Israel carries out strikes in Tehran as defense minister sends warning to Iranian proxy

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently made a proposal on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, which was detailed by Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the U.N.

The proposal includes the position that promoting a ceasefire and ending hostilities is an urgent priority, the stance that ensuring the safety of civilians is of the utmost importance, stressing that opening dialogue and negotiation is the "fundamental way forward" and ensuring that efforts by the international community to promote peace are "indispensable."

Cong reiterated Xi's proposal at Friday's Security Council meeting called by China, Pakistan and Russia.

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is urging Americans not to travel to Iraq and avoid large gatherings if they must be in the country after US interests in Iraq have been targeted by Iran.

The U.S. State Department maintains a level four "do not travel" advisory for Iraq, saying that Americans should not travel to the country for any reason.

The embassy advises Americans who must travel to Iraq to avoid large gatherings and crowds, keep their phone charged and update their loved ones of their status as well as enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate them in an emergency overseas.

Americans were also encouraged to prepare a plan for emergencies.

Two drones launched toward Israel from Iran were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

"The Air Force continues to intercept aerial threats: Two drones were intercepted in the Arava," the IDF wrote on X.

"Following alerts that were activated regarding the intrusion of hostile aircraft at 10:16 in Tzokim, and at 10:29 in Grufit and Blutan, the Air Force intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles that were launched from Iran towards Israeli territory," the IDF continued.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it killed a commander of the Quds Force’s Weapons Transfer Unit in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in a strike in western Iran.

Behnam Shahriyari "was responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East in order to directly advance the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy Israel," the IDF said.

"Shahriyari also commanded the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to various terrorist organizations," it continued. "Furthermore, he led the extensive effort to finance and arm these terrorist organizations—an effort that has resulted in the deaths and injuries of many Israeli civilians and soldiers."

He was killed while traveling in western Iran, the IDF said.

"His elimination represents a severe blow to the ability of the terrorist organizations surrounding Israel to regroup and strengthen after being heavily damaged by the IDF during the war," the IDF said.

The head of the Palestinian Division in the Quds Force from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian city of Qom, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

The IDF said Saeed Izadi was also a "key coordinator between the Iranian regime and Hamas, and one of the main orchestrators of the October 7 massacre."

"He was responsible for military coordination between the senior commanders of the IRGC and the Iranian regime with key figures in Hamas," it said.

"As part of his role, Izadi was responsible for increasing the financial funding from Iran to Hamas for terrorist activities against Israel," the IDF said. "During the war, he was also responsible for directing Hamas forces operating from Lebanon. Since then, he has been committed to rebuilding Hamas' military wing and ensuring that Hamas remains the controlling authority in Gaza."

An Israeli Air Force naval ship attacked a military building in Lebanon belonging to the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, as the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran continues.

"Last night, an Israeli Air Force naval vessel attacked a military building belonging to Hezbollah's Radwan Force in the Naqoura area in southern Lebanon," an IDF spokesperson wrote on X.

"The building was criminalized based on intelligence information obtained following an investigation into a Hezbollah member several weeks ago," he continued. "The Radwan Force used this building to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

The spokesperson added: "The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel."

The Israeli Defense Forces said it killed the commander of the second unmanned aerial vehicle unit in Iran's Revolutionary Guards Air Force.

"Yesterday, the Air Force attacked and eliminated Amin For Judkhi, commander of the second unmanned aerial vehicle unit in the Revolutionary Guards' Air Force, using fighter jets," the IDF wrote on X.

The IDF said he promoted hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicle launches toward Israel from the Ahvaz area in southwestern Iran.

"After the assassination of Tahar Fur, commander of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Command, on June 13, 2025, Jodachi assumed a central role in the command's operations," the IDF wrote.

India's Embassy in Iran said it is evacuating Indian citizens from Iran amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Iran and Israel.

"The Indian Embassy in Iran is evacuating all Indian Nationals in Iran," the embassy wrote on X.

Hundreds of U.S. citizens have left Iran using land routes over the past week amid the new and ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, according to an internal State Department cable.

Many Americans departed Iran with no issues, but "numerous" U.S. citizens had faced "delays and harassment" while attempting to leave, the cable said, according to Reuters.

One unidentified family said two U.S. citizens attempting to leave Iran had been detained, the cable, dated Friday, said.

In a travel alert earlier on Friday, the State Department urged its citizens wanting to leave Iran to use land routes through Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkey.

Iranian airspace is closed as the conflict with Israel continues.

The U.S. Embassy in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat has requested entry for over 100 American citizens, but the Turkmenistan government has not given its approval, the cable said.

Iran treats Iranian-U.S. dual citizens solely as Iranian nationals, the State Department noted.

"U.S. nationals are at significant risk of questioning, arrest and detention in Iran," the alert said.

Washington is looking at ways to potentially evacuate its citizens from Israel, but it has almost no way of helping Americans inside Iran.

The U.S. Embassy in Israel evacuated 79 staff and families while tensions continue to mount between Israel and Iran.

