Israel Report - Monday 16 June 2025

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. [Psalm 2 vv 1-12]

Trump phone call has Putin warning Khamenei that his Regime is in Danger…

At Iran's urging, Russian President Vladimir Putin contacted US President Donald Trump to address the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, delivering a grave warning to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that his regime's survival is at stake, Israel Hayom has learned.

Russia has started taking an active role in the diplomatic efforts surrounding the conflict between Iran and Israel.

According to information obtained, Putin initiated a phone call with his American counterpart, President Trump, at Iran's request.

Following the conversation, in which Trump likely made it clear that he would not restrain Israel, Putin sent a warning to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stating that his regime is in danger.

Putin informed Khamenei of the call's outcomes and advised him to move quickly toward negotiations. Additionally, Putin ordered the evacuation of Russian embassy personnel from Tehran.

Khamenei is hiding in a deep concrete bunker for good reason now.

A diplomatic source says Israel could have eliminated Khamenei on the very first night, but chose not to, in order to give him a final opportunity to decide on a complete dismantling of the enrichment program. [see below]

War Update

Despite Iranian state-run media continuing to claim that Iran is escalating and increasing the size of its attacks against Israel, the truth is much different, with tonight’s ballistic missile attack being one of the smallest since Israel began its strike campaign against Iran on Friday. 

Tonight, roughly 30 ballistic missiles were launched at Israel, with only three impacts being reported, as opposed to the first night when Iran launched between 175–200 missiles and last night when they launched 75–100 missiles against Israel.

Iran is not running out of missiles, but it does suggest they may be running out of launchers for these medium to intermediate-range ballistic missiles that are actually able to reach Israel.

It also likely suggests severe issues in command-and-control caused by the large number of senior military officials, specifically the entire top chain-of-command for the IRGC’s Aerospace Forces, that have been eliminated so far by Israel.

The latest Iranian strikes on Israel saw missiles penetrate air defences in the north and centre of the country.

Other ballistic missiles evaded air defences to hit Rehovot, also outside of Tel Aviv, killing two. One of the main targets here appears to have been a science institute.

Another four fatalities were reported after an Iranian strike on the Arab Palestinian majority town of Tamra, [above] in northern Israel, which was struck on Saturday night.

The continued threat of Iranian missile and drone attacks means that Israeli airspace remained closed Sunday for a third consecutive day.

“Due to the security situation and in accordance with the instructions of security authorities, Israeli airspace is currently closed to civilian aviation — no incoming or outgoing flights are operating,” the Israeli transport and foreign ministries said in a joint statement.

The air force continues to bomb Tehran and many other cities. Meanwhile, citizens are fleeing Tehran in huge traffic jams.

An Iranian ballistic missile struck a 10-story residential building in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, during a wave of attacks on Israel last night, killing six people, including children.

The missile “shaved off” part of the building in the impact and seven people are still missing, as authorities search through the rubble.

The missiles which hit Bat Yam were part of the second round of launches from Iran on Saturday night, which triggered sirens throughout central Israel, with falls reported in Bat Yam, Rehovot, and Ramat Gan.

Those killed in the Bat Yam impact, included a 60-year-old woman, a 70-year-old man, a 55-year-old woman, a 10-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, and an 18-year-old boy. At time of publication, 7 people were still listed as missing and hundreds were injured.

U.S. Navy Continues to Assemble in the Region….

The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and its strike group are now moving toward the Middle East, joining the USS Carl Vinson and the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales. [above]

If confirmed, that places three powerful aircraft carriers within striking distance of Iran’s shores — a clear signal that the West is preparing for whatever comes next.

Khamaenii in Hiding…….

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been moved to an underground bunker in Levezan, northeast of Tehran.

All of Khamenei's family members are staying with him.

Both IRGC head of Intelligence and his deputy were eliminated. Iranian media has now confirmed today’s elimination.

Earlier strikes under Operation Rising Lion had targeted key individuals, notably those within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or working within its nuclear program.

The latest named victim of these targeted assassinations is Ali Shamkhani, [above] described as Iran’s chief adviser to its supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

Shamkhani died in the hospital yesterday, according to Iranian media reports, and had previously served as Iran’s top national security official for a decade.

Massive Explosions in the Area of Fordow…..

Massive explosions have been heard in the Fordow area where Iran’s deep weapons bunkers are hidden under mountains.

Among other strikes, a mission that reportedly knocked out an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) aerial refueling tanker at Mashhad Airport in northeast Iran was, according to Israeli military officials, the “most distant strike since the beginning of the operation.” Indeed, it would be among the longest-distance airstrikes mounted by the IAF ever.

IDF Focus on Energy Infrastructure…

As of yesterday, the IDF was focusing on attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, as Operation Rising Lion rolled on.

These kinds of attacks have continued with the Shahran oil depot in Tehran having been left burning by an Israeli attack. Iranian officials said the situation there was under control.

This is one of two Iranian oil depots now burning, the other being in southern Tehran. At the same time, Israeli energy infrastructure has also been on Iranian target lists, including a refinery in the northern city of Haifa.

