Conflict has already left 13 dead in Israel and 78 in Iran
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The third day of war between Israel and Iran brought a new round of attacks from both sides, in a conflict with no end in sight. After a night and early morning in which Tehran's forces launched around 80 ballistic missiles, Tel Aviv is retaliating on Sunday, prompting Iranian authorities to activate air defense systems in the capital and issue a warning to the population to take shelter in mosques, metro stations and schools.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog revealed on Sunday that Iranian attacks have so far caused 13 deaths. “Over the past two days, 13 Israelis have been killed, of different ages, children, adults, elderly people and new immigrants,” he said during a visit to Bat Yam, a predominantly Arab city attacked by Iran during the early hours of the morning and where at least six people died and another 200 were injured in the bombing of a residential building.
“The [Iranian] missiles do not discriminate between Jews, Muslims or Christians,” he added. He was speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, according to the Times of Israel , declined to comment to reporters. At this point, it is not yet clear how many people have been injured across the territory affected by Iran’s strikes.
New explosions rang out on Sunday morning in the Iranian capital and in several cities across the country. However, Tehran has not given any update on the number of victims of the conflict. The latest toll, released on Saturday by Iran's ambassador to the United Nations (UN), indicated 78 dead and more than 300 injured.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has revealed seven more high-ranking military casualties, bringing the number of commanders killed in recent days to 15. The officers were believed to be members of the Aerospace Force, which oversees the country's missile and drone program, and were killed in an attack on Friday. The deaths of Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of the Iranian General Staff and the top figure in the armed forces, and Hossein Salami, the commander of the IRGC, had previously been confirmed.
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The conflict has also seen the Houthi rebels, a group backed by Iran, involved. Last night they joined Tehran's attack on Israel and have already been targeted in retaliation, with Tel Aviv confirming that it had attacked the Houthi military chief. However, the outcome of the attack is still unknown.
Israel's foreign minister stressed on Sunday that the country will continue its military campaign, which has been described by Israeli authorities as a "preventative" action in the face of the danger of Iran developing a nuclear weapon. "There are still important objectives to be achieved," Gideon Saar stressed during a conversation with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul. In turn, Iran, through its Revolutionary Guard, threatened to escalate the conflict if Tel Aviv continues its attacks on its territory.
observador
