Iran fired more missiles into Israel in the early hours of Monday, with emergency services reporting at least five people killed and 87 wounded, as the conflict shows no sign of abating.
Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said in a June 16 statement posted on the social media platform X that two women and two men, all in their 70s, were killed along with another person in missile attacks that struck four sites in central Israel.
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on X there was some minor damage to the consulate in Tel Aviv after an Iranian missile strike nearby.
Huckabee later clarified on X, “There were NO INJURIES to US Personnel at US Embassy Branch–the minor damage to property were from the shock waves (i.e. ”concussions“) from the nearby blast. Not human concussions.”
The ambassador encouraged the 700,000 Americans living in Israel to monitor the U.S. embassy website for advice on travel and safety.
Tehran said it had launched around 100 missiles, and said it would continue to retaliate after Israeli air attacks and drone strikes hit Iran.
On Sunday night and into Monday morning, Iranian missiles hit Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva, triggering a massive response from Israel’s air defense umbrella, which includes the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and The Arrow.
Shortly before dawn, Tel Aviv was rocked by several explosions, which may have been air defense systems intercepting incoming missiles.
The Israeli authorities said Iranian missiles had hit a residential building in Petah Tikva, shattering windows and damaging the walls of the apartment block.
Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne, speaking outside the apartment block in Petah Tikva, said, “We clearly see that our civilians are being targeted. And this is just one scene. We have other sites like this near the coast, in the south.”
The Iranian Ministry of Health claims at least 224 people have been killed in the country since Friday, including the commander of the Iranian Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami.
The Israeli military said on Monday that its fighter jets struck command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran’s state-owned news agency said on Monday that the IRGC held a press conference in which it announced the head of its intelligence organization, Mohammad Kazemi, had been killed along with two colleagues, Hassan Mohaqeq and Mohsen Baqeri, during Israeli airstrikes on Sunday.
The IRGC said its aerospace force was targeting intelligence centers in Israel.
Israel Claims ‘Full Air Supremacy’ Over Iran
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, said Israel had destroyed 120 Iranian surface-to-surface missile launchers that had been firing at Israel.
“Now we can say that we have achieved full air supremacy in the Tehran airspace.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X: “The arrogant dictator of Tehran has become a cowardly murderer who targets the civilian home front in Israel to deter the IDF from continuing the attack that is collapsing his capabilities. The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon.”
Katz later clarified his remarks on X, saying, “I wish to clarify the obvious: there is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the murderous dictator does to the residents of Israel.”
He said residents should evacuate their homes if they live near “regime targets and security infrastructure” in Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, in a statement on Monday, “Over the past two days, we have received messages through various channels claiming the U.S. had no involvement in the attack. But we do not believe this claim and have evidence to the contrary.”
Araghchi said, “If the U.S. truly holds this position, it should publicly and explicitly state its stance. Private messages are insufficient. To demonstrate goodwill, the U.S. must condemn the attack on nuclear facilities and clearly distance itself from this conflict.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the attack on Iran, a few hours after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board of governors passed a resolution on June 12 declaring Iran noncompliant and in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).
Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the Iranian parliament, the Majlis, was preparing to vote on a bill to leave the NPT, but Baghaei insisted Tehran was still opposed to developing nuclear weapons.
World leaders are arriving in Kananaskis, Canada, for the G7 summit, and Germany’s Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the Israel-Iran issue would be “very high” on their agenda.
Before leaving for the summit on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters, “I hope there’s going to be a deal. I think it’s time for a deal. Sometimes they have to fight it out.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in crime, policing and the law.
Reprinted with Permission from The Epoch Times – By Chris Summers
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
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