Israel-Iran Conflict Escalates: Deadly Overnight Strikes Rock Region

Iranians and Israelis woke up Sunday to scenes of smoke and destruction after their sides intensified attacks overnight. Israel hit the defense ministry in Tehran, while Iran launched a deadly missile barrage.

AFP journalists heard air raid sirens and explosions in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Sunday. Israel’s military said millions of Israelis sought shelter during the strikes.

Emergency services reported at least eight dead, including children, and around 200 wounded in the attacks. In Iran’s capital, journalists heard loud blasts around 2:30 am.

The day marked the third cycle of retaliatory strikes, despite worldwide calls for calm. Iran canceled upcoming nuclear talks with the U.S., citing the ongoing Israeli attacks as a reason.

After years of opposition and proxy conflicts, this level of fighting between Iran and Israel is unprecedented. It raises fears of a long-lasting conflict spreading across the Middle East.

Since early Friday, Israel has targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing dozens—top army officers and scientists included—according to Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to strike every target of Iran’s regime.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that more attacks would lead to a harsher response. In Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, rescue teams in helmets and headlamps searched through the ruins as dawn broke.

They confirmed the deaths of two women, aged 69 and 80, a young girl, and a 10-year-old boy. About 100 others were hurt, said an MDA spokesperson.

In the Shfela region west of Jerusalem, 37 more were injured. In northern Israel, in the Western Galilee, rescuers said a late Saturday attack destroyed a three-story building, killing three women.

A woman in her 20s was also killed when an Iranian missile hit a house near Haifa, leaving about a dozen wounded.

MDA reported that roughly 200 people were hurt in Iran’s missile strikes overnight. Iran’s UN envoy said 78 people died and 320 were injured in the first round of Israeli strikes on Friday. No updated figures have been released early Sunday.

Israel confirmed it targeted Iran’s defense ministry, nuclear project sites, and fuel tankers just before 2:40 am Sunday. The sites included Iran’s advanced efforts to build a nuclear weapon, Israel claimed.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that an Israeli strike damaged the defense ministry in Tehran, though the government did not comment. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they had hit sites used by Israeli warplanes for refueling, in retaliation.

The Guards warned that fighting would grow more intense if Iran’s attacks continued. Over the weekend, Israel struck two fuel depots in Tehran, Iran’s oil ministry confirmed. One depot at Shahran, northwest of Tehran, was on fire, an AFP journalist witnessed.