Israel and Iran trade strikes as Trump weighs US involvement in conflict
Israel and Iran trade strikes as Trump weighs US involvement in conflict
By Lex Harvey, Chris Lau, Laura Sharman and Aditi Sangal, CNN
Updated 2:27 AM EDT, Thu June 19, 2025
CNN on the ground in Tehran
01:50
What we’re covering
• Exchanging fire: Israel was hit by a new wave of Iranian missiles on Thursday morning, with a major hospital in the south sustaining “extensive damage,” according to officials. Israel attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, a nuclear facility near the center of the country, with no major damage reported.
• US weighs options: US President Donald Trump has held a Situation Room meeting to discuss US options. While saying earlier that his patience “has already run out” with Tehran, Trump indicated he has not yet made a final decision on whether the US would get involved.
• Trump’s dilemma: Trying to avoid prolonging the conflict has become Trump’s top imperative, sources told CNN. While he is receptive to arguments, including from Israel, that only the US can decisively end Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he is wary of becoming bogged down in the type of foreign conflict he vowed to avoid, the sources said.
• Iran’s warning: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a national address that Iran will not surrender and warned that any US military intervention would result in “irreparable damage.”
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11 Posts34 min ago
Tel Aviv hospital says it has received 10 injured in Iranian strikes
From CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Lex Harvey
A hospital in Tel Aviv told CNN it had received 10 people who were wounded in Iran’s latest wave of strikes on Israel.
Ichilov Medical Center said most of the wounded are in “mild” condition and are being treated in the hospital’s trauma room.
Iran’s latest missile strikes hit Tel Aviv suburb, video shows
From CNN’s Laura Sharman and Eugenia Yosef
Iran’s latest wave of missiles struck an area near Tel Aviv, causing damage, according to videos released by Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA).
The footage shows major damage to several high-rise buildings on a street in Ramat Gan city, around three miles from Tel Aviv city center.
Scores of emergency service workers and several fire trucks were seen on video responding to the scene. Damage to other structures surrounding the site can also be seen.
Ramat Gan city has an estimated population of just over 175,000 and is home to Israel’s Diamond Exchange, one of the world’s top diamond districts.
Neighboring cities Tel Aviv and Holon were also hit in the Iranian attack, according videos shared by Reuters news agency.
Israel’s second-largest city, Tel Aviv is the country’s commercial hub.
Israel attacks Iran’s Arak nuclear facility, no major damage reported
From CNN’s Lex Harvey
The Arak heavy water reactor, seen in this February satellite image. Maxar Technologies/AP/File
Israel attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, a nuclear facility about 155 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of Tehran, according to Iranian state media and the Israeli military.
Two projectiles were fired at the facility around 6 a.m. local time, state-run news agency IRIB said. The facility has not been seriously damaged and there is no radiation, it reported.
An Israeli military official confirmed its fighter jets struck the facility, during a series of overnight raids across the country.
“The nuclear reactor in the Arak region of Iran was attacked, including the structure that seals the reactor, which is a main component in plutonium production,” an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said.
“The attack was carried out against the component intended for producing plutonium, thus preventing its ability to be reused to produce nuclear weapons,” the spokesperson added.
Earlier Thursday, the IDF issued an evacuation warning to residents near the Arak facility, saying: “Your presence in this area puts your life at risk.”
The attack comes almost one week after Israel targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities – Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow – and several top scientists.
Some context: The Arak heavy water reactor was a focus of the 2015 nuclear deal with the US and other powers, because heavy water (or deuterium oxide) can be used to produce plutonium – providing Iran with a second pathway to a potential nuclear bomb, beyond enriched uranium.
Under the deal, Iran was required to redesign Arak into a peaceful research facility which could no longer produce weapons-grade plutonium. However, in the years since and following the US withdrawal, Iran has breached some aspects of the deal and no longer allows UN inspectors to monitor its production or stocks of heavy water.
Iran launched ‘dozens’ of ballistic missiles with ‘several hits’ on civilian areas, says Israel military official
From CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Ross Adkin
Rescue workers and military personnel inspect the site of an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Thursday. Oded Balilty/AP
Iran launched “dozens” of ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday morning, with “several hits” on civilian areas, an Israeli military official said.
The official said there were “several hits to civilian population centers” including the Soroka hospital in southern Israel.
Israel Defense Forces Homefront Command Search and Rescue teams have been sent to several reported impact sites, the official said.
Hospital in southern Israel suffers “extensive damage” in Iranian strikes, spokeswoman says
From CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Lex Harvey
Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, Israel, following a missile strike on Thursday. Amir Cohen/Reuters
Soroka Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Be’er-Sheva was damaged in Iranian strikes, its spokeswoman said.
“We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries,” the spokeswoman said, noting there was “extensive damage in various areas.”
“We ask that you not come to the hospital now,” the spokeswoman said.
Videos posted to Telegram claiming to show the aftermath around the hospital, which describes itself as one of Israel’s leading medical centers, showed several structures damaged and piles of debris on the ground.
A 60-year-old woman was wounded in the strike, Israel’s national emergency service, Magen David Adom (MDA), said.
Sharren Haskel, Israel’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, called the strike a “deliberate” attack against a “civilian target,” in a post to X.
“This is the main medical center for Israel’s entire Negev region,” Haskel said. “The world must speak out.”
Israel responding to reports of fallen projectiles after Iranian missile strikes
From CNN’s Lex Harvey and Eugenia Yosef
Israeli search and rescue teams are operating in several locations across the country after reports of fallen projectiles following Iran’s latest barrage of missiles, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Video from Reuters showed a multi-story building in Tel Aviv that had been damaged. Debris was shown lying on the road outside and responders had cordoned off part of the area.
