According to Iranian state television, Israel launched an attack on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor. The report assured the public that there was no risk of radiation exposure as the facility had been evacuated prior to the assault.
Israel warned earlier Thursday morning it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area.
Israel conducted its seventh consecutive day of airstrikes on Iran in response to Iran’s supreme leader rejecting U.S. demands and cautioning against American military intervention, citing potential severe consequences. Meanwhile, Israel eased some restrictions on daily life, indicating a decrease in the missile threat posed by Iran.
___
Here’s the latest:
China will help its citizens evacuate from Israel
The Chinese Embassy in Israel says it will organize group evacuations by bus from Israel starting Friday.
The Chinese embassy announced a plan to evacuate Chinese nationals from the area through the Taba border crossing into Egypt. Chinese citizens were instructed to register online for the evacuation and assured that they would receive information on the scheduled evacuation time.
People carrying Chinese, Hong Kong and Macao passports are eligible, the notice said.
Iranian missiles strike Israel, including a ‘direct hit’ on a medical building, rescuers say
An Iranian missile barrage targeted Israel on Thursday morning and included a “direct hit” on a medical building, rescue workers said.
Details remained unclear after the attack. However, firefighters said it appeared the medical building and some apartment buildings had been hit.
There was no immediate word on if anyone was hurt.
Indonesia to evacuate its citizens from Iran as Israeli airstrikes intensify
The Indonesian government on Thursday said it would evacuate its citizens from Iran as airstrikes by Israel intensified.
“Our citizens are at risk,” Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono said in a video statement. “Over the past two days, Israel’s attacks have grown more intense, not only targeting the military, but also civilians.”
He said about 386 Indonesians, mostly students, are residing in Iran, primarily in the city of Qom. His ministry, meanwhile, said earlier that about 194 Indonesians are currently in Israel, the majority of whom are student interns in the southern city of Rafah.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, on Tuesday issued a joint statement with 23 other countries, initiated by Egypt, to condemn Israel’s attack on Iran.
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639, rights group says
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1,329 others, a human rights group said Thursday.
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 263 civilians and 154 security force personnel being killed.
Human Rights Activists, 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 country.
Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people being killed and 1,277 others being wounded.
No US plans to be part of EU-Iran talks — for now
A U.S. official said Wednesday there no plans for U.S. involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the U.S.
That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify
— By Matthew Lee in Washington
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
