In a series of escalating attacks over the weekend, Israel and Iran have inflicted heavy casualties on each other. As of Saturday night, Israeli officials reported that 10 individuals, including two children, have been killed and over 100 injured due to Iranian strikes. Meanwhile, Iranian media cited the health ministry stating that at least 128 people had died and approximately 900 were wounded due to Israeli attacks.
The conflict intensified following an Israeli operation targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure and other strategic sites on Friday. In Israel, recent Iranian strikes have targeted residential areas in both central and northern regions. Notably, a ten-story apartment building in Bat Yam was hit early Saturday, resulting in the deaths of six individuals, among them a 10-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl, while others remain trapped under debris. Additionally, four fatalities occurred in strikes on the northern Arab town of Tamra, according to local emergency services and the hospital.
Rescue paramedic Ori Lazarovich described the scene in Bat Yam, saying, “We started triaging people, while the building was still on fire on one side. Some were crying and some were holding their family members; I saw fear in their eyes.” One survivor, a woman from a nearby building, expressed her distress, stating, “We’ve been here 24 years and now we have to start over. I’m holding myself back from crying.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site, declaring that Iran would face a “very heavy price” for what he termed the “premeditated murder of civilians, women, and children.”
On the Iranian side, the capital’s Shahran oil depot was reportedly among the sites hit by Israeli airstrikes during the night. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that their fighter jets targeted over 80 locations in Tehran, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense and sites related to Iran’s nuclear program. The IDF also cautioned Iranian citizens to avoid weapons manufacturing facilities, with spokesman Avichay Adraee urging them to evacuate for their safety.
Netanyahu stated in an interview with Fox News that Israel had significantly impaired Iran’s nuclear capabilities, claiming, “I think they were completely surprised.”
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi asserted that Iran has the right to defend itself against aggression and called for an end to Israeli attacks. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which monitors casualties in Iran, reported that the number of civilian and military casualties could exceed 863 over the past two days.
Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran, remarked that the recent attacks had re-energized opposition forces against the current regime, stating, “The ultimate solution is regime change, and now we have an opportunity because this regime is at its weakest point.”
Furthermore, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated to ABC News that it remains a possibility for the U.S. to get involved, while reaffirming that there is no current American participation in the conflict. He expressed openness to the idea of Russia’s Vladimir Putin mediating between the two nations.