Tehran/Tel Aviv/Manama: Iran unleashed a sweeping missile retaliation against Israel and US-linked targets across the region on Saturday, dramatically escalating tensions into what analysts fear could become a full-scale regional war.
Iranian media outlets, including Nournews, reported that dozens of ballistic missiles were fired toward Israel in multiple waves. The strikes were described by Tehran as a direct response to US-Israeli attacks on Iranian territory earlier in the day.
The Israeli military confirmed detecting several barrages launched from Iran toward Tel Aviv and northern parts of the country, including Haifa. Air defence systems were activated as explosions echoed across northern Israel and Jerusalem following the blare of air raid sirens. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Iranian state television declared that Tehran was preparing a “crushing retaliation” and warned that attacks on Iranian sovereignty would not go unanswered. According to reports, a third wave of missile launches was later detected.
The retaliation came after Israeli warplanes, backed by the United States, carried out strikes on Iran, with one of the first reported impacts occurring near offices associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Iranian media reported strikes across several cities, with smoke seen rising from the capital’s skyline.
The conflict quickly widened beyond Israel’s borders.
Bahrain announced that a missile attack had targeted the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom, though it did not immediately provide details on damage or casualties. Loud explosions were also reported in Abu Dhabi and in Qatar, home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, raising fears of a broader Gulf spillover.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that Iran’s response would unfold within hours, signalling further escalation. Tehran framed its actions as defensive, while Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz described Israel’s earlier strikes as a “pre-emptive” move.
US President Donald Trump warned that American forces “may have casualties” as Washington pursues what he called a massive operation to dismantle Iran’s military capabilities and prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Houthi Ansarallah movement in Yemen signalled it would resume missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes and Israel in support of Tehran, potentially reopening a key maritime front that had been dormant under a previous understanding with Washington.
In Israel, opposition leader Yair Lapid called for unity, declaring that “there is no coalition and no opposition, only one people and one IDF.”
As missiles streak across skies from the Levant to the Gulf and regional actors mobilise, the confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States appears to be entering its most dangerous phase in years, with the risk of a multi-front war growing by the hour. -(Agencies)
