Israel-Iran War: 400+ Iranians killed, UN warns of refugee crisis; Tel Aviv strikes Isfahan nuclear plant for 2nd time

Israel-Iran Conflict: As the military tensions between Israel and Iran entered its ninth day, Tehran said that more than 400 defenceless Iranians have been killed due to Israeli strikes, while the United Nations warned of another refugee crisis.

Here is what you need to know about the ongoing Israel Iran war.

400+ Iranians killed in Israeli strikes: Health ministry

The health ministry of Iran pegged the official death toll at over 400.

“As of this morning, Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of over 400 defenceless Iranians and left 3,056 others wounded by missiles and drones,” health ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on Saturday in an X post.

On Friday, a US-based NGO named Human Rights Activists News Agency said that based on its sources and other reports, at least 657 people in Iran died due to the conflict, including 263 civilians.

UN refugee agency warns of crisis

The UNHCR, the refugee agency of the United Nations, said Saturday that the Israel-Iran war must not be the reason for another refugee crisis, adding that once people flee it is difficult for them to go back.

The intensity of the attacks between the two sides was already triggering population movements in both countries, the UNHCR said.

“This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss and displacement. We cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root,” UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi said.

“The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there’s no quick way back — and all too often, the consequences last for generations.”

Israel strikes Iran nuclear site for second time

Israel launched a second wave of strike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear facility overnight, targetting “two centrifuge production sites”, an Israeli officer said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, the military official said, “Isfahan we targeted in the first 24 hours of our operation, but we carried out a second wave of strikes there overnight, deepening our achievements and advancing the damage to the facility.”

The repeated strikes by the Israeli military have “dealt a severe blow to Iran's centrifuge production capabilities,” the official added.

Isfahan, in central Iran, is known to have a uranium conversion facility which processes raw, mined uranium.

The second strike on this nuclear site came shortly after the UN's atomic watchdog IAEA warned of a catastrophe if Israel attacked the southern nuclear site of Bushehr, which is the Middle East's first civilian nuclear reactor.