Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more, as the deadly confrontation between the two regional powers entered its fourth day with no signs of de-escalation.
Tehran announced it had launched around 100 missiles in what it described as continued retaliation for Israel’s surprise attacks last week on its nuclear facilities and military leadership, which Iranian sources say have killed at least 224 people. In response, Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes targeting command centers in Tehran operated by the Quds Force, the elite overseas wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
“We clearly see that our civilians are being targeted,” said Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne, speaking from outside a heavily damaged residential building in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv. Authorities confirmed that Iranian missiles struck four locations in central Israel, including apartment blocks, with windows shattered, concrete charred, and families trapped beneath the rubble.
Among the dead in the latest attack were two women and one man, all in their 70s. Emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) said another 74 people were injured, including a 30-year-old woman in critical condition. Search-and-rescue efforts continued through the morning, as emergency responders combed through destroyed buildings.
“When we arrived at the scene of the rocket strike, we saw massive destruction,” said Dr. Gal Rosen, an MDA paramedic who rescued a 4-day-old baby amid blazes tearing through the bombed structure.
The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran would halt its strikes if Israel reciprocated. But following a day of intensified Israeli aerial bombardments that extended to oil refineries and government offices inside Iran, the Revolutionary Guard issued a defiant warning. “Future responses will be more forceful, severe, precise and destructive,” a spokesperson declared.
The Israeli military confirmed that its fighter jets struck 10 command centers in Tehran used by the Quds Force, which oversees Iran’s external military and intelligence operations.
In Tel Aviv, powerful pre-dawn explosions — likely the result of Israeli air defense intercepting Iranian missiles — sent plumes of black smoke into the sky, shaking buildings and leaving civilians scrambling for shelter.
Health authorities in Iran reported that 1,277 people have been wounded since the conflict erupted, though they did not clarify how many were military versus civilian casualties. Human rights groups, including the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists, believe the true toll is much higher, reporting over 400 deaths, including nearly 200 civilians.
Israel has defended its military operations as essential to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Though Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and international assessments suggest it has not actively pursued weapons development since 2003, recent uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade levels has raised alarm.