New Iran missile-drone barrage strikes Israel; counter-strikes hit Tehran

Iran launches a new barrage of missiles and drones at Israel, triggering extensive Israeli counter-strikes on strategic sites. Impacts and casualties are reported in both nations.

Conflict between Israel and Iran is sharply escalating as both nations are trading aerial attacks.

Iranian Projectiles Strike Israel

Iran's state media, IRNA, reported late Saturday that the country launched a new wave of projectiles, including both missiles and drones, towards Israel. CNN confirms missiles streaking across the skies over Jerusalem. 

Iranian missiles have reportedly struck multiple locations in northern Israel, killing four people and injuring 13 others, Israeli media reported late Saturday. According to these reports, the casualties occurred as Iranian missiles hit the Tamra area of Lower Galilee. Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) confirms a woman in her 20s died after being pulled from the rubble of a two-story house in Western Galilee following Iranian strikes.

Air raid sirens activated across the Haifa area in northern Israel as the Iranian missile barrage continued, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) instructing civilians to remain in shelters.  Iranian state TV claimed 100 missiles were launched, primarily targeting Tel Aviv and Haifa. Iran has reportedly used at least one hypersonic missile to strike the Israeli city of Haifa, according to Mehr news agency.

However, the Haifa municipality states there were no rocket hits or known casualties in Haifa itself, though a few interceptor fragments were found in scattered locations. This official assessment contrasts with earlier reports from Iranian state TV, which indicated the port city was one of tonight's top targets, and other Iranian media claims that oil refineries in Haifa have been hit. 

Meanwhile, in southern Israel, the Israeli military intercepted a drone after an air alert was triggered in Eilat. 

Israel's Comprehensive Strikes on Iranian Targets

In response to the Iranian launches, Israel initiated a wave of its own strikes targeting various locations across Iran. IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin stated the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) "ongoing operation" has lasted nearly 40 hours and targeted over 150 objectives. These objectives reportedly include military and strategic assets, nuclear program sites, and high-ranking figures within what Defrin described as "Iran's terror leadership." The IDF confirmed it is actively striking military targets in Tehran.

Iranian state media, including Press TV, reported that air defenses activated in several Iranian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad. Videos purportedly showing air defenses intercepting projectiles were also posted from Zanjan and Khorramabad.

Among the confirmed Israeli targets in Iran, the Shahran oil depot in Tehran was hit. Iran's oil ministry also reported strikes on this depot and a fuel tank in southern Tehran, adding that fuel levels were not high, and the situation remains under control. Tehran's fire department had previously warned about the Shahran oil depot's high-risk location near residential areas.

As the intensified exchange unfolded, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with his security cabinet late Saturday. Images released by Israel showed the prime minister with his ministers, with television screens in the background displaying a quote from the Book of Numbers: "Behold, a people that rises like a young lion, and lifts itself up like a lion," which serves as Israel's code-name for its operations against Iran.

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