Iran launched a fresh salvo of missiles at Israel on Thursday, with a hospital reported hit, as president Donald Trump warned he was weighing US military action in the conflict.
AFP journalists heard violent, sustained explosions in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and sirens sounded in several parts of the country to warn of incoming Iranian missiles.
Shortly afterwards, the army said citizens could leave their shelters, while the foreign minister said the Soroka hospital in southern Israel鈥檚 Beersheba had suffered 鈥榚xtensive damage鈥� in a strike.
Israeli rescuers said at least 32 people were injured in Iran鈥檚 latest missile attack. The explosions in Jerusalem were the loudest heard by AFP journalists since the conflict began last week. The barrage came after fresh Israeli strikes on Tehran and elsewhere, and with growing speculation about whether Washington would enter the fray.
Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call and stressed the need for a diplomatic solution, Moscow and Beijing said.
Putin and Xi 鈥榮trongly condemn Israel鈥檚 actions鈥�, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the call.
He added that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities 鈥榮hould be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means鈥�.
Xi told Putin that a ceasefire was the 鈥榯op priority鈥� and urged Israel to halt its attacks, Chinese state media reported.
鈥楶romoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority. Armed force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes,鈥� Xi said, according to China鈥檚 state news agency Xinhua.
鈥楶arties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spill over of the war,鈥� he added.
Iran鈥檚 supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meanwhile rejected Trump鈥檚 demand for an 鈥榰nconditional surrender鈥�, despite claims from the US leader that 鈥業ran鈥檚 got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate鈥�.
Trump has left his intentions on joining the conflict deliberately ambiguous, saying Wednesday: 鈥業 may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I鈥檓 going to do.鈥�
鈥楾he next week is going to be very big,鈥� he added, without further details.
The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio is set meet his British counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict.
鈥業 have ideas as to what to do, but I haven鈥檛 made a final decision,鈥� Trump said. 鈥業 like to make the final decision one second before it鈥檚 due, because things change. Especially with war.鈥�
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear programme.
Trump told reporters that Iranian officials 鈥榳ant to come to the White House鈥�, a claim denied by Tehran.
The US president had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 agreement he tore up in his first term.
But since Israel unleashed the campaign against Iran one week ago, Trump has stood behind the key US ally.
The United States is the only country with the 鈥榖unker buster鈥� bombs needed to destroy Iran鈥檚 Fordow nuclear plant, but US military action is deeply unpopular with parts of Trump鈥檚 base.
Israel鈥檚 defence minister said Thursday that Iran鈥檚 supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 鈥榗an no longer be allowed to exist鈥�, just days after reports that Washington vetoed Israeli plans to assassinate him.
Khamenei on Wednesday insisted Iran 鈥榳ill never surrender鈥�, and called Trump鈥檚 ultimatum 鈥榰nacceptable鈥�.
鈥楢merica should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage,鈥� Khamenei added.
On Thursday morning, Israel said it was carrying out fresh strikes on Tehran and other parts of Iran, and warned civilians in two villages, Arak and Khondab, to leave ahead of new attacks.
An Israeli military official said Wednesday that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since the conflict began on Friday.
About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added.
Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds since they began, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 office said on Monday.
Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
Both countries have not issued an updated official toll since then.
Israel says its surprise air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 per cent 鈥� far above the 3.67-per cent limit set by the 2015 nuclear death but still short of the 90-per cent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead.
Israel has maintained ambiguity on its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says it has 90 nuclear warheads.
Israel鈥檚 strikes have prompted mass evacuations and food and fuel shortages in Iran.
鈥楾here are shortages of rice, bread, sugar and tea,鈥� a 40-year-old Iranian driver said at the Iraqi border crossing of Bashmakh.
There was also a 鈥榥ear-total national internet blackout鈥� in Iran on Wednesday, a London-based watchdog said, with Iran鈥檚 Fars news agency confirming heavier internet restrictions after initial curbs imposed last week.
The military campaign has sparked calls for a return to diplomacy.
