectiles started fires and caused scattered damage in several areas of the country.

Interceptors attempting to block further incoming fire were also seen detonating in the skies over Tel Aviv and other cities.

Iran has right to ‘defend itself with all might’: Foreign ministry spokesperson

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says Iran’s actions are in self-defence.

“We are facing another unprovoked act of aggression, an egregious act of aggression that is imposed on Iranians”, Baghaei said.

“And we have every right, in accordance with international law … to defend ourselves with all might. So that’s what our armed forces are conducting right now. They are defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran against this barbaric act of aggression.”

Iran has indeed the right to defend itself:

• It is not the attacking belligerent
• The war is started by Netanyahu in June 2025, and resumed on today
• The war is across borders, which means that Trump needs to have a UNSC mandate, which he hasn't
• Iran is not attacking the territory of the United States
• the war is political, not militarily motivated, which is a violation on core articles in the UN Charter
• Iran has the right to consider neighboring countries military objectives, as the US attacks Iran from these countries.

US, Israel actions undermine UN Charter, foreign ministry spokesperson Baghaei says

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei ‘s interview with Al Jazeera.

“This is the second time in less than a year that diplomacy has been betrayed by Americans”, Baghaei said.

“We were negotiating. We were supposed to meet on Monday to talk about technical aspects of any possible deal on the nuclear issue. And the Americans themselves acknowledge that these negotiations went quite well.”

Moreover, Baghaei said the attacks on Iran by the US and Israel were also a “betrayal of the trust of the countries of the region”.

“This is the betrayal of the whole UN system, because the main pillar of the UN system, the UN Charter, is the prohibition of the use of force”, he added.

The spokesperson said that not only was the security of the region at stake, but the “whole fabric of international law and the normative system that has been created by the UN Charter”.

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Israeli army issues forced evacuation threat for people in Isfahan area

The Israeli army has issued a forced evacuation threat for people located in an industrial zone in the city of Isfahan.

The warning was made in a post on X showing a map with an area marked in red.

“In a few minutes, the Israeli army will attack the military infrastructure in this area,” it said.

Israel is creating ‘chaos’ in the Middle East, says former Israeli peace negotiator

Daniel Levy says that Israeli and US attacks on Iran are a “defining moment in Israel’s reach for regional domination”.

Netanyahu claims Khamenei’s compound has been destroyed

The Israeli PM Netanyahu has just held a televised address to make claims like these:

• He said he had promised to change the face of the Middle East, which is something that he said Israel is doing with the current military operations.
• He claimed that in today’s attacks on Iran, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s compound had ⁠been destroyed, and ⁠Revolutionary ⁠Guard commanders and senior nuclear officials had ‌been killed.
• He addressed the Iranian people, telling them not to “miss this opportunity” to topple the Iranian government.
• He said ⁠that there are many signs indicating Iran’s ‌Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “is no longer”, without explicitly claiming ⁠his killing.

Earlier today, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei was still alive following the attack, to the best of his knowledge.

In an interview with ABC News on June 16, 2025, the video is in our possession, Netanyahu called on the United States for help in the assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei, claiming that it would "end the conflict."

According to reports by The New York Times and The Guardian, the Israeli Mossad sought contact with the CIA for help as it doesn't have the means and technology to do it alone. Both adversaries tracked Khamenei's patterns and routines for months. That was between June 16, 2025 and December 2025. The latter when he vowed will attack Iran in 2026 again. The CIA successfully intercepted high-fidelity intelligence confirming Khamenei would be present at a leadership compound in central Tehran on the morning of this day.

They all knew that Hezbollah will respond.

Netanyahu sends message to Iranians, with eye towards Israeli public

Netanyahu has delivered an overly ambitious statement less than 24 hours after beginning strikes against Iran, calling for regime change, the toppling of the government of Iran.

But the possibility of a popular uprising, overthrowing the government, even according to Israeli intelligence assessments, is very far fetched.

Netanyahu was speaking to the Iranian public in Hebrew, telling them that this is not a war against them, but he was really speaking to the Israeli public.

He was telling them that Israel is strong. Israel can be the hegemon. It can topple this central enemy, this archenemy of Israel, as Iran is perceived and presented, and that it has the backing of the United States.

This is a very important point for Netanyahu domestically. Elections are a few months away, and Netanyahu needs to frame this war, to frame this alliance, in a way that will gain him votes.

‘Iran’s government will not be toppled by bombs, change in government must come from within’

“We know from experience that regime change can’t happen through air power alone” Rob Geist Pinfold, a scholar of international security at King’s College London says.

