Guards aerospace commander killed in US-Israeli strikes

Akbar Ghaffari, deputy intelligence minister of Iran, was killed the joint US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, the Iranian news agency ILNA reported.

Akbar Ghaffari had previously served as political-security deputy governor of East Azerbaijan province, the report said.

His funeral was held in the city of Tabriz.

An Italian military base in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region was struck by a missile overnight, but no injuries were reported, Italy’s defense ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said all Italian personnel were safe and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto was in constant contact with senior military commanders following the incident.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also said in a post on X that Italian troops had taken shelter in a bunker and were safe.

Italy has around 300 troops in Erbil, where they are training Kurdish security forces, according to the defense ministry.

Explosions and the deployment of security forces were reported in several Iranian cities on Thursday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

Several loud blasts were heard around 2 am in the Azimiyeh district of Karaj, central Iran, while residents in Kashan, north-central Iran, reported multiple explosions around 4 am. A separate witness account said an attack occurred around 1 am in the port city of Bandar Sirik, southern Iran.

In Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, five explosions were reported around 7 am in a northern district, which witnesses said appeared to be linked to the area of the 92nd Armored Division. Three additional explosions were reported further south after the sound of fighter jets was heard. Witnesses also reported a missile strike on air defenses in the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm.

Witness accounts also indicated security forces had been deployed in public facilities. In Lahijan, northern Iran, equipment belonging to security forces was seen at Takhti stadium, while in Shiraz, southwestern Iran, witnesses said Imam Reza school was being used as a base for Basij forces.

In Malayer, western Iran, witnesses said IRGC forces moved from their base at Sepah Square to the Ebtekar technical school on Parastar boulevard, and security forces were seen gathering at locations along Saadi street.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Wednesday that Israel cannot bring down Iran’s ruling system and that only the Iranian people can topple the Islamic Republic.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, Sa’ar said Iranians would need outside assistance if they were to succeed in regime change.

“Ultimately, we cannot topple the regime, only the Iranian people can,” he said. “At the same time, we must say that without external assistance they have no chance to topple the regime.”

Sa’ar added that there were “visible cracks” within Iran’s leadership, though he said hardline figures still controlled the government.

“Usually such things [as the fall of a regime] happen after the military campaign, less so when there’s a war,” he said.

The Israeli foreign minister said regime change was not an explicit goal of Israel’s, but that Israel sought to create conditions that could enable such an outcome.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold discussions on snapback sanctions on Iran on Thursday, US ambassador to UN said on Wednesday.

"And then tomorrow again, what the heck is the UN good for? Well, tomorrow we're going to have them talking about snap back sanctions and keeping the maximum pressure up that President Trump put in place his first term and put back in place this second term," Waltz said on Fox News.

"So we're fighting the fight on all fronts, and this is the diplomacy that we can have on the world stage to match what our great war fighters are doing," he added.