JNS
Two people are unaccounted for after a missile struck a residential building in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv.
At least 11 people were killed overnight Saturday in a wave of Iranian missile attacks on civilian areas across Israel.
Seven people were killed when an apartment building in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, sustained a direct hit, according to the Magen David Adom emergency medical service. A 4-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy are among the dead.
Rescue efforts are ongoing at the scene, where two people remained unaccounted for beneath the rubble after four of the missing were found at hospitals. At least 180 others were wounded in the strike, according to Daniel Hadad, Ayalon region director of the Israel Defense Forces' Home Front Command.
Four members of the Khatib family were killed in Tamra, a village in the Lower Galilee, 12 miles east of Acre, when an Iranian missile hit their residence. The victims were identified as Manar Khatib, 45, her daughters Shada 20, and Hala, 13, and their relative, Manal Khatib, 41. Fourteen others were wounded in the strike.
A missile strike in Haifa injured 13 people, all of whom were reported to be in moderate or mild condition.
Meanwhile, in Rehovot in central Israel, a direct hit on a building left 37 people wounded, two seriously, Magen David Adom said. The Weizmann Institute of Science in the same city said that several of its buildings were damaged by the missile barrage, but that there were no casualties, adding that the institute is in contact with security and emergency services to ensure the safety of its staff and campus.
Dozens more were hurt in other missile impacts across the country.
The IDF Home Front Command was continuing to operate at the impact zones in Bat Yam, Tamra and Rehovot on Sunday morning.
The Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs announced that 742 citizens were left homeless following the overnight attacks, many of whom were evacuated by the Home Front Command to hotels across the country.
Nearly 80 missiles were fired at Israel in two barrages, according to estimates in the defense establishment, Israeli media reported on Sunday. About 40 missiles were fired at the north, and approximately 35 missiles targeted the central region.
Earlier, between Friday and early Saturday morning, three more civilians were killed by Iranian ballistic missile attacks on central Israel.
“A very sad and difficult morning. Our brothers and sisters were murdered and injured last night in heinous Iranian attacks against the civilian population in Bat Yam, Tamra and other communities,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday.
“Jews and Arabs, longtime citizens and new immigrants, including children and the elderly, women and men. I share in the families’ deep sorrow and mourn this terrible loss. I pray for the recovery of the wounded and the safe return of the missing. We will mourn together. We will overcome together,” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, “In the very near future, you will see Israeli Air Force jets over the skies of Tehran—we will strike every site and every target belonging to the ayatollah regime."
Iran’s nuclear program “was dealt a significant blow,” Netanyahu stressed, referring to the Jewish state’s largest-ever attack against the Islamic Republic, which began on June 13.
The goal of “Operation Rising Lion” is twofold: to dismantle both the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile threats, the premier said.
Earlier on Saturday, the IDF announced that it had “established aerial superiority from western Iran to Tehran,” allowing Israeli aircraft to operate freely across a wide swath of territory.
This unprecedented freedom of action was achieved by systematically destroying Iranian radar installations, surface-to-air missile batteries and command centers, making it possible for Israeli jets and drones to identify and strike additional targets, including mobile ballistic missile launchers poised to fire at Israel before they could be launched.
Israel's ongoing operation could extend over "weeks, not days," according to a CNN report citing White House and Israeli officials.
U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly aligned with the projected timeline and has expressed support for Israel’s approach.
“The Trump administration firmly believes this can be resolved through continued negotiations with the U.S.,” an American official told CNN, emphasizing, however, that Washington does not intend to dictate how Israel should defend itself.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning on Saturday, declaring that “Tehran will burn” if Iran continues to fire on Israeli population centers.
“The Iranian dictator is turning Iranian citizens into hostages and creating a reality in which they—especially the residents of Tehran—will pay a heavy price for the criminal harm to Israeli citizens,” he said.