“So the US can bomb and strike Iran as much as it wants, but that will not facilitate the fall of the regime; that has to come from within; that’s a lot less likely to happen”, he said.

“Everyone is scared to leave their homes because there are constant air strikes; so there needs to be some kind of a day after plan here. What happens when the air strikes stop?” he said.

“We’re not going to have boots on the ground: that’s … unfathomable, given the US’s own experience of regime change in the Middle East,” he said.

Pinfold said his hunch is that the US doesn’t have a “day-after plan” but is “simply seeking to cause so much damage, so much chaos within Iran that a day-after plan will present itself internally, organically from within”.

Iran says ‘we will make Israel, US pay’

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has issued this stern warning to the US and Israel as they continue to attack targets throughout the country.

“The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will give an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressive hellish ones”, he said, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed, Reuters and Israeli media report

The Reuters news agency and Israeli media are reporting Khamenei’s killing, citing unnamed “senior” Israeli officials.

The ⁠head of public relations at the Iranian ⁠supreme leader’s office accused the country’s enemies of “mental warfare” after Israeli reports Ayatollah ‌Ali Khamenei had been killed, Iranian state media reported.

No confirmation yet from Iran on Khamenei reports

Reuters news agency and Israeli media have reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei has been killed, citing unnamed “senior” Israeli officials.

There has been so far no official confirmation from Tehran.

He noted that Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that “as far as I know”, Iran’s supreme leader, as well as other top Iranian officials, remained in good health.

A statement from Khamenei’s public relations office called the report “mental warfare”.

“Of course, this is going to be huge news, if it’s true.”

Iranian state-linked media says Khamenei alive and well

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim and Mehr news agencies are reporting that the country’s Supreme Leader Khamenei is “steadfast and firm in commanding the field”.

This contradicts reports from Reuters and Israeli media that he was killed today in the US-Israeli air strikes.

Israeli military spokesperson says seven high-ranking Iranian officials have been killed

Effie Defrin, the spokesperson for the Israeli military, has just made a televised address in which he claimed Israel has killed several top Iranian officials in today’s attacks on Iran.

The most prominent of those Israel claims to have killed is Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of Iran’s National Security Council and close adviser to Supreme Leader Khamenei.

Shamkhani survived a June 2025 Israeli strike on his home in Tehran.

Defrin also claimed to have killed Mohammad Pakpour, a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Amir Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defence minister.

He added that Israeli warplanes targeted several locations across Iran, especially missile launcher sites.

Defrin did not define a timeframe when a reporter asked how long military operations would continue.

Under international law, starting a war with the sole or primary intention of achieving regime change in another sovereign state is explicitly illegal. It constitutes a violation of the prohibition on the use of force and is widely classified as an act of aggression.

Article 2(4) of the UN Charter: Requires all member states to refrain from the threat or use of force against the "territorial integrity or political independence of any state"

Forcible regime change directly attacks a nation's political independence by attempting to substitute its government through external military coercion.

UN Security Council Authorization: Action approved collectively under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter to maintain or restore international peace and security.

Unilateral military campaigns undertaken outside of self-defense or UN authorization rank as a supreme violation of international law, engaging state responsibility and potential individual criminal liability for a crime of aggression.

Sirens sound as attacks hit Tel Aviv, Israeli media says

Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting the sounds of a loud explosion in central Israel following a missile barrage from Iran.

Local newspaper Israel Hayom reported that a missile fell in Tel Aviv.

Sirens are currently sounding in Tel Aviv.

IRGC says latest waves of strikes target Israeli security positions

The public relations apparatus of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps says that the third and fourth waves of “retaliatory” strikes on US and Israeli positions are ongoing.

Some of the targets include, according to a statement carried by IRNA news agency:

“The Israeli Navy base in Haifa port, the anchorage of the regime’s warships in Haifa, Ramat David airbase, the [Israeli] regime’s Ministry of War in the Hakriyat area, the military-industrial settlement of Beit HaShamash, and the central military industries centre of Shtud are among the main targets during the third and fourth waves”.

‘Iran has a transition plan if Supreme Leader Khamenei confirmed dead’

Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, has said that Iran “has a plan” in place if its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is confirmed to have been killed.

“There will probably be a council that will be set up to run the country. It may already have been running the country, as far as we know,” she said.

The real question, however, she added, is: “How does Donald Trump define victory?”

“If killing the supreme leader is sufficient for him, he may just say, ‘Well, I won,’ and stop this in a day or so. That would be entirely characteristic. He can say that he achieved regime change, even if it’s basically the same system in place,” Slavin said.

