Israeli defence minister warns ‘Tehran will burn' if missile attacks continue

Middle East Eye

14 hours ago

Tehran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel into Saturday morning, as the Israeli army declared Iran its primary war front a day after launching its biggest-ever air offensive against the Islamic Republic.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that "Tehran will burn" if it keeps firing missiles at Israeli civilians.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel, sending residents rushing into shelters as Iran launched five successive waves of missiles into the centre and north of the country. Israel said it had intercepted most of the missiles; however, the attacks caused extensive damage and killed at least three people.
"The Iranian dictator is taking the citizens of Iran hostage, bringing about a reality in which they, and especially Tehran's residents, will pay a heavy price for the flagrant harm inflicted upon Israel's citizens. If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," Katz said in a statement.
One woman was killed in the city of Ramat Gan, where nine buildings were also destroyed and hundreds of apartments in the area were damaged, according to Israeli media. Two other people were killed when an Iranian missile also struck near a home in the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
In Tel Aviv, a 32-storey building was hit and caught fire, according to the Haaretz newspaper, while other areas suffered extensive damage.
Israel's paramedic services said more than 70 people in total were wounded in the Iranian attack on central Israel, including 34 in the Tel Aviv area.
Meanwhile, Israel targeted Iran's air defences and missile launchers on Saturday as it pressed ahead with its assault on Iran's military and nuclear capabilities. Iranian state TV reported that two senior Iranian generals - Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy head of intelligence of the armed forces general staff, and Mehdi Rabbani, deputy head of operations - were killed in Israeli strikes.
On Friday, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said that 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of Israeli strikes. Iranian state TV reported on Saturday that an Israeli strike on a residential complex in Tehran killed at least 60 people, including 20 children.
Exclusive: US quietly sent hundreds of Hellfire missiles to Israel before Iran attack Read More »
Citing senior Iranian military officials, Iran's Fars News Agency reported that strikes against Israel will continue, with targets expected to expand to include US bases in the region in the coming days.
"This confrontation will not end with last night's limited actions and Iran's strikes will continue, and this action will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors," Fars reported.
The Israeli army said on Saturday that Gaza has become a secondary front in the war and that the army's primary focus has now shifted to Iran. Israeli military sources, quoted by Haaretz, said that the Israeli air force has struck around 150 targets inside Iran.
The military has admitted for the first time that it attacked, but did not destroy, the nuclear site in Fordow, south of Tehran, in Qom province.
The Israeli army's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said Israel's overnight strikes took out Iran's air defence system, allowing its forces to now operate freely over Iranian airspace.