Israel-Iran conflict LIVE: India to evacuate its nationals from Israel
Moscow has also urged Israel to cease its airstrikes targeting the Bushehr nuclear plant, where Russians are also working
Russia has issued a stern warning to the United States on Thursday, cautioning against any "military intervention" in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. According to an AFP report, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that such a move would be "an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences".
Moscow has also urged Israel to cease its airstrikes targeting the Bushehr nuclear plant. This plea comes as Russian experts are currently working at the facility, which is Iran's sole operational nuclear power plant. Bushehr utilizes Russian fuel, which is then returned to Russia after use to mitigate nuclear proliferation risks.
Israel warns Khamenei
Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has declared that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, "can no longer be allowed to exist." This strong statement comes after an Iranian missile attack reportedly struck the Sokora hospital, according to media reports.
Katz said, "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed, he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal...Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist."
Earlier, an Iranian missile slammed into the main hospital in southern Israel early Thursday causing “extensive damage" but no serious injuries, according to the medical facility. Israeli media aired footage of blown-out windows and heavy black smoke.
Other missiles hit a high-rise building and several other residential buildings in at least two sites near Tel Aviv. At least 40 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.
Two doctors said the missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The hospital said the main impact was on an old surgery building that had been evacuated in recent days. After the strike, the medical facility was closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases, it said. Soroka has over 1,000 beds and provides services to around 1 million residents of Israel's south.
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Live Updates
- 19 Jun 2025 10:50 AM IST
European foreign ministers to hold nuclear talks with Iran on Friday in Geneva: Media report
The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva, people in the know told Reuters.
According to those familiar with the matter, the ministers will first meet with the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at Germany's permanent mission in Geneva before holding a joint meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, the news agency reported.
The European initiative comes amid fears of a spiralling conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched wide-ranging military strikes on its arch-enemy Iran last week and Iran sent waves of missiles at Israeli targets in response.
- 19 Jun 2025 10:23 AM IST
Daughter not trained for war-like situations, says family of Indian student in Iran
The first evacuation flight from Iran that landed in New Delhi on Thursday morning comes as a ray of hope for the family members waiting for their loved ones to arrive.
The ones left behind are anxious and are panicking, so the Indian government must hurry with the evacuation, said a couple from Richmond Town in Bengaluru whose daughter is studying medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, Imran Mehdi, father of Fareehy Mehdi, said there was a blast very near to where his daughter was staying a couple of days ago.
"My daughter does not know how to survive in war-like situations. She is panicking so much already. So, I am requesting our Prime Minister and our External Affairs Minister to get all the Indian citizens stuck there as early as possible," said Shabana Mehdi, Fareehy's mother. The couple also expressed their gratitude to the Indian government for moving their daughter to a "safer" place.
- 19 Jun 2025 10:18 AM IST
Stock markets decline in early trade on weak global peers amid Middle East tensions
Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday (June 19) in-line with weak trends from global markets as the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict continue to weigh on investors' sentiment.
The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 253.62 points to 81,191.04 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 73.95 points to 24,738.10.
However, later both the benchmark indices faced heavy volatility and were trading flat. The BSE benchmark traded 39.09 points higher at 81,483.75, and the Nifty quoted 22.70 points up at 24,835.70.
From the 30-Sensex firms, Tech Mahindra, Adani Ports, HCL Tech, Infosys, IndusInd Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Steel and Power Grid were among the major laggards.
Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tata Motors, Axis Bank and Larsen & Toubro were among the gainers.
- 19 Jun 2025 10:01 AM IST
'Thankful to government for evacuating us'
#WATCH | Delhi | MBBS student evacuated from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu, says, "We are very happy to be back in our country. The situation is really bad there. We saw the missiles being launched and intercepted by Iran. We are thankful to the government for evacuating us." pic.twitter.com/r2z1tBeiOv
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2025 - 19 Jun 2025 9:14 AM IST
Def Secy receives call from DG, Israeli defence ministry on Israel-Iran situation
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Wednesday received a call on Wednesday from Director General of Israeli Ministry of Defence, Maj Gen (Res) Amir Baram, on the update on the current Israel-Iran situation, officials said.
The telephonic interaction comes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
"Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh received a call today from Maj Gen (Res) Amir Baram Director General of Israel Ministry of Defence regarding update on current situation," the Indian Ministry of Defence posted on X.
On Friday, under its Operation Rising Lion, Israel had conducted strikes at Iran’s nuclear, missile and military complexes, mounting tension in West Asia.
- 19 Jun 2025 9:11 AM IST
Students evacuated from Iran to be brought back in deluxe buses: J-K CM
The Chief Minister has taken note of the request of the students evacuated from Iran regarding the quality of buses arranged to transport them from Delhi to J&K. The Resident Commissioner has been tasked with coordinating with the JKRTC to ensure proper deluxe buses are arranged.
— Office of Chief Minister, J&K (@CM_JnK) June 19, 2025 - 19 Jun 2025 9:07 AM IST
US preparing to attack Iran, strikes likely this weekend: Report
A Bloomberg report quoting senior US officials says the US is preparing to launch a military strike on Iran in the coming days.
The report says while no final decision has been made, discussions on the issue are underway and possible strikes are being planned for the weekend.
