What we know so far:

• The war between Israel and Iran began last Friday, when Tel Aviv carried out numerous attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities
• Israel claims Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb, and Tehran pulled out of nuclear talks with America
• Donald Trump's final decision on whether America will get directly involved war is expected in the next two weeks
Trump called on Iran to surrender and give up its nuclear program, to which Supreme Leader Ayatollah
• Ali Khamenei said that"there is no surrender"
Israel is calling for regime change in Iran, with which the former Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, agrees
Iran threatens to close Hormuz strait, which could lead to world disasters

Follow the events in the Middle East minute by minute in our live blog.

Israel attacked Iran, sirens in the north of Tehran

Iranian state media reported that air defense systems were activated on Thursday against"enemy targets" over the capital Tehran, a week after the start of the war caused by major Israeli attacks, reports Agence France-Presse.

"Iranian air defenses are facing enemy targets in northern Tehran," the official IRNA news agency said without giving details.

Decision on US participation in the war in the next two weeks

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt holds a regular press briefing, Sky News writes.

Leavitt turns to the conflict between Israel and Iran.

- I know there has been a lot of speculation regarding the president's decision-making and whether the US will be involved or not - she says.

Leavitt then reads a direct quote from Donald Trump.

- Based on the fact that there is a significant chance for negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make a decision whether to go or not in the next two weeks - she said.

Leavitt says that"no one should be surprised" by Trump's view that Iran absolutely cannot get nuclear weapons, adding that he has been"unequivocally clear on that point for decades."

When asked if Trump has any expectations before tomorrow's meeting of European foreign ministers with their Iranian counterpart, Leavitt says that"the whole world is on the side of the president".

She told reporters that the message that Iran cannot get nuclear weapons is"something that almost all of humanity agrees on, except for the Iranian terrorist regime itself."

- The President expects that Europe will convey that message directly to the Iranians - she adds.

Leavitt says Iran is in a"very weak and vulnerable position" because of the Israeli attack and says Trump was very direct and clear in his message - Iran "can and should" reach a deal.

- I think the president has made it clear that he always wants to deal with diplomacy - she says, before insisting that she is"not afraid to use force if necessary".

- Iran and the whole world should know that the American army is the strongest and deadliest fighting force in the world and that we have capacities that no other country on this planet possesses - she adds.

Trump: It is necessary to destroy the Iranian nuclear facility Fordow

US President Donald Trump believes it is necessary to disable Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, reports CBS News, citing multiple sources.

According to these sources, Trump is aware of the risks and benefits of possibly bombing the facility, and his view is that"there is not much of a choice."

"He believes he doesn't have much of a choice," a source told CBS.

- Completion of the work means the destruction of Ford - he added.

As previously announced by American media, Trump has been considering possible US participation in the escalation of the conflict for days. He told reporters on Wednesday that he has not yet made a final decision.

CBS adds that Trump, according to information as of Thursday morning, is still considering options and has not yet made a firm decision.

Trump denied that he approved plans to attack Iran

Donald Trump has denied a Wall Street Journal report that he has approved US plans to attack Iran, saying the outlet has"no idea" what he thinks about the Israeli-Iranian conflict.

The"Zhurnal" newspaper reported late Wednesday that Trump had told senior aides the day before that he had approved the attack plans, but was delaying giving the final order to see if Tehran would give up its nuclear program. The report cited three anonymous officials.

Trump responded to the report on Thursday, posting on Truth Social:"The Wall Street Journal has no idea what I think about Iran!"

But Trump's decision hinges on whether a massive warhead penetration (MOP) missile would destroy the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, a US official told Axios. Fordo, which is built in a mountain south of Tehran, is a target of Israel, but they do not have the"bunker bombs" and planes needed to destroy it; The US has access to both.

- We will be ready to attack Iran. We are not yet convinced that we are necessary. And we want to be unnecessary, but I think the president is just not convinced that we are needed - the US official told the media.

Israel expects America's decision in the next 24 to 48 hours

Israel expects to find out in the next 24 to 48 hours whether the United States of America will join Israel's attacks on Iran, an unnamed Israeli official told The Times of Israel today.

