Cross-border attacks between Iran and Israel continue in what has now become an open war between the two powers. This morning, Israel bombed uranium centrifuge production centers in Iran with hypersonic missiles. The attacks carried out by "more than 50 aircraft" hit "a centrifuge production facility in Tehran" and "several weapons manufacturing sites (...), including raw material production facilities and components used to assemble ground-to-ground missiles," the Army said in a statement.
While both sides exchange bombings, Donald Trump has clearly sided with Israel. This Tuesday, he even warned that his country could kill the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fueling speculation about direct U.S. involvement in the conflict. "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but he is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill him!), at least not for now," wrote Trump on his Truth Social network.
Israel, United States, and their Western allies suspect that Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran claims is solely for civilian purposes, ultimately aims to develop atomic bombs. Since the start of the attacks on Friday, Israel has targeted hundreds of military and nuclear facilities and killed numerous Iranian military leaders and scientists. However, the cross-border bombings have also claimed civilian lives on both sides: 224 in Iran, according to the latest official count on Sunday, and 24 in Israel, according to the Israeli government.
Jameneí states he has "no mercy" for Israel
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, stated on Wednesday that there must be "strong action" against Israel, a country for which he has "no mercy," as the Islamic Republic launched a new wave of missiles against the Jewish state while Tehran itself suffered new bombings, Efe reports.
"There must be strong action against the Zionist regime. We have no mercy for the Zionists," was announced on several of Khamenei's accounts in different languages on X, including Spanish and Hebrew.
The message from the highest political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic came amid a new wave of attacks against Israel, this time with Fattah hypersonic missiles.
Israeli Defense Minister says about Iran, "This is how dictatorships collapse"
Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, stated on Wednesday that "symbols of the Iranian regime" are being destroyed and that "this is how dictatorships collapse," according to a post on his X social media profile, Efe reports.
"A tornado is hovering over Tehran. Symbols of the Iranian regime are being bombed and destroyed, from the Broadcasting Authority to other targets, and crowds of residents are fleeing. This is how dictatorships fall," Katz stated.
On Monday, Israel bombed the studios of the Iranian public broadcasting (IRIB) - a channel described as propagandistic and "incitement by the Iranian regime" - in an attack that killed three people and was broadcast live while their star presenter, Sahar Emami, was on air.
Iran arrests five people accused of "tarnishing" the country's image online
Iran announced on Wednesday the arrest of five individuals described as agents of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, accused of "tarnishing" the image of the Islamic Republic online, as reported by various local media, Afp reports.
"These mercenaries, through their deliberate activities in cyberspace, tried to sow public concern and tarnish the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran," reported the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies, citing a statement from the Revolutionary Guard, the country's ideological army.
Israel running out of defensive missile interceptors, reports WSJ
Israel is running out of defensive missile interceptors "Arrow," reported the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, citing an anonymous U.S. official, raising concerns about the country's ability to counter Iran's long-range ballistic missiles.
Iranian police report interception of Israeli drones
Iranian police intercepted 14 drones and identified workshops for the production and transportation of hostile drones in several provinces, as stated on Wednesday by police spokesperson Saeed Montazerolmahdi, according to the Iranian Labor News Agency, Reuters reports.
Repatriation flights for stranded Israelis in Cyprus begin
Flights departed for Israel from Cyprus on Wednesday, transporting home Israelis stranded abroad during the conflict with Iran, as reported by airport sources and flight tracking websites, Reuters informs.
Israeli airspace has been closed since the two countries began exchanging attacks on Friday, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded with their flights to Tel Aviv canceled.
China starts evacuating its citizens from Iran
China has organized the evacuation of the first group of Chinese citizens from Iran, according to China's News Service on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Chinese citizens departed from Tehran by land to Turkmenistan on Tuesday, as reported by the state news agency.