Israel killed top Iranian general despite all precautions, daughter says

"The IDF achieved remarkable successes in thwarting Iran’s nuclear program and missile production system—the two threats that posed the greatest danger to Israel,” Katz said during a joint situational assessment with senior military officials.

He added that the Israeli army “must prepare both intelligence-wise and operationally to ensure air superiority over Tehran and to prevent Iran from rebuilding its capabilities.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who also took part in the briefing, said the recent operation marked a major milestone in Israel’s defense strategy. “The operation is over — but the campaign is not,” he said, describing it as the result of years of planning, intelligence gathering, and operational preparation.

US says Iran’s nuclear program set back by up to two years

The comments came as the US confirmed that strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure last month caused major setbacks. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Wednesday that the June 22 attacks, carried out with bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles, had set Iran’s program back by one to two years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Fordow site had sustained heavy damage but insisted the nuclear program would continue. “Our peaceful nuclear program has turned into a matter of national pride and glory,” he told CBS News.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Iran retains the technical ability to resume enrichment within months. In response to the strikes, Iran’s parliament passed a law requiring the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA until the security of its nuclear sites and scientists is guaranteed. The Supreme National Security Council has been tasked with assessing those guarantees, and the government must report to parliament every three months on the status of implementation.

Araghchi denied that Iran had ended its cooperation entirely, calling such claims “fake news.” He said Iran remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement with the IAEA, and that future cooperation would now be coordinated through the National Security Council due to heightened security concerns.

“Five individuals mainly foreign nationals involved in drone sabotage operations remain at large,” the statement said, adding that the accused were working with Israeli intelligence services.

There was no mention of the numbers of killed or arrested, nor names or details of the operations.

It followed reports on Tuesday by state-linked Tasnim news agency which said two were killed and 50 arrested in operations over the past fortnight in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

“The operation targeted elements affiliated with terrorist groups in the east, aiming to spread insecurity and conduct sabotage against key infrastructure and economic assets,” the Quds Base said.

The announcements come amid an intense crackdown which has taken place across Iran since the outbreak of war between the Islamic Republic and Israel, which has seen over 700 people arrested on allegations of working with Israel.

The southeastern province, notorious for having been especially restive since the 2022 Zahedan massacre, has again been the focus of the latest crackdowns.

According to the Halvash website, security forces stormed the village of Gunich in Khash County on Tuesday, firing at protesting residents.

One woman, identified as Khan-Bibi Bameri, was killed. Eleven other women, including four under the age of 18, were seriously wounded. Two of the injured remain in critical condition in intensive care at Khomeini Hospital in Khash, the report said.

Another woman named Reyhaneh Bameri, who was pregnant, lost her fetus after being kicked and shot with pellets by agents, Halvash reported.

“Security personnel opened fire without warning on villagers protesting their conduct,” the rights group said in a statement.

“This crime occurred despite the absence of any men in the village," they added, citing eyewitnesses.

“Yemen's law is the same as Tehran's. After we struck the head of the snake in Tehran, we will also strike the Houthis in Yemen,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, referring to the 12-day conflict with Iran.

“Whoever raises a hand against Israel — that hand will be cut off,” he added.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also reacted, referencing the same operation. “Maybe those B2 bombers need to visit Yemen,” he wrote on X, referring to the American stealth bombers used in the strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Fortunately, Israel's incredible interception system means we go to the shelter and wait until all clear," he added.

The Houthis said they had carried out three operations against Israel on Tuesday.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Yemen’s Houthis have launched missiles, rockets, and drones toward Israel and enforced a maritime disruption in the Red Sea, in what it describes as support for Palestinians in Gaza.

The escalation comes following a ceasefire deal announced on May 6, in which President Donald Trump said the US would stop bombing the Houthis after they agreed to halt attacks on key shipping lanes.

Oman, which mediated the agreement, said both sides committed not to target each other, including US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The ceasefire agreement, however, did not include Houthi attacks on Israel, according to the group's spokesperson.

Last month, the group's rivals in Yemeni government said that Iran is transferring parts of its military industry, including ballistic missile and drone production to Houthi-controlled areas in Saada, Hajjah, and the outskirts of Sanaa.

Moammar al-Eryani, information minister of Yemen's internationally-recognized government urged the world to treat the threat seriously.

“One of the tools used by the Zionist enemy to harm public security, residential areas, and specific parts of the country was the use of civilian drones for military purposes,” Reza Talaei-Nik, spokesperson for the defense ministry, said in a televised interview.

He blamed a lack of legal and structural frameworks governing the drone industry and its use in Iran, saying that a new law passed by Iran’s parliament aims to regulate the drone sector.

“This law will oversee the process of drone manufacturing, their operational system, and their import and export."

“Drone use must be treated like cars, with ownership documents issued by the police and flight permits obtained from the Civil Aviation Organization. The law also defines regulations for domestic drone production,” Talaei-Nik added.

Israeli media previously reported that Mossad had established a drone base inside Iran as part of a broader infiltration operation.

“The UK cannot allow the IRGC to threaten British people on British soil,” Prince Reza Pahlavi posted Tuesday on X, calling on Europe to “wake up” and increase pressure on Tehran.

Pahlavi made the remarks after a meeting with former UK home secretary Priti Patel, whom he praised for having recognized the threat “firsthand.”

"The solution is to put maximum pressure on the regime so the Iranian people can end its reign of terror."

His comments came a day after his visit to the House of Commons, where he took part in a cross-party roundtable on Iran.

“I’m fighting so that the people of Iran, too, can have the parliamentary democracy they deserve,” he wrote, thanking MPs for their support.

Pahlavi also posted a message of solidarity with former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saying they agreed on the need to end the “barbaric Islamic Republic.”

“One day soon I hope to welcome you to Tehran,” he added.