- We expect them to join, but no one is pressuring them. They should decide for themselves - said the official.

He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are"coordinated" when it comes to threats to Iran's supreme religious leader Ali Khamenei.

- Katz always makes statements based on what Netanyahu tells him. Don't do it on your own - the official said.

Israel: 22,000 tourists are trying to leave the country

Israel's Ministry of Tourism announced that 22,000 tourists had been registered and tried to leave the country.

Its airspace has been closed since the fighting began last Friday, except for special flights bringing home Israelis trapped abroad.

Of the roughly 40,000 tourists who visited Israel last week, about 32,000 remained, the ministry added, noting that some left Israel via land crossings with Jordan and Egypt.

The US is preparing for Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz

Iran still has the naval assets and other capabilities needed to close the Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials.

Senior military officials warned the White House to prepare for such an event after Iran threatened to mine the strait if the U.S. joined Israel's attacks, the New York Times reported.

As Donald Trump ponders his next move, Pentagon officials are reportedly considering all the ways Iran could retaliate.

The 90-mile waterway is a key shipping route that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is used to transport a quarter of the world's oil.

Its closure could also trap US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf.

Israel targeted nuclear facilities, Iran is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz

Israel bombed Iran's nuclear facilities on Thursday and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital overnight, and there are no signs that the week-long conflict may be easing.

After the attack on the Soroku hospital in Beersheba in the south of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the"tyrants" in Tehran will pay the "full price".

Israel announced that it had hit nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan.

It initially claimed it had also hit Bushehr, home to Iran's only operational nuclear power plant, but a spokesman later said that was a mistake.

An Iranian diplomat told Reuters that Busheher was not hit and that Israel was waging"psychological warfare" by mentioning him.

An attack on this nuclear plant, which is located near its Arab neighbors and where Russian technicians work, could cause a nuclear disaster.

Iran is facing its biggest security challenge since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and is considering how to respond.

A member of the presidency of the National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament, Behnam Saidi, told Iran's semi-official Mehr Agency that Iran could consider closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's daily oil consumption passes.

Tehran has threatened to do so before.

Commercial ships are avoiding nearby Iranian waters, shipping industry sources said.

WHO condemns attacks on health facilities

The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned the attacks on health facilities in Israel and Iran.

"The reports of health attacks so far are appalling," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote in a post on X.

Referring to this morning's attacks on Soroka Hospital in Israel and reports of the deaths of Iranian Red Crescent health workers in Tehran, he said:

"We call on all parties to protect health institutions, health personnel and patients at all times. The best medicine is peace".

Mertz and Netanyahu spoke on the phone

German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the talks, Mertz called for moderation in Israel's campaign against Iran, a German government source told Reuters.

Mertz expressed Germany's in-principle support for Israeli military strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but stressed the importance of seeking diplomatic solutions to the conflict, the source noted.

Germany plans to hold nuclear talks tomorrow at its permanent mission in Geneva with its European partners and Iran's foreign minister, with the aim of getting assurances from Iran that its nuclear program will be used exclusively for civilian purposes.

Israeli army: Iran fires more rockets at northern Israel

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had detected another ballistic missile launch from Iran. The army announced that"defense systems are working to intercept the threat".

Sirens sounded in the northern city of Haifa and its surroundings, reports CNN.

Khamenei delegated powers to the Supreme Council of the IRGC

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delegated a significant portion of his powers to the Supreme Council of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), according to sources in Iran, which comes after Khamenei was out of public view for five days.

According to reports, Khamenei is currently in an underground bunker in Lavizan, northeast of Tehran, where he is staying with his family,"Iranintl" reported.

Israel's military: Iran launched a ballistic missile with a cluster warhead

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced today that Iran had launched at least one ballistic missile carrying a cluster warhead.

Netanyahu in Soroka: No one in Iran, including Khamenei, is spared

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that he does not rule out the possibility of an attack on Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba was hit by an Iranian missile.

