Israeli strikes in Iran kill over 850, human rights group reports
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Dubai: At least 865 people have been killed and 3,396 wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Iran, according to figures released Sunday by the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. Of those killed, the group identified 363 civilians and 215 members of Iran’s security forces.
The organisation, known for its detailed casualty tracking during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, compiles its data by verifying local reports through a network of sources within Iran.
Iranian authorities have not issued consistent updates on the death toll and have previously downplayed casualty figures. On Saturday, Iran’s Health Ministry reported 400 fatalities and 3,056 injuries as a result of the attacks.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Airports Authority has announced the closure of the country’s airspace to all incoming and outgoing flights. The move follows U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, further escalating regional tensions.
Israel’s Airports Authority has announced a halt to all air traffic “due to recent developments”, without specifying the duration of the closure.
The move comes amid escalating tensions following U.S. airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran early Sunday. The strikes mark Washington’s direct entry into Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program—an operation seen by analysts as a high-stakes effort to undermine a long-standing adversary despite mounting concerns over a broader regional war.
In response, Iranian authorities stated there were “no signs of contamination” at the nuclear sites in Isfahan, Fordo, or Natanz following the strikes. Iranian state media cited the country’s National Nuclear Safety System Centre, which confirmed through a statement that “its radiation detectors had recorded no radioactive release after the strikes.”
“There is no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites,” the statement added.
The International Atomic Energy Agency also noted that previous Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had “caused no recorded release of radioactive material into the environment around the facilities”.
(inputs from PTI)