Commenting on Israel’s attacks, Slavin called them “theatrics”, saying that the Israelis are simply “enjoying an opportunity to hit everything they possibly can and degrade the Iranian regime even further”.

“As we know, Israel loves targeted assassinations, and will be brandishing the scalp of Ayatollah Khamenei, so to speak, if he indeed is dead.” But, “Will it really be a change?”

Several injured as crashes rock Tel Aviv’s Gush Dan metropolitan area

One man has been seriously injured, and seven others were wounded after multiple crash sites were reported in Tel Aviv’s largest metropolitan area, Gush Dan, according to Channel 12.

Several buildings and vehicles have also reportedly been damaged.

Israeli military says new wave of missiles headed towards Israel

The Israeli military says there have been additional launches of missiles fired towards Israel.

Intensified Iranian missile strikes injure 21 in Tel Aviv

An Israeli intercepting missile has been launched into the sky to intercept one of the incoming Iranian missiles.

According to the Israeli ambulance service, 21 Israelis have been injured. Sixteen of them sustained light injuries, while two have been reported to be in serious or critical condition. We are still awaiting further updates from the ambulance service.

The intensity of the Iranian attacks is indeed increasing. In just the past hour, there were more than three waves of missiles.

It appears to be a difficult night for Israelis. It is currently nighttime, and we are hearing frequent sirens and additional waves of Iranian attacks.

As always, it is important to note that while Israelis have missile defense batteries, warning sirens, and shelters for protection, Palestinians living under Israeli occupation do not have the same level of protection. They have nowhere to seek shelter and are left watching how this war will affect them.

Meanwhile, Israeli raids have continued. One Palestinian was killed near Hebron earlier today during an Israeli raid. Settler attacks have also not stopped. Palestinians say they are already living under a heavy military occupation, and now they fear further escalation as the broader conflict intensifies.

Israeli military releases list of Iranian officials it claims killed

Israel has claimed that strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei, as well as his adviser, Ali Shamkhani.

Other officials that it claims have been killed are Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, the chief of the military bureau of the supreme leader, Mohammad Shirazi, chief of the IRCG, Mohammad Pakpour, and top intelligence official Saleh Asadi.

Under international law, starting a war with the sole or primary intention of achieving regime change in another sovereign state is explicitly illegal. It constitutes a violation of the prohibition on the use of force and is widely classified as an act of aggression.

Article 2(4) of the UN Charter: Requires all member states to refrain from the threat or use of force against the "territorial integrity or political independence of any state"

Forcible regime change directly attacks a nation's political independence by attempting to substitute its government through external military coercion.

UN Security Council Authorization: Action approved collectively under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter to maintain or restore international peace and security.

Unilateral military campaigns undertaken outside of self-defense or UN authorization rank as a supreme violation of international law, engaging state responsibility and potential individual criminal liability for a crime of aggression.

US cancels Rubio trip to Israel

The US State Department announced on Friday that State Secretary Marco Rubio would travel to Israel on Monday and Tuesday.

Just hours later, the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

Now, the department has said Rubio’s trip has been cancelled, pointing to the “current circumstances” in the region.

Air raid alert issued for Israel’s Red Sea port city of Eilat

Israel’s Home Front Command says sirens have been activated in the city of Eilat after a drone infiltration was detected.

The city sits on the narrow southern tip of Israel, sandwiched between Jordan and Egypt, about 50km (31 miles) from Saudi Arabia.

Israeli media reports death from Iranian strike on Tel Aviv

One person has died after succumbing to wounds in the Iranian attack on Tel Aviv, Israeli media has reported.

Twenty others have been injured, with one remaining in critical condition.

Israel’s UN envoy says ‘joint effort will continue for as long as the threat remains’

Danny Danon has addressed the UN Security Council, saying the US and Israel had acted to “confront and stop an existential threat before it became irreversible”.

“We did not act of impulse. We did not act of aggression. We acted out of necessity, because the Iranian regime left no reasonable alternative,” he said.

“This joint effort will continue for as long as the threat remains,” he said.

He accused Iran of targeting Israeli civilian infrastructure, saying that an “innocent woman was killed and 21 people were injured” in an attack in Tel Aviv.

Israel completes another wave of strikes on Iran

In a post on X, Israel’s Air Force says it has completed another wave of strikes on ballistic missile arrays and air defense systems in western and central Iran.

One of the targeted sites was a missile launch site in the central Qom region, it said.

The military added the strikes on central Iran “thwarted dozens of launches” towards Israel, “and deeply damaged the regime’s most central offensive capability”.