During a visit to the hospital, Netanyahu said that no one was spared and that all options were open, and he also said that his son had been forced to cancel his wedding due to the escalation of the conflict.

Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz

Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz as a way to strike back at its enemies, one senior lawmaker said, although another lawmaker said that would only happen if Tehran's vital interests were threatened.

Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to traffic in response to Western pressure.

- If the United States officially and operationally enters the war in support of the Zionists (Israel), it is Iran's legitimate right to put pressure on the US and Western countries to disrupt the ease of transit of their oil trade - said MP Ali Yazdika.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that about 20 million barrels of oil per day passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the first half of 2023.

That amounts to nearly 600 billion dollars annually in trade in energy transported by waterways.

Most Jews support attacks on Iran, Arab Israelis oppose

A large majority of Jews in Israel support attacks on Iran, while a majority of Israeli citizens of Arab origin oppose it, according to a new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute.

According to the poll, 70 percent of all Israelis support the ongoing attacks, 10 percent say they support them but that the timing is wrong, and 13.5 percent are opposed.

Among Jews, 82 percent support the attacks, which includes people on both sides of the political spectrum, and two-thirds of Jewish respondents also support timing operations.

Iran hit a skyscraper in Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile

Iran hit a skyscraper in Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile, and witnesses said it sounded"like an atomic bomb".

Russia warned the US of military intervention in the conflict between Iran and Israel

Russia wants to warn the United States that a possible military intervention in the conflict between Iran and Israel would represent an extremely dangerous move, with"unpredictable negative consequences", said the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Maria Zakharova.

- We would especially like to dissuade Washington from military intervention, which would represent an extremely dangerous step, with truly unpredictable negative consequences - Zakharova pointed out at a briefing within the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Katz: Khamenei is a modern Hitler, he can no longer exist

Israel's Defense Minister Yonatan Katz visited the site of this morning's rocket attack in Holon and said on that occasion that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a"modern Hitler" and that he "can no longer exist".

"If America attacks Iran, military bases become a target"

Iran's ambassador to Spain, Reza Zabib, said today that if the Americans fire"one bullet" at Iran, US military bases will become legitimate targets.

Speaking about possible US military intervention in the conflict between Israel and Iran, Zabib warned that Iran's military capabilities"go far beyond what you might think."

The Iranians will meet their European colleagues in Geneva tomorrow

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi will meet with his European colleagues in Geneva tomorrow, Iranian state media confirmed today.

Western media previously reported that the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Great Britain plan to hold talks on Iran's nuclear program with their Iranian counterparts tomorrow in Geneva.

Mohammad Karami appointed commander of IRGC ground forces

Brigadier General Mohammad Karami was appointed as the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) based on the decree of the Supreme Commander of the Iranian Armed Forces, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran announced a temporary restriction of internet access

Iran's Ministry of Communications announced that the country will introduce temporary restrictions on internet access. The announcement states that the move was taken to prevent"the enemy from threatening the lives and property of citizens," writes Reuters, referring to Iranian media.

Tucker Carlson's heated argument with Senator Ted Cruz over Iran

Ted Cruz, a US senator from Texas, and conservative media personality Tucker Carlson, a former host of"Fox News", clashed over US military intervention in the Middle East, during a stormy interview that revealed a sharp division within US President Donald Trump's coalition, which is currently considering the possibility of joining Israel in attacking Iran.

Consequences of the Iranian attack on Israel

At least 65 people were injured in today's Iranian attacks on Israel, six of them seriously, Israeli emergency services said. Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said three people were in serious condition, including an 80-year-old man and two women in their 70s, CNN reported.

One of the rockets hit Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Bersheva.

Kenya calls for respect for diplomatic missions after attack near embassy in Israel

Kenya has called on Israel and Iran to respect foreign diplomatic missions after Iran attacked the Ramat Gan area of Tel Aviv today, a few hundred meters from the Kenyan embassy.

