As the war between Israel and Iran enters its eighth day, both sides are attacking each other with powerful weapons. On Friday, Israel bombed nuclear sites in Iran, and in response, Iran fired back with missiles and drones. One of Iran’s missiles, according to Israeli officials, had cluster bombs — a dangerous weapon that spreads smaller explosives over a wide area. This was the first time such a weapon has been used in this conflict.
One of the Iranian missiles hit a hospital in Israel, injuring many people. The situation is getting more serious every day, and there is no sign that the fighting will stop soon.
Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear sites; Iran hits back with cluster bombs
Israel's army, known as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), continued its attacks on Iran’s nuclear and military locations. The main goal is to damage Iran’s nuclear programme, which many countries worry could be used to build a nuclear bomb. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is doing better than expected in this war. He also warned Iran after the hospital attack.
“Iran’s leadership would pay the full price for the hospital strike,” Netanyahu said. He also added, “Israel is ahead of schedule in its military campaign against Iran,” and that it has the power to attack all of Iran’s nuclear sites — including one of the most secure places, the Fordo facility.
Iran answered these attacks by launching its own set of missiles and drones toward Israel. One of the missiles reportedly carried cluster munitions. These are especially dangerous because they release many smaller bombs, which can harm people across a large area.
Earlier this week, Iran hit a medical building in southern Israel. The Israeli Health Ministry said 71 people were hurt in that attack. Most of them had minor injuries or were scared while trying to find shelter.
Trump says US may join the war soon; Iran changes IRGC leadership
The White House has confirmed that US President Donald Trump will make a decision in two weeks about whether the US will support Israel by attacking Iran. This comes at a time when the US is also warning the world about Iran's nuclear abilities.
The White House said Iran could build a nuclear weapon “in a couple of weeks” if Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gives the order.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, shared a message from Trump. He said, “Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”
In the middle of all this, Iran’s military has made some changes. Iran has appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of intelligence at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). This happened after Israel killed the previous intelligence chief, Mohammed Kazemi, and two other top officers — Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri — in a recent strike.
Also, in a surprise move, nearly 40 US military planes have been removed from an airbase in Qatar. Experts believe this might be a safety step to protect American equipment from possible Iranian attacks.
As the conflict grows more dangerous, the world watches closely, hoping that things don’t get worse. But for now, peace seems far away.