President Donald Trump claimed he was seeking "a real end" to the conflict between Israel and Iran and demanded a "complete give-up" by Iran after another senior military commander was killed by Israeli airstrikes.
“A complete give-up, it’s possible,” Trump said while addressing reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving the G7 summit in Canada early on Monday (June 16), clarifying he wanted "not a ceasefire, a real end" to the ongoing conflict. “I’m not too much in a mood to negotiate.”
“I’m not looking for a ceasefire, we’re looking at better than a ceasefire,” he reiterated.
Israeli officials confirmed that Ali Shadmani, Iran's wartime chief of staff and most senior military commander, was the latest top official killed in its airstrikes on Tuesday (June 17), according to the New York Post. Mohammed Kazemi, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp's head of intelligence and his deputy, Hassan Mohaqiq and others were killed in Tehran on Sunday (June 15), the Israeli Defense Forces previously confirmed via the New York Post.
Mohsen Bakri, the head of the Quds Force Intelligence Department, and his deputy, Abu-alFadi Nikouei, were also killed during the Israeli attack. Israel initially launched its unprecedented 'Rising Lion' attack, which was reported to have killed Gen. Bhossein Salami, head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Bagheri, chief of the Iranian military, Gholam Ali Rashid, head of the country's emergency command and six nuclear scientists, early Friday (June 13) morning.
Iran retaliated with several strikes of its own, killing 10 people, including two children, and injuring more than 200 in Tel Aviv, according to the New York Post. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly confirmed the initial attack launched by his military and said it would continue for many days.
“Moments ago, Israel launched operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” he said during a televised address via CNN. “This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
Netanyahu said Iran had a program to develop and "could produce a nuclear weapon" had it not been stopped by Israel's attack.
“This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu added, noting that the attack "struck at the head of Iran's nuclear weaponization program.
Iran quickly called for a "declaration of war" with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing for "severe punishment" after the attacks.