* Iran sent waves of missiles and drones into Israel, with blasts heard in multiple cities and as the world braces for Tehran’s retribution to the US bombings
* As President Donald Trump has hinted at the demise of Iran’s leadership: “If the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn’t there be a regime change?”
Al Jazeera
Israel and Iran have traded heavy air attacks a day after the US struck three main Iranian nuclear facilities with explosions rocking Iran’s capital, Tehran, as Israel announces attacks on government and military sites.
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Iran also sent waves of missiles and drones into Israel, with blasts heard in multiple cities and as the world braces for Tehran’s retribution to the US bombings, President Donald Trump has hinted at the demise of Iran’s leadership.
“If the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn’t there be a regime change?” he said.
Iran says more than 400 people, including 13 children, have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13 — while in Israel, at least 24 people have been killed in Iranian strikes.
Meanwhile, Eni, BP and Total Energies operating in Iraqi oilfields have evacuated a number of their foreign personnel, Iraq’s state-run Basra Oil Company said in a statement.
However, oil operations in Iraq’s southern oilfields have not been affected, with exports averaging 3.32m barrels per day, two oil officials told Reuters.
A worker checks an oil pipeline at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq.—Picture by Reuters
An earlier attack in northern Tehran’s Evin neighbourhood damaged a power line, causing blackouts in nearby areas, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported citing the government-owned Tehran Regional Electricity Company (TREC) as saying.
The agency is now reporting that the line has been repaired and power is now restored in all areas of the capital.
Amid the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, together with the US attack on its nuclear sites, air traffic in the region has thinned dramatically – including over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar and United Airlines to Dubai, while Lufthansa has suspended its flights to Tehran and Tel Aviv. The German carrier said it will avoid Iranian, Iraqi, and Israeli airspace.
British Airways and Air France-KLM cancelled flights on their Dubai, Doha, and Riyadh routes over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook on revised schedules.
One British Airways flight from London to Dubai was diverted to Zurich after entering Saudi airspace, while another was forced to return to Heathrow after reaching Egyptian airspace.
The airline has suspended services to Bahrain, with flights to some Gulf destinations paused until at least the end of June while Singapore Airlines has suspended its Singapore-Dubai service after a security review.
Lufthansa suspending its flights to Tehran and Tel Aviv and has said it will avoid Iranian, Iraqi, and Israeli airspace; Emirates announced it has “temporarily suspended all flights” to Tehran, Baghdad, and Basra through June 30. FlyDubai also halted services to Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Syria until late June.
Qatar Airways posted a notice that it had “temporarily cancelled flights to Iran, Iraq and Syria”. It cited the “current situation in the region”, emphasising passenger and crew safety. The airline has stated that it “fully complies with international aviation regulations for safe aircraft routes”.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said it has suspended its entire Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv schedule until July 15. The airline confirmed in a statement that it is “assisting affected guests with alternative travel arrangements” and warned that further schedule disruptions could occur; it reiterated that “the safety of our guests and crew remains our highest priority”.
Other regional carriers have acted similarly — Oman’s SalamAir suspended all flights to Iran, Iraq, and Azerbaijan through June 30 “due to the evolving regional situation”, and Air India diverted or turned back several flights that normally cross Iranian airspace.
Global aviation safety bodies, including Safe Airspace, have issued alerts over heightened risks after the US strikes and the potential for Iranian retaliation.
The organisation has said ongoing missile and drone activity in the region presents a threat to commercial flights, particularly those operated by US-based airlines.
The region, Iran in particular, has a history of deadly aviation incidents brought about by military tensions.
Professor of government at Georgetown University in Doha, Mehran Kamrava, told Al Jazeera that Iran has a “rather limited” range of options for how to respond to the US attacks against its nuclear facilities.
Although Tehran could theoretically close the Strait of Hormuz or target American military bases in the region, in reality it is hamstrung by an apparent wish not to widen the conflict, according to Kamrava.
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“We’ve seen from Iranian military behaviour a propensity not to want to escalate the conflict beyond that of Iran and Israel. And even when it comes to Israel, they’ve been counterattacking rather than attacking,” the professor said.
Iran “feels politically compelled” to respond in some form to the US bombing, as it is important to show the Iranian people it can “throw a punch when it is punched”, Kamrava said.
However, he added any retaliatory message would likely be designed so as to “send a message strategically but not to escalate necessarily”.
The Georgetown professor also said the potential for off-ramps is decreasing, with Israel and the US attempting to “threaten and beat Iran into submission”. Tehran is typically “not one to give into threats”, he noted.—Edited by Maravi Express
