Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates: Trump says US knows where ‘easy target' Khamenei is hiding; Chaos in Tehran as US president says ‘everyone should evacuate'; Israel ‘in control' of Iranian airspace

Sydney Morning Herald

17-06-2025

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In brief: The latest on the situation in the Middle East
Thank you for joining our ongoing coverage of the rapidly developing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Here's a quick overview of the latest developments:
Iran and Israel have ramped up their missile attacks as the world waits to see what action US President Donald Trump will take after leaving the G7 summit early.
Trump signed a statement from G7 leaders calling for a de-escalation in hostilities. The statement condemned Iran as the 'principal source of regional instability and terror' and reiterated G7 support for Israel's right to defend itself.
Israel's military announced it had killed Ali Shadmani – the man Israel claimed was Iran's wartime chief of staff and the country's most senior military commander.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, more than 50 people were reportedly killed by Israeli tank shellfire after they tried to get aid from trucks in Khan Younis.
You can catch up with everything we know about the Israel and Iran conflict on our regularly updated 'what we know so far' page.
For latest from overnight, see here.
4.05am
Israel 'in control' of Iranian airspace
Israel says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate its aerial campaign in the coming days.
The air advantage leaves few obstacles in the way of its expanding bombardment, though it will struggle to deal a knock-out blow to deeply buried nuclear sites without the US joining the attack, experts say.
Iran has so far fired nearly 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, with about 35 missiles penetrating Israel's defensive shield, Israeli officials say.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had hit Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate and spy agency Mossad's operational centre early, but there was no Israeli confirmation of such attacks.
4.05am
Iran under attack: Tehran evacuations amid ongoing air raids
Residents of Iran's capital were seen leaving the city and shops and the historic Grand Bazaar were closed yesterday – the fifth day of the intensifying aerial tit-for-tat started by Israel.
US President Donald Trump urged the immediate evacuation of Tehran in an ominous social media post, but Iranian authorities insisted everything was under control and no formal evacuation guidance has been issued.
Even so, witnesses in Tehran say sirens blare every few hours and people rush for shelter amid ongoing Israeli attacks. On the roads out of Tehran to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper and long lines also could be seen at gas stations.
Trump left the G7 summit in Canada a day early in order, he said, to deal with the conflict between Israel and Iran.
'I'm not looking at a ceasefire,' he told reporters on Air Force One during the flight back to Washington. 'We're looking at better than a ceasefire.'
4.02am
Trump says Khamenei is an easy target but safe – for now
In eight short hours yesterday, US President Donald Trump went from suggesting a nuclear deal with Iran was 'achievable' to urging Tehran's 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives. He then abandoned the G7 summit to return to Washington for talks with his national security team.
As if that wasn't enough of an action-packed day, Trump then hit social media, telling his Truth Social audience that the US knew where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding.
'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding,' Trump wrote. 'He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!'
He followed up the initial post with 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' (complete with caps lock).
Reports earlier in the week suggested that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei.
Earlier – and before Trump's posts – Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz predicted the Iranian leader could face the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2003 and eventually hanged after a trial. 'I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens,' Katz told top Israeli military officials.
4.01am
In brief: The latest on the situation in the Middle East
Thank you for joining our ongoing coverage of the rapidly developing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Here's a quick overview of the latest developments:
Iran and Israel have ramped up their missile attacks as the world waits to see what action US President Donald Trump will take after leaving the G7 summit early.
Trump signed a statement from G7 leaders calling for a de-escalation in hostilities. The statement condemned Iran as the 'principal source of regional instability and terror' and reiterated G7 support for Israel's right to defend itself.
Israel's military announced it had killed Ali Shadmani – the man Israel claimed was Iran's wartime chief of staff and the country's most senior military commander.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, more than 50 people were reportedly killed by Israeli tank shellfire after they tried to get aid from trucks in Khan Younis.
You can catch up with everything we know about the Israel and Iran conflict on our regularly updated 'what we know so far' page.
For latest from overnight, see here.