Over 650, including 264 civilians killed in one week by Israeli strikes on Iran, claims rights group

At least 657 people have been killed and 2,037 others have been wounded in Israeli strikes on Iran in the last week, claimed a human rights group on Friday (Jun 20). As per the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists, it has managed to identify over 400 killed in Israeli strikes, and of those, a majority were civilians. This comes as Iranian missiles overnight on Thursday (Jun 19) hit a major hospital in southern Israel and struck residential buildings in southern Israel. The strike, as per reports, wounded 240 people and caused extensive damage to properties. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes hit Iran's Arak nuclear facility.

Over 600 killed in Iran

As per Human Rights Activists, 657 people have been killed across Iran, and at least 2,037 have been wounded. The group said that it has identified 263 civilians and 164 security force personnel among the dead.

Meanwhile, Iran, which has a history of minimising casualties during conflicts, on Monday said that 224 have been killed and 1,277 others have been wounded by Iran's attacks so far.

The group, Human Rights Activists, cross-checks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources inside the country. The group previously provided casualty figures during the 2022 protests in the aftermath of the death of Mahsa Amini.

Australia closes Tehran embassy

As tensions skyrocket, Australia has shuttered its embassy in Tehran and evacuated diplomatic staff due to the "deteriorating security environment". On Friday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that she spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and said that the two allies were working "closely" to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“There is an opportunity … over the next two weeks for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy,” said Wong.

With this, Australia joins a string of countries closing diplomatic missions in Iran since Israel launched air strikes a week ago, claiming its arch enemy was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

Australia has directed all its officials and their dependents to leave Iran and suspended its Tehran embassy operations. “This is not a decision taken lightly. It is a decision based on the deteriorating security environment in Iran,” said Wong. Wong stated that approximately 2,000 Australians and their family members registered in Iran wished to leave, along with another 1,200 in Israel. Other countries that have suspended operations in Tehran include Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.