The missiles in Iran continue to do damage in Israel as we enter the fifth day of Israel’s war on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Overnight eight people were killed and nearly 300 wounded, with some critical enough to be hospitalized.
Here’s more from the Times of Israel:
Eight people were killed by Iranian ballistic missiles that slammed into Israeli cities in at least five locations early Monday, and nearly 300 others were injured, as the conflict entered a fourth day.
Four people were killed in Petah Tivka, three in Haifa, and another person in Bnei Brak.
The Health Ministry said 287 people were hospitalized nationwide as a result of the barrage of Iranian missiles. One person was listed in serious condition, and 14 were moderately injured, including two at Schneider Children’s Hospital in Petah Tikvah. The remainder were lightly injured or suffered acute shock.
Two missiles also hit Tel Aviv, causing significant damage to a number of buildings, as well as some injuries.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed in a post to X that the embassy branch in the coastal city was slightly damaged from an impact, but there were no injuries to staff. He said the American embassies and consulates remain closed, with a shelter-in-place order still in effect. The US embassy itself is located in Jerusalem.
This brings the death toll in Israel to 24 since the war began last Thursday night (our time).
But there is good news on this front. Times of Israel also reports the Israeli “Air Force says it destroyed one-third of missile launchers in overnight sorties.”
They also report that the “IDF claims full control of Tehran’s airspace.”
Lastly, Israel says this war against Iran’s nuclear facilities could last 2-3 weeks:
Israel operation against Iran could take 2-3 weeks, but the timeframe depends on decisions made by the political echelon on the scope of the campaign, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
“There’s a bank of military targets that we can complete pretty quickly,” says the official. “If they decide to expand it to more like government symbols, economical targets, all that, then it will take longer.”
A tighter nuclear agreement between Iran and Western powers is the goal, says the official.
Israel is aiming to “cause enough damage [to the nuclear program] to revert to diplomacy and get a good agreement.”
The Iranians have been sending messages through intermediaries to Israel that “if Israel stops attacking, they will stop and they’re ready to go back to the negotiations,” says the official. “But Israel has to stop first.”