"Iranian Death Toll Nears 600"
Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump called for Iran's "unconditional surrender," Israel continued its large-scale airstrikes for the sixth consecutive day on June 18 (local time), targeting Tehran, the capital of Iran, and other locations.
According to foreign media outlets such as AP and AFP, a series of explosions, both large and small, were heard in Tehran from early dawn that day.
Previously, Israel had warned that it could strike areas south of Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, where residential and military facilities as well as pharmaceutical companies are located.
The Israeli military stated, "More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out airstrikes over the past several hours in Tehran," adding, "As part of a broad effort to block Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted." The military further stated that facilities producing raw materials and components used in Iran's surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile production were also included among the targets of this airstrike.
Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the airstrikes, "A tornado is passing through Tehran," and added, "This is how a dictatorship collapses." He also said, "Symbols of the regime, such as broadcasting stations and other targets, are being bombed and destroyed, and countless residents are fleeing."
A few hours before the airstrikes, President Trump called for Iran's "unconditional surrender," even mentioning the possibility of eliminating Iran's Supreme Leader. Having returned home a day early from the Group of Seven (G7) summit, he reportedly held a national security meeting in the White House Situation Room to discuss whether the United States would intervene in this conflict.
Iran claimed that its air defense forces were intercepting the Israeli attacks. Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said in an interview with Iran's SNN news agency published that day, "The condition of the nuclear facilities is good," and added, "The morale of the nuclear facility staff is very high, and they are carrying out their duties with firm determination."
The death toll in Iran continues to rise as Israel's airstrikes enter their sixth day.
The U.S.-based human rights group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) estimated that at least 585 people have been killed and 1,326 injured across Iran so far as a result of Israel's attacks. Of those killed, 239 were civilians, and 126 were confirmed to be security personnel.
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