In a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, Iran launched a large-scale missile attack on Israel early Sunday morning in retaliation for US airstrikes on its nuclear facilities.
According to Israel Hayom, Iran fired at least 40 missiles targeting Haifa, Tel Aviv, and other locations across Israel’s coastal and central regions. The public broadcaster KAN confirmed missile strikes in at least 10 separate sites.
Israeli Channel 14 reported that five Iranian missiles landed on Israeli soil—three in Haifa and two in central Israel—while Channel 12 described the Haifa attack as an “unusual event” marked by multiple explosions.
Air raid sirens blared across northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, with no prior warning—a significant break from past patterns.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported heavy structural damage in Haifa, with additional destruction in the Shephelah region and the Dan Bloc, including Tel Aviv’s suburbs. A building in Greater Tel Aviv took a direct hit, and several buildings along the coast were destroyed.
Emergency service Magen David Adom responded to multiple impact sites, reporting 11 initial injuries, including one in moderate condition. Channel 13 later confirmed 16 injuries, and Yedioth Ahronoth raised the casualty count to 23, most of them minor.
The Iranian military, under its operation Al-Waad Al-Sadiq 3 (True Promise 3), said it had specifically targeted Ben Gurion Airport, biological research centers, and Israeli command and control posts.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed that the Israeli Air Force responded with strikes on Iranian military targets in western Iran, including missile launchers and personnel preparing additional attacks.
This confrontation followed an announcement from US President Donald Trump, who stated that American forces had successfully bombed three Iranian nuclear sites earlier that same day. The strikes came in the wake of Israel’s assassination of senior Iranian military and nuclear officials.
Reports indicated that the Pentagon had relocated B-2 bombers from Missouri to the Persian Gulf before the strikes. Following the US attacks, Iran demanded an emergency UN Security Council meeting to condemn what it called American aggression.
Hostilities originally broke out on June 13, when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iranian territory. Since then, Israel reports at least 25 deaths and hundreds injured due to Iranian retaliation. Iran’s Health Ministry, meanwhile, says Israeli attacks have killed 430 people and wounded over 3,500.
The international community remains on edge as tensions rise between Iran, Israel, and the United States, with regional stability hanging in the balance.
