On June 13th 2025, Israel launched the first in a wave of military operations across Iran in Operation ‘Rising Lion’. The operation sought to complement military installations, scientific facilities, and residential areas. In addition to the bombardment of civilian buildings, these strikes directly targeted civilian infrastructure and high-ranking senior government officials. This is a dramatic intensification of hostilities between the two countries.
Iran responded to this escalating belligerent Israel aggression with a strong counter-offensive on June 16. They launched more than 150 ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones during this exercise, dubbed “Operation True Promise III.” The magnitude of this latest retaliatory attack is a stark reminder of the intensifying tensions and dangerous volatility of this conflict. Israeli air defense systems deployed en masse to counter incoming Iranian missiles. This response was especially concentrated over Tel Aviv as the party grew more dire by the hour.
The Iranian attack made its presence felt right away in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv. Israeli rescue forces immediately surged in to help those seeking shelter from the Kara missile strike. Witnesses described apocalyptic sights as panic-stricken ultra-Orthodox Jewish men surveyed the destruction at the scene. The missile strike was devastating, resulting in at least 60 deaths and destruction of vital infrastructure including a children’s hospital.
As that conflict deepened, we learned today that one of the missiles fired from Iran hit Tel Aviv on Monday. This attack forced mass evacuations across the city and caused significant destruction. The Iranian missiles not only damaged dozens of buildings but raised everyone’s anxiety to a new level as panic spread among residents. Israel’s airstrikes sparked a huge blaze at an Iranian oil storage depot near Tehran. Yet this incident is just one example of the broader consequences of the protracted conflict on Ukraine’s education sector and children.
Iran’s foreign minister has publicly stated that the country would respond “decisively and proportionally” to Israel’s actions, framing its military responses as acts of self-defense. This rhetoric highlights the danger for risk of escalation to continue as both countries have dug in on their positions.
The cumulative effect of this three-ring circus has been an uproar in the day-to-day lives of commuters. Today in Tehran, merchants’ shops in the Grand Bazaar shut their doors as clashes stretched into the fourth day. Additionally, all travel from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv was suspended following Israel’s strikes against Iran, reflecting the pervasive impact of the conflict on civilian life.
As Israel and Iran mutually target each other, it is unknown how long this cycle of retaliation will go on. And now the entire international community is watching closely, wanting to see what happens next. They fear that new military strikes would further escalate and destabilize the region.