Explosions rock Tel Aviv as Iran and Israel exchange missile strikes

TEL AVIV: Explosions were reported over Tel Aviv early Wednesday morning as Iran launched strikes, marking the sixth day of the Iran-Israel conflict.

A series of missile launches were fired from Iran, aimed at Israel. The Israeli military confirmed that its defense systems were activated to intercept the incoming threats.

Subsequent reports indicated that the situation had stabilised in the occupied territories, allowing Israeli citizens to leave protected areas.

Read more: Iran arrests ‘terrorist team’ linked to Israel in a town southwest of Tehran, state media says

The occupying forces stated it had conducted airstrikes targeting Iranian missile launch and storage sites earlier; it claimed to have struck 12 locations.

Among the areas targetted were Isfahan province and Tabriz city, with the Iranian state media describing the bombardment of Tehran as “continuous and intense”.

Israeli strikes reportedly resulted in the assassination of Ali Shadmani, the Iranian army’s war chief of staff.

In retaliation, Iran then launched missile strikes towards northern Israel and the occupied regime’s capital, Tel Aviv. The Islamic Republic stated it targetted a military intelligence centre and a Mossad operations planning facility.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that these strikes were aimed at Israeli airbases from which attacks on Iran had been initiated.

The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Army, Abdolrahim Mousavi characterised the attacks as a “warning for deterrence”. stating that a “punitive operation will be executed soon”.

Latest death toll

The latest escalation resulted in casualties, with Tehran indicating that several people were killed in an Israeli attack on an Iranian television building. Israel, however, has not reported any fatalities.

IAEA “monitoring the situation”

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated it has been closely monitoring the situation.

According to the Al Jazeera, the nuclear watchdog has been conducting satellite imagery analysis of Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

The agency noted that direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility.

Trump’s muses joining Israel in bombing Tehran

Meanwhile, the Republican US President Donald Trump threw his support behind Israel, with the latter stating that the US was informed about Israel initial strikes on Iran last Friday.

The US and Iran were in the midst of fragile talks when Israel launched a barrage of attacks on Iran, killing elite military personnel and scientists, and targetting its nuclear sites, including Natanz.

Democratic US Senator, Bernie Sanders, accused the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately stalling talks between the US and Iran. He also indicated the US should not involve itself in the Iran-Israel conflict.

However, the conservative president in a meeting today deliberated whether to join its long-time ally in striking Tehran or not.

In a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social, Trump issued a rather terrifying message, warning citizens in Tehran to leave the city immediately.

The US President also declared that the Islamic Republic would not be allowed to achieve nuclear weapons. Trump also did not rule out assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Donald Trump left the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada early, stating that he was not advocating for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran; rather, he wanted a “real end” to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Russia throws support behind Iran, offers mediation

Meanwhile, the Kremlin expressed its willingness to mediate, although it noted a reluctance on Israel’s part to engage in talks.

The Eurasian country also threw its support behind Iran, stating the latter was adhering to the non-proliferation treaty while denouncing Israel’s attack on civilian areas in Iran as “illegal”.

Arab countries warn of escalation in the region

Meanwhile, several Arab countries in the Middle East voiced concern, warning of a huge escalation in the region if both sides failed to restrain.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned that Israel’s action could dangerously escalate tensions. The monarch stated that this posed a threat to regional stability.

Read more: Houthi official says group will intervene to support Iran against Israel

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) foreign minister warned of ‘uncalculated, reckless steps’, while Qatar condemned the attacks, labelling them as an “uncalculated measure” with dire repercussions.