DONALD Trump left the G7 summit in Canada a day early after warning “foolish” Iran to evacuate “everyone” from Tehran immediately, sowing fear of a major imminent escalation.
Israel and Iran continued to trade missiles for a fourth night, with Tehran’s civilians fleeing the city in their thousands, but no casualties were reported by Tel Aviv.
Trump said: “I have to be back as soon as I can,” with the White House pinning his return on “what’s going on in the Middle East”.
The President ordered his National Security Council to convene and await his return, though officials maintain that the US will not be joining Israel’s bombing campaign on Iran.
He had originally been scheduled to stay in Canada until late on Tuesday, but by midday Monday had begun signalling he would take flight early.
As Monday night fell, Iran vowed to unleash continuous ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel “until the morning”, though the damage appears limited.
The IRGC’s General Naeini said, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency: “The ninth wave of the combined drone and missile attack began and will continue continuously until the morning.”
Monday saw a major escalation in the brewing conflict with Israel directly targeting an Iranian state TV studio which was on air at the time.
Israel accused Iran of using the building “under the guise of civilian activity” as they claimed it was a military communication centre.
Just moments after the blast, Iranian state media announced that Israel should prepare themselves for the “largest and most intense” missile attack in Israel’s history.
Only a handful of ballistic missiles were registered by Israel in the end with minimal damage reported.
But damning satellite pictures have shown just how effective Israel’s attacks have been since the conflict started on Friday.
Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has been decimated by IDF jets who have hammered Iranian depots, HQs, and plants – turning the prized buildings into charred, burnt-out wrecks.
Experts still believe Israel hasn’t yet delivered a fatal blow to Iran’s program with the international atomic body saying some sites are yet to be damaged.
Israel now claims to have air superiority over the enemy which would allow it to methodically target any sites without the threat of having its jets shot down.
A US aircraft carrier also is barrelling towards the Middle East after President Trump warned the “full strength and might” of the military would be used if America was attacked.
The move piled more pressure on Iran’s Ayatollah and comes as Iranians have been heard shouting “Death to Khamenei” – their supreme leader.
Some Tehran locals could be heard yelling for freedom as bombs fell around them, footage posted to social media showed.
Israel possibly may have widened its war goals to include overthrowing Khamenei, according to the Washington Post.
Benjamin Netanyahu has also said that Iran is now “very weak” as he warned of an impending “regime change” in Tehran.
Tension across the Middle East is now skyrocketing as the conflict threatens to spiral into a wider regional war after Pakistan called for the Islamic world to back Iran.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14467652/israel-iran-attack-live-updates/
