TEL AVIV, Israel (BN24) — Israel and Iran unleashed a new round of mutual strikes early Saturday, intensifying the most dangerous escalation between the two regional powers in decades. The flare-up follows Israel’s unprecedented aerial assault on Iranian nuclear infrastructure and senior military leadership, which Tehran answered with a barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at Israeli cities.
As air raid sirens wailed across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem before dawn, Israeli civilians scrambled into bomb shelters while air defense systems roared to life. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that dozens of Iranian missiles had been launched, with many intercepted mid-air. Still, several projectiles struck populated areas, including a Tel Aviv high-rise and residential buildings in nearby Ramat Gan, causing widespread damage and civilian casualties. Israel’s national ambulance service reported 34 injuries, and police confirmed at least one fatality in the Tel Aviv area.
Simultaneously, explosions were reported in Tehran. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim and Fars news agencies stated that multiple Israeli projectiles struck Tehran’s Mehrabad airport — a sensitive site hosting both an Iranian air force base and key command infrastructure. Flames and secondary explosions were seen across the capital, intensifying concerns that Israel’s operation had directly targeted Iran’s military logistics.
The Fars agency later reported that Iran launched a third wave of retaliatory airstrikes on Saturday, continuing a counteroffensive that began Friday night following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear scientists, Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, and sensitive nuclear installations, including the massive underground Natanz facility.
Iran’s state media declared the barrage a justified response to what it termed a “war of aggression” by Israel. IRNA said Tehran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israeli territory in retaliation for the Israeli strikes, which reportedly killed 78 individuals — including top military officials — and injured more than 320, many of them civilians.
The U.S. military, according to American officials, played a supporting role by intercepting Iranian missiles headed toward Israel. The Pentagon confirmed that air defense assets in the region were engaged but reiterated that the U.S. was not directly involved in Israel’s offensive operation. Still, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, blamed the United States for aiding what he called a “blatant act of aggression,” and warned that Washington “shared full responsibility for the consequences.”
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, defended the airstrikes, stating that intelligence showed Iran was just days away from producing sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons. “This was an act of national preservation,” Danon said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Israel’s strikes had destroyed the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi informed the U.N. Security Council that inspectors were still assessing damage to the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and another facility in Isfahan.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of initiating a full-scale war, promising that “nowhere in Israel will be safe” from retaliation. President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Iran’s response would be “painful, strategic, and unwavering,” asserting that Tehran would not stop until “justice was achieved.”
Despite the rapidly deteriorating situation, President Donald Trump urged Tehran to pursue diplomacy before more devastation unfolds. “It’s not too late,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. He noted that Iran had been given a 60-day ultimatum to strike a new nuclear deal but failed to respond. “Today is Day 61,” he said. “I told them what to do — they just couldn’t get there. Now they may have a second chance, but time is running out.”
Israel has stated its campaign — described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the most critical operation in Israel’s modern history” — will continue until Iran’s nuclear weapons capability is neutralized. The operation has already spanned dozens of strategic strikes on Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, including in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.
Military analysts warn the conflict could trigger a broader regional war, though Iran’s regional proxies — Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — have largely been neutralized by prior Israeli operations. However, the scale and pace of current Israeli and Iranian strikes have raised the specter of prolonged conflict with regional and global implications.
