Updated June 16, 2025 at 12:55 PM EDT
Israel and Iran traded more deadly strikes early Monday as the conflict between the two countries entered its fourth day, raising concerns that the region was headed toward a wider Middle East conflict.
The Israeli military said it "precisely struck" command centers belonging to Iran's Quds Force — an elite military and intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — overnight, killing four officials, including the head of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization
If confirmed, the strike would mark the latest blow in a string of hits to Iran's military power since Israel launched its surprise attack last week targeting the country's nuclear capabilities. Israel considers Iran's nuclear program to be a direct threat to its national security.
Both sides sent out warnings as they continue targeting key installations and communities. Each country has ordered evacuations in the other as fighting intensifies.
In Iran, a state-run news presenter was on air Monday, describing the sound of nearby Israeli bombing, when a massive blast hit the national broadcaster, darkening the set and scattering debris. Much of the building was in flames.
Israel had earlier ordered people living in that area of Tehran to evacuate, warning it would attack a nearby military infrastructure. Meanwhile, Iranian ballistic missiles rained down on several Israeli cities and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps ordered people to evacuate from Bnei Brak, a largely ultra-orthodox area of Tel Aviv.
Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Air Force had achieved "full aerial superiority" over the skies of Tehran on Monday. He added that the military had destroyed a third of Iran's missile launchers.
Iran's Health Ministry says more than 200 people have been killed since the start of Israel's offensive, including many women and children, and more than 1,000 people have been injured.
At least 24 people have been killed by Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel, and nearly 600 injured.
The latest strikes hit Israel early Monday, when Iranian missiles and drones struck Tel Aviv and Haifa, killing at least eight people and injuring nearly 100 others, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.
In Petah Tikvah, near Tel Aviv, four people were killed after an Iranian missile hit a residential building. The dead included two men and two women, all in their 70s. Israel's emergency services, Magen David Adom, shared images of babies being rescued from the rubble.
One missile hit the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, causing minor damage to its facade, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in a post on X, adding the consulate would remain closed on Monday. No U.S. personnel were reported injured in the strike. Despite continued international calls for de-escalation, neither side showed signs it was prepared to enter talks.
"The issue is not de-escalation," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News host Bret Baier in an interview late Sunday.
"The issue here is not ceasefire, the issue here is stopping those things that will threaten our survival and we are committed to stopping it and I think we can achieve it."
On Monday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned more rounds of strikes against Israel would be "more forceful, severe, precise and destructive than previous ones."
In a post on his Truth Social site Sunday, President Trump renewed calls for Iran and Israel to make a deal, but later told reporters "sometimes, they just have to fight it out."
On Monday, the president confirmed to reporters that Iran has sent messages through intermediaries that it wants to deescalate the conflict with Israel.
"They'd like to talk, but they should have done that before," Trump told reporters after a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 summit in Canada. "They have to make a deal. And it's painful for both parties, but I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk and they should talk immediately before it's too late."
NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben contributed to this report from Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. NPR's Jackie Northam also contributed.
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