Israel unleashes intense airstrikes in Tehran in conflict has killed hundreds

Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Irans capital early Wednesday in a conflict that a human rights group said had killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1326 othersThe Washingtonbased group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnelThe group which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the countryIran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimised casualties in the past Its last update issued Monday put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1277 others woundedUncertainty roiled the region and residents of Tehran fled their homes in droves on the sixth day of Israels air campaign aimed at Irans military and nuclear programmeIsrael asserts it had to launch its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon It came as Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehrans programme though President Donald Trump has said Israels campaign came after a 60day window he set for the talksIran has long insisted its nuclear programme was peaceful though it was the only nonnucleararmed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent a short technical step away from weaponsgrade levels of 90 per centThe International Atomic Energy Agency the United Nations nuclear watchdog was still conducting inspections though limited in the country US intelligence agencies as well have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bombIran has retaliated against Israels airstrike campaign by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel So far 24 people have been killed in IsraelPeople flee Tehran as strikes continueA major explosion could be heard around 5 am in Tehran on Wednesday morning following other explosions that boomed earlier in the predawn darknessAuthorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks which have become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since it began on FridayAt least one strike appeared to target Tehrans eastern neighbourhood of Hakimiyeh where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has an academyTraffic stood bumper to bumper on roads to the west and downtown Tehran emptied with many shops shuttered as well as the ancient Grand Bazaar The Bazaar has closed only in times of crisis such as during the 2022 antigovernment protests and the coronavirus pandemicIsrael has also claimed that it had killed Gen Ali Shadmani whom it described as Irans most senior remaining military commanderShadmani was little known in the country before being appointed last week to a chiefofstafflike role as head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards Khatam alAnbiya Central Headquarters following the killing of his predecessor Gen Gholam Ali Rashid in an Israeli strikeTrump demands Iranian surrenderThe US sent more warplanes to the Middle East as Trump made a series of statements about the conflict that fueled confusion about the US role including demanding UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER in a post on social media and warning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the US knows where he is hiding but that there were no plans to kill him at least not for nowTrump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the evolving situation over the phone on Tuesday according to a White House official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymityIran vows more retaliationIran offered no immediate response to the presidents posts but the countrys military leaders vowed that Israel would soon see more attacksThe operations carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence Gen Abdul Rahim Mousavi the commander in chief of Irans army said in a video The punishment operation will be carried out soonIsraels military warned the population to stay close to shelters as Iran fired new salvos of missiles on Wednesday but officials said most were intercepted and Israels rescue services had no immediate reports of injuriesSirens blared in southern Israel including in the desert town of Dimona the heart of Israels neveracknowledged nuclear arms programmeThe US State Department announced that the US Embassy in Jerusalem will remain closed through FridayIran has fired fewer missiles in each of its barrages with just a handful launched into Wednesday It has not explained the drop in missiles fired but the decline comes after Israel targeted many Iranian launchersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice 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