Ongoing Israel-Iran Conflict Sees New Wave of Strikes

TEHRAN — The conflict between Israel and Iran has intensified for a third successive day as both nations exchanged missile and drone attacks, heightening global concerns and prompting urgent international appeals for calm and diplomacy.

On Sunday, Israel launched airstrikes on southern Iran, targeting the Sayran electronics facility in Shiraz, which is owned by the Iranian Ministry of Defense. Iranian state media reported that strikes also hit a Defense Ministry complex in Isfahan. The Israeli military warned residents near Iranian nuclear sites to evacuate.

In retaliation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out missile and drone attacks on Tel Aviv and surrounding areas, striking the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot and several locations in Bat Yam. The IRGC stated it used the Haj Qasem solid-fuel tactical guided missile to target Israeli energy infrastructure and jet fuel production facilities, threatening more severe attacks if Israel's actions persist.

Israeli police reported significant damage in Bat Yam, where a power outage and damage to 61 buildings were noted. Medical officials accounted for 14 fatalities and 245 injuries from Iranian strikes, with Magen David Adom indicating 100 injuries in central Israel and 37 in the Shafila region.

Israel's latest air raids targeted the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters and sites linked to Iran's nuclear weapons program, including the Organization for Defense Innovation and Research and fuel storage facilities. In a pivotal development, Israel attacked Iran's energy infrastructure for the first time, hitting the South Pars gas field in Bushehr Province—an essential natural gas production site. This act caused global market volatility with crude oil prices increasing by nearly 9% on Friday due to concerns over potential energy export disruptions.

The recent hostilities began on Friday with an Israeli airstrike campaign on Iranian nuclear and military sites, resulting in the deaths of senior Iranian figures, including Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami. Reports also suggest the killing of nine nuclear scientists and strikes on nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.

This continuous conflict overshadows the scheduled sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations in Muscat, Oman. Tehran declared such talks "meaningless" under the current circumstances and accused the United States of being complicit in the Israeli assaults—a claim Washington denies. — Agencies