Israel targets Iran’s Defense Ministry headquarters as Tehran unleashes deadly missile strike
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel intensified its offensive against Iran on Sunday, striking key targets including the country’s energy sector and the Defense Ministry headquarters. In response, Tehran launched a new wave of deadly attacks. These simultaneous assaults mark the latest escalation following Israel’s surprise strike two days ago, which aimed to cripple Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Explosions echoed across Tehran as Iranian missiles soared into Israeli airspace, striking multiple locations. Israeli emergency officials reported fatalities nationwide, including four people killed in an apartment building in the Galilee region. In central Israel, a strike claimed the lives of an 80-year-old woman, a 69-year-old woman, and a 10-year-old boy.
Casualty numbers in Iran remain unclear after Israel targeted Tehran’s Defense Ministry headquarters and sites allegedly linked to its nuclear program. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed its missiles struck fuel production facilities used for Israeli fighter jets—an assertion Israel has not confirmed.
The ongoing hostilities have led to the cancellation of planned nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, casting uncertainty over prospects for a ceasefire.
As explosions rang out near midnight, both Israel’s military and Iranian state television confirmed the latest barrage of Iranian missile attacks, coinciding with a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet.
Amid ongoing Israeli strikes across Iran, Tehran’s remaining leadership faces a challenging choice: escalate the conflict further against Israel’s superior military strength or pursue diplomatic avenues to de-escalate tensions.
Urgent calls to deescalate
World leaders issued urgent appeals to deescalate tensions and prevent a full-scale war. China’s foreign minister warned that the attack on nuclear sites set a “dangerous precedent.” The region remains highly volatile as Israel intensifies its campaign against the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas in Gaza, following 20 months of ongoing conflict.
Israel — widely regarded as the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East — reported that its hundreds of strikes on Iran over the past two days have killed several top generals and nine senior scientists involved in Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran’s U.N. ambassador has stated that 78 people have died and more than 320 have been wounded.
U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have consistently maintained that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon prior to Israel’s recent airstrike campaign, which began Friday. However, Iran’s uranium enrichment has approached near weapons-grade levels, and on Thursday, the U.N. atomic watchdog censured Tehran for failing to comply with safeguards designed to prevent nuclear weapons development.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has prioritized dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities, warned that the strikes so far are “nothing compared to what they will feel under the sway of our forces in the coming days.”
In a potential escalation, semi-official Iranian news agencies reported that an Israeli drone caused a “strong explosion” at a natural gas processing plant in Iran — marking the first reported Israeli strike on the country’s oil and gas infrastructure. Israel’s military has yet to comment.
The extent of damage to the South Pars natural gas field remains unclear. Such facilities are typically protected by air defense systems, which Israel has targeted in its campaign.
Iran calls nuclear talks ‘unjustifiable’
The sixth round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks on Sunday regarding Iran’s nuclear program has been canceled, Oman—the mediator—announced. “We remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon,” said a senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously to discuss diplomatic matters.
Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, called the negotiations “unjustifiable” following Israel’s recent strikes. His remarks came during a phone call with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s chief diplomat.
Araghchi accused Washington of directly supporting the Israeli airstrikes, according to a statement from Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. The U.S. has denied involvement in the attacks.
Separately, on Friday, then-President Donald Trump urged Iran to reach a nuclear deal with the U.S., warning, “Iran must make a deal before there is nothing left.”
US helps to shoot down Iranian missiles
Iran launched its initial missile attacks on Israel late Friday and into early Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring 174, including two in serious condition, according to Israeli authorities. The military reported that seven soldiers sustained minor injuries when a missile struck central Israel, though the exact location was not specified.
A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, said American ground-based air defense systems in the region were assisting in intercepting Iranian missiles.
Israel’s main international airport remains closed until further notice.
First responders continued searching for survivors and clearing debris from a missile that struck a neighborhood outside Tel Aviv early Sunday morning.
An Associated Press reporter on the scene described streets filled with damaged and destroyed buildings, burnt-out cars, and shattered glass.
In some hard-to-reach areas, rescue teams deployed drones to locate survivors. Meanwhile, residents were seen fleeing with their belongings packed in suitcases.
‘More than a few weeks’ to repair nuclear facilities
Israel struck Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, with satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press revealing extensive damage. Photos taken Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed, including structures identified by experts as supplying power to the site.
U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi informed the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. While the main underground centrifuge hall appeared untouched, the power loss could have compromised infrastructure there.
Israel also reported hitting a nuclear research facility in Isfahan, targeting “infrastructure for enriched uranium conversion.” Additionally, Israel said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike on Isfahan.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that four “critical buildings” at the Isfahan site, including the uranium conversion facility, were damaged. It added, “As in Natanz, no increase in off-site radiation is expected.”
An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously according to protocol, said initial assessments indicate it will take Iran “much more than a few weeks” to repair the damage at Natanz and Isfahan. The official added that the military had “concrete intelligence” that Isfahan’s production was for military purposes.
Israel denied targeting the nuclear enrichment facility at Fordo, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Tehran.
Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders: General Mohammad Bagheri, who oversaw the entire armed forces; General Hossein Salami, commander of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard; and General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guard’s aerospace division responsible for its ballistic missile program. On Saturday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei appointed General Majid Mousavi as the new head of the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division.
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