China urges de-escalation, blames Israel in call with Putin

A strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant could trigger a “Chernobyl-style catastrophe,” Russia’s nuclear chief warned Thursday, after Israel walked back an earlier statement that it had targeted the site on the Persian Gulf coast.

“If there is a strike on the operational first power unit, it will be a catastrophe comparable to Chernobyl,” said Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev, according to state media.

Earlier today, an Israeli military spokesperson said Israel had struck the site, but an Israeli military official later called this statement "a mistake" and said he could neither confirm nor deny that the Bushehr site on the cost of the Persian Gulf had been hit.

“It was a mistake,” a military official said, clarifying that Bushehr had not been among the confirmed targets.

Bushehr, Iran’s only functioning nuclear plant, was built by Russia and hosts Russian workers.

Israel accused Iran of crossing a red line after a strike hit Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva on Thursday, causing extensive damage.

“The dictatorship regime from Tehran has crossed the line and is acting as a barbaric terrorist organization,” Health Minister Uriel Busso said.

He condemned the attack as a “despicable war crime.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted an Israeli intelligence site near a hospital. Israeli officials denied any military use of the hospital, calling the strike a deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure that demands international condemnation and potential legal scrutiny.

Russia has called on Israel to immediately stop airstrikes on Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility, where Russian specialists are present.

According to Reuters, an Israeli military spokesperson said on Thursday that Israel had struck nuclear sites in Bushehr, Isfahan, and Natanz, and continued to target additional facilities. But the official walked back an earlier statement that Israel had struck Iran’s Bushehr nuclear facility and said it had been "a mistake" to include Bushehr. The official confirmed strikes on Natanz, Isfahan, and Arak, but declined to confirm or deny any action against Bushehr, which houses Iran’s only operational nuclear reactor.

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamic Republic, the session outlined several key concerns and scenarios.

IRGC members seeking asylum

Facing potential instability, senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could flee Iran and seek refuge in Afghanistan. GDI discussed the possibility during the session that such individuals might request protection from the Taliban, according to Afghanistan International’s sources.

Risk of al-Qaeda member relocation

Senior al-Qaeda figures such as Saif al-Adel and Abu Abdulrahman, who are believed to currently reside in Iran, may attempt to escape the country amid instability. GDI has asked the Taliban leadership for guidance on how to respond if they attempt to enter Afghanistan—whether to accept them, place them under surveillance, or reject their entry altogether. This discussion was part of the internal analysis obtained by Afghanistan International.

In 2021, then–US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of harboring al-Qaeda leaders. US and UN intelligence agencies later confirmed that Saif al-Adel was residing in Iran and is now considered al-Qaeda’s de facto leader. In 2024, the US State Department reaffirmed that Iran continues to provide safe haven to senior al-Qaeda operatives.

Preparedness for influx of Iranian refugees

GDI has posed a critical question: Can Afghanistan absorb a possible wave of Iranian refugees? The session called for urgent contingency planning to evaluate national capacity, political risks, and humanitarian consequences.

Turkey has increased security along its border with Iran amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, a Turkish Defence Ministry source told Reuters on Thursday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no irregular migration flows had been observed so far.

The official added that Turkey is enhancing its layered air and missile defense capabilities using domestically developed radar and weapons systems, with the goal of maintaining a high level of combat readiness.

After Israel launched strikes on Iran, Turkey scrambled Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft to patrol its borders, the source added, citing concerns over possible violations of Turkish airspace.