Iran has launched a wave of missile strikes on Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn, killing at least eight civilians, wounding over 100 others, and levelling several residential buildings. The attack, part of a broader escalation following Israel’s surprise offensive on Friday, marked the deadliest Iranian strike on Israeli soil in recent years.
The latest barrage brought Israel’s civilian death toll to 23 since the conflict erupted, according to national emergency services. Iran’s health ministry said Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed at least 224 people, 90% of them civilians, since Friday.
In Tel Aviv, missiles slammed into densely populated neighbourhoods, shattering homes just hundreds of metres from the US Embassy branch. Several residential blocks were destroyed and windows blown out in surrounding hotels and apartments. Fires broke out near a power station in Haifa, where search-and-rescue teams were working through the debris to assist around 30 wounded.
“I was in my apartment when the alerts came in shortly after 4 a.m.,” said Guydo Tetelbaun, a 31-year-old chef in Tel Aviv. “As usual, we went into the shelter right across the street. Within minutes, the door blew in. A couple of people came in bloody, all cut up. And when we returned to the apartment after it quietened down, there wasn’t much left… walls caved in, no more glass.”
Another missile hit near Shuk HaCarmel, a popular market, while others struck a residential street in Petah Tikva and a school in Bnei Brak, underscoring the breadth of the assault.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed to have used a “new method” to confuse Israel’s multi-layered defence systems, which they said targeted each other, enabling Tehran’s missiles to breach defences and strike targets. Israeli officials did not comment directly but have long acknowledged their systems are not foolproof.
Defence Minister Israel Katz blamed the Iranian regime for targeting civilians. “The arrogant dictator of Tehran has become a cowardly murderer who targets the civilian home front in Israel to deter the IDF from continuing the attack that is collapsing his capabilities,” he said. “The residents of Tehran will pay the price — and soon.”
The Israeli Defence Forces said it had launched new strikes early Monday targeting Iranian Revolutionary Guard and military command centres. The campaign began Friday when Israel wiped out much of Iran’s top military leadership and hit nuclear facilities in a surprise assault.
At the G7 summit in Canada, where the crisis dominated the agenda, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for diplomacy and restraint. “My goals include ensuring Iran does not develop or possess nuclear weapons, upholding Israel’s right to self-defence, and preventing further escalation,” Merz said. “This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit.”
US President Donald Trump expressed cautious optimism. “I hope there’s going to be a deal. I think it’s time for a deal,” he told reporters on Sunday. “Sometimes they have to fight it out.”
However, the US role in the conflict came under scrutiny after two American officials told Reuters that Trump had recently vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When asked about the report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “There are so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that. We do what we need to do.”
Trump has backed Israel’s military operation but denied Iran’s claims of direct US involvement. He warned Tehran not to expand its retaliation to US interests. Two American officials said the US military had assisted in intercepting Iranian missiles heading towards Israel.
Oil prices ticked up, with Brent crude futures rising 0.5% in Asian trade Monday after last week’s surge. Yet financial markets remained largely steady. “It’s more of an oil story than an equity story at this point,” said Jim Carroll, senior wealth adviser at Ballast Rock Private Wealth. “Stocks right now seem to be hanging on.”
Iran has vowed to “open the gates of hell” in response to Israel’s offensive. But on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to temper fears over nuclear escalation, telling parliament: “We have no intention of building nuclear weapons. But we will pursue our right to nuclear energy and scientific research.”
Boluwatife Enome
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