Tel Aviv, Jun 16 (AP) - A new wave of missile attacks from Iran targeted Israel early Monday, prompting air raid sirens to sound across the nation. This marks the fourth day of escalating conflict between the two regional adversaries, claiming at least five lives and injuring dozens more, according to emergency services.
A missile landed near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, causing minor damage without resulting in any injuries to American personnel, as confirmed by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee on X.
Iran declared it had launched approximately 100 missiles and threatened additional measures in response to Israel's extensive attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructures. The offensive has resulted in 224 fatalities in Iran since last Friday.
Meanwhile, Israel reported 24 deaths and over 500 injuries following more than 370 missile and drone strikes by Iran. In retaliation, the Israeli military stated fighter jets targeted 10 command centers in Tehran associated with Iran's Quds Force, an elite segment of the Revolutionary Guard tasked with military and intelligence operations outside Iran.
Early Monday, powerful explosions from Israel's defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles jolted Tel Aviv, sending thick black smoke into the sky over the city.
In Petah Tikva, central Israel, Iranian missiles hit a residential building, damaging concrete walls, breaking windows, and tearing off walls of several apartments.
The Israeli Magen David Adom emergency service reported casualties, with two women and two men in their 70s, and one more individual losing their lives in the missile strikes that targeted four central Israeli locations.
"It is evident that our civilians are being targeted," Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne stated, standing outside the damaged building in Petah Tikva. "And this is just one such instance. Similar sites exist near the coast and in the south."
Petah Tikva resident Yoram Suki, who sought shelter with his family during the air raid, returned to find his home destroyed. "Thank God we were OK," Suki remarked, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue counterattacks on Iran. "It's totally worth it," he insisted. "This is for the sake of our children and grandchildren."
In addition to the fatalities, paramedics reported 87 wounded individuals were transported to hospitals, including a 30-year-old woman in serious condition, while rescuers searched for those trapped beneath the rubble.
"Upon arrival at the rocket strike scene, we witnessed extensive destruction," shared Dr. Gal Rosen, an MDA paramedic who rescued a 4-day-old baby amid the burning building.
Ealier, during Sunday's missile barrage on central Israel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi proposed cessation of strikes if Israel did likewise.
However, following a day of aggressive Israeli air assaults that expanded beyond military targets to include oil refineries and government sites, the Revolutionary Guard adopted a firm stance on Monday, promising that subsequent strikes would be "more forceful, severe, precise, and destructive than previous ones."
Reports from health authorities indicated 1,277 injuries in Iran, without differentiating between military and civilian casualties.
Rights organizations, including the Washington-based Human Rights Activists, contend that the official Iranian death toll significantly underestimates the true number, alleging over 400 deaths, including 197 civilians.
Israel maintains that its actions against Iran's military leaders, uranium enrichment facilities, and nuclear scientists were essential to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, and assessments from the US and others concur that Iran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003.
Despite this, Iran has enriched burgeoning stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels recently, suggesting a capability to produce multiple weapons within months, if it so chose. (AP) SCY SCY
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)