Iran unleashed another round of missile strikes on Israel early Monday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens more, in what marks the fourth consecutive day of escalating hostilities between the two regional adversaries.
Air raid sirens wailed across Israel as Iranian missiles rained down, including one that landed near the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, causing minor structural damage but no American casualties, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X.
Tehran claimed responsibility for firing around 100 missiles, pledging more retaliation in response to Israel’s earlier airstrikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear facilities — attacks that Iran says have left at least 224 people dead since Friday.
With Monday’s fatalities, Israel’s total death toll from the ongoing conflict rose to at least 19. In retaliation, the Israeli military said its air force struck 10 command centers operated by Iran’s Quds Force in Tehran. The Quds Force is an elite unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tasked with foreign operations.
Massive explosions, believed to be from Israeli air defenses intercepting the missiles, lit up the sky over Tel Aviv before dawn. In Petah Tikva, a city near the capital, local officials reported a direct hit on a residential building, which left several apartments gutted and windows shattered.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service, confirmed the deaths of five individuals — two men and two women in their 70s, along with another person — in four separate impact sites across central Israel. Another 87 people were taken to hospitals, including a woman in critical condition. Search-and-rescue teams continued working to extract survivors from the rubble.
One medic, Dr. Gal Rosen, described rescuing a four-day-old infant from a burning building in one of the hardest-hit areas. “The destruction was overwhelming,” he said.
Petah Tikva resident Yoram Suki, 60, said he and his family took shelter moments before their apartment was destroyed. “We survived, thank God,” he said, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to maintain pressure on Iran. “This is for our children’s future.”
Israel-Iran conflict enters third day with escalating missile strikes, rising death tolls
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that future strikes would be “more severe and destructive” if Israeli attacks continue. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had indicated that Iran was open to halting its offensive — but only if Israel did the same. Israel, however, expanded its targets to include oil refineries and government buildings inside Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s health authorities reported over 1,200 wounded inside the country. Rights groups claim the true civilian toll may be far higher, with some estimating over 400 dead, including nearly 200 civilians.
Israel defends its campaign as necessary to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities. Though Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, recent enrichment activities have raised international concerns.