DUBAI: The deadly conflict between Israel and Iran has entered its fourth day, with both sides widening their attacks. Iranian missiles have struck Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, destroying homes and fueling concerns among world leaders at this week’s G7 meeting that the conflict between the two regional enemies could lead to a broader Middle East war.
Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said that four people were pronounced dead after strikes at four sites in central Israel, with 87 injured.
The dead were two women and two men, all approximately 70 years old, the MDA said. Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv said that Iranian missiles had hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, blowing out windows and heavily damaging multiple apartments.
Search and location operations were under way in the northern port city of Haifa where about 30 people were wounded, emergency authorities said, as dozens of first responders rushed to the strike zones. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port, media reported.
Iranian state TV said the country fired at least 100 missiles at Israel, signalling that it had no intention of yielding to international calls for de-escalation as it pressed on with its retaliation for Israel’s surprise attack on Tehran’s nuclear programme and military leadership on Friday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the latest attack employed a new method that caused Israel’s multi-layered defence systems to target each other.
Israeli officials have repeatedly said the defence system is not 100% infallible and warned of tough days ahead.
Israel struck Iran’s state television station in the middle of a broadcast and has said it has destroyed about a third of Iran’s missile launchers.
Casualties are mounting. In Israel, 24 people have been killed since hostilities began. In Iran, 224 people have been killed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Netanyahu of attacking Iran to deliberately derail nuclear negotiations with the United States.
Separately, President Donald Trump does not intend to sign a joint statement calling for de-escalation drafted by G7 leaders in Canada.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today he believes Israel’s strikes on Iran have significantly set back its nuclear program. “I estimate we are sending them back a very, very long time. I can’t elaborate,” he said in a news conference.
Iran wants to talk about de-escalating hostilities with Israel, and should do so immediately “before it’s too late”, US President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit, former US President Donald Trump emphasised that Iran must return to negotiations under any circumstances. He remarked that “Iran is not winning this war,” and expressed hope that Iranian officials would seek dialogue to de-escalate tensions.
Iran’s state broadcaster appeared to be hit by an air strike mid-broadcast after Israel’s defence minister announced that the Islamic republic’s state television and radio was “about to disappear”.
A video posted to X by BBC correspondent Nafiseh Kohnavard showed what seemed to be a live broadcast cut short by an explosion that filled the studio with dust and falling plaster.
Israel’s military had earlier warned residents in a portion of Tehran’s northern District 3 – where the broadcaster is based – to evacuate “immediately”, saying it intended to carry out air strikes there.
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