'Tehran will burn', Israel warns after wave of missile fire
Israel's military said that its fighter jets were set to resume striking targets in Tehran, after announcing it had hit air defences in the Iranian capital area overnight.
Image: Atta Kenare / AFP.
Israel's defence minister warned Saturday that "Tehran will burn" and its residents pay dearly if Iran continues its missile strikes against Israeli civilians.
"The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they - especially the residents of Tehran - will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians," said Israel Katz.
"If (Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles toward the Israeli home front - Tehran will burn," the minister added.
The threat came as Israel and Iran exchanged fire a day after Israel unleashed strikes that Iran said hit its nuclear facilities, "martyred" top commanders and killed dozens of civilians.
Iran has hit back with waves of drone and missile strikes, with a barrage of dozens lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv overnight, killing three people and wounding dozens.
Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, with fears of a prolonged conflict engulfing the region.
Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran early Friday, only days before Iran and the United States had been due to hold a sixth round of talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.
The operation - dubbed "Rising Lion" - has since killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, among other senior generals.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had Tehran in its sights after strikes on dozens of missile launchers and air defences in the area around the Iranian capital.
"The way to Iran has been paved," the military's chief of staff and air force chief were quoted as saying in a statement.
The military "is proceeding according to its operational plans, and (Israeli air force) fighters jets are set to resume striking targets in Tehran," it added. 'Smoke, dust'
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in Israel's first wave of strikes on Friday.
Iran called on its citizens to unite in defence of the country as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them to rise up against their government.
Air raid sirens and explosions rang out across Israel through the night, with many residents holed up in bomb shelters until home defence commanders stood down alerts.
Israel said dozens of missiles - some intercepted - had been fired in the latest salvos from Iran, with AFP images of the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showing blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris.
Israeli rescuers said two people were killed and 19 wounded on Saturday by rocket fire on a residential area in the coastal plain.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked dozens of targets in Israel.
Israeli firefighters had worked for hours to free people trapped in a high-rise building in Tel Aviv on Friday.
Chen Gabizon, a resident, said he ran to an underground shelter after receiving an alert.
"After a few minutes, we just heard a very big explosion, everything was shaking, smoke, dust, everything was all over the place," he said.
Rescuers said 34 people were wounded in the Gush Dan area, including a woman who later died of her injuries, according to Israeli media reports.
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