Iran, Israel trade missiles; blasts, air raid sirens rock Tehran, Tel Aviv

Explosions and aerial raid sirens are being heard again successful Iran and Israel arsenic the 2 nations proceed to speech missiles and drones, a time aft the Israeli subject killed apical Iranian generals and atomic scientists successful the worst specified escalation successful decades.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes person killed astatine slightest 4 radical and wounded much than 200 others successful Israel since Friday, arsenic a barrage of dozens of Iranian missiles lit up the skies implicit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv overnight.

On the Iranian side, astatine slightest 80 people, including women and children, person been killed and much than 320 others injured, arsenic the Israeli service targeted residential areas successful superior Tehran, subject sites and atomic facilities, sidesplitting astatine slightest 9 atomic scientists truthful far.

Accusing Israel of initiating a war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it “must expect terrible punishment” for sidesplitting respective top-level subject commanders and scientists.

In a connection connected authorities TV, helium said Israel “should not deliberation that it is implicit due to the fact that they attacked and it is finished”.

“No. They started this and initiated the war. We won’t let them to flight unscathed from this large transgression they person committed,” Khamenei said.

Following decades of enmity and struggle by proxy, it is the archetypal clip that Israel and Iran person traded occurrence with specified intensity, with fears of a prolonged struggle engulfing the region.

‘Tehran volition burn’

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz warned connected Saturday that “Tehran volition burn” and its residents volition wage dearly if Iran continues its rocket strikes against Israeli civilians.

“The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing astir a world successful which they – particularly the residents of Tehran – volition wage a dense terms due to the fact that of the transgression harm to Israeli civilians,” said Katz.

“If Khamenei continues to occurrence missiles towards the Israeli location front, Tehran volition burn,” the curate added.

Iranians be an anti-Israel rally aft Friday prayers successful Tehran, Iran [Vahid Salemi/AP]

On Saturday, 2 projectiles deed Tehran’s Mehrabad airdrome which hosts an aerial unit basal with combatant jets and transport aircraft, and is located adjacent to cardinal Iranian authorities buildings.

“The attacks caused explosions astatine the airdrome but did not impact immoderate runways, buildings oregon facilities,” Iran’s state-run quality bureau IRNA said.

The Israeli subject besides continued to motorboat strikes connected nuclear facilities successful Iran.

“There has been constricted harm to immoderate areas astatine the Fordow enrichment site,” ISNA quality bureau reported Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi arsenic saying connected Saturday.

“We had already moved a important portion of the instrumentality and materials out, and determination was nary extended harm and determination are nary contamination concerns.”

Israel’s Iron Dome penetrated

Meanwhile, respective Iranian missiles penetrated Israel’s Iron Dome defence strategy and struck cardinal Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion and Ramat Gan areas.

Air raid sirens blared successful Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sending residents rushing into shelters. An Israeli authoritative said Iran had fired astir 200 ballistic missiles successful 4 waves.

A high-rise gathering was deed overnight successful a densely populated country of cardinal Tel Aviv. At slightest 9 buildings were besides destroyed successful Ramat Gan, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Rescue unit evacuate a wounded pistillate aft an Iranian rocket onslaught successful Ramat Gan, Israel [Itai Ron/Reuters]

Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, said helium had to spell to shelters 5 times overnight amid Iran’s rocket barrage. “It’s present Shabbat here. Should beryllium quiet. Probably won’t be. Entire federation nether orders to enactment adjacent shelter,” helium posted connected X.

The Israeli service connected Saturday said 7 of its soldiers were wounded successful a ballistic rocket onslaught connected cardinal Israel. They were taken to hospitals and person since been released, according to a subject statement.

This is the archetypal confirmation of Israeli subject casualties since the escalation of hostilities betwixt Iran and Israel began 2 days ago.

Meanwhile, Palestinian quality bureau Wafa reported that 5 radical successful the occupied West Bank were besides injured arsenic rocket shrapnel fell adjacent the municipality of Sa’ir adjacent Hebron. The 5 injured included 3 children, aged six, 7 and 12.

Wafa earlier reported that Israel had imposed wide closures crossed the occupied West Bank amid the escalating struggle with Iran. Israeli forces person unopen down roads, acceptable up checkpoints and prevented state of question for the Palestinians.

Iran warns Israel’s allies

Iran has besides warned Israel’s allies – the United States, the United Kingdom and France – that their bases and ships successful the portion volition beryllium targeted if they assistance support Israel.

“Any state that participates successful repelling Iranian attacks connected Israel volition beryllium taxable to the targeting of each determination bases of the complicit government, including subject bases successful the Persian Gulf countries and ships and naval vessels successful the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea by Iranian forces,” a authorities connection said, according to Iran’s semiofficial Mehr quality agency.

Iran has already accused the US of being complicit successful the attacks and said it shared afloat work for the consequences.

Shahram Akbarzadeh, prof of Middle East authorities astatine Deakin University successful Australia, said some Israel and Iran look to beryllium “settling successful for the agelong haul” and much attacks could beryllium expected. He said the US would besides beryllium dragged into the conflict.

“When Israel launches attacks connected Iran, Iran has to respond, and I deliberation Israel is really banking connected this dynamic – that erstwhile the struggle starts, the United States has an work and a committedness to Israeli security,” Akbarzadeh told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged radical successful Iran to basal up to the “evil and oppressive” authorities nether Khamenei and question “freedom”.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said according to the radical successful Iran, Netanyahu’s connection was unwelcome.

“We person to retrieve that Iranian radical are surviving nether the shadiness of war, which is present getting translated into a existent war. They are besides nether the unit of sanctions,” helium said.

“People are angry, specifically astatine the information that it’s not conscionable subject officials and atomic scientists but precise mean citizens who were affected by the caller strikes.”