Israel and Iran exchanged fresh rounds of missile attacks on Sunday, marking the third day of escalating hostilities that have left at least 230 people dead and hundreds more injured. Despite growing international appeals for calm, both nations appear determined to pursue military escalation.
Iran’s state authorities confirmed that Israeli strikes had targeted its oil refineries, military leadership, and population centres. Among the dead are three high-ranking commanders, including the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence chief, General Mohammad Kazemi. The total number of Iranian casualties since Friday stood at 224, with 1,277 wounded, according to health officials. Civilian areas bore the brunt of the latest barrage.
Israel, meanwhile, reported that Iran had launched over 270 missiles since the onset of the conflict. Of these, 22 bypassed the country’s advanced air defence systems, resulting in the deaths of 14 people and injuries to 390 others in residential neighbourhoods.
In a significant disclosure, a United States official informed that President Donald Trump had blocked an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds the nation’s highest authority and commands the Revolutionary Guard.
Israel, widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, described its ongoing offensive as its most powerful ever against Iran, aimed at thwarting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Scheduled nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, due to be held in Oman on Sunday, were cancelled in the wake of the Israeli offensive.
Metro stations converted into shelters
Iranian authorities began transforming metro stations and mosques into bomb shelters on Sunday night, as air raids intensified. Israeli missiles reportedly struck Iran’s Defence Ministry, missile launch sites, and factories producing air-defence components.
Iran acknowledged the deep reach of Israeli strikes, which extended to government ministries and key energy facilities. Fires broke out at the Shahran oil depot north of Tehran and at a fuel tank facility to the south. Explosions were also reported in Mashhad, where Israel claimed to have hit a refuelling aircraft in its farthest strike within Iranian territory.
Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh released images of the Foreign Ministry’s library and offices, devastated by missile fragments.
Also read: Trump vetoed Israeli plot to kill Iran's Supreme Leader: Report
Footage broadcast on state television depicted children being pulled from rubble in Tehran. "Ninety per cent of the 224 people killed were civilians," said Hossein Kermanpour, spokesperson for Iran’s Health Ministry.
However, Human Rights Activists, a Washington-based monitoring group, claimed a significantly higher Iranian death toll of 406, with another 654 wounded, citing Tehran’s tendency to underreport casualties.
Traffic congestion plagued Tehran as families attempted to flee, leading police to close major routes. Despite long queues at petrol stations, officials assured citizens that fuel supplies remained stable.
Israel suffers mounting casualties
In Israel, air-raid sirens blared across major cities, prompting residents in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem to take shelter. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service reported six fatalities, including two children, after a missile struck a residential tower in Bat Yam.
Another four, including a 13-year-old, perished in a missile strike on Tamra, an Arab town in northern Israel. A further 42 were injured in Rehovot, where the Weizmann Institute of Science reported multiple hits but no casualties.
Haifa’s oil refinery also sustained damage. Israel’s main international airport and national airspace remained closed for a third consecutive day.
The scale and scope of the exchanges suggest a broader regional conflict may be unfolding, with the energy sector particularly vulnerable. International observers fear that without intervention, the situation could spiral further out of control.
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