Israel- Iran Conflict enters the eighth day as both countries fire missiles at each other
Israel and Iran's tensions increased as Tel Aviv launched a bombing campaign against Tehran, saying that the city was on the verge of producing nuclear weapons.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) June 20: Israel and Iran exchanged a number of drones and missiles Friday as the war enters its eighth day. Israel bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. In response, Tehran launched cluster-munitions-armed missiles, the first known deployment of such weapons in the continuing battle, including one that destroyed an Israeli hospital. A week-long air war that shows no obvious signs of de-escalation or diplomatic off-ramp has escalated sharply with this encounter. The Israeli army reported Friday that missiles fired from Iran caused sirens to sound in southern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that overthrowing Iran's regime is not the goal of Israel's military operations, it may be a result of the ongoing confrontation.
He said, “The matter of changing the regime or the fall of this regime is, first and foremost, a matter for the Iranian people. There is no substitute for this.”
Benjamin Netanyahu also promised that the Iranian leadership would bear the full cost of the hospital strike. He went on to say that Israel is surpassing earlier projections in its military operation against Iran.
Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz said, "Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist,” in a post on social media platform X.
Israel's latest attack on Iran's vast nuclear program involved strikes on the country's Arak heavy water reactor. According to reports there was "no radiation danger whatsoever" and that the facility had been evacuated before the strike.
According to the White House, President Donald Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether or not the United States will intervene in the Israel-Iran confrontation.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that while Mr. Trump was open to seeking a diplomatic solution with Iran but his first goal was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The White House also added that if Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his approval, Iran could manufacture a nuclear weapon in a few weeks.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran has named a new intelligence chief, just days after his predecessor was killed by Israeli attacks. Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC, has appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new intelligence chief. He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was murdered in an Israeli strike on Sunday along with Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri, two other Revolutionary Guards officers.
Aadrika Tayal
