By Katabella Roberts
The Israeli military said on Friday that its air force conducted overnight strikes on what it described as “dozens of military targets” in Iran.
In a social media statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said more than 60 fighter jets were involved in strikes on Tehran, with forces dropping about 120 munitions on targets.
The military said several industrial sites used to manufacture missiles were struck in the Tehran area.
“These sites served as a key industrial center for the Iranian Ministry of Defense,” the IDF said.
The Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research building was also struck during the overnight attack, the IDF said, adding that it was used “for the development of advanced technologies and weapons supporting the Iranian regime’s military capabilities.”
Four drones launched from Iran at Israel were intercepted overnight, the IDF said.
It is not known how many people were killed or injured during the strikes, and Iranian officials have not yet commented on the attack.
The overnight strikes came after an Iranian missile damaged the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba and struck residential buildings in Tel Aviv on Thursday, wounding 271 people and causing extensive damage.
The hospital said in a statement that several parts of the medical center sustained damage in the strike and several people with minor injuries were being treated.
Other missiles hit a high-rise apartment building in Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel.
Following the strikes, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a dictator and said he “has made the destruction of the State of Israel his declared goal.”
“This horrific goal of destroying Israel, cannot be allowed to continue or materialize,” Katz said.
Israel launched strikes against Iran last Friday, describing the operation as a preemptive strike designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a Washington-based Iranian human rights group, said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed by Israeli strikes on Iran, and 1,300 have been wounded.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service, said in a June 19 statement that the organization has “treated 1,007 casualties, including 23 fatalities.”
At a press conference Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump will decide within the next couple of weeks whether to take military action in Iran.
“I have a message directly from the president: ‘Based on the fact that there is a chance for substantial negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision on whether or not to go within the next two weeks,’” Leavitt said.
She added that Trump does not seek regime change in Iran and that his top priority is ensuring that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
Leavitt said any deal would have to prohibit the enrichment of uranium by Tehran and eliminate the country’s ability to make a nuclear weapon.
“The president is always interested in a diplomatic solution … if there’s a chance for diplomacy, the president’s always going to grab it,” Leavitt said. “But he’s not afraid to use strength as well I will add.”
