Intense Missile Showdown Marks Another Chapter in Iran-Israel Conflict
The latest episode in the intense clash between Iran and Israel has been punctuated by another fiery exchange of missiles. U.S. president Donald Trump recently commented on the escalating lethal conflict, stating it’s high time it was brought to a halt. The strained relationship between Tehran and Jerusalem has surged following Israel’s assault on Iranian nuclear facilities last week. These attacks, according to Israel, have resulted in the death of top-ranking military personnel and distinguished scientists.
In a swift response to the bombing, Iran deployed a hundred drones targetting Israel. This swift move came in the wake of the country’s pledge for a ‘stern and determined’ reaction to the Israeli strikes. As the weekend advanced, the situation escalated further, with both rivals refusing to stand down and engaging in a new missile showdown late Saturday evening, as per the local time.
Iran alleges that its primary Shahran oil facility, situated to the north-west of Tehran, has been subjected to a relentless bombardment by Israeli strikes. Reports of an inflamed conflagration following the assault on the premises have started to surface. Meanwhile, affirming its assault on Iran, an Israeli Air Force representative shared that they are ‘hitting military targets in Tehran, while concurrently dealing with incoming missile assaults from Iran’.
The Israeli Defense Minister, in a social media update, boldly proclaimed ‘Tehran is burning’ shortly after the attack on the oil depot was reported. The brewing conflict has instilled apprehension in the minds of world leaders, President Trump included. He confirmed that the Israel-Iran skirmish was one of the key matters he discussed during his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The conversation between President Trump and President Putin extended for about an hour. As quoted by President Trump, they both share an agreement on the necessity to put an end to the Israel-Iran war. However, he went on to point out that Putin’s own war (with Ukraine) should similarly be resolved. This dialogue marked the first instance in which he has overtly advocated for terminating the hostility between Israel, allied to Washington, and its rival Iran, since it flared up a week ago.
Confirmation of the phone call was received from the Kremlin, where President Trump mentioned how Putin expressed his good wishes on his 79th birthday. In response to the ongoing military intervention of Israel against Iran, Putin issued a condemnation. He broadcasted an ‘acute apprehension regarding the potential escalation of the skirmish,’ as per the statement from the Kremlin spokesperson.
During the late hours of Saturday, the Jerusalem night sky was intermittently lit up by numerous projectiles. Concurrently, emergency sirens echoed through the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Iran reported a daunting casualty count from the initial day of Israel’s offensive, totalling seventy-eight fatalities. The subsequent day’s count was even higher, with sixty individuals losing their lives when a missile struck a fourteen-floor residential building in Tehran.
On the night of the first assault, Iran retaliated by launching a barrage of missiles, resulting in the loss of a minimum of three lives in Israel. In another tragic incident reported by Israel’s emergency medical service, a missile devastated a two-story residential building in northern Israel. A woman in her young twenties lost her life, and thirteen others were reported injured.