DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� Iran's supreme leader rejected in the face of more Israeli strikes Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 鈥渋rreparable damage to them." European diplomats prepared to hold talks with Iran on Friday.
The second public appearance by since the Israeli strikes began six days ago came as Israel lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting that the missile threat from Iran was easing.
Khamenei spoke a day after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded in a social media post that Iran surrender without conditions and warned Khamenei that the U.S. but has , 鈥渁t least not for now.鈥�
Trump initially distanced himself from Israel鈥檚 surprise attack aimed at Iran's nuclear program, but in recent days he has , saying he wants something 鈥渕uch bigger鈥� than a ceasefire. The U.S. and warships to the region.
Senior European diplomats were set to hold nuclear talks with Iran on Friday in Geneva, according to a European official familiar with the matter.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity to discuss matters freely, said the meeting would include high-ranking diplomats from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union鈥檚 top diplomat.
There are no plans for American involvement in the talks, although that could change, according to another U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications.
Separately, the U.N. Security Council scheduled a second emergency meeting on the Israel-Iran conflict for Friday at the request of Russia, China and Pakistan. offered to help mediate, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement allowing Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.
鈥淚n my view, a solution could be found,鈥� Putin said Wednesday at a session with journalists.
In a video address to Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Trump鈥檚 support in the conflict, calling him 鈥渁 great friend of Israel鈥� and praising U.S. help defending Israel鈥檚 skies.
鈥淲e speak constantly, including last night,鈥� he said Wednesday. 鈥淲e had a very warm conversation.鈥�
鈥楾he Iranian nation is not one to surrender鈥�
Khamenei dismissed the 鈥渢hreatening and absurd statements鈥� by Trump.
鈥淲ise individuals who know Iran, its people and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender,鈥� he said in a low-resolution video.
鈥淎mericans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.鈥�
Iran released Khamenei鈥檚 statement before the video was aired, perhaps as a security measure. His location is not known, and it was impossible to discern from the tight shot, which showed only beige curtains, an Iranian flag and a portrait of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei's immediate predecessor, who died in 1989.
An Iranian diplomat had warned earlier Wednesday that U.S. intervention would risk 鈥渁ll-out war.鈥�
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran's weapons. The U.S. has threatened a massive response to any attack.
Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Trump's demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Iranian state TV reported late Wednesday that it was under a cyberattack by Israel.
Social media users reported that the regular broadcast on state TV was briefly interrupted and replaced with an anti-government video urging people to take to the streets. After the normal broadcast resumed, a message on the screen said, 鈥淚f you see an irrelevant message on the screen, it鈥檚 due to a cyber attack by the Zionist regime.鈥�
Strikes in and around Tehran
Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told a news conference Wednesday that Israel launched three waves of aerial attacks in the last 24 hours, deploying dozens of warplanes to strike over 60 targets in Tehran and western Iran.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military struck the headquarters of Iran鈥檚 internal security forces, without specifying the agency or location. The strike marks a shift toward targeting Iran鈥檚 domestic security apparatus, which has long and suppressed protests.
Iran鈥檚 police force acknowledged the strike hours later, saying that Israel hit its central command buildings in Tehran and wounded some officers, without saying how many.
In addition, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said, Israel hit two centrifuge-production facilities in and near Tehran.
The Israeli military said it began a new round of airstrikes Thursday in Tehran and other areas of Iran, without elaborating.
Israel's air campaign has struck several nuclear and military sites, and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded.
In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage.
Israeli military officials said their defenses intercepted 10 missiles overnight and several more Wednesday evening as Iran鈥檚 retaliatory barrages diminished. Air-raid sirens forced . There were no reports of injuries.
Iran has fired fewer missiles as the conflict has worn on. It has not explained the decline, but Israel has targeted launchers and other infrastructure related to the missiles.
Some U.S. diplomats and their families at the U.S. Embassy in Israel were evacuated Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive diplomatic movements. A number of diplomats left on a government plane shortly before U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that the embassy was making evacuation plans for private American citizens, the officials said.
By Wednesday, Israel eased some of the restrictions that it had imposed on civilians when Iran launched its retaliatory attack, allowing gatherings of up to 30 people and letting workplaces reopen as long as there is a shelter nearby.
Casualties mount in Iran
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 263 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 154 as security personnel.
The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures during , crosschecks local reports against a network of sources it has developed in Iran.
Iran has not published regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded.
Internet service, which has faced repeated disruption in Iran over the past six days, crashed on Wednesday. The internet-monitoring group NetBlocks reported a 鈥渘ear-total national internet blackout."
The Iranian Communications Ministry announced that the government was limiting internet access to prevent Israel's 鈥渕isuse of the country鈥檚 communication network for military purposes.鈥�
Shops have been closed across Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught.
Witnesses reported that more than 10 powerful explosions shook central Tehran around 8 p.m., sending white smoke into the air.
At least one strike appeared to target Tehran鈥檚 eastern neighborhood of Hakimiyeh, where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has an academy.
Israel says it launched the strikes to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after over a diplomatic resolution made little visible progress over two months but were still ongoing. Trump has said Israel鈥檚 campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks.
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Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat, Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Iran, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report.
Joseph Krauss, Jon Gambrell And Julia Frankel, The Associated Press
