Iran launched a new wave of missile attacks against Israel on Monday morning, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens of others, according to Israeli emergency services. The attacks, which targeted four sites in central Israel, resulted in the deaths of four individuals in their 70s, including two men and two women. Over 100 others were evacuated to hospitals, with a 30-year-old woman in serious condition and a six-day-old baby among those rescued from the rubble of destroyed homes.
The Israeli military responded by striking 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to the Quds Force, an elite arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The attacks have raised the total casualties in the conflict to at least 24 dead and over 500 injured since it began on Friday with an Israeli offensive against Iran. Powerful explosions from intercepted missiles shook Tel Aviv, with a missile near the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv causing minor property damage but no injuries to U.S. personnel.
Iran announced it had launched about 100 missiles and pledged further retaliation in response to Israel’s attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure. Iran’s Ministry of Health reported at least 224 deaths and 1,300 injuries in Iran since the conflict began, with the vast majority being civilians. However, human rights groups like Human Rights Activists suggest the Iranian government is undercounting, with over 400 casualties, including 197 civilians, documented. Authorities in Petah Tikva noted that Iranian missiles struck a residential building, causing significant damage to multiple apartments.
Despite Iran’s promise of more severe retaliation, Israel maintains its offensive is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, arguing that its strikes on military leaders, uranium enrichment sites, and nuclear scientists were critical. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, a claim supported by U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which have stated Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon.