Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire and strikes for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday, fuelling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
On Monday, United States president Donald Trump abruptly left a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada, the White House announced, minutes after he issued a warning urging the immediate evacuation of Tehran, the Iranian capital.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it targeted multiple missile and UAV sites in western Iran, including surface-to-surface missile infrastructure, surface-to-air launchers and drone storage facilities.
The statement was accompanied by black-and-white footage showing missile launchers exploding.
Shortly after, air raid sirens sounded in parts of Israel. Loud booms were heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as the Israeli army warned of incoming missiles launched from Iran.
Israel deports Greta Thunberg after detaining activists on seized Gaza-bound aid boat
Around 20 minutes later, the army said people could leave protected spaces. Police said shrapnel fell in Tel Aviv, causing damage but no casualties. The fire service said its teams were en route to battle a blaze in the commercial hub.
Despite mounting calls to de-escalate, neither side has backed off from the missile barrage that began on Friday when Israel launched an unprecedented aerial campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities.
A new wave of Israeli strikes on Tehran – including a dramatic hit on state television’s headquarters that the broadcaster said killed three people – prompted both sides to activate missile defence systems overnight.
Israel’s army briefly urged citizens to seek shelter amid growing fears of a regional war.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the US was deploying “additional capabilities” to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left Southeast Asia on Monday. A White House spokesman said US forces remained in a defensive posture.
Trump has repeatedly declined to say whether the United States would support Israeli military action and has insisted Washington was not involved in the initial strikes.
After calling for talks, Trump issued an extraordinary warning on his Truth Social platform: “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
Iran’s capital has a population of nearly 9.5 million.
He exited the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington. Later, he dismissed reports that he left early to broker a ceasefire, lashing out at French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron … mistakenly said I left the G7 … to work on a ‘cease fire’,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire.”
After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched its surprise air campaign on Iran last week. Israel said it aimed to prevent the rival nation from acquiring nuclear weapons – a charge Iran denied.
Iran has responded with multiple missile strikes. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards – or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces – vowed Monday night the attacks would continue “without interruption until dawn”.
The escalation has derailed nuclear talks and stoked fears of broader conflict. Trump urged Iran to return to the negotiating table.
Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said a missile strike lightly damaged a building used by the American embassy in Tel Aviv.
The State Department warned Americans not to travel to Israel.
At least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to the prime minister’s office.
Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.
China called on Israel and Iran to both “immediately take measures to cool down the tensions” and avoid plunging the region into deeper turmoil.
The United States and Iran had engaged in several rounds of indirect talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme in recent weeks. But Iran said after the start of Israel’s campaign that it would not negotiate while under attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that “absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue”.
“It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy,” he wrote on X.
A senior US official said Trump had intervened to prevent Israel from assassinating Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
But Netanyahu did not rule out the possibility when asked about the reports during an interview with ABC News.
“It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” he said.
Additional reporting by dpa and Reuters