Principal Secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Korir Sing'Oei said foreign diplomatic missions are inviolable under international law and must be protected from armed conflict at all times. Sing'Oei said Kenya's ambassador to Israel said embassy staff were working from home and were safe, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah condemned threats to Ayatollah Khamenei:"Irresponsible and dangerous statements"

The militant group Hezbollah strongly condemned the recent threats to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling them"irresponsible" and "unreasonable", warning of possible serious consequences.

In the statement, Hezbollah points out the"great and far-reaching reputation" of Ayatollah Khamenei, not only in Iran, but also throughout the Islamic world."Any threat to his life is an insult to millions of believers, supporters of Islam and the resistance," according to the statement, as reported by the Lebanese television LBC International.

The movement reiterated its loyalty to Iran's supreme leader, stressing that they are more determined than ever to follow the path of the great leader Khamenei and to support the people of Iran in the fight against"Israeli-American aggression."

Katz: Ali Khamenei will be held accountable for "war crimes"

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today that the "cowardly" Iranian leader Ali Khamenei will be held accountable for "his war crimes" after a ballistic missile hit Soroka Hospital in Bersheva, southern Israel.

- The cowardly Iranian dictator sits deep in a fortified bunker and deliberately launches attacks on hospitals and apartment buildings in Israel - said Katz.

Iran hit a hospital in Bersheva with a rocket

An Israeli hospital in Bersheva was hit this morning in the latest Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, and at least 25 people were injured in the strikes across the country, according to the Magen David Adom (MDA) medical service.

In addition to Bersheva, rockets also hit Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Holon, causing extensive damage, The Times of Israel reports.

An Iranian ballistic missile hit Soroka Hospital in Bersheva as sirens sounded across Israel following a barrage of fire launched from Iran, Israeli media reported. A spokesperson for the Soroka Hospital stated that damage was caused to the hospital itself, as well as major damage in other areas.

Israel targets reactor in Iran

This morning, Israel attacked an area near the Kondab heavy water nuclear reactor in central Iran which is part of Iran's nuclear program, the Iranian News Agency (ISNA) reported.

The agency states that Iranian officials announced that building evacuated before attack and that there is no risk of radiation.

The Israeli army warned Iranians to evacuate from the area of the heavy water nuclear reactor located on the border of the cities of Arak and Kondab in central Iran for its own safety, The Times of Israel reported.

The heavy water reactor is located on the edge of Kondab. The research reactor is partially built and was formerly known as Arak, and Tehran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it plans to start the facility next year.

Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used to make nuclear weapons.

Putin announced

Russian President Vladimir Putin he stated that he is in contact with Israel and Trump regarding the Israeli-Iranian conflict.

Putin said that Iranian society"consolidates around its political leadership" and that "it would be right to look for ways to end the fighting and find ways to reach an agreement on Iran."

He also added that "it would be right to ensure Israel's security as well as Iran's interests," adding that Russia and Iran "could continue to work in the field of nuclear energy."

Israel warns of a new attack from Iran

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claim to have detected the launch of ballistic missiles from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in Israel in the coming minutes as air defenses work to contain the threat. Civilians in areas where the sirens sounded were ordered to take shelter from the bombs and remain there until further notice.

A weapon that could destroy a nuclear facility

CNN analyzed whether this the only weapon that could destroy Iran's nuclear facility in Ford.

American attack on Iran possible already this weekend?

Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of an attack on Iran in the following days,"Bloomberg" announced.

The report, citing unnamed sources, said the situation was still evolving and could change.

One possible option could be deployment of B-2 bombers that would drop 13,600 kilogram bombs to hard-to-reach Iranian nuclear facilities.

White House source: Trump authorized attack on Iran

Citing three White House sources, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told senior advisers that he approves of US plans to attack Iran. He delayed giving the final order because before that waiting for information from Tehran on whether Iran will give up its nuclear program.

Trump in the Crisis Room at 11:30 am

ABC News reports that Donald Trump will be in the Crisis Room for an intelligence briefing at 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.

The US president told reporters on Wednesday that he has not yet made a final decision on entering the war.

Read also why israel attacked iran right now and why the conflict flared up.

Who has a stronger army - Iran or Israel see separate text.