Conflict continued to rage over Friday night and Saturday morning between Israel and Iran as the Israelis claimed they eliminated three top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while two Iranian drones penetrated Israel’s air defenses and inflicted damage.
Since it began last week, the Israel-Iran conflict has claimed hundreds of lives. Israeli strikes have reportedly killed over 400 people in Iran, while the less-effective Iranian assaults have killed at least 24.
Diplomacy in the conflict has failed for now, as the conflict appears to be intensifying further rather than cooling down. The direction of the conflict largely weighs on whether the U.S. decides to enter on Israel’s side in an offensive capacity in hopes that they can obliterate Iran’s nuclear program.
Here’s the latest on what’s happening there.
Israel eliminates commander and other strikes
Israel said it has “eliminated” Saeed Izadi and Behnam Shahriyari, two commanders in the IRGC’s Quds Force, a special operations force, in addition to one other general that has not yet been named.
The Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement Saturday that its air force targeted and killed Izadi “in a hideout in the heart of Iran, following a prolonged intelligence-gathering effort.”
“Izadi was responsible for military coordination between the senior commanders of the IRGC and the Iranian regime with key figures in the Hamas terrorist organization,” the IDF said.
Shahriyari, on the other hand, was reportedly responsible for weapons transfers from Iran to its Middle Eastern proxies.
Izadi was already under sanctions from the U.S. and the U.K. government has identified him as the head of the Palestine branch of the Quds Force.
Defense Minister Israel Katz described the strike as a “a major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force,” and accused Izadi of helping Hamas plan the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
“Israel’s long arm will reach all its enemy,” Katz said.
Israel also hit the Isfahan nuclear research complex, Iran’s largest nuclear facility. Iranian officials said there was no leakage of hazardous materials as a result of the attacks. Israeli strikes also hit the Iranian city of Qom, killing two people and injuring four, according to Iranian state media.
The country also launched a renewed assault Saturday morning, saying its air force’s fighter jets “are currently striking military infrastructure in southwestern Iran.”
Iranian strikes on Israel and increasing paranoia
As for Iran, it successfully breached Israel’s defenses with two drones. A drone in northern Israel struck the town of Beit Shean near the Jordanian border, leaving a hole in the side of a two-story building. The other drone landed in an open area in southern Israel. Iran has launched over 1,000 drones since the conflict began, and other drones were launched with the two that made it through but they were intercepted.
Iran also launched a wave of missile strikes overnight, lighting a building on fire when an Israeli interceptor destroyed one of the missiles. No injuries were reported.
The top Iranian authorities have grown increasingly paranoid that they will be assassinated, according to a report from the New York Times. In a rare step, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has picked three senior clerics to replace him if he is to be killed. He’s also picked replacements for his lieutenants if they are killed.
Khamenei has been housed in a bunker and mostly speaks with his commanders via an aide, and has avoided using electronic communications that could be traced to his location. Khamenei is aware that either the U.S. or Israel could try to assassinate him. President Donald Trump appeared to threaten him last week, though didn’t commit to taking him out.
Iranian authorities have begun to prepare for U.S. involvement and other outcomes as the conflict continues.
U.S. involvement in Iran
Trump has been weighing whether to enter the conflict in an offensive capacity, as the U.S. has already been helping Israel shoot down Iranian missiles, and has given himself a two-week deadline to decide.
Democrats, and some Republicans, have said publicly that war with Iran would not be a good step and to prioritize diplomacy. Trump had been more open to diplomacy near the beginning of Israel’s conflict with Iran, leaving his nuclear deal options open with them, but has since clammed up.
His Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Friday that Iran’s nuclear program is now capable of producing a weapon within “weeks to months.” She said in March that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
Trump quoted former adviser Jason Miller late Saturday night, who said only Trump can negotiate a peace.
“We have to trust in our Commander-in-Chief…If there’s ONE PERSON who can stop us from being embroiled in a war, it’s President Trump,” the president quoted Miller on Truth Social.
Iran has challenged the U.S. to find a diplomatic solution, but doesn’t appear to trust America. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Washington of “a betrayal to diplomacy” following Israel’s initial strikes, saying U.S. officials “must show their determination for negotiating a solution,” in speaking to NBC News Friday.
“We have come to the conclusion that negotiations by the US was in fact a cover for what the Israelis did,” he added. “We don’t know how we can trust them [the US] anymore.”
Araghchi said U.S. involvement in the war would be “very dangerous for everybody.” He added that negotiations can’t happen while Iran is under threat.
“It is obvious I cannot go to the negotiations with the United States when our people are under bombardment, under the support of the United States,” he said.
IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS ‘NO ROOM’ FOR TALKS WITH US UNTIL ISRAEL’S ATTACKS STOP
If the U.S. does get involved, it would likely be in the form of air support for the Israelis. An American bunker-buster bomb may be necessary to destroy their nuclear facility at Fordow or if they wanted to take out Khamenei.
The Trump administration is even considering using tactical nukes on Iran if the bunker-buster bombs aren’t up to the job.