War Summary, Day 620: Tunnel under European Hospital in Gaza filled with concrete, IDF reinforces northern front and targets Hezbollah terrorists, Germany voices support for Israel, hacking group destroys Iran’s bank, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi calls for regime overthrow, 60 IAF jets struck missile launchers and regime sites in Iran, President Trump signals possible US action against Iran’s nuclear program, Impact in Tel Aviv hit a vacant lot, miraculously avoiding mass casualties, and over 70 Iranian air defense systems neutralized.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
53 held captive in Gaza.
31 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
148 living hostages rescued.
54 hostage bodies rescued.
1,881 Israelis killed.
432 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
31,245 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
10,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
(As always, if the source isn’t mentioned, it’s from a public IDF or government update.)
Top Headlines:
– Tunnel under European Hospital in Gaza filled with concrete
– IDF reinforces northern front and targets Hezbollah terrorists
– Germany voices support for Israel
– Hacking group impairs Iran’s bank
– Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi calls for regime overthrow
– President Trump signals possible US action against Iran’s nuclear program
– US military assets deployed, including bombers and regional defenses
– Iran preparing missiles against US bases if they intervene
– Natanz centrifuges severely damaged
– Israel refrained from striking uranium stockpiles to avoid contamination
– Eyes now on Fordow facility, buried under a mountain
– Iran’s military leadership largely eliminated or in hiding
– 60 IAF jets struck missile launchers and regime sites in Iran
– Around 200 missile launchers destroyed, impairing Iran’s ability to launch coordinated attacks
– Israel has achieved over 50% of its objectives in Iran
– Full Israeli air control over western and central Iran, including Tehran
– Surveillance aircraft now guide real-time airstrikes
– Iran launched 7 missile volleys today, no fatalities, several injured
– Impact in Tel Aviv hit a vacant lot, miraculously avoiding mass casualties
– 12 missile sites destroyed today
– Over 30 attack drones intercepted overnight
– Over 70 Iranian air defense systems neutralized
– Heavy strikes in Tehran, Isfahan, Natanz, and more
– IDF issued evacuation warnings in Tehran’s Districts 3 and 18
Iran – Homefront:
Attacks
At various times throughout the night and day (June 17), Iran launched 7 volleys of missiles towards Israel, consisting of 3-10 missiles each. While a few impacts were made, miraculously, there were no fatalities, but several people were injured.
In one instance a missile landed in an empty parking lot, setting a bus on fire. Shortly after 3 a.m., a missile landed in the center of a densely populated neighborhood in Tel Aviv. In the words of Saul Sadka:
“The spot where the missile fell is the only large vacant lot within 500 meters. It once housed a legendary Art Deco cinema, but that building burned down on this very day, exactly 39 years ago. The site was later demolished and has remained a parking lot ever since. A series of disputes and changes in ownership left it the last major empty lot in the neighborhood.
“And it was precisely there—right in the center of that lot, as far from surrounding buildings as possible—that this inaccurate terror weapon landed. It blew the facades off the two nearest buildings, and the shockwave shattered windows up to half a mile away. But the missile itself dove into the parking lot, and not a single person was killed by the hypersonic terror weapon the Iranian regime crippled its economy to build.”
Following missile attacks, civilians are asked to keep away from scenes of impacts, including of shrapnel. These fragments can still contain explosive capabilities, and police bomb disposal units need to clear them.
Over 30 UAVs (attack drones) were intercepted overnight, and several more throughout the day as well. Most are intercepted by the Navy or Air Force before arriving in Israel, but some are intercepted over Israel, activating sirens in various towns near Israel’s eastern border.
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Casualties
The names of four people killed in previous attacks were released for publication:
Yaakov Bello, Petach Tikva
Desi Bello, Petach Tikva
Igor Fradkin, 50, Kiryat Ata, killed in the Haifa plant
Uri Levy, about 50, killed in the Haifa plant
IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen. Eyal Zamir visited the scene of the fall in Bat Yam today, and told media: “The resilience of the civilian home front is strong, and when the resilience of the civilian home front is strong, we have the confidence to continue operating.”
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The Night Ahead
Iran launched two more volleys at Israel since midnight, with between 10-20 missiles each. No casualties have been reported.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei seems to have discovered AI image generation while sitting bored in his bunker. He tweeted a violent image on X, and threatened, “the battle begins.” He then referenced the Battle of Khaybar, in which the Islamic army in the seventh century AD captured a Jewish city in Hegaz.
Meanwhile, the regime’s news agency reported that “tonight’s Iranian attack will be one of the most violent and widespread in recent days.”
So far, this seems delusional.
