Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei named three possible successors to be appointed in his place if he is assassinated by Israel in the war. According to a report in the New York Times, the 85-year-old cleric instructed that if he is killed, a replacement be named and appointed out of three possible names.
The Times said that successors are also identified for key military and security positions.
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said on Saturday that the targeted assassination of Saeed Izdi in an apartment in Qom early on Saturday was a pivotal moment that will make the entire Middle East safer. He said Izdi was a co-conspirator in the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre and has the blood of thousands of Israelis on his hands
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday that Israel's attacks on Iran right before a new round of nuclear talks with the United States aimed to sabotage the negotiations, and it showed Israel did not want to resolve issues through diplomacy.
He urged countries with influence over Israel not to listen to its "poison" and to seek a solution to the fighting via dialogue without allowing a wider conflict and called on Muslim countries to increase their efforts to impose punitive measures against Israel on the basis of international law and United Nations' resolutions.
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51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
(Photo: Yasin akgul / AFP)
"Just as Hitler's spark ignited the world 90 years ago and set it on fire, Netanyahu's Zionist ambitions have no other purpose than to drag the world into disaster," Erdogan said. "The fate of Istanbul is not separate from the fate of Damascus, the fate of Baghdad, the fate of Tehran, the fate of Mecca and Medina, Gaza and Jerusalem. When it comes to our common causes and common interests, it is our duty to put our differences aside and come together.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of dragging the region into "total disaster" with its attacks on Iran
Cyprus security forces said they arrested on person on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage, without providing further identifying information. But local media reported the suspect was a citizen of Azerbaijan who had joined the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was remanded for eight days by a court.
The Philenews outlet said the suspect has been collecting intelligence on the island since April 2024 and was arrested based on secret information provided by a foreign intelligence agency amid concerns that he may have been planning a terror attack.
Israel killed Iranian nuclear scientist, Isar Tabatabai-Qamsheh was killed along with his wife in an Israeli strike, the semi-official Iranian Mehr News Agency said on Saturday.
An Iranian drone hit a building in Beit She'an in Israel's north-east on Saturday. According to initial reports fire broke out in the two-story building, but no injuries were reported. The area had come under repeated attack in the overnight and morning hours.
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Beit She'an apartment hit by an Iranian attack drone on Saturday
(Photo:Social media)
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An Iranian drone after it was shot down in northern Israel overnight
(Photo: Maayanot Regional Council)
The IDF said it shot down two drones targeting the Arava Desert while sirens warned of attack drones also targeting the Golan Heights and the Galilee regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia has repeatedly told Israel that there is no evidence Iran is aiming to get nuclear weapons, Sky News Arabia reported on Saturday. "Russia, as well as the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), has never had any evidence that Iran is preparing to obtain nuclear weapons, as we have repeatedly put the Israeli leadership on notice," he said, according to the report. "Russia is ready to support Iran in developing a peaceful nuclear program," The Russian president said, adding that Iran has the right to do so.
The IDF targeted underground facilities storing ballistic missiles in its overnight and early morning strikes on Iran. One target was a vast underground facility where components of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal were currently buried beneath the rubble, according to military officials. The site had come under repeated IDF attacks in the past to ensure it would not be reused.
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Smoke rises from the Isfahan nuclear faciility after and IDF strike early on Saturday
(Social media )
Smoke rises from the Isfahan nuclear faciility after and IDF strike early on Saturday
(Social media)
In a separate wave of attacks, the Air Force deployed some 50 aircraft to strike the region of Isfahan, targeting underground ballistic missile sites, aerial defense batteries and the nuclear facility.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that five of its members were killed in Israeli strikes in western Iran.
The IDF announced it conducted a targeted strike on a vehicle carrying a Quds force commander responsible for smuggling weapons to Palestinian terror groups and Iranian proxies including Hezbollah.
According to the IDF, Behnam Shahriyari also commanded the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to terror organizations through his connections in Turkey and Lebanon, using a network of shell companies, money changers and couriers. Read the full story
Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that the IDF targeted and eliminated Saeed Izdi, a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) Quds force who financed and armed Hamas ahead of the October 7 massacre, in a strike on an apartment in Qom.
Local media reported earlier that a fourth-floor apartment was hit in an IDF strike on Qom, where at least two people, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed and at least four others, wounded.
The IDF said it shot down a hostile drone from Iran targeting areas in northern Israel after sirens warned of a drone strike on the Beit She'an valley, the northern West Bank and Wadi Araa.
Israel conducted strikes on central Iran early on Saturday, including on the nuclear reactor in Isfahan, Iranian media reported. According to the Fars news agency, there was no leakage from the reactor. According to reports, the local governor said that no leakage of hazardous materials was identified
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he hoped for a resounding statement condemning the Israeli attacks on his country when he meets with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Turkey later on Saturday. "We will use the opportunity to make Iran's voice heard to the world," the minister said.
"Attacking peaceful nuclear reactors in Iran, which are under the supervision of the IAEA, is an unforgivable crime and will have serious implications on international law, especially on the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran will stand firm in the face of Israeli aggression and will respond as required based on its legitimate right to self-defense."
Araghchi said earlier that Tehran will not engage in talks with any party as long as Israeli attacks persist. “Western countries are not condemning Israel’s aggression against Iran, even though they know it violates all international laws and resolutions,” Araghchi said. “The U.S. is complicit in the Israeli aggression against Iran, even if it’s not participating publicly,” he added.
The IDF spokesperson said early on Saturday that Aminpour Joudaki, the commander of the second UAV brigade of the IRGC Air Force, was killed in a strike. "As part of his role, Aminpour Joudaki advanced hundreds of UAV attacks against Israeli territory from the area of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran," the military said in a statement. He assumed a key role after the killing of Taher Pour in Israel's opening strike on June 13.
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Fire caused by shrapnel from an intercept of one of the Iranian ballistic missiles targeting central Israel
(Photo: Fire & Rescue Authorities)
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Aerial defenses intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile barrage targeting central Israel in the pre-dawn hours on Saturday. Shrapnel from one intercept fell through the roof of a 4-story building, causing a fire.