Eight dead as missiles rain down on Tel Aviv and Haifa, while Iran warns of more attacks
Iran launched a predawn barrage of missiles at the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa on Monday, leaving eight people dead in the fourth day of open warfare between the countries.
Video showed several missiles over Tel Aviv along with explosions, while blasts could also be heard in Jerusalem. Several residential buildings in a densely populated Tel Aviv neighbourhood were destroyed.
In the coastal city of Haifa, search and rescue operations were under way after a missile attack. British maritime security firm Ambrey said there were fires at a power plant. It said it had seen footage of the Israeli military intercepting a projectile, followed by the impact of two hypersonic missiles.
Eight people had been killed in the salvo against the two cities, with 92 injured, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said.
One missile landed near a branch of the US diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv, causing minor damage, the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on X. The consulate would remain closed on Monday, he added. There were no injuries from the strike.
Iran vowed to follow up with more attacks. "Effective, targeted and more devastating operations against the vital targets" in Israel "will continue until its complete destruction", Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement carried by official news agency Irna.
Several projectiles struck near Shuk HaCarmel, a popular market in Tel Aviv that typically draws large crowds to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. A residential street in the nearby city of Petah Tikva and a school in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish city of Bnei Brak were also hit.
The IRGC said its strikes were a new method of attack that caused Israel's multilayered defence systems to target each other. "The initiatives and capabilities used in this operation, despite the comprehensive support of the United States and western powers and the possession of the most up-to-date and newest defence technology, led to the successful and maximum hitting of the missiles on the targets," it said.
Israeli officials have repeatedly said the country's air defence systems are not 100 per cent reliable and have warned of tough days ahead.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that residents of Tehran would "pay the price, and soon", for the strikes.
Israel, meanwhile, said it hit command centres in Tehran belonging to the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the IRGC.
The death toll in Iran has reached at least 224 since Israel's military launched a surprise attack on Friday against nuclear and military sites. Israel says it is acting to prevent Iran from advancing a nuclear weapons programme, something Tehran says it has no intention of doing.
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