Iran – Rising Lion – Day 5:
The war is moving much faster than expected. A military source told News 12 that Israel already achieved more than 50% of its objectives in Iran. According to an i24News source, the original bank of targets in Iran-which includes nuclear sites and ballistic missile targets—will be completed within a week. Military officials also say that they have eliminated three times more regime officials than was expected by now.
Skies
The key to Iran was obtaining full freedom of movement over the skies—this was also estimated to be the greatest challenge of the war. The IDF now has this for the west and center of Iran, including Tehran. It’s hard to understate how significant and unbelievable this is.
The IDF now has a constant presence of surveillance aircraft over Iran, which are connected to intelligence departments back in Israel. Intelligence officers monitor for a wide range of activity, and in an incredible feat from over a thousand miles away, direct airstrikes within minutes, to target active threats.
Throughout the day, the intelligence located and directed airstrikes to destroy 12 missile launch and storage sites that were aimed at Israel.
As of this morning, Israel destroyed more than 70 Iranian air defense missile batteries. 40 were destroyed in the first 24 hours of the war, and 30 in the next few days. While some are located in the open, many of these defenses are camouflaged in civilian areas, and were recently discovered through surveillance aircraft.
Strikes
A wide range of airstrikes took place today, and were seen in Tehran, Isfahan, Natanz, Parchin, Hamadan, Sanandaj, and Mashhad.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin reported that 60 Air Force jets set out to the heart of Iran in one mission to target ballistic missile launchers directed at Israel, and other threats. He said that Iranian forces withdrew from western Iran, and moved deeper into central Iran, where they are now launching missiles from Isfahan. He says the DF will still reach them, there is no hiding.
While Iran has an estimated 1,800 missiles remaining (News 12), the most important target is the launchers—without launchers, the missiles are useless. So far, the IDF destroyed more than 40% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers–around 200. According to IDF assessments, Iran is now struggling to coordinate large attacks.
Very heavy airstrikes were seen in Tehran, where the IDF hit infrastructure connected to the regime’s military, as well as to the nuclear projects. Defense Minister Katz said that many more significant regime targets will be hit in Tehran over night, adding that there are more than 10 nuclear targets inside Tehran, which Israel is on the verge of destroying.
This evening, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for District 18 in Tehran. This follows yesterday’s warning to District 3, both are areas with a heavy regime presence. Airstrikes have already begun in both districts.
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Eliminations
An overnight airstrike (Monday-Tuesday) targeted a secret emergency headquarters used by the Iranian regime’s military elite in Tehran.
The strike led to the elimination of the new chief of Iran’s military emergency command: Major General Ali Shadmani, who had just replaced Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, who was killed on Friday.
The strike led the remaining military leadership to flee, and remain on the run and dysfunctional (Israel Hayom).
At this point, the vast majority of the IRGC top leadership and the Iranian Armed Forces have been eliminated.
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Nuclear
There are three critical components in the path to a nuclear weapon. In very simplified terms:
- Fissile material — in Iran’s case, uranium enriched to 90%.
- The explosive mechanism, known as the “weapon group,” which includes the nuclear trigger that compresses the fissile material and initiates the nuclear reaction.
- The delivery platform — the missile that would carry the nuclear warhead.
The Natanz uranium enrichment site has long been seen at the center of the project, and is part of the first step, with 15,000 centrifuges. As mentioned yesterday, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, told the BBC that the centrifuges appear to be severely damaged or destroyed by IDF strikes
The uranium conversion site in Isfahan gets less attention, though it’s part of the second stage, the critical stage in the process of producing nuclear weapons. An IDF spokesman announced that the Air Force jets attacked the Isfahan site and damaged the enriched uranium reprocessing facility. The attack destroyed a building for producing metallic uranium, infrastructure for converting enriched uranium, laboratories, and other infrastructure.
Most of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles are stored at the Isfahan nuclear complex. According to the New York Times, Israel refrained from attacking the uranium stockpiles themselves to avoid causing radioactive contamination.
Destroying the Isfahan conversion facilities temporarily halts Iran’s ability to turn its vast enriched uranium stockpiles into nuclear weapons.
Now, all eyes are on Fordow—the enrichment facilities buried 80-90 meters below a mountain in Qom. Unlike Natanz, Fordow is small, with just 2,700 centrifuges. But, this is where the uranium is enriched to the highest levels: 60%. Recently, remnants of uranium particles enriched to 83.7% were even found, very close to the weapons level of 90% (Israel Hayom).
Satellite footage indicates that the IDF may have destroyed the air defenses around Fordow, but no other strike has been taken yet.
Prime Minster Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have repeated many times that they have plans, that Fordow will be taken care of, and that they entered the war without relying on any other country to complete the job. Defense Minister Katz says that Fordow is in the “bank of targets” (which should indicate that it will be destroyed in less than 8 days).
