...so far, Trump has resisted joining the war although clearly complicit in it.
...without US involvement, Israel would not be able to destroy the Fordow uranium enrichment site in Iran which surely embolden Iran to develop nuclear arsenal after this conflict, when the US had expressed not long ago that Iran had no such plans activated before to establish one (nuclear weapons).
...Bibi has raised the need for Iran to pursue self-preservation. If he does not complete and achieve what he started, he could have made it worse in the long run but well, he could be out of office by then.
Trump Rejects Netanyahu's Request To Join War, As Israel Needs Large US Bunker Buster Bombs
by Tyler Durden
Sunday, Jun 15, 2025 - 10:15 AM Latest updates (2015ET):
In the past 48 hours, Israel has asked the Trump administration to join its war effort, per Axios
Israel seeks help targeting & destroying the fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site
Axios says the Trump administration is so far rejecting the Israeli request
But if Fordow remains intact, Israel's mission to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program will be considered a failure
AJ: At least 80 people – including 20 children – have been killed in Iran and four in Israel, with hundreds wounded on both sides in the ongoing tit-for-tat attacks.
Axios underscores that "Israel lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground. The U.S. has both within flying distance of Iran."
Meanwhile, the images coming out of Iran show unprecedented and shocking scenes of oil refineries burning uncontrollably while nearby highway traffic has been forcibly stopped... Via AFP
Reports of an Iranian hypersonic missile strike on Haifa earlier:
And this stunningly close and at a good angle video shows major impact in Tel Aviv:
Some regional accounts are speculating this was a hypersonic strike on Tel Aviv:
These missiles are clearly causing significant damage in Israel - an unprecedented first: TOI: Damage seen in a building in Bat Yam, on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, following an Iranian missile barrage, early June 15, 2025
* * * Latest updates (1850ET):
An unconfirmed Israeli airstrike has targeted Iran's defense ministry headquarters, causing minor damage.
The Israeli Air Force reportedly bombed the Shahran oil depot near Tehran, Iranian state media reports.
Two Israeli citizens have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out security offenses under instructions from Iran.
Iran struck a two-story home in Tamra, east of Haifa, killing three.
Jordan has suspended all flight operations in its airspace until further notice
Several missiles were observed streaking above Jerusalem on Saturday night
Israel also carried out airstrikes in Yemen Saturday night, aiming to eliminate Abdul Malik al-Houthi, a senior Houthi military leader
Al Jazeera, citing Iran's Tasnim news agency, reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted the country's defense ministry headquarters in Tehran on Saturday evening, causing minor damage to one of its buildings
“[A]n attack on Tehran this evening by the air force of the Zionist regime, the headquarters of the defence ministry was targeted. One of the headquarters’ buildings was lightly damaged,” the state news agency reports.
The Iranian government did not comment on the reported strike.
Additionally, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its missiles and drones targeted fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centers in Israel, according to a statement reported by state media. The IRGC warned that its "offensive operations will continue more fiercely and widely" if Israel's actions persist.
The IDF has not confirmed the attack.
* * * Several missiles were observed streaking above Jerusalem on Saturday night, a witness told Reuters, as Iran launched another direct assault on Israel. The IDF confirmed that missiles fired from Iran had been detected, with defense systems actively engaged to intercept them.
“Upon receiving an alert, the public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice,” the IDF said in a statement, Reuters reports. The IDF did not comment on possible injuries or damages. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have arrested two citizens suspected of carrying out security offenses under instructions from Iran, officials told the Jerusalem Post. A gag order has been issued on further details, according to Channel 12's Amit Segal.
* * * Jordan has suspended all flight operations in its airspace until further notice due to escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, the Guardian reported, citing Jordan’s state news agency. Similarly, the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority announced a temporary closure of Syrian airspace to civilian flights, according to SANA.
* * * The Israeli Air Force reportedly bombed the Shahran oil depot near Tehran, Iranian state media reports. The IDF said not officially commented on the alleged strike. The purported attack comes after Iranian media said Israel struck on the South Pars field in the southern Bushehr province.
The strikes have disrupted electricity supply in the area, though the full extent of the damage remains unclear. The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the operation.
* * * Iran confirmed an Israeli airstrike struck the Shahran oil depot but said the situation was "fully under control," according to SHANA, the news agency of Iran's oil ministry, Reuters reports. The state media outlet reported that the targeted tank contained a limited fuel volume. No further details on damage or casualties were disclosed.
* * *
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, "Tehran is ablaze” amid reports of the strike on the oil depot.
* * * Update (1713ET): 'Hundreds' of Iranian missiles were launched at the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa - which Iran described as 'cluster missiles' in what was the fifth salvo today. Iran launched shortly after Israeli Air Forces completed "a wave of strikes against military and strategic assets, nuclear program sites and high-ranking figures" according to a Saturday evening statement by the IDF. The latest Iranian launch came after Iranian state TV said 'heavy and destructive' attacks against Israel were expected within hours.
Air raid sirens could be heard in Haifa and northern Israel.
It appears that Israel intercepted most of the rockets, though some got through - as footage has been posted on social media of a refinery on fire in Haifa.
"At this hour, Israeli Air Force pilots continue to conduct widespread strikes across various regions in Iran — an ongoing operation lasting nearly 40 hours and targeting over 150 objectives," said IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, who added that protective measures will remain in effect.
According to the Times of Israel, one of the missiles hit a two-story home in Tamra, east of Haifa, killing one woman and injuring 13 others. The death toll from the Iranian ballistic missile strike on a two-story home in Tamra, east of Haifa, has climbed to three, first responders told the Times of Israel. A 20-year-old woman was killed when missile directly struck her home, according to authorities. Firefighters extracted four individuals from a four-story building in the area, but two were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Meanwhile in Iran... Israel also carried out airstrikes in Yemen Saturday night, Israel’s military carried out airstrikes in Yemen on Saturday night, aiming to eliminate Abdul Malik al-Houthi, a senior Houthi military leader, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sources cited by the Jerusalem Post.
The operation’s outcome remains uncertain, with one Israeli official tell the Israeli publication, “We will soon know if it succeeded.”
The IDF has not issued an official statement on the airstrike.
The airstrike in Yemen comes as the IDF continues conducting strikes on targets in Tehran while intercepting a barrage of ballistic missiles launched from Iran, the IDF said.
Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced on Saturday that there was "no damage seen" at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant or at the Khondab heavy water reactor under construction in Iran. There has also been no further damage at the Natanz nuclear plant since Friday.
