ISRAEL has launched new air strikes targeting Iran and expanded its assault to include attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
The move came after Hezbollah said it launched a new wave of missiles that “opened the great gates of fire” on Israel, claiming retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Israel said on Monday that it was attacking sites connected to Lebanon’s Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah militants, one of Tehran’s principal allies in the Middle East.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported at least 31 people killed and 149 wounded in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern Beirut, as Israel said it was targeting senior militants and strategic infrastructure tied to the group, one of Tehran’s most powerful regional proxies.
According to Reuters, explosions rocked Tehran and other Iranian cities as strike in Sanandaj around western Kurdistan province reportedly killed at least three people.
Israeli officials claimed their air force had established aerial superiority over Tehran, targeting intelligence hubs, military command centres and security facilities in sustained waves.
Iran responded with a new barrage of missiles. Sirens blared across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, shortly after 7:00 a.m. Iranian state media said missiles were launched from central Iran toward “enemy locations.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps declared it had struck the Israeli government complex in Tel Aviv, as well as military and security sites in Haifa and East Jerusalem, vowing that the attacks would expand and that Israeli air raid sirens “would never stop.”
The ICIR reported that American forces launched “major combat operations” against Iran and the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed dead hours after the attacks.
The US President Donald Trump said the joint US-Israeli offensive could last at least four weeks, as a senior White House official confirmed “Operation Epic Fury” would continue despite signals from new Iranian leadership figures suggesting a willingness to talk.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.