The Israel-Iran conflict continued into its third day, with missiles exchanged well into Sunday night. Israel launched the offensive with a surprise strike on Friday, targeting top Iranian military commanders and critical nuclear infrastructure.
In a swift and deadly response, Tehran accused Tel Aviv of assassinating the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi, along with his deputy, General Hassan Mohaqiq, and other senior generals. Iran further claimed that its oil refineries and several population centres were struck in subsequent waves of Israeli airstrikes.
According to Iranian health officials, the death toll since Friday has surged to 224, with 1,277 others injured. Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour stated that 90% of the dead were civilians. Harrowing footage aired on Iranian state television showed bloodied and dust-covered children being pulled from the rubble of apartment buildings in downtown Tehran — stark images that have drawn outrage across the region.
On Sunday, air raid sirens wailed across Jerusalem, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the launch of “Iranian missiles incoming.” Dramatic videos captured the sky above Tel Aviv and Jerusalem lit by missile trails and the thunder of interceptions by Israel’s multi-layered air defence systems. Despite successfully neutralizing most of the more than 270 missiles launched by Iran since Friday, 22 breached the defences, hitting residential suburbs, killing 14 people and wounding 390, according to the Associated Press.
Among the most devastating strikes was one on a high-rise apartment complex in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv. Six people — including a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl — were killed. Magen David Adom emergency services reported 180 injuries, with seven people still missing beneath the debris. Locals, dazed and dust-covered, searched for survivors and salvaged personal belongings as rescue teams worked through the twisted remains.
Israel retaliated with targeted airstrikes deep inside Iran. Claiming near-total control over Iranian airspace, Israel said its Sunday operations struck Iran’s Defense Ministry, missile launch sites, and key factories producing air defence components. Iranian authorities confirmed multiple additional fatalities among top commanders and acknowledged that strikes had reached critical infrastructure, including the Foreign Ministry, the Shahran oil depot north of Tehran, and a fuel tank in the south — both of which caught fire.
Photos posted by Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh showed the Foreign Ministry’s office and library riddled with shrapnel, underscoring the extent of damage inflicted on civilian and government infrastructure. Israeli strikes, Iranian officials claimed, extended well beyond military sites, hitting government buildings and key energy facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed growing international pressure to de-escalate, asserting that Israel would pursue its military objectives relentlessly. He floated the possibility that regime change in Iran “could certainly be the result” of the current campaign. Netanyahu also claimed Israeli intelligence had uncovered Iranian plans to transfer nuclear weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran’s threats have also escalated in scope. Officials warned they would “open the gates of hell” in response to Israeli aggression and reportedly threatened US, UK, and French military bases and ships in the region should they intervene to protect Israel, Reuters reported.
A striking revelation from a US official to the Associated Press disclosed that former President Donald Trump had previously blocked an Israeli plot to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — a move that could have triggered catastrophic consequences. Khamenei remains Iran’s highest authority, wielding sweeping powers over its government, military, and Revolutionary Guard.
Despite Iranian claims that the United States is complicit in the attacks, Trump denied any direct American involvement.
Meanwhile, India has begun closely monitoring the deteriorating security situation in Iran. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement confirming efforts to assist Indian nationals. “In some cases, students are being relocated with the Embassy’s facilitation to safer places within Iran. Other feasible options are also under examination. Further updates will follow. Separately, the Embassy is in touch with community leaders regarding welfare and safety,” the MEA said.
With both nations locked in a cycle of provocation and retaliation, and civilian casualties mounting by the hour, the region teeters on the brink of a full-scale war — one neither side appears willing to stop.
Also Read: Boeing 787 Cash Probe: Answers Sought About Possible Electric Failure https://www.vibesofindia.com/boeing-787-cash-probe-answers-sought-about-possible-electric-failure/
