Israel and Iran have struggled to find a breakthrough in resolving their nuclear conflict, continuing their missile exchanges for the ninth day.
On the 21st (local time), according to Reuters, Israel's Minister of National Defense Yoav Gallant attacked an apartment in Iran's Qom region, eliminating a veteran commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.
The slain commander was Saeed Izadi, who led Palestinian forces in the Quds Force, and it has been revealed that two IRGC commanders were also eliminated on the same day.
On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces began attacks targeting missile storage sites and launch facilities in Iran and resumed strikes on the Isfahan nuclear facility in central Iran. According to Israeli military officials, these attacks targeted two centrifuge production facilities within the Isfahan nuclear facility.
The Isfahan nuclear facility is one of Iran's largest nuclear sites, and there have been no reports of harmful material leaks from the attacks, according to local Fars news.
In addition, Israel has focused its attacks on Iran's missile storage sites and launch facilities, including military bases in the southwestern region. They also deployed the navy to conduct precision strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.
In response, Iran launched missiles as a counterattack. At around 2:30 a.m., five ballistic missiles were launched at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in the capital, Tel Aviv, and the central region.
Casualties continue to rise due to the armed conflict between the two sides. The Iranian Ministry of Health reported, "More than 400 people have died so far from Israeli airstrikes, including 54 women and children and five medical personnel." According to a tally by the Associated Press, at least 24 people have died in Israel, with hundreds injured.
The international community is pushing for negotiation proposals to prevent full-scale war between the two countries, but visible results have not emerged. The previous day, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva, Switzerland, to conduct negotiations, but failed to reach a solution due to Iran's hardline stance.
Minister Araghchi also stated at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers' meeting held in Istanbul, Turkey, that "without a halt to Israeli attacks, we cannot negotiate with the United States," adding, "Everyone will be at risk if the U.S. intervenes in the war."
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressuring Iran to make a decision on nuclear abandonment within two weeks. He stated, "Two weeks is the maximum time to see if the Iranians get their act together," adding, "I think it would be very difficult to ask them to stop the airstrikes on Israel."