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In a major escalation in the Middle East, at least seven people have been killed and over 133 injured in two rounds of missile attacks launched by Iran on multiple locations inside Israel between Friday midnight and early Sunday.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), they are now operating freely in the airspace from western Iran to Tehran. The Iranian strikes targeted central Israel, including Bat Yam, Rehovot, Tel Aviv, and Ramat Gan, causing extensive damage.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service, reported that a 60-year-old woman was killed in Bat Yam, while at least 30 others were injured there — several of them in critical condition. In Rehovot, two people sustained serious injuries.
In northern Israel, five members of the Khatib family, all Arab-Israeli citizens, were killed. The Times of Israel reported that the higher number of casualties in this area was due to the lack of sufficient shelters. Although these Palestinian-origin citizens hold Israeli nationality, they have long been subjected to systemic discrimination, according to Al Jazeera.
Significant infrastructure damage was also reported in Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, though the full extent of casualties and losses there remains unclear.
Following the initial strikes, the Israeli army had instructed civilians to move to safe shelters, but that directive has since been lifted.
Meanwhile, Oman announced that U.S.-Iran talks are currently off the table, while a White House official stated that the U.S. remains committed to negotiations.
The first two victims of the missile barrages have been officially identified by Israeli media Haaretz as Israel Aloni and Eti Cohen Angel.