Israel: Iran Has Not Killed a Single Soldier in War, Only Civilians

Iran has not killed one Israeli soldier since the start of direct fighting between the two nations last Friday — only civilians, according to Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar.

In a visit to the site of an Iranian missile strike that hit residential apartments in central Israel, Sa’ar told journalists of “Iranian war crimes”:

The Iranian regime is targeting civilians. They are targeting only civilians. You cannot find even one soldier which is dead after their attacks. Only civilians — because they are targeting civilians. They are targeting population centers, while we are targeting their nuclear program, their missile program, military objectives. At the same time, they — deliberately — target only civilians, and population centers.

Under international law, it is a war crime to target civilians intentionally, or to attack with knowledge that civilians are likely to be killed without a clear military objective. The only target that Iran has hit that could arguably be called legitimate is a power plant at the oil and gas refinery in Haifa, in northern Israel.

Israel’s Government Press Office provided the following statistics about Iranian missile strikes as of Tuesday (original emphasis):

Updated data (June 17, 2025, 13:00):

Since the beginning of the operation:

•Less than 400 ballistic missiles have been launched

•Hundreds of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have been launched

•Approximately 35 impact sites have been identified

Casualties:

•24 people killed

•More than 647 injured, including:

•10 in serious condition

•37 in moderate condition

•Over 600 with minor injuries

Damages:

18,766 damage claims have been submitted to the Israel Tax Authority:

•15,861 related to structural damage

•1,272 related to vehicles

•1,633 related to contents and other property

Evacuations:

•2,725 people have been evacuated from their homes.

The international community has refused, thus far, to condemn Iran for targeting Israeli civilians. Instead, at best, it has called on both sides to avoid targeting civilians — as if Israel and Iran were both doing so.

A statement by the G7, for example — which President Donald Trump refused to sign — said: “We … affirm the importance of the protection of civilians.” (It went on to hold Iran responsible for “regional instability and terror.”)