Iran announces 201 dead following US-Israeli raids
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Iranian Red Crescent announced on Saturday the death of 201 people and injury of 747 others across 24 provinces as a result of joint US-Israeli strikes on the country.
The strikes, which began early Saturday morning, mark a significant escalation in the region. The Iranian Red Crescent provided the casualty figures in a statement, saying, “Due to the Israeli and American attacks on 24 provinces of the country, 201 people have been killed and 747 injured.”
The Israeli military confirmed the scale of the operation, stating that approximately 200 fighter jets were conducting the wide-scale assault on Iran. In a statement, the Israeli military described it as “the largest offensive sortie in the history of the Israeli Air Force. Our aircraft targeted nearly 500 sites in Iran.”
Elaborating on the targets, the military added, “We targeted hundreds of defense sites and missile launch platforms in Iran. The attack on Iranian air defenses has allowed us to expand air superiority over Iran.”
In response, Tehran has sent a letter to the United Nations, asserting its right to self-defense. The message from Tehran stated that it will continue to “exercise the right to self-defense until the aggression stops completely and decisively.” Furthermore, the communication warned that “all American and Israeli bases, facilities, and assets in the region are legitimate military targets.”
The widespread attack also impacted neighboring countries. Six Arab nations—Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan—reported explosions and interceptions of Iranian missiles throughout the day on Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that “some Iranian leaders were killed in the Israeli-American strikes,” though he characterized the matter as “not a big problem.”