Israel, Iran trade strikes for third day as hundreds reported dead

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other on Sunday, killing scores of civilians and raising fears of a wider conflict, and US President Trump said it could be ended easily while warning Tehran not to strike any US targets.

Israel searches for survivors

In Israel, rescue teams combed through rubble of residential buildings destroyed by Iranian missiles, using sniffer dogs and heavy excavators to look for survivors after at least 10 people, including children, were killed, raising the two-day toll to 13. Sirens rang out across the country after 4 pm on Sunday in the first such daylight alert, and fresh explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv. Israel said since Friday 390 people have been wounded. Iran has fired over 270 missiles, 22 of which got through the country's sophisticated multi-tiered air defences, according to Israeli figures. Israel's main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day.

Israel struck two oil refineries

In Iran, images from the capital showed the night sky lit up by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes against Iran's oil and gas sector, raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning of the Iranian state. Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault. The Israeli military, in a social media post, warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories, signalling a further widening of the campaign. Explosions shook Tehran around noon and again around 3.30 pm.


Israeli strikes targeted Iran's defence ministry early Sunday after hitting air defences, military bases and sites associated with its nuclear programme. Israel claimed it attacked an Iranian refuelling aircraft in Mashhad in the NE, calling it the farthest strike the military had yet carried out. Iran did not immediately acknowledge any attack.

Iran has not given a full death toll but Israeli strikes have likely killed at least 406 people and wounded another 654, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists.

'Will stop if Israel stops'

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said if Israel's strikes on Iran stop, then "our responses will also stop." Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, criticised the US for supporting Israel and said if Israel's "hostile actions" continue, "the responses will be more decisive and severe," state TV reported.

Trump threatens Iran

Trump warned Iran that the US could get involved if Iran hits any American targets. "If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before," he said in a message on Truth Social. "However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict."