Iranian missile fire on Israel resulted in at least 10 fatalities overnight, authorities confirmed Sunday, as the long-standing adversaries exchanged fresh waves of attacks in their most intense confrontation in history.
In Iran, a dense cloud of smoke billowed over the capital after Israeli aircraft struck two fuel depots. For days, Iranians have been forming long queues at gas stations, fearing shortages.
US President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that Washington “had nothing to do” with ally Israel’s extensive bombardment campaign, which commenced early Friday, targeting key military and nuclear sites in Iran. However, Trump threatened to unleash “the full strength and might” if Iran attacks US interests, asserting on his Truth Social platform that “we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!”
Israeli police reported that six people were killed and at least 180 injured at the site of an overnight missile strike in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. First responders, equipped with helmets and headlamps, combed through the bombed-out building as dawn broke. Police indicated that at least seven people were missing, feared buried under the rubble. “There was an explosion and I thought the whole house had collapsed,” recounted Bat Yam resident Shahar Ben Zion. “It was a miracle we survived.”
In northern Israel, rescuers and medics stated that a strike late Saturday destroyed a three-story building in the town of Tamra, killing four women and raising the overall death toll in the country since Friday to 13.
Iran’s UN ambassador claimed that 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday’s initial wave of Israeli strikes. Iranian authorities had not provided an updated toll as of early Sunday, but Tehran asserts that Israel has killed top army commanders and nuclear scientists.
‘Red Line’ Crossed
After decades of animosity and proxy conflicts, this marks the first time the arch-enemies have exchanged fire with such intensity, igniting fears of a prolonged conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East.
In Iran’s capital early Sunday, AFP journalists reported hearing a series of blasts. Israel confirmed its forces had struck the defense ministry headquarters in Tehran, where Iranian news agency Tasnim reported damage. The ministry offered no comment.
The Israeli military also stated that it had targeted nuclear sites, including the secretive Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), as well as fuel tankers and other objectives. The Iranian oil ministry confirmed that Israel struck two fuel depots in the Tehran area. An AFP journalist observed a depot at Shahran, northwest of the capital, ablaze.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to hit “every target of the ayatollah regime,” while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that further strikes would elicit “a more severe and powerful response.”
Israeli strikes have reportedly hit Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant and killed its highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, along with the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami. On Sunday, the Israeli military warned Iranians to evacuate areas near weapons facilities nationwide.
“The Zionist regime crossed a new red line in international law” by “attacking nuclear facilities,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign diplomats, according to state TV. He also asserted that Tehran possessed “solid proof” that US forces supported the Israeli attacks. “We are defending ourselves; our defense is entirely legitimate… If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop.”
UK Offers ‘Contingency Support’
The attacks persisted despite global calls for de-escalation, with Iran scrapping its latest nuclear talks with the United States, stating it could not negotiate while under fire from Israel.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced Sunday that they had struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refueling, in retaliation for the earlier Israeli strikes. The Guards, in a statement, vowed to respond “more fiercely and more broadly” if Israel continues its deadly campaign.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed they had launched several missiles at Israel in attacks that were “coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian military.” The Israeli military reported intercepting seven drones launched at the country within an hour on Sunday.
Highlighting widespread global unease, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a “devastating war” with regional consequences in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ankara confirmed. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Saturday that his country was deploying fighter jets and other “assets” to the Middle East “for contingency support,” while also urging de-escalation.
