Iran launched a new wave of missile attacks against Israel early Saturday morning, with projectiles primarily targeting the country’s northern region.
Air-raid sirens echoed across northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, prompting authorities to urge civilians to seek immediate shelter.
The missile assault follows Iran’s earlier launch of more than 100 drones aimed at Israel overnight.
The drone barrage was in retaliation for a series of surprise Israeli airstrikes inside Iranian territory, which killed several senior military commanders, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami and the armed forces’ chief of staff, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, according to Iranian state media.
Israel, anticipating reprisals, claimed it intercepted the majority of the drones before they reached its airspace. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said air defences had successfully neutralised the threat, though several impact sites were reported in the northern regions, prompting evacuations.
Tel Aviv residents also rushed to bomb shelters as sirens sounded in the capital, with the Israeli military later confirming it had detected a missile launched from Yemen.
The unfolding conflict represents a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region, marking what many analysts describe as one of the most severe flashpoints in recent years.
The Israeli airstrikes, codenamed Operation Rising Lion, targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and key military infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to degrade Iran’s nuclear capabilities, its ballistic missile production sites, and military command centres.
“This was a targeted military operation designed to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu said in a televised address. “It will continue for as many days as necessary to remove this threat.”
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, issued a stark warning shortly after the strikes, stating that retaliation from Iran was expected imminently. “Following the preemptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate timeframe,” Katz said.
According to Israeli intelligence, the strikes were prompted by new information suggesting Iran’s nuclear programme was nearing a critical point. “Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs,” Netanyahu stated, underscoring the urgency behind the operation.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, strongly condemned Israel’s actions, vowing that the country would face “severe consequences.” “With this crime, the Zionist regime has set itself for a bitter and painful fate, and it will definitely receive it,” Khamenei said in a statement.
The latest developments come amid heightened regional tensions and growing international concern.
The United States has reiterated its position that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon under any circumstances. In a sign of increasing unease, the U.S. has also begun withdrawing its diplomatic and military personnel from parts of the Middle East.
As both sides brace for further escalation, the international community is watching with alarm, fearing the possibility of a broader conflict. The United Nations has called for immediate de-escalation, urging restraint from all parties to avoid a full-scale war in the region.
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