Israel and Iran trade deadly strikes for third straight day

Saudi Gazette

10 hours ago

TEHRAN — For the third consecutive day, Israel and Iran exchanged missile and drone strikes, escalating a conflict that has raised international concerns and prompted urgent calls for restraint and a return to diplomatic dialogue.
On Sunday, the Israeli military launched new airstrikes on southern Iran, targeting an electronics facility known as Sayran in Shiraz, which is owned by the Ministry of Defense.
According to Iranian state media, strikes also hit a Defense Ministry complex in Isfahan.
The Israeli army issued warnings to residents living near Iranian nuclear sites to evacuate.
In retaliation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out fresh missile and drone attacks on Tel Aviv and surrounding areas, including direct hits on the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot and several locations in Bat Yam.
The IRGC said it deployed the Haj Qasem solid-fuel tactical guided missile in its strikes and claimed to have hit Israeli energy infrastructure and jet fuel production facilities.
The Revolutionary Guards warned that future attacks 'will be more severe' if Israel's aggression continues.
Israeli police confirmed widespread damage in Bat Yam, where a power outage was reported and 61 buildings were damaged, according to the city's mayor.
Medical officials said 14 people were killed and 245 others injured in Iranian missile attacks. Magen David Adom reported that 100 people were injured in central Israel and 37 in the Shafila region.
The Israeli military said its latest air raids, conducted at around 2:40 a.m. local time Sunday (23:40 GMT Saturday), targeted the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters and sites associated with the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Among the targets were the Organization for Defense Innovation and Research and fuel storage depots.
In a significant escalation, Israel also struck Iran's energy infrastructure for the first time, bombing the South Pars gas field in Bushehr Province — the country's largest natural gas production site.
The attack triggered global market volatility, with crude oil prices surging nearly 9% on Friday amid fears of disruptions to energy exports.
The military confrontation erupted on Friday with an Israeli air campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, resulting in the assassination of top Iranian figures including Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami.
Israel also reportedly killed nine nuclear scientists and struck nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
The ongoing conflict has cast a shadow over the sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, which were set to begin Sunday in Muscat, Oman.
Tehran has since declared the talks 'meaningless' under current circumstances and accused the United States of complicity in the Israeli attacks — a charge Washington denies. — Agencies