Iran and Israel exchanged further missile attacks overnight into Sunday, deepening the most direct military confrontation the two countries have seen in decades. The violence comes as nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington were abruptly cancelled, and fears mount of a broader regional war.
At least ten people including women and children have been killed in Israel in the past 24 hours as Iranian missiles struck central and northern towns. In Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, emergency services reported a hit on a residential block, with several people still unaccounted for beneath the rubble. Four people from one family were among the dead in Tamra, a predominantly Palestinian town in the north.
Israeli authorities said more than 140 people had been injured since Saturday night, when sirens sent over a million residents into bomb shelters across Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv.
The Israeli military confirmed it had intercepted dozens of incoming missiles and drones. However, there was still widespread damage, including to residential buildings and key infrastructure. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) also reported shooting down seven drones launched from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement—marking the first confirmed direct involvement of an Iranian proxy in the current escalation.
For their part, Israeli forces continued their offensive across Iranian territory for a second night, striking facilities in the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan and Bushehr. Israel claimed to have hit military and nuclear-related targets, including an underground missile site in western Iran and the Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research in Tehran.
Iran’s Oil Ministry confirmed that the Shahran oil depot in northwest Tehran province had been struck, resulting in a major fire that was later brought under control. The South Pars gas field, the country’s largest energy source, also temporarily suspended operations following a drone strike attributed to Israel.
Tehran’s casualty toll has risen sharply. According to Iranian officials, 78 people have been killed since Friday, including at least 29 children who died when a missile collapsed a residential tower in the capital. In East Azerbaijan province, regional authorities said 31 were killed, including military personnel.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Israel of “barbaric aggression” and vowed a “more severe” retaliation if airstrikes continue. He also told French President Emmanuel Macron that nuclear talks with the United States would not resume under current conditions. Sunday’s meeting in Muscat, Oman—previously scheduled to restart nuclear negotiations—was officially called off.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said diplomacy was now “meaningless” while the country faced military attacks with alleged backing from Western powers. While President Donald Trump insisted that the US had no role in Israel’s offensive, he warned Tehran against targeting American interests. “The full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,” he wrote on Truth Social. Despite this, he claimed a peace deal between Israel and Iran could be “easily” achieved.
In an English-language video statement aimed at an American audience, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strikes as necessary to neutralise Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. “Our enemy is your enemy,” he said. “We cannot afford for them to arm their proxies with nuclear weapons.”
Netanyahu’s critics, both in Israel and internationally, argue that the current offensive is a war of choice. Writing in the New Statesman, political scientist Rajan Menon described the campaign as “a war of choice, not of necessity”, asserting that while Iran remains a major adversary, there was “nothing to suggest it was gearing up to attack Israel” before the strikes began. The sentiment echoes wider concerns that Israel’s military escalation lacks a clearly defined strategic goal and may be driven by domestic or ideological motives.
The conflict has also prompted fears of disruption to global energy markets. Oil prices surged by 9% on Friday, as Iran’s threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, a main artery for oil tankers, renewed anxiety over supply. Several Western firms are reportedly reviewing their operations in the Gulf region.
