Israel denies Bushehr strike after Russia warns of nuclear catastrophe

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.

Targeting US bases is easier for Iran than confronting Israel directly, Ahmad Naderi, a member of the Iranian parliament's presidium, said on Thursday.

He warned that if Washington directly joins the war, Iran will strike American bases in the region, which he described as "fully within reach." Naderi also raised the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz and reconsidering Iran’s participation in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if pressure continues to mount.