Israeli forces are continuing their round-the-clock air and naval operations aimed at neutralizing what the government has termed an “existential threat” from Iran, as Operation Rising Lion enters Day 3.
Israeli government ministers were informed Sunday morning that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered his military to deliberately target Israel’s civilian population. Defense Minister Israel Katz pledged in response that for every residential building hit by an Iranian missile, Israeli warplanes will level 100 buildings in Iran.
Prior to the war, analysts estimated Iran’s arsenal to include 3,000 ballistic missiles, with 1,000 capable of reaching Israel. It is believed that Iran possessed 150-250 long-range missile launchers.
Since the conflict began late Thursday night, Iran has launched approximately 300 of these missiles towards Israel. On Saturday night alone, around 75 heavy ballistic missiles were fired. Several of these projectiles penetrated Israeli anti-missile defenses, causing fatalities and widespread damage in the northern town of Tamra, the southern city of Rehovot, and the coastal city of Bat Yam. At least 10 people were killed in these attacks, including several small children, with hundreds more wounded.
Earlier attacks on Friday and early Saturday saw around 200 long-range missiles fired at Israel, resulting in three deaths in Ramat Gan and Rishon Lezion and 80 more people wounded. Miraculously, rescue services pulled a two-month-old baby girl from the rubble of a building destroyed by an Iranian missile.
A Home Front Command search and rescue official made a point of telling reporters that civilians who were inside bomb shelters in the Bat Yam apartment building struck by an Iranian ballistic missile were unharmed.
The building included a shared bomb-safe room on each floor, as well as an underground shelter. The missile, carrying a warhead weighing several hundred kilograms, made a direct impact and partially collapsed the structure. At least six people were killed and nearly 200 more were injured in the tragedy, with at least three people still missing as of 2 pm Sunday afternoon.
However, the HFC official confirmed that all casualties occurred outside the shelters; those who followed Home Front Command instructions and entered the shelters remained safe.
Shrapnel from missile interceptions, meanwhile, has been found across the country, from the Galilee to the southern city of Arad.
IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin repeated a public reminder urging Israelis to refrain from documenting or sharing the specific locations of missile impacts to avoid aiding the enemy.
Since Friday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have struck more than 170 targets in Iran, with missile impacts confirmed at 720 different sites.
In an unprecedented move on Sunday morning, the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation notice to the Iranian people. The alert read, “Urgent: Warning to the People of Iran. We urge all those currently or in the near future who are present at all weapons facilities throughout Iran and their supporting entities to leave these areas for your own safety. We urge you to immediately evacuate these facilities and not to return until further notice. Being near these facilities puts your life at risk.”
On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets targeted two fuel depots in Tehran, causing a massive fire in the Iranian capital. Other targets included weapons depots and high-value Iranian personnel. The IDF also struck Iran’s Defense Ministry headquarters and the headquarters of the SPND nuclear project, which the IDF stated were “directly involved in advancing Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons and included locations used to conceal critical components of its nuclear archive.”
Highlighting the intensity of the Israeli response, Israel’s Defense Minister posted a succinct message on the X social media platform Saturday night: “Tehran is burning.” He amplified his rhetoric on Sunday morning, warning that Israeli warplanes will “burn to the ground” any military-related site in the Iranian capital.
Overnight into Sunday, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed armed and ready-to-use surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran, as well as launchers that had already been used to attack Israel. Iranian surface-to-air missile infrastructure and radar systems were also hit.
Although there were no ballistic missile attacks since the early morning hours on Sunday, Israeli Air Force and Navy personnel have intercepted a number of suicide drones targeting communities in the Arava region.
