Iran early Monday launched fresh missile attacks on Israel after the latter’s strikes killed the chief of Iran’s armed forces intelligence unit.
These attacks come hours after Iran confirmed that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit chief Mohammad Kazemi, his deouty Hassan Mohaqeq and commander Mohsen Baqeri have been killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday.
According to Iranian health ministry, the death toll in Israeli strikes, which began on Friday has reached 224 people, with 1,277 injured.
According to multiple international media reports, Israel has destroyed Iranian early warning radaras and surface-to-air missile systems, gaining air superiority in the country in less than 48 hours of fighting.
With the help of its intelligence agency Mosad, Israel has successfully targeted top military leadership, nuclear sites and energy infrastructure in Iran.
Some reports even claimed that Israel had the chance of eliminating its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei but this was stopped by US President Donald Trump.
The conflict has also exposed the weaknesses of the Iranian Air Force, which flies old Cold war era jets like F4 Phantoms and F-14 Tomcats. They are no match to Israel’s 4.5th generation F-15s and F-16s.
However, that doesn’t mean Israel have not suffered losses. Iran has launched barrages of ballistic missiles deep into Israel. While many were intrecepted, a significant number of them managed to hit their targets.
At least five people have died and around 90 others were wounded in overnight Iranian attacks in central Israel, taking the death toll to 15 with more than 250 injured and many still feared trapped under the debries of damaged buildings.
Iranian Armed Forces have also warned people to leave the “Israeli occupied territories” while they can, saying the “punitive Iranian strikes” will target the entire “Israeli-held territories”.
“Warnings for you in the coming days: Leave the occupied territories, because, certainly, they won’t be inhabitable in the future!” Colonel Reza Sayyad, spokesperson for the Armed Forces, was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency IRNA on Sunday.
The fighting between Iran and Israel began on Friday when Israel targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites.
The fighting between Iran and Israel started after the latter’s targeted air strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday.
The attacks were part of Israel’s operation “Rising Lion” and will continue for as many days as it takes to remove the threat Iran poses to Israel’s existence, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The objective of Israel’s operation is to prevent the Islamic regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile threat. As we pursue our goals, we are also paving the way for you to achieve your freedom,’ Netanyahu said in a public address.
Israel fears Iran was just weeks at most a few months away from achieving weapon-grade uranium enrichment. Had it completed this, the country would have become a nuclear power and Israel could be its first target.
