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Israel seeks swift action before US' 2-week deadline

Israeli soldiers and first responders check the damage caused to a building from an Israeli strike in Beit She'an on Saturday, amid the ongoing fire exchange between Iran and Israel. AFP

Israeli soldiers and first responders check the damage caused to a building from an Israeli strike in Beit She'an on Saturday, amid the ongoing fire exchange between Iran and Israel. AFP

Iran warns of devastating response

US moves B-2 bombers to Guam

Fighting rages for the 9th day

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian warned Saturday of a "more devastating" retaliation should Israel's nine-day bombing campaign continue, saying the Islamic republic would not halt its nuclear programme "under any circumstances".

Israel said Saturday it had killed three more Iranian commanders in its unprecedented offensive, while Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed Tehran's alleged progress towards a nuclear weapon had been set back by two years.

On Saturday, Israel said it had attacked Iran's Isfahan nuclear site for a second time.

United States President Donald Trump warned on Friday that Tehran had a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible American air strikes as Washington weighed whether to join Israel's campaign.

Any US involvement would likely feature powerful bunker-busting bombs to destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow.

US B-2 stealth bombers capable of carrying bunker busters have been moved to the Pacific island of Guam. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground, such as the one at Fordow.

Israeli officials have told the Trump administration they do not want to wait two weeks for Iran to reach a deal and Israel could act alone before the deadline is up, two sources said.

The sources said Israel had communicated their concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in a tense phone call.

A source in Washington said Israel has communicated to the US that it believes Trump's window of up to two weeks is too long and that more urgent action is needed.

During the call, Vice President JD Vance pushed back, saying the US shouldn't be directly involved and suggesting that the Israelis were going to drag the country into war, said the sources.

The Israeli military Saturday said it launched a fresh wave of strikes in the area of southern Iran's Bandar Abbas, targeting drones storage sites and a weapons facility.

Overnight, Iran said it targeted central Israel with drones and missiles.

Iranian media said that Israel had launched strikes Saturday on the southern city of Shiraz, which hosts military bases.

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Smoke rises following what Iran says was an Israeli attack on Sharan Oil depot in Tehran, Iran, Monday.

Smoke billows from an explosion in southwest Tehran on Monday. AFP

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