Tel Aviv/Dubai — The conflict between Israel and Iran escalated sharply overnight into Sunday, with both countries launching fresh attacks against each other, prompting a stern warning from former U.S. President Donald Trump. While asserting that the conflict could be resolved easily, Trump warned Tehran against targeting any American assets, vowing an unprecedented military response if provoked.
In Israel, rescue teams continued to pull bodies from the rubble of residential buildings hit by Iranian missiles. At least seven people, including children, were reported dead, and over 140 others injured. Meanwhile, Iranian state media claimed that 60 people, including 29 children, were killed in a single Israeli strike on a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran. Iran reported a total of 78 casualties on the first day of Israel’s assault.
As tensions soared, Iran canceled U.S.-backed nuclear talks and accused Israel of carrying out “barbaric” attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, declared that Iran has seen only the beginning of Israel’s response.
For the first time, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed to have fired ballistic missiles at central Israel in coordination with Tehran, raising fears of a broader regional war. Israeli strikes also targeted Iran’s defense ministry, an oil refinery, and the South Pars gas field—one of the world’s largest.
The situation remains highly volatile. Iran warned that it may close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route, while Netanyahu urged the Iranian people to rise up against their regime. Trump, meanwhile, floated the idea of a peace deal between the two adversaries but provided no details.
As Israeli cities remain under threat, with over 300 wounded and 10 dead since Friday, the world watches anxiously. The risk of a full-blown regional war has never felt more real.
