Iran missile strikes kill 8 in Israel as conflict enters fourth day

JERUSALEM, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran launched a new pre-dawn missile attack on Israel on Monday, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, Israeli officials said, as the four-day conflict triggered by an Israeli surprise assault intensified.

The missile barrage set off air raid sirens across Israel. Plumes of black smoke rose above Haifa, a major coastal city in northern Israel, and eyewitnesses reported multiple explosions in the north and central regions of the country.

Local authorities confirmed fatalities in several locations. Four people were killed when a missile struck a residential building in Petah Tikva, a city east of Tel Aviv, according to Mayor Rami Greenberg. He stated that hundreds of residents from the damaged building and three adjacent structures were evacuated. Photos from the scene showed multi-story buildings with significant blast damage and scattered rubble.

Three other fatalities were reported in Haifa. In Bnei Brak, also east of Tel Aviv, an 86-year-old man died when his apartment collapsed due to a shock wave from a nearby strike. At least 87 people received hospital treatment, including one woman in serious condition and five in moderate condition. The remaining 81 sustained light injuries.

One missile also fell near the United States consulate and embassy branch in Tel Aviv. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee stated on social media platform X that the missile's concussion caused minor damage, but no U.S. personnel were injured.

The Iranian missile salvos followed Israeli airstrikes on surface-to-surface missile sites in Tehran and central Iran. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Tehran residents would "pay the price -- and soon" for the missile attacks against Israeli cities.

The Israeli Defense Ministry also reported that several Iranian drones were launched during the recent missile attack. Eight of these drones were intercepted by Israeli Navy missile boats in the first operational use of the Barak Magen air defense system, designed to intercept drones, cruise missiles, rockets, and anti-ship missiles.

The latest Iranian attacks come as Israeli and Iranian strikes continued into Monday, marking the fourth day of intense hostilities. Since the conflict began, 22 people have been killed in Israel, according to a tally by Israel's state-owned Kan TV.

Israel's military, meanwhile, announced on Monday it had carried out an airstrike on the Quds Force command center in Tehran, killing four senior Iranian military officials. Among those killed were Mohammad Kazemi, head of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' (IRGC) Intelligence Organization, and his deputy Mohammad Hassan Mohaqiq. Mohsen Bagheri, head of the Quds Force Intelligence Department, and his deputy Abu al-Fadl Nikouei were also killed.

The Israeli military stated that the strike, conducted on Sunday, targeted a facility used by the Quds Force, the IRGC's elite unit responsible for overseas operations, including intelligence gathering, military support, and paramilitary activities.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency confirmed the deaths of Kazemi, Mohaqiq, and Bagheri, attributing the Sunday attack in Tehran to Israel.

The strike on the Quds Force command center was the latest in a series of Israeli attacks that began on Friday. Israel states these attacks are aimed at Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure.

Israel launched its heaviest air assault on Iran on Friday, striking nuclear facilities in Tehran and other sites. These attacks damaged military targets and residential buildings, killing at least 244 people and injuring 1,277, with more than 90 percent of them civilians, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.

The Iranian Health Ministry also confirmed that residential areas had been hit. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that fighter jets destroyed about one-third of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers in a large-scale overnight operation. More than 50 aircraft were involved in these strikes, targeting over 120 missile launchers across multiple sites in central Iran, he added. ■