Iran strikes residential high-rises, energy infrastructure in Israel

UPI

7 hours ago

1 of 8 | Israelis look at cars damaged when an Iranian ballistic missile slammed into a residential building in Bat Yam on Sunday. At least seven people were killed and hundreds wounded while rescue workers search for missing under the rubble. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
June 15 (UPI) -- Israel and Iran traded strikes for a fourth day early Monday, damaging two high-rise residential buildings in central Israel, emergency officials said.
Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency aid organization, said at least three people died in the attacks on the buildings. At least 67 people were transported to local hospitals from four Iranian missile strikes, The Times of Israel reported.
Citing the Israel Electric Corporation, CNN reported that the strikes damaged the region's electricity grid.
"Teams are working on the ground to neutralize safety hazards, in particular the risk of electrocution due to torn electrical wires," the Israel Electric Corporation said in a statement.
"At the same time, work is being carried out to repair the infrastructure and restore the electricity supply.
Israel launched an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities Friday, killing nuclear scientists and researchers, and hampering the Islamic regime's plan to enrich uranium for ultimate use in a warhead. In the days since, the two countries have traded strikes on strategic positions.
CNN reported that video appears to show explosions and damage to buildings and infrastructure near an oil refinery in the Israeli city of Haifa on Monday.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the Iranian regime targeted U.S. President Donald Trump for his efforts to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons program and worked toward trying to assassinate him.
"They want to kill him," Netanyahu said during an appearance on Fox News' Special Report, "He's enemy number one. He's a decisive leader. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with them in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars."
Netanyahu said Trump has made it clear that the United States and its allies will thwart Iranian efforts at nuclear fuel enrichment and stand in the way of the country's move to develop a nuclear warhead.
"You cannot have a nuclear weapon, which means you cannot enrich uranium," Netanyahu said, reflecting on Trump's actions.
Israel's attacks Sunday focused on Tehran and comes as Iran has launched a series of retaliatory attacks on Israel. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Brig. Gen. Mohammad Kazemi, his deputy Hassan Mohaqiq and intelligence officer Mohsen Bagheri were killed in the strikes.
Iran has said at least 224 people have been killed in the back and forth attacks. More than a dozen Israelis have died.
The Israeli Civil Aviation Authority Sunday announced that it closed its airspace and airports.
The Iranian capital, Tehran, was targeted by multiple Israeli strikes on densely populated residential areas of the city Sunday after overnight rocket attacks against Israel killed at least 10 people and injured at least 385 others.
CNN reported the Sunday afternoon strikes in Tehran included three major intersections: Tajrish and Quds Square, Shariati Avenue and Valiasr Square.
Information on casualties and the extent of the damage was not immediately available.
Civilians attempting to flee Tehran created long lines at gas stations around the capital. Evacuees told CNN the roads leading north were gridlocked, making it difficult to leave the city.
Israeli emergency services organization Magen David Adom confirmed at least 10 people, including three children, were killed and at least 385 were injured when more than 200 rocket launches were reported overnight and 22 impact sites were identified.
Seven people, including a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, were killed in strikes targeting a residential building in Bat Yam, a suburb south of Tel Aviv.
Three people were reported dead in strikes the previous night.
"Think of what would happen if Iran had atomic weapons to drop on Israeli cities. Think of what could happen if Iran had 20,000 such missiles," Netanyahu said in a video message from the site of a rocket attack that killed four people.
Israeli military officials said Iran was hit with strikes on 80 targets overnight, with focus on facilities related to the country's nuclear program and fuel deposits near Tehran that support the country's military infrastructure.
Iranian state media reported blasts in several residential areas of Tehran early Sunday afternoon, but no information on the extent of the damage or potential casualties was released.
Trump told ABC News the United States is "not at this moment involved" in the conflict between Iran and Israel, but "it's possible we could get involved."
Trump also said he would not be opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin acting a mediator in the dispute.
"He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it," Trump said.
He earlier wrote in a post on Truth social that there will be "peace soon."
"Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make," Trump wrote.
Etihad Airways, based in the United Arab Emirates, announced all flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv have been suspended until June 22 amid the conflict.
Prompted by escalating tensions between Israel and Iran and the potential repercussions for the United States, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert for Iraqi locations frequented by American travelers in the region.
"We urge all citizens in Iraq to avoid locations frequented by foreigners and any large gatherings or crowds," the embassy said in a statement. "U.S. citizens should not travel to Iraq for any reason. The State Department has maintained a Level 4 Travel Advisory for the country.