Israeli Military: Airstrikes on Iranian Targets Continue Amid Escalating Cross-Border Assaults
Israel-Iran conflict escalates as both exchange missile strikes. Israel hits Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran retaliates with rockets targeting Tel Aviv & Jerusalem. UN convenes emergency meeting amid rising tensions.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Israeli military announced on Saturday that its air force continues to strike targets inside Iran, marking a dangerous escalation in the ongoing confrontation between the two countries.
The statement came as both Israel and Iran exchanged heavy missile and airstrikes in the early hours of Saturday, following what Israel described as its largest military assault yet on Iranian territory—a move aimed at disrupting Tehran’s alleged efforts to produce nuclear weapons.
“In the last hour, dozens of rockets were fired at the State of Israel from Iran, some of which were intercepted,” the Israeli military said, confirming that air defense systems were actively engaged and that emergency crews had been dispatched to impacted sites across the country.
Air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, forcing residents to seek shelter, as successive waves of Iranian missiles lit up the night sky. Israeli sources reported three fatalities and more than 80 injuries in the attacks, including several individuals trapped under rubble in central Israel after a missile struck near residential homes.
Iran's Expanding Offensive
According to Iranian media, Tehran launched a six waves of air raids early Saturday in response to Israeli strikes a day earlier that targeted senior military commanders, nuclear scientists, and strategic nuclear facilities.
The semi-official Fars News Agency reported that two missiles struck Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, near key Iranian military command centers and an airbase housing fighter jets and transport aircraft. Fires reportedly broke out at the site.
Additional explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, with the Tasnim News Agency confirming blasts across Tehran. Israeli media also reported that missiles hit Tel Aviv, while a powerful explosion was heard in Jerusalem according to Reuters.
Escalating War of Words
As the conflict deepened, a senior Iranian official told CNN that Tehran would intensify its attacks on Israel and warned that “regional bases of any country defending Israel will also be targeted.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council that intelligence indicated Iran was just days away from producing sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear bombs.
“We waited for diplomacy to succeed, but Iran only offered false concessions or rejected basic conditions,” Danon said, defending Israel’s actions as necessary to preserve its national identity.
He added that Iran had enriched uranium to 60% without justification and had established a large-scale missile industry, saying: “Israel is taking its measures before it is too late.”
International Response
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session on Friday at Iran’s request, supported by Russia and China, to address the intensifying crisis. France’s President Emmanuel Macron stated that while Paris would not take part in strikes against Iran, it would defend Israel if attacked.
Iran has denied that its uranium enrichment program is part of a covert weapons initiative, insisting that its nuclear activities are peaceful. However, the rapid succession of military actions and growing civilian casualties signal a widening conflict with potential for further regional destabilization.
