Israel, Iran trade deadly blows for third day, death toll rises over 200

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates. Israel and Iran continued to exchange heavy strikes for a third consecutive day on Sunday, killing hundreds and threatening more attacks as regional tensions escalated.

Israel claimed it was operating almost unchallenged in Iranian airspace and had targeted high-ranking military officials. Meanwhile, Iran confirmed that some of its missile barrages had breached Israeli air defenses, with both sides vowing further retaliation.

According to Iran’s Health Ministry, 224 people have been killed since the strikes began Friday, with 1,277 more injured. Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said over 90 percent of the casualties were civilians.

Among the latest Iranian fatalities were intelligence chief Gen. Mohammad Kazemi and two other generals from the Revolutionary Guard, which oversees Iran’s ballistic missile program, state TV reported. Israeli strikes have also reportedly killed several nuclear scientists.

Iran accused Israel of attacking two oil refineries, signaling a possible expansion of hostilities into Iran’s energy infrastructure, which could disrupt global markets. Israel has warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories and hinted at more widespread military operations.

The Israeli military reported 14 deaths and 390 injuries on its side since Friday. Iran has launched more than 270 missiles at Israel, 22 of which penetrated its advanced air defense systems, according to Israeli authorities. Explosions were reported in both Tehran and Israeli cities, including Haifa and Rehovot. Sirens blared across both countries, and Israel’s main international airport remained closed for a third day.

The violence prompted the U.S. to step in diplomatically. A senior U.S. official told the Associated Press that President Donald Trump had recently vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This move could have triggered a broader regional war.

Trump publicly denied U.S. involvement in the strikes and warned Iran that any retaliatory action would prompt an American response “at levels never seen before.” He also urged Tehran to return to nuclear negotiations to prevent further devastation.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said retaliatory attacks would stop only if Israel halted its airstrikes. President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that future responses would be “more decisive and severe,” while also blaming U.S. support for Israel. Iran said Israeli strikes hit its Foreign Ministry building and a Defense Ministry complex, damaging military and nuclear-related sites.

Israel said it struck numerous locations involved in missile and air defense production across Iran, including the country’s far northeast, where a refueling aircraft in Mashhad was reportedly targeted. Footage verified by the AP showed smoke rising from the city.

In Iran, air raid shelters were opened in metro stations and mosques across cities. Meanwhile, Israeli cities suffered direct hits. In Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, a missile strike killed at least six people, including two children, and injured 180 others. Another attack in Tamra killed four, including a 13-year-old, and wounded 24. In Rehovot, 42 were injured, and the Weizmann Institute of Science confirmed several of its buildings were struck.

A refinery in Haifa also sustained damage, though no injuries were reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed global calls for de-escalation, saying in a Fox News interview that regime change in Iran “could certainly be the result” of the conflict. He further alleged, without evidence, that Iran intended to supply nuclear weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and the U.S. and other intelligence assessments indicate Tehran has not pursued a weapon since 2003. However, recent uranium enrichment has brought Iran closer to weapons-grade levels.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, issued a rare formal rebuke to Iran last week. Satellite images analyzed by the AP revealed significant damage to Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, including buildings that supply power to the centrifuges. Four “critical buildings” at the Isfahan nuclear site were also damaged, though the IAEA said there was no detectable radiation leak.

An Israeli military official said that restoring the Natanz and Isfahan sites would take “many months, maybe more.”

The ongoing conflict also affects the broader Middle East, where Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza, an Iranian-backed group responsible for the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

As the possibility of wider war looms, diplomatic channels remain strained, and nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. are stalled.