The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran entered its third day on Sunday with fresh waves of missile attacks, multiple casualtics, and growing international concern, as both sides continue to unleash devastating strikes deep into each other’s territory.
In a dramatic turn Sunday evening, Iran fired a new round of ballistic missiles at Israel, with one lighting up the sky over the port city of Haifa. Iran’s military issued a stark warning to Israeli civilians, urging them to evacuate areas near critical infrastructure.
At least 15 people were reported injured in Haifa, while an explosion also struck a building in eastern Tel Aviv, according to Isracli Army Radio.
The Iranian barrage followed a series of blasts earlier that day in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Residents reported hearing powerful explosions in several districts, including Niavaran and Tajrish in the north and around Valias and Hafte Tir squares in the city’s bustling centre. Iranian officials confirmed that the strikes were part of a coordinated Israeli assault targeting multiple cities, including Shiraz and Isfahan, where a military base was reportedly hit.
In what the Israeli military is calling its longest-range attack to date, it said an aerial refuelling aircraft was destroyed on the runway at Mashhad Airport in eastern Iran. Tehran also accused Isracl of striking its foreign affairs ministry building in a
“deliberate and ruthless” attack, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Saced Khatibzadch.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran, Tohid Asadi, described the scale of the conflict as unlike anything Iran has faced since the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988. Emergency preparations are underway, but many metro stations, mosques, and schools designated as public shelters remain ill-equipped and potentially unsafe.
Iran’s Health Ministry reported that Isracli strikes on Friday and Saturday had already killed at least 128 people and wounded around 900 more. Among the dead were at least 40 women and several children. Casualty numbers from Sunday’s attacks were still being assessed at the time of reporting.
In Israel, search and rescue teams worked through the rubble in Bat Yam, a coastal town south of Tel Aviv, where more than 60 buildings were damaged following overnight Iranian missile strikes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from the scene, vowed retaliation. ” Iran will pay a heavy price for the murder of civilians, women and children”, he said.
Elsewhere in Israel, four women were confirmed killed in Tamra, adjacent to laifa, as Iranian missiles continued to rain down on civilian areas. Since Thursday, at least 13 people have been killed and nearly 400 injured in Israel.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, said Iran’s strikes have marked a new chapter in the regional conflict. “This is the first time Israel is confronting a regional military power on this scale since its war with Egypt in 1973.”
Despite extensive damage to oil and gas pipelines in Haifa, operations at the city’s oil refineries are reportedly continuing
The conflict erupted on Friday with a surprise Israeli strike that targeted Iran’s senior military leadership, nuclear scientists, and key nuclear infrastructure. Since then, Isracli attacks have expanded to include civilian neighborhoods and critical sectors such as energy, raising fears about long-term instability in the region and broader economic consequences.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump made conflicting statements over the weekend-suggesting that peace could come
“soon,” while also hinting that the United States might enter the conflict if necessary.
With no signs of de-escalation, the region remains on edge as both nations brace for what could be a prolonged and devastating confrontation.
