Israel pounds Iran for third night, Tehran claims 224 killed, including generals
Israel and Iran continued to exchange missile strikes between Sunday night and early Monday, ignoring international appeals for a ceasefire as hostilities entered their third consecutive day.Tehran accused Israel of targeting its oil refineries and killing the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) along with two other senior generals. Iran also said several population centres were hit in the latest wave of airstrikes.advertisementAccording to Iranian health officials, the death toll since the Israeli offensive began on Friday has climbed to 224, with 1,277 others injured. Authorities did not specify how many of the casualties were civilians or military personnel.
Israel, targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure and military leadership, said Tehran has launched more than 270 missiles since Friday. While most were intercepted by Israel's multi-layered air defence system, 22 managed to breach the shield, hitting residential suburbs, killing 14 people, and injuring 390 others, according to news agency Associated Press.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Air raid sirens blared across Jerusalem late on Sunday, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirming "Iranian missiles incoming". Several videos captured the dramatic scene: missiles streaking over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, many intercepted mid-air by Israel's multi-layered defence system.
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In swift retaliation, Israel reportedly struck back with targeted airstrikes on Iranian positions, prompting Iran to activate its air defence systems in the southwest, according to local media.
Claiming near-total freedom in Iranian airspace, Israel said its Sunday strikes targeted Iran's Defense Ministry, missile launch sites, and factories making air defence components. Iran acknowledged the strikes killed more top generals, including Revolutionary Guard intelligence chief Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy, General Hassan Mohaqiq.
In a striking revelation of how far Israel was willing to escalate, a US official told the Associated Press that US President Donald Trump blocked an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — the country's highest authority, who holds sweeping powers over state policy, the military, and the elite Revolutionary Guard.
Meanwhile, India is closely monitoring the security situation in Iran and engaging with its citizens and students residing in the conflict-torn Middle East country.
"In some cases, students are being relocated with Embassy's facilitation to safer places within Iran. Other feasible options are also under examination. Further updates will follow. Separately, the Embassy is in touch with community leaders regarding welfare and safety," the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Israeli strikes have gone beyond Iran's military sites, hitting government buildings and key infrastructure, Iranian authorities said. Among the latest targets were the Foreign Ministry and several energy facilities, including the Shahran oil depot north of Tehran and a fuel tank to the south, both of which caught fire on Sunday.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh and other diplomats posted photos of the Foreign Ministry's office and library, riddled with shrapnel.
advertisementIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed mounting international calls for de-escalation, insisting Tel Aviv will pursue its military objectives. Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu suggested that regime change in Iran "could certainly be the result" of the ongoing conflict. He also alleged that Israeli intelligence had uncovered Iranian plans to transfer nuclear weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran's state TV aired harrowing scenes from downtown Tehran, showing men and women pulling bloodied, dust-covered children from the rubble of residential buildings struck by Israeli missiles. Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour claimed that 90% of the 224 people killed on Sunday were civilians.
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Early Sunday, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said at least six people — including a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl — were killed when a missile struck a high-rise apartment in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv. A local police commander told Associated Press that 180 others were wounded and seven remained missing.
Residents, dazed and dust-covered, picked through the rubble to salvage belongings as rescue teams combed through mangled steel and broken glass in search of more bodies.
Israel launched the offensive with a surprise strike on Friday, killing top Iranian military commanders and damaging nuclear facilities. Iran has vowed to "open the gates of hell" in retaliation. Iran has also reportedly threatened to target the US, the UK and French military bases and ships in the region if they attempted to block Iranian strikes on Israel, news agency Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump praised Israel's military offensive against Iran while denying Tehran's claims of direct American involvement. He warned Iran against expanding its retaliation to hit US targets.
However, two US officials confirmed to the Associated Press that American forces helped intercept Iranian missiles aimed at Israel during Friday's barrage.
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