Tel Aviv: In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, Iran fired successive waves of missiles at Israel in the early hours of Saturday, retaliating against what was described as Israel’s largest air assault on Iranian soil to date an operation aimed at halting Tehran’s alleged nuclear ambitions.

Sirens blared across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, prompting a mass rush to bomb shelters as Iranian missiles lit up the skies. Israel’s military confirmed its air defense systems were intercepting multiple incoming threats, noting that dozens of projectiles had been launched. Several impact sites were being attended to by rescue teams, though official casualty figures remain undisclosed.

Meanwhile, explosions reverberated across Tehran, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim agency. Reports indicate that two missiles struck the capital’s Mehrabad airport — a site that also houses an air force base and key military assets. Fires were reported at the location.

Israeli sources stated a suspected missile struck a building in Tel Aviv, and a powerful blast was heard in Jerusalem, though it remains unclear if these were direct hits or the result of interception efforts.

Iranian media claimed that the missile strikes, including a barrage aimed at Tel Aviv before dawn, were part of a multi-phase retaliation beginning late Friday. Tehran’s targets reportedly included Israeli civilian and urban centers in response to Israel’s earlier precision strikes on high-value Iranian assets — among them military officers, nuclear scientists, and infrastructure linked to its atomic program.

In Tel Aviv, a missile reportedly hit a high-rise building, damaging several floors. In nearby Ramat Gan, an apartment complex was completely destroyed. Emergency services confirmed at least 34 injuries and one fatality from Friday’s attacks.

The U.S. military reportedly assisted in intercepting Iranian missiles, underscoring growing fears that the crisis could spiral into a broader regional conflict. Though Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas have been weakened by previous Israeli offensives, their potential involvement remains a concern.

Iran’s state-run IRNA claimed it launched hundreds of ballistic missiles following Israeli attacks on its Natanz nuclear facility and the killing of top Iranian commanders. Tehran insists its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes, but the U.N.'s atomic watchdog said this week that Iran was in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and confirmed that the Natanz pilot enrichment plant was destroyed.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of initiating a war, while Iran’s U.N. ambassador reported that 78 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including senior military personnel, and over 320 were wounded — most of them civilians. He also held the U.S. responsible, accusing Washington of complicity.

In contrast, Israel’s U.N. envoy Danny Danon defended the strikes as a necessary move to stop Iran from acquiring enough enriched uranium for multiple nuclear bombs, calling it "an act of national preservation."

U.S. President Donald Trump commented that a diplomatic resolution was still possible, urging Tehran to engage in renewed negotiations. Talks to replace the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by Trump are scheduled to resume in Oman on Sunday, though Iran has cast doubt on its participation, citing Washington’s dual-track approach of diplomacy and military aggression.

"The Americans talk peace while enabling Israeli attacks — this is a contradiction," an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, adding that current conditions render dialogue “meaningless.”

With both sides trading lethal blows and rhetoric, the region teeters on the brink of a larger confrontation — one where diplomacy hangs by a thread.