As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified, Iranian soldiers fired dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel on Friday, killing at least one person. This follows Iran’s warning that it would step up its attacks on Israel and target any nation’s regional bases attempting to defend the former.
As a new wave of Iranian missiles approached Israel, explosions were reported in the skies over the city of Jerusalem early on Saturday. Sirens and explosions that might have been caused by Israeli interceptors boomed in the sky. Already frightened by the previous round of missile strikes, the Israeli military advised residents to seek shelter.
According to Israel’s paramedic service Magen David Adom, 13 persons were injured when an Iranian missile struck close to residences in the city of Rishon Lezion in central Israel a few hours later.
One person was critical, and another’s condition was severe, the paramedic service said. Several people were still trapped, according to Magen David Adom director Eli Bin, who spoke to Israel’s Channel 12.
Earlier, Iran retaliated with a barrage of long-range missiles targeting Israel’s commercial capital, Tel Aviv, wounding at least 34 people, Israel’s paramedic service said.
Iran’s ambassador told the UN Security Council on Friday that Israel’s continued attacks on Iranian nuclear sites killed 78 people and injured over 320 others, but that “the overwhelming majority” of the casualties were civilians.
Amid growing tensions over Tehran’s rapidly developing nuclear program, Israel launched the assault on Iran. Israel has been threatening such an assault for years, and each American administration tried to stop it out of concern that it would spark a larger Middle East conflict and might not be able to eliminate Iran’s scattered and hardened nuclear program.
What you should know:
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have launched missile strikes against Israeli air bases and military installations on Friday.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency and state-affiliated Fars news agency of Iran reported in the early hours of Saturday morning that Tehran’s air defense system is currently active in response to yet another wave of Israeli attacks. The Home Front Command said that following the most recent round of missiles fired from Iran, civilians in Israel are now allowed to exit their shelters.
Following Iran’s retaliatory strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are evaluating the situation from inside a bunker, where they have taken refuge, an Israeli official told CNN. According to a White House official, US President Donald Trump had a phone conversation with Netanyahu early Friday.