Internal State Department memos show that the military flight left Tel Aviv for Sofia, Bulgaria according to a report by the Associated Press. 

More than 6,400 U.S. citizens out of the roughly 700,000 currently in Israel have applied on Friday asking for information on how to be safely evacuated according to the memo. 

An additional 3,265 have asked for emergency numbers to seek assistance. 

It is estimated that up to 500 people per day will need evacuation assistance if the U.S. decides to help getting Americans out -- something U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said is up for consideration.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters told reporters people were looking for information and support on how to depart. 

A document from Iran according to the AP says that at least 84 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents had crossed into neighboring Azerbaijan. 

There are an additional 774 people being given permission to enter as of Friday. 

Other U.S. citizens and Green Card holders are waiting to be allowed to travel from Iran to neighboring Turkmenistan.

The FBI is increasing its monitoring of Iran-backed operatives in the U.S. as President Donald Trump weighs involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, a senior law enforcement source confirmed to Fox News Friday.

The monitoring reportedly includes surveillance of possible sleeper cells linked to the Tehran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, according to CBS News. The Lebanon-based terror group also got a clear warning from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz not to join the conflict.

The decision to increase monitoring comes just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Iran was plotting to assassinate Trump because the regime saw him as a threat to its nuclear program.

"They want to kill him. He's enemy No. 1. He's a decisive leader. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with them in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars," the prime minister told Fox News' Bret Baier during a Sunday edition of "Special Report."

While Trump has called for an "unconditional surrender," he has yet to decide whether to involve the U.S. in the conflict. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday he would make a decision within two weeks.

This is an excerpt of an article from Fox News' Lucas Y. Tomlinson and Rachel Wolf.

Iran’s foreign minister made clear Friday that Tehran has no intention of negotiating with the United States, despite recent American overtures aimed at de-escalating the current crisis.

“We are not seeking negotiations. It is the Americans who want talks,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a meeting with European officials in Geneva. “They've sent messages several times, very serious ones. But we made it explicitly clear to them that as long as this aggression and invasion continues, there's absolutely no room for talk or diplomacy.”

The remarks come as Iran continues to absorb and respond to Israeli airstrikes targeting its military infrastructure. Araghchi insisted that Iran is engaged in “legitimate self-defense” and declared that this defense “will not stop under any circumstances.”

“We have nothing to discuss with the United States, which is a partner in these crimes,” he added.

A senior Iranian official also reportedly told Reuters that Tehran “undoubtedly rejects” any demand to halt uranium enrichment, especially in light of the Israeli military campaign.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) announced a fresh round of airstrikes early Saturday, targeting missile storage and launch infrastructure in central Iran.

"The Air Force has now begun a wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure in central Iran," the IAF said on X (@IAFsite), originally posting in Hebrew.

This new phase of operations follows earlier overnight strikes confirmed by the IDF, which said around 15 Israeli fighter jets struck missile launch sites in western Iran, using more than 30 precision weapons.

Dramatic footage released by the military showed pilots tracking and launching attacks from inside the cockpit.

One aviator can be heard saying in Hebrew, “We see the target, we go into action,” before shooting down an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The IDF reported that Israel’s air defense systems successfully intercepted more than 15 drones launched from Iran into Israeli territory over the past 24 hours.

Speaking with Fox News Digital in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., slammed Trump for pulling the U.S. out of a nuclear agreement of which Iran was a part during his first term. 

"The way to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon is through negotiation," she said. "We actually had that deal, and Donald Trump threw it out the window.""That means we lost our inspectors, we lost the plans that had been made," she continued.

"Right now, we need more deconfliction in the area. We need to bring down the temperature between Israel and Iran. That's what's best for Israel and Iran, it's what's best for the region and for the whole world," said Warren.

Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also blamed Trump, saying, "He’s the one who put us out the deal in the first place," which she said "very much so" contributed to the ongoing conflict.

While he said the U.S. should not be involved in bombing missions or any other military action against Iran, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said, "What we should do is continue to provide Israel with all the tools they need to defend themselves.""I hope the president will continue to promote a diplomatic solution that we had until he tore it up," said Kaine.

Meanwhile, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, told Fox News Digital that the "question is can it be resolved without our involvement." He said he hopes Iran "will see the light and decide they don't need to keep developing nuclear fuel."

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that he believes Trump "standing unshakably with the nation of Israel" is the right move to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

"Israel is being incredibly effective with their military strike against Iran. They've taken out the senior military leadership, the leaders who would wage a war have been one after the other after the other surgically taken out by Israel. They are also taking out missile launch sites, and they're taking out nuclear research sites, the sites where Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon," Cruz explained.

"Deterrence is always the key," said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Ohio. "This president has been very clear he's all about peace, and he doesn't want to use the might of the United States unless we absolutely have to. I believe deterrence is the best foreign policy, because it shows peace through strength."

That being said, Mullin said Trump has he's been "very clear for over a decade: In no way are we going to allow the Iranian regime, who is the number one sponsor of terror around the world, to have a nuclear weapon."

"So, we need to be prepared to back up Israel if they're not able to do the job, then we need to be able to finish it," he said."

This is an excerpt of an article from Fox News' Peter Pinedo.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday responded after President Donald Trump said she was "wrong" about Iranian nuclear weapon capabilities.

Gabbard said media reports took her comments out of context.

In a post on X, she wrote, “The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division. America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree.”

Gabbard’s shared testimony from a hearing in March emphasized that while Iran has not restarted its nuclear weapons program, U.S. intelligence is watching closely.

“The IC continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003,” she told lawmakers.

However, she noted a shift in Iranian rhetoric and record-high uranium enrichment levels.

The office of DNI Tulsi Gabbard did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Fox News' Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the potential for global conflict is increasing, and he called for solutions to be found “preferably by peaceful means,” as the Israel-Iran war continues to escalate.

“It is disturbing. I am speaking without any irony, without any jokes,” Putin said when asked whether he feared the world was heading toward World War III. “Of course, there is a lot of conflict potential. It is growing, and it is right under our noses. And it affects us directly.”

The Russian leader’s remarks follow a warning from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said this week that any assassination attempt on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be a “Pandora’s box” scenario with far-reaching consequences.

Peskov also predicted that such a move would trigger a wave of support for the Iranian regime.

On The Story with Martha MacCallum, Fox News senior foreign correspondent Benjamin Hall noted that Russia’s recent comments reflect deep concern over the potential collapse of Iran’s regime, one of Moscow’s closest strategic partners.

“Iran is part of that coalition between Russia, Iran, and North Korea,” Hall said. “If Iran were to fall… that takes a big ally away from Russia, and they would do everything they can to try and shore them up.”

Hall also pointed to China’s involvement in the region, highlighting reports of Chinese planes flying into Iran, possibly to evacuate personnel or reinforce diplomatic support. Iran exports over 1 million barrels of oil per day to China, proving Beijing's economic interest in the country’s stability.

According to Hall, Putin’s government is also watching closely to ensure no precedent is set for the assassination of a nation’s leader.

“They do not want to send a message that you can get rid of the leader of a country because you are at war with them,” Hall said. “That is Putin’s own spokesman saying that.”

Russia, China, and other key players appear to be working behind the scenes to preserve Iran’s leadership and avoid a broader confrontation.

European and Iranian negotiators ended their talks in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday without a clear breakthrough, but diplomats told The Associated Press they were hopeful of more discussions with the Iranians.

The talks with Iran come a day after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a message from President Trump, stating, "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."

One former Pentagon official says there is an important issue that is not being discussed.

"If Iran gives up its nuclear program as Trump has demanded, there's another problem we're not talking about, which is how do we get all the nuclear material outside of Iran," Michael Rubin, an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow, told Fox News Digital.

Rubin, who has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, and both pre- and postwar Iraq, mentioned that there are a few options available."The United States could do it, but we don't want boots on the ground."

He said the International Atomic Energy Agency could be tasked with doing it, adding, "Who really trusts the United Nations and U.N. agencies?"

"If Trump is serious about getting Iran to forfeit its nuclear program, it's time to start having a conversation with other allies about who could take command, control and custody of this nuclear material until it's outside of Iran."

Rubin said he would nominate India to seize the nuclear material."They are trusted by the Americans, they're trusted by the Israelis and they're trusted by the Iranians. But we need to start not only being reactive, but also proactive," said Rubin.

Rubin cited a quote from Margaret Thatcher to George H.W. Bush in 1990 —  "Don’t go wobbly on me now, George" — when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. 

"I suspect Marco Rubio is filling Margaret Thatcher’s britches, that he is the one going around now to our European allies, saying, ‘Don't go wobbly on me now.,’" said Rubin.

"[He] is saying this to everyone else within the European Union and the United Kingdom because if the Europeans have their choice, they're going to choose quiet over common sense."

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News' Ashley J. DiMella.

Diplomats from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union met with Iran’s foreign minister on Friday, urging the country to continue diplomacy with the U.S. one week after stalled nuclear talks escalated into attacks between Iran and Israel. 

"We are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. "We were clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."

The meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland, was the first face-to-face with an Iranian leader since last weekend’s flashpoint. 

"The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that the Iranian side is fundamentally ready to continue talking about all important issues," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said. He said the two sides had held "very serious talks."

The meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lasted for more than three hours."Military operations can slow Iran’s nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said. "We know well -- after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside."

In a joint statement, France, the U.K., Germany and the E.U. said they shared their "grave concerns" with Araghchi "with regard to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and reiterated their firm commitment to Israel’s security," adding that "all sides should refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and urgently find a negotiated solution to ensure that Iran never obtains or acquires a nuclear weapon."

Early last Friday, Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites after nuclear talks seemed to stall, causing Iran to retaliate. The two countries continue to trade strikes. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared soon afterward that the strikes were necessary to "roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival."

The meeting also comes less than a month after a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency warned the country is swiftly increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade enriched uranium.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News' Brie Stimson.