Indian pilgrims stranded in Iran, cleric tells CNN
From CNN’s Alysha Bibi
Hundreds of Indian Muslim pilgrims are currently stranded in Iran, many of them elderly and in need of medicine, a religious leader in their home country has told CNN.
Iran is home to several Shia Muslim holy sites, and draws pilgrims from across the world. The Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad draws 20 million pilgrims every year, according to UNESCO.
Speaking to CNN, Shia cleric Moulana Syed Saif Abbas Naqvi, president of the Shia Markazi Chand Committee India, said the situation is difficult.
“Usually, 70% of the pilgrims are middle-class with a very limited budget,” he said. “They pay the tour operator prior to departure and only bring along a couple of thousand rupees (around $23) with them.”
Beyond the limited cash they brought, their plight is further compounded by the age and health of the hundreds of travelers, as Abbas said many were “running very low on medicine.”
“Over 50% of the pilgrims are elderly, ranging in age from around 50 to 80 or even 90,” Abbas added. “Some are in wheelchairs. So, the majority of those stranded are extremely vulnerable.”
He appealed to the Indian government to evacuate Indian citizens from Iran.
For context: Shia Muslims make up the majority of Muslims in Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan, with sizable minority populations in a number of countries including Pakistan and India.
Shia Muslims split from Sunni Muslims following the death of Imam Hussein bin Ali in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD as a succession war raged over who was considered the rightful successor to the prophet Mohammed.
Iran launches new wave of missiles toward Israel
From CNN’s Eugenia Yosef and Lex Harvey
Air defense systems fire to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday. Leo Correa/AP
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has identified incoming missiles launched from Iran, with sirens activated across Israel.
“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said.
It urged the public to enter bomb shelters and remain there “until further notice.”
Iranian state media Fars News Agency also reported the missile wave.
In addition, Iran launched drones towards Israel “a few hours ago,” Fars posted on Telegram at around 7.40 a.m. local time in Iran.
A video filmed by a CNN producer in Jerusalem showed several missiles soaring through the sky.
Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom said its teams were searching for impacts.
As the Iran-Israel conflict continues, Trump reviews US options. Here’s what you should know
From CNN’s Aditi Sangal
Smoke and fumes rise into the sky in the Iranian capital after an Israeli attack on Wednesday. Stringer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Iran and Israel continue to trade strikes as President Donald Trump’s decision on whether the US would get involved looms large.
Trump has reviewed attack plans for Iran but is holding off to see if Tehran steps back from its nuclear program, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for “standing by our side” as Israel pushes ahead with its fight against Iran.
The US on Wednesday evacuated some embassy personnel and family members from Israel on a US military aircraft, three sources told CNN. The US Embassy in Israel said in its latest security alert Thursday local time that it has “no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time.” This came hours after US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X that the embassy was “working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures.”
Here are the key headlines from Wednesday:
- What Iran is saying: Iran’s actions are purely in self-defense, but the country “remains committed to diplomacy,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. “If the Americans decide to get involved militarily, we have no choice but to retaliate wherever we find the targets necessary to be acted upon,” Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi told CNN. “That is clear and simple. Because we are acting in self-defense.”
- Israeli attacks on Iran: Israel said it targeted Iran’s missile manufacturing capabilities and carried out “a series of strikes” targeting over 20 military sites in Tehran. The Israeli military assesses that it has significantly degraded Iran’s ability to fire large barrages of missiles toward Israel, according to an Israeli military official. Several people were injured after Israel targeted Iran’s national police headquarters, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. Tehran residents haven’t been able to sleep in days due to the “constant sound of bombing,” an Iranian-American woman who was in the capital told CNN.
- Iranian attacks on Israel: Iran has fired Sejjil-2 solid-fueled, medium-range ballistic missiles toward Israel, its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement.
- Internet restrictions in Iran: Tehran imposed nationwide temporary restrictions on internet access across the country. The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology cited security concerns.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Jeremy Diamond, Tamar Michaelis, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Catherine Nicholls, Michael Rios, Jennifer Hansler, Oren Liebermann, Kylie Atwood and Hira Humayun contributed reporting.
Israeli envoy to US says Iran’s ability to produce ballistic weapons must also be eliminated
From CNN’s Chris Lau
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter speaks to the media in Washington, D.C. on May 22, 2025 Ken Cedeno/Reuters
Israel’s ambassador to the US said Wednesday that Israel must eliminate not only Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons, but also its ability to produce ballistic missiles.
“They come cruising out of the sky and create incredible damage,” Yechiel Leiter told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, referring to Iran’s missiles. “That production capacity has to be eliminated as well.”
“They cannot have the weapons that can destroy Israel, which they claim and which they want to do every day,” he added.
Asked about Israel’s ability to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment site, buried deep under a mountain near the city of Qom, Leiter said “it might require multiple strikes, it might require something else or it might require one of our surprises,” without going into details.
“We have a few tricks up our sleeves,” he said, when asked about Israel’s response if the US were not to get involved in the conflict.
“If we have to pursue this and prosecute this by ourselves, we’re going to know what to do. We’re not going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he told Collins.
Trump has reviewed attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran steps back from nuclear program, source says
From CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo
US President Donald Trump has reviewed attack plans for Iran but is holding off to see if Tehran steps back from its nuclear program, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
The plans were among an array of options the president’s military advisers discussed with him in the Situation Room this week, though officials stressed no decision has been made, as Trump said publicly on Wednesday.
“I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven’t made a final — I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, you know, because things change. I mean, especially with war, things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other,” he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in the Oval Office.
“As President Trump said himself today, all options remain on the table,” a White House official said Wednesday.
CNN reported Tuesday that Trump was growing increasingly receptive to using US military assets to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. On Wednesday, CNN reported that discussions were underway among his top officials over how the US could do so without becoming embroiled in a full-scale war.
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