Still, many are looking to America. Israel might have a secret plan to destroy Fordow, but it could take time and risk. The U.S. Army however has 13-ton GBU-57A bunker-buster bombs and the B-2 bombers to destroy Fordow in one go.
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USA
According to CNN, U.S. President Trump is moving closer to the possibility of attacking Iranian nuclear assets, and away from a diplomatic solution. His posts on social media today would definitely indicate that, with Trump calling for “unconditional surrender.” He also told reporters: “You’ll find out in the coming days. You’ll find out. Nobody has slowed down yet.”
A source told the Jerusalem Post that if the U.S. joins the operation, it will be for a significant purpose, with the Fordow enrichment facility as the primary target. The source also said that the U.S. administration is deploying defense systems to the region to protect American bases and facilities in MidEast countries. Additionally, heavy bombers are stationed at the Diego Garcia base, and the U.S. base in Qatar.
The U.S. faces a high risk if they join. They have many bases in countries near Iran, which would come under threat of Iranian cruise missiles. Israel has been destroying launchers for long range ballistic missiles which reach Israel, but it’s unclear how many launchers remain for missiles that can reach nearby American bases.
Iran has already prepared missiles to attack American bases, if they do join in, according to NYT sources.
Meanwhile: The U.S. State Department announced that the embassy in Jerusalem will be closed from Wednesday to Friday.
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Rheza Pahlavi, the former Crown Prince of Iran, who lives in New York since his family was exiled in the Iranian revolution, is considered the leader of the Iranian opposition by many Iranians (but not all). He’s been issuing videos calling for Iranians to rise up against the regime, which he says is near collapse.
Pavlavi says that when the regime does collapse, “we have a plan to transition our country to the democracy the Iranian people deserve.”
Rumors from Iran, which at this point are impossible to verify, say that a few Iranian generals have already pledged alliance to Pahlavi in secret, and are prepared to revolt.
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A hacking group known as “Predatory Sparrow”, previously linked to Israel, claims responsibility for a cyberattack that destroyed data at Iran’s US-sanctioned Bank Sepah. The group accused the bank of helping the regime fund terrorism, missiles, and nuclear activity. Iran’s Fars News Agency confirmed the attack disrupted the bank’s services and warned it could impact gas stations as well.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave strong public support for Israel’s action on German radio today, saying what other European leaders are afraid to say out loud:
“Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us. I have a lot of respect for the IDF and the Israeli government for the courage to make this move, otherwise we would continue to see this terrorist regime, possibly with nuclear weapons in hand.”
He added: “We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world.”
Gaza:
The IDF announced the name of a hero who fell in battle in Gaza:
Staff Sgt. Naveh Leshem, 20, from Nokdim.
Ten others were wounded, including four seriously, after a Hamas terrorist placed an explosive on their armored carrier.
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Hamas is still firing occasional rockets, but not doing a very good job at it. Two rockets landed in open areas right outside the Gaza Strip. Sirens were not activated in any communities in Israel, due to the lack of threat.
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Four divisions are operating in Gaza, working to destroy all the remaining Hamas infrastructure, including the tunnel entryways which are hidden almost everywhere.
Division 162 has made a significant advancement and begun encircling Jabaliya. Division 152 advanced a little in the eastern outskirts of Gaza City, and in the Netzari Corridor.
Division 36 is preparing for a significant advancement in Khan Younis, where the IDF has just issued an evacuation warning for most of the remaining areas of the city.
Recently, they filled the tunnels under the European Hospital with cement. The tunnels, where Muhammad Sinwar was eliminated, couldn’t be destroyed with an explosive, since that could lead to the collapse of the hospital above.
The Gaza Division (143) continues to hold the Rafah area, Morag Corridor, and buffer zone, while continuing to clear and expand the areas.
Yesterday (Monday, June 16), 64 humanitarian aid trucks were transferred to northern Gaza via the Zikim Crossing and to southern Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distributed over 3 million meals to people in Gaza today, in prepared boxes. The GHF acts to distribute aid without allowing Hamas to profit off of it.
The GHF denied media reports claiming that dozens of Gazans were killed at one of their distribution centers. The incident happened near a UN World Food Programme location, but Hamas told media that it happened at a GHF site. To date, no one has been killed at any GHF sites, which are secured by American security contractors.
Lebanon:
According to the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, Hezbollah is preparing to join the war, if Iran requests it.
The IDF has already mobilized two brigades to northern front as a precaution. The IDF has also targeted several Hezbollah terrorists in recent days, who were engaging in military activity in Southern Lebanon.
Sponsored by Merle Solomon, in memory of our fallen soldiers and in appreciation of Bruria’s daily WhatsApp posts.
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WATCH:
Discussion
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