By Ayomide Otitoju
Iran launched a barrage of missile strikes on multiple Israeli cities early Monday, retaliating against Israeli attacks on military targets deep inside Iranian territory, marking the most dangerous escalation in hostilities between the two regional rivals in decades.
AFP visuals captured the aftermath of the Iranian offensive, showing gutted residential buildings in Tel Aviv and smouldering fires near Haifa. In Jerusalem, AFP reporters heard loud explosions as Israeli air defence systems lit up the night sky in response.
The latest exchange comes amid rising fears of a protracted conflict in the Middle East, following Israel’s unprecedented strike last week on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, reportedly killing several senior commanders and atomic scientists.
A senior U.S. official disclosed that President Donald Trump had urged Israel to back down from a plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and called for restraint. “Make a deal,” Trump urged both nations, while acknowledging that “sometimes they have to fight it out.”
The Israeli military said Monday’s Iranian strikes targeted areas near Haifa and Tel Aviv, with five people killed and 92 injured, according to the Magen David Adom emergency service. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in a statement carried by state media, confirmed the strikes and warned of “more devastating operations” ahead.
Since hostilities erupted on Friday, residential areas in both countries have been targeted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Iran for allegedly targeting civilians. “Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children,” he said during a visit to a missile-hit building in Bat Yam.
Iran’s Health Ministry reported that more than 224 people have been killed and over 1,200 wounded in Israeli strikes since Friday. State media said five people died Sunday in a residential building hit by Israel in central Tehran.
Iranian military spokesperson Colonel Reza Sayyad threatened a “devastating response,” urging Israelis to leave “the occupied territories,” while President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Iranians to “stand strong against this genocidal criminal aggression.”
Despite reports of mass evacuations, some Iranians, like 31-year-old Shokouh Razzazi, expressed resolve. “War is stressful, but I will not leave my city,” she told AFP.
Tensions soared further as Iran cancelled planned nuclear talks with the U.S., calling them “meaningless” amid active hostilities. Tehran also executed a convicted Mossad agent on Monday, while Israel said it had arrested two individuals suspected of working with Iranian intelligence.
As diplomatic efforts falter, analysts warn that the region risks being drawn into a wider war unless both sides step back from the brink.
