Iran rains missiles on Israel, hits its Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv in retaliatory strikes
Synopsis
Tensions escalate in the Middle East as Iran launches a retaliatory operation, True Promise III firing hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites. Explosions rocked Tel Aviv, with air raid sirens blaring across the country. Some missiles were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome system.
Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv on Friday night local time, as air raid sirens were sounded across Israel amid what the country’s military said was an Iranian missile attack. According to the Washington Post, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised “severe punishment” for the attacks. President Donald Trump urged Iran to “make a deal” with Israel “before it is too late.”
The bases of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the north of the country were also under fire following the strikes. Despite the large number of missiles fired, only part of them reached Israeli territory. About 50 were intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome systems.
At the same time, Iranian government resources claim that they managed to hit the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Israeli media partially confirmed the reports of impacts near the building. As reports of interceptions and impacts continue to surface, another wave of missile attacks is expected.
This comes in direct response to recent Israeli airstrikes that targeted key Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, according to Iranian state media.
The Israeli military and the Iranian state media also claimed that the Israeli strikes killed four senior commanders, including Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, Iranian military chief Mohammad Bagheri, and Air Force chief Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
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