Iranian Supreme Leader defiant as Israeli strikes continue and Israel flies citizens home

TOP HEADLINES

• Israeli military strikes have hit two facilities in Iran that made parts for centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday. READ MORE BELOW

• Iran said it fired hypersonic missiles as the arch foes traded fire for a sixth day, but no missiles struck Tel Aviv overnight, despite Iran's claims that its attacks were "repeatedly shaking the shelters." READ MORE BELOW

• The Israeli military said that one of its drones had been downed while operating over Iran, the first such loss it has acknowledged since the start of hostilities last week.

• Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted that his country will not accept U.S. President Donald Trump's call for an unconditional surrender. READ MORE BELOW

• Israel began flying home citizens stranded abroad, as other countries advised embassy staff and nationals to leave the country. READ MORE BELOW

• Former Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi has said that tankers and LNG cargoes should only transit the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian permission. Since Iran and Israel began firing missiles at each other last week, interference has disrupted navigation systems near the Strait, a waterway between Iran and Oman that handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil.

• The U.S. is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, U.S. officials told reporters. The U.S. has so far taken only indirect actions in the conflict, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel.

• Iranian security forces arrested a "terrorist team" linked to Israel with explosives in a town southwest of the capital Tehran, Iranian state media reported.

• French President Emmanuel Macron underlined his differences with U.S. President Donald Trump over Iran, appearing to oppose tougher military action against Tehran that could lead to regime change and plunge Iran and the region into chaos. 

• President Trump repudiated U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's assessment that Iran has not been building a nuclear weapon, publicly contradicting his spy chief for the first time during his second term.

• Israel is running low on defensive 'Arrow' missile interceptors, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official, raising concerns about the country's ability to counter long-range ballistic missiles from Iran.

IN DETAIL

'Iranian nation will not surrender' insists Khamenei

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement read by a television presenter that his country will not accept President Trump's call for an unconditional surrender.

Khamenei said peace or war could not be imposed on the Islamic Republic.

"Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender," he said.

"The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage."

Day six of Israeli and Iranian attacks 

Israel said it struck a nuclear site near Tehran on Wednesday, while Iran said it fired hypersonic missiles.

After the Israeli military issued a warning for civilians to leave one district of Tehran for their safety, Israeli warplanes hit the capital early Wednesday.

"More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of airstrikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," the Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit. 

Israeli military strikes hit two facilities in Iran that made parts for centrifuges, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday, identifying them as the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center.

Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear reactor.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv.

Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuver mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.

No missile struck Tel Aviv overnight, despite Iran's claims that its attacks were "repeatedly shaking the shelters", with agency photographs showing Israel's air defence systems activated to intercept missiles over the commercial hub.

Iran also sent a "swarm of drones" towards Israel, while the Israeli military said it had intercepted 10 drones launched from Iran.

Thousands flee Tehran as Israelis fly citizens home

Thousands of people were fleeing Tehran on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said they should leave the capital.

Israel told residents in a southwestern area of Tehran to evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Iranian media reported heavy traffic on roads heading from the capital towards northern provinces.

Israel began flying home citizens stranded abroad on Wednesday, launching a phased airlift operation of Israelis stuck overseas.

The first rescue flight, operated by national carrier El Al, touched down at Ben Gurion Airport early Wednesday morning, bringing home passengers from Larnaca, Cyprus.

Worldwide, Israel's transport ministry estimates that more than 50,000 stranded Israelis are trying to come home.

Tel Aviv's airport has been closed to passenger traffic since Israel launched its attack last Friday.