Israeli airstrikes on Iran's capital have come under intense pressure in a conflict that has killed at least 585 people and injured 1,326 across Iran, according to a human rights group.
Washington-based Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel.
The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures for the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, cross-checks local reports in the Islamic Republic with a network of sources it has established in the country.
Iran does not regularly release death toll figures from the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past.
The latest figures released on Monday put the death toll at 224 and the injured at 1,277.
Uncertainty gripped the region and Tehran residents fled their homes en masse on the sixth day of Israel's air campaign targeting Iran's military and nuclear program.
Israel acknowledged the strikes Wednesday morning in Tehran, saying more than 50 fighter jets were involved. The Israelis said they hit a centrifuge plant.
The Israeli government said it had to launch a campaign of airstrikes to prevent Iran from getting any closer to developing a nuclear weapon.
It came as Iran and the US were negotiating a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's programme, although US President Donald Trump said Israel's campaign had begun after a 60-day window he had set for talks.
Iran has long insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear weapons state to enrich uranium to 60%, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, still conducted inspections, albeit limited, in the country. U.S. intelligence agencies also said they did not believe Iran was actively working on a bomb.
Iran has responded to Israel's airstrikes by firing around 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
