Israel confirms new strikes in Tehran, eases some home front curbs

JERUSALEM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A series of powerful explosions rocked Tehran on Wednesday as Israel said its forces were striking military targets in the Iranian capital, marking the sixth day of escalating conflict between the two countries.

Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from multiple locations in eastern and southeastern Tehran following the blasts.

The hostilities, which erupted with surprise Israeli airstrikes on Iran on June 13, have so far killed nearly 600 people in Iran and 24 in Israel, according to official tallies.

Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had struck more than 1,100 targets across Iran in hundreds of sorties since the fighting began.

"We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime," Defrin said in a video posted on the social media platform X. "They have been pushed back into central Iran and are now focusing their efforts on launching missile fire from the Isfahan area."

In a sign of shifting domestic calculations, Israel's Home Front Command said it would ease public safety restrictions in much of the country, allowing a partial reopening of the economy after several days of closures.

Most businesses, restaurants, and shops had been ordered shut since Friday. Under the revised guidelines, which take effect at 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), most areas will permit workplaces to operate where shelters are accessible and allow gatherings of up to 30 people.

Stricter regulations will remain in place for areas designated as the "Confrontation Line," including the Golan Heights, parts of the Jordan Valley near the West Bank, and areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip. Schools and educational activities will remain suspended nationwide.

"We are starting a gradual process of reopening the economy in various areas, all subject to security considerations," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. He added that the move would proceed "alongside the intensified fighting that we will continue to carry out against Iran until the threats are removed." ■