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Highlights:
- Nuclear discussions scheduled for Sunday in Oman are cancelled.
- A missile strike hits residential buildings in Bat Yam, Israel, with 35 people reported missing.
- An Israeli airstrike targets the South Pars gas field in Iran.
Tensions Escalate in Israel and Iran
TEL AVIV/DUBAI: Hostilities between Israel and Iran intensified overnight, prompting a strong response from U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated that the ongoing conflict could be resolved swiftly but cautioned Iran against targeting U.S. interests.
Israeli rescue teams searched the debris of buildings devastated by strikes, using flashlights and search dogs to find survivors. At least seven individuals were confirmed dead, including children, officials reported.
Iran has called off nuclear negotiations that were considered crucial by Washington to de-escalate the conflict following Israel’s bombardments. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the current assaults represent only a fraction of Israel’s potential military actions in the coming days.
Trump, via a message on Truth Social, declared, “If Iran attacks us in any way, the full might of the U.S. Armed Forces will strike back with unprecedented strength. However, a deal can easily be reached between Iran and Israel to end this bloody conflict.” He did not elaborate on what such an agreement might involve.
Reports from Iran indicate that at least 78 people were killed during the first day of the Israeli attacks, with scores more fatalities on subsequent days. This includes a tragic incident where a missile destroyed a 14-story apartment complex in Tehran, resulting in the death of 29 children.
In retaliation, Iran claimed that the Shahran oil depot was targeted by Israeli airstrikes, although they asserted that the situation was manageable. An Israeli missile attack on an oil refinery near Tehran caused a fire, while further strikes hit Iran’s defense ministry, inflicting minor damage, according to reports from the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The latest round of Iranian attacks on Israel began shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday, with air raid sirens sounding in Jerusalem and Haifa, forcing around a million residents into bomb shelters. By approximately 2:30 a.m. local time, the Israeli military warned of another missile barrage, urging citizens to remain sheltered. Explosions could be heard throughout Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as interceptors were launched in response.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis announced on Sunday that they had targeted Jaffa, a city in central Israel, with multiple ballistic missiles for the first time.
Israel’s ambulance services confirmed that at least seven individuals were killed overnight, among them a 10-year-old boy, a young girl, and a woman in her twenties, with injuries totaling over 140 from various attacks.
Israeli media stated that at least 35 people were missing after a missile hit an eight-story building in Bat Yam, a city located south of Tel Aviv. Although many were rescued, there were fatalities reported. The extent of damage to other buildings overnight remains unclear.
To date, at least ten people in Israel have been killed and over 300 injured since the onset of Iranian retaliatory actions on Friday.
The scheduled U.S.-Iran nuclear talks set for Sunday in Oman have been cancelled, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attributing this to the ongoing "barbarous" Israeli strikes.
Attack on the Gas Field
In a noteworthy escalation, the Tasnim news agency reported that Iran has partially halted production at the South Pars gas field, the world’s largest, after it sustained fire damage from an Israeli strike on Saturday. This gas field, located offshore in Iran’s southern Bushehr province, is the primary source of Iran’s gas output.
An increase in oil prices of 9% on Friday was sparked by concerns over potential disruptions in regional oil exports, even though Israel avoided targeting Iran’s oil and gas sectors in the initial phases of its attack.
Iranian General Esmail Kosari mentioned that Tehran is reviewing the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for tanker traffic in the Gulf.
As Israel’s military operations are expected to last several weeks, Netanyahu is calling on the Iranian populace to rise against their clerical leadership, raising fears of a broader conflict involving regional powers.
Tehran has warned that its military bases in the region could be targeted if they assist in repelling Iranian missiles.
After 20 months of war in Gaza and a previous conflict in Lebanon, Iran’s influential regional allies, notably Hamas and Hezbollah, have been significantly weakened, limiting Iran’s options for retaliation.
Israel perceives Iran’s nuclear ambitions as an existential threat, asserting that the current offensive aims to thwart Iran’s final steps toward acquiring nuclear weapon capabilities. Iran contends that its nuclear program is entirely for civilian purposes and denies any intention of developing atomic weapons. However, the UN nuclear watchdog recently reported that Iran is not complying with international non-proliferation treaty obligations.
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