Officials there said there were no injuries at the plant, but pipelines and transmission lines were damaged, forcing some facilities to shut down.

Another defence ministry building was attacked in the central city of Isfahan, Iranian media said today. “One of the centres affiliated with the Ministry of Defence in Isfahan was attacked, and possible damages are under investigation,” the ISNA news agency reported, quoting the deputy provincial governor.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the facility attacked was involved in the design and development of the Shahed series of long-range one-way attack drones, notorious above all for their use by Russia in Ukraine.

Central Tehran Targeted…

Reports have begun to emerge today of further Israeli airstrikes directed against targets in the Iranian capital, accompanied by footage showing residents fleeing the city.

More explosions were heard in central Tehran today, with footage showing columns of smoke rising from one of the explosion sites, which Tasnim reported was near the central Valiasr Square.

Iranian authorities now say the death toll from Israeli strikes on Friday, the first day of Operation Rising Lion, stands at 78. Many more people are said to have been killed since then, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-story apartment block in Tehran on Saturday.

Earlier strikes under Operation Rising Lion had targeted key individuals, notably those within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or working within its nuclear program.

Nuclear Sites may require American Firepower….

There are growing signs that Israel will face a long and difficult struggle if it is to put Iranian nuclear facilities out of action.

Israel has asked the Trump administration over the past 48 hours to join the war with Iran to eliminate its nuclear program, according to two Israeli officials.

Israel has admitted that it cannot destroy Iran’s nuclear facility, and only the USA has the power to do that.

Israel simply lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment site.

This may suggest that, without a plan for follow-up strikes, Israel might be reliant upon U.S. military support to fully roll back the Iranian nuclear program.

Fordow, in particular, is a very tricky target, buried deep within a mountain, which would challenge even the most powerful bunker-busting weapons available to the U.S. military.

Outside of unconventional weapons, putting Fordow out of action would require a hazardous special operations mission or U.S. assistance to destroy it from the air.

In the meantime, Israeli officials are warning Iran that its campaign of airstrikes will continue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Israel’s strikes so far have set Iran’s nuclear program back, possibly by years, and that heavier blows were yet to come.

“We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” Netanyahu said in a video message.

Pezeshkian threatens a “More Decisive and Severe” Response ………

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian [above] threatened a “more decisive and severe” response should Israel continue its “hostile actions” towards Tehran, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the official Iranian news agency.

Trump hits Truth Social;

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran “at levels never seen before” if it attacks U.S. interests in the region.

Soon after his unprecedented and rather muted birthday military parade in Washington, DC, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, also claiming that the United States had nothing to do with Israel’s latest attack on Iran.

Expanding Target Set…

All in all, the expanding target set for the Israeli military points to just how big a challenge this campaign will be.

As well as nuclear facilities (many of which are extremely hardened), the IDF has been targeting key Iranian individuals, missile sites, the air defence network, air bases, energy infrastructure, and more. There are signs that regime targets are now part of the growing target list.

Israel also needs to deal with all the known industrial infrastructure related to long-range weapons and nuclear programs if it is to truly remove the Iranian nuclear threat.

All of this points to a very long process, especially without U.S. support. Above all, Israel is constrained by the long distances involved in its airstrikes, and the fact that it cannot put high densities of aircraft over these target areas.

Were the United States to become involved, providing aerial refueling, which is a notable weak spot in the IAF order of battle, would likely be a priority.

Spectacular imagery continues to emerge, showing Israeli air defences dealing with incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.

The Israeli Arrow [above] series of anti-ballistic missiles uses kinetic kill vehicles to engage ballistic missile threats outside of the Earth’s atmosphere (exo-atmospheric).

These physically slam into the target, destroying it in its mid-course flight phase, resulting in very dramatic visual effects.

Isfahan Severely Damaged…

Israel is now claiming that its efforts to attack Iranian nuclear facilities resulted in significant damage to the Isfahan nuclear site in central Iran.

Isfahan, which is Iran’s largest nuclear research complex, was hit earlier in the campaign, but it has not been easy to assess the extent of damage here, amid conflicting claims over the attack’s impact.

In a briefing yesterday, an IDF official said Israel had “concrete intelligence” that Iran was “moving forward to a nuclear bomb” at the Isfahan facility.

So far, satellite imagery of the site provides evidence of clear damage to three structures at the complex. However, the nature of the material impact remains generally unclear at this time.

Houthis say they have Fired Missiles at Israeli Targets……..

Iran-aligned Houthi terrorists said on Sunday they had attacked “sensitive Israeli targets” in co-ordination with the Iranian military, marking their first action in the latest escalation.

The Yemeni group’s spokesperson said the rebels had used “hypersonic ballistic missiles” to hit sites in Jaffa.

Israel struck the Houthi port city of Hodeida less than a week ago.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e [above] called on other Arab and Islamic countries to “stop the Israeli crimes against your people in Gaza”.

Netanyahu reveals on Fox News : “The Iranians intended to transfer nuclear weapons to the Houthis as well. Our intelligence shows that they have begun developing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US.”

Israel Report

Editor; Mike Claydon