The Iran-Israel conflict has reached a pivotal point with direct military confrontations, growing casualties, and international alarm at the prospect of a broader regional conflict. The week was marked by escalating exchanges, including missile attacks and aggressive rhetoric, while global powers struggled with diplomatic attempts to manage the crisis.

On Wednesday, the conflict entered its sixth day, with both sides continuing to exchange fire.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported having launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles and used new strategies to overwhelm Israel’s multilayered defense systems.

Casualties

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that they intercepted the majority of Iranian missiles with the use of the Iron Dome system, but some of them did cause substantial damage.

A residential building in Petah Tikva was targeted in Tel Aviv, with a minimum of three fatalities, while Haifa witnessed dozens injured. Israeli strikes killed at least 585 individuals, including 239 civilians, as reported by the Iranian state media.

Iran has also lost notable figures since Friday, including Hossein Salami, IRGC commander-in-chief; Mohammad Bagheri, Iranian military chief of staff; and nuclear scientists Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Tehranchi. Iran’s intelligence head, Mohammad Kazemi, and General Ali Shadmani have also been reported dead.

Nuclear Concerns

Israel’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, specifically Natanz and Khojir, has raised significant global alarm, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified damage at Natanz but stated that radioactive contamination was isolated.

Israel reports having disabled centrifuge manufacturing facilities and critical infrastructure, but Iran maintains that its nuclear program is intact and is for peaceful purposes.