Khamenei should not continue to exist: Israel after Iranian strikes wound over 200

Tel Aviv (AP): An Iranian missile hit the main hospital in southern Israel early Thursday, wounding people and causing extensive damage but no serious injuries, the medical facility said. Israeli media aired footage of blown-out windows and heavy black smoke.

Other missiles hit a high-rise apartment building in Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel. At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missiles, four of them seriously, according to Israel's Health Ministry.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”

Israel, meanwhile, carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, its latest attack on Iran's sprawling nuclear programme. Iranian state television said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever" and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack.

Here's the latest:

Israeli military says Iran used a missile with multiple warheads in its attack

The Israeli military said Thursday that Iran used a missile with multiple warheads in its attack, posing a new challenge to its defences.

Instead of having to track one warhead, missiles with multiple warheads can pose a more difficult challenge for air defence systems, like Israel's Iron Dome.

There was no immediate independent analysis that could be made.

Russia voices concern about security at Iran's Russia-built nuclear power plant

Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia is particularly concerned about security at the plant in Iran's southern port of Bushehr and the Russian personnel there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that over 200 Russian workers are involved in building two more nuclear reactors in Bushehr. “We agreed with the Israeli leadership that their security will be ensured,” he said.

Alexei Likhachev, the head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, told reporters that several dozen Russian workers had already been evacuated from Bushehr and others could follow suit quickly if necessary.

Likhachev warned that an Israeli strike on the Bushehr reactor could trigger a catastrophe comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. He voiced hope that the Israeli leadership will “have sufficient understanding and common sense not to allow even an accidental hit.”

Israeli official: Iran has launched 450 missiles and 1,000 drones toward Israel so far

The vast majority of the drones have been launched from Iran, but a few have been launched from Iran's proxies, including Iraq, according to the Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

He added that Israel began its operation in western Iran before moving towards the capital of Tehran and the centre. The military is now starting to attack eastern Iran.

The official would not comment on whether or not the Americans are planning to target the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant. “What Americans do or will not do is up to them, we have our plan and are operating according to it,” he said.

Gaza officials say 69 dead in past 24 hours

The Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that hospitals had received 69 bodies and 221 wounded people in the last 24 hours.

It said 55,706 Palestinians have been killed and another 130,101 wounded since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, without saying how many were civilians or combatants.

The war began with Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack into Israel, when Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 53 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.

Israel says it destroyed majority of Iran's ballistic missile launchers

Israel said its airstrikes have destroyed around two-thirds of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, according to an Israeli military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations. The official said on Thursday that Israel estimates Iran still has over 100 missile launchers remaining active.

“We are hitting all the chain of production, from the military factory all the way to the launcher itself, we're stopping all of the elements,” the official said. Israel estimates that before Friday, Iran had around 2,000 ballistic missiles.

The official would not comment on Israeli impact on Iran's nuclear programme. "We said we're going to damage severely the nuclear facilities, but we didn't say we're going to destroy it totally,” the official said. “We know our limits.”

At least 8 killed near aid distribution site in Gaza

Health officials in the Gaza Strip say at least eight Palestinians were killed and 60 wounded near an aid distribution site run by a US- and Israeli-backed humanitarian group.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza, which received the dead and wounded, confirmed the toll.

It appeared to be the latest of near-daily shootings of Palestinians seeking desperately-needed food in the territory, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and ongoing military campaign.

Multiple Palestinian witnesses have said Israeli forces routinely fire on the crowds. Local health officials say scores have been killed and hundreds wounded. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it describes as suspects who approached its forces.

Russia warns the US against entering the Israel-Iran conflict

“US military interference would be “an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing Thursday. .

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he doesn't want to carry out a US strike on Iran but suggested he stands ready to act if it's necessary to extinguish Iran's nuclear program.

Iran's supreme leader appoints new commander

Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week killed several high-ranking military officials in Tehran.

Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami.

Iraqi militia threatens to attack US citizens if Iranian leader is targeted

Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the main Iran-backed militias in Iraq, threatened to attack US citizens in the event that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is targeted in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

“No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,” the statement said.

Iraqi militias have thus far largely held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing US troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel's began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base.

French foreign minister: France and Europeans willing to negotiate with Iran

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday that France and Europeans partners are ready to “resume negotiations” with Iran.

The comments come after Iran's state media said the country's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with European counterparts in Geneva on Friday.

Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting.

The message from Iranian authorities was “relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached,” Barrot told a news conference in Paris.

“On our side, there is a willingness to resume negotiations, provided that these negotiations can lead to lasting, substantial steps backward by Iran regarding its nuclear program, its ballistic program and its activities to destabilize the region,” Barrot said.

Patients wheeled out of Israeli hospital hit by missile

Patients were wheeled out of a major Israeli hospital that was hit by the latest Iranian missile barrage as emergency responders assessed the damage to the building.

A missile struck the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba, damaging its surgical ward. The roof of the building was smashed in, and after the building was hit, smoke could still be seen smoldering from the side. Chunks of cement and glass lay scattered on the ground.

Hospital staff said several dozen people were lightly injured, adding that most patients had already been moved to safe spaces.

Emergency responders assessed the damage at the Soroka hospital Thursday after a missile struck the surgical ward.

Staff said it wasn't clear how secure the building was, or if parts were going to collapse.

Two hospital staff who did not want to named told The AP the strike hit almost immediately after sirens went off and they went into the safe room.

Dust and debris at Iran's state-run broadcaster after Israeli strike

The broadcaster allowed reporters on Thursday to film the aftermath of an Israeli strike against its building in Tehran this week.

Associated Press journalists saw the dust and debris now filling an Iranian state television studio. Its windows were blown out by the blast. Chairs sat singed.

Israel conducted the strike against the building Monday during a live broadcast there, an hour after it issued a public warning for the wider area of Tehran in which the building is located.

Iranian officials have said three employees of the broadcaster, formally known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, were killed in the attack.

US diplomat warns Hezbollah against supporting Iran

US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said it would be a “very bad mistake” for Lebanon if the Hezbollah militant group intervened to support Iran militarily in its conflict against Israel.

Barrack made the remarks to journalists Thursday after visiting top officials in Lebanon. Iran-backed Hezbollah has condemned Israel's surprise strikes on Iran that sparked the conflict and endorsed Iran's missile barrages over Israel, but has stopped short of saying it will take military action.