Iran launches more missiles as Israel targets Tehran

RTÉ News​

11 hours ago

Iran launched a new wave of missiles at Israel, wounding several people in residential buildings, while Israel said it was striking Iranian targets.
The fresh attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit "every target of the ayatollah regime", and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned further strikes would draw "a more severe and powerful response".
As calls for de-escalation grew, a new round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran were cancelled, with Iran saying it could not negotiate while under attack from Israel.
Israel's operation, which began early Friday, has targeted Iran's air defences and hit key nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people including top army commanders and atomic scientists, according to Iranian officials.
Israel said it was simultaneously working to intercept a new salvo of missiles fired from Iran, while also carrying out strikes on "military targets in Tehran".
Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that an Israeli strike had targeted the country's defence ministry headquarters in Tehran and damaged one of its buildings. The ministry did not comment.
Iran, meanwhile, announced a "new wave" of attacks targeting Israel.
Israel's emergency services said an Iranian missile hit a home in the Haifa region, leaving 14 people injured, including one in critical condition.
Israeli strikes meanwhile hit two fuel depots in Tehran, the Iranian oil ministry said.
According to the oil ministry, the oil depots at Shahran northwest of Tehran and another reservoir south of the city were hit.
'Every site, every target'
Iran's UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday's first wave of Israeli strikes.
Israel said three people were killed and 76 wounded by Iran's drone and missile barrage the night before.
Mr Netanyahu has vowed to keep up Israel's campaign.
"We will hit every site, every target of the ayatollah regime," he said in a video statement, threatening greater action "in the coming days".
The Israeli leader added that their campaign had dealt a "real blow" to Iran's nuclear programme and maintained it had the "clear support" of US President Donald Trump.
Mr Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in a phone call that the conflict between Iran and Israel "should end".
Mr Pezeshkian said meanwhile that "the continuation of the Zionist aggression will be met with a more severe and powerful response from the Iranian armed forces".
According to a statement from his office, Mr Pezeshkian also condemned the US for their "dishonesty" for supporting Israel while engaged in nuclear talks with Iran.
Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it denies.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the Israeli attacks undermined negotiations and were pushing the region into a "dangerous cycle of violence".
Foreign concern
After decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time the arch-enemies have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a prolonged conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
Highlighting the unease, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a "devastating war" with regional consequences, in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkey said.
Israeli strikes have hit Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant and killed its highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, as well as the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami.
The Israeli military said its strikes had killed more than 20 Iranian commanders.
Iranian media reported five Guards killed in Israeli strikes, while authorities in one northwestern province said 30 military personnel had been killed there since Friday.
Iran's Red Crescent said an ambulance was hit yesterday in Urmia city, killing two.
Iran called on its citizens to unite in the country's defence, while Netanyahu urged them to rise up against against the government.
Iran's Mehr news agency said Iran had warned Britain, France and the United States it could retaliate if they came to Israel's defence.
'Everything was shaking'
AFP images from the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showed blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris after Iran's first wave of attacks.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had struck dozens of targets in Israel. One Iranian missile wounded seven Israeli soldiers, the military said.
In Tehran, fire and heavy smoke billowed over Mehrabad airport, an AFP journalist said.
The Israeli army said it had struck an underground military facility in western Iran's Khorramabad that contained surface-to-surface and cruise missiles.
Iranian media also reported a "massive explosion" following an Israeli drone strike on an oil refinery in the southern city of Kangan.
The attacks prompted several countries to temporarily ground air traffic, with Jordan again shutting its airspace last night after it had briefly reopened it.