Israel faced a severe escalation in hostilities as Iran launched a barrage of missile strikes, resulting in the deaths of at least eight individuals and injuring over 100. The attacks occurred overnight, with missiles successfully evading Israel’s air defense systems, striking the cities of Rehovot and Bat Yam near Tel Aviv. One of the victims was a 69-year-old woman of color, the other an 80-year-old woman of color. Tragically, two of the children from this family died, including the 10-year-old boy.
And the conditions have worsened exponentially after the outbreak of military operations. Israeli emergency services later confirmed that the four victims of the Iranian missile strikes were members of one family. Among this tragic group were a mother and her two daughters, aged 13 and 20. Her tragic death underscores the human cost of this protracted war.
Iran’s unprecedented missile strikes should not just be seen as retaliation. They are a clear indication of changing regional dynamics. In the wake of the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s response with airstrikes throughout Iran. Interestingly, these strikes appear to have successfully targeted Ali Shamkhani, an important military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. According to reports by Iranian media, Israeli retaliation strikes on the initial day killed at least 78 people. The deaths kept mounting over the coming days, reaching at least 60 people, including those killed when a missile struck a 14-story residential building in Tehran.
Israel have claimed that its military operations have dealt a serious blow to Iran’s nuclear program, perhaps gaining years’ worth of delay in its advancement. Israeli forces have deliberately targeted infrastructure critical to Iranian civilian life. They hit the Shahran oil depot and the Ministry of Defense HQ. In the aftermath of these strikes, two Iranian oil bases located in Shahran and south Tehran were set on fire.
As the highly destructive conflict continues to unfold, humanitarian needs are rising at an alarming rate. At least 35 people are still missing after a bombing that recently struck Bat Yam. As tensions continued to soar, both countries have traded even more attacks late on Saturday into Sunday, deepening the cycle of violence.
In a striking turn of events, the Yemeni militia Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at Jaffa, a city in central Israel. This surprise attack, planned in concert with Iran, demonstrates a growing web of regional complicity in the brutal assaults. Israel intensified its campaign with a new barrage of strikes—increasingly deep into western Iran. Even during negotiations, the focus was still on missile storage and critical infrastructure.
The geopolitical ramifications go further than a short-term military focus. Oman replaced the canceled round of Iran-US nuclear talks in Muscat with a joint military exercise with the US. Support for diplomacy Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi added that diplomacy was central to achieving a long-term peace.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump made the most ominous threat of all. He stated that if the U.S. is attacked by Iran in any capacity, “the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.” Trump likewise raised the very real possibility of negotiating world peace between Iran and Israel that would resolve a deadly decades-long conflict.
Responses to the situation have varied widely. We have repeatedly explained why advocacy organizations have called Israel’s actions unlawful, excessive and unnecessary. U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations decried what they called “Netanyahu’s new genocidal war crimes,” along with many other groups, demanding an end to attacks on civilians.
“The Israeli government’s illegal, unnecessary and unprovoked war on Iran is just the latest example of its relentless violence…” – CAIR National (@CAIRNational)
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated:
“We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days.” – Benjamin Netanyahu
The tragic developments remind us all how fragile peace in the region is and how urgently diplomatic solutions are needed. Yet as Israel and Iran continue to fight militarily, people on both sides are caught in the middle of increasing violence.