Israel’s military campaign against Iran escalated sharply on Sunday with widespread airstrikes targeting Tehran and other major cities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it has struck over 700 targets across Iran since Friday, focusing on nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and weapons sites.
The strikes came after the IDF issued an unprecedented evacuation warning urging Iranian civilians to leave areas near military and weapons manufacturing facilities. Explosions echoed across Tehran, and footage showed plumes of smoke rising from the capital.
Among the targets hit were missile launchers, radars, fuel depots, the Iranian Defense Ministry, and facilities tied to Iran’s nuclear program. Car bomb attacks in Tehran reportedly killed at least 14 nuclear scientists, according to Gulf sources. The IDF published the names of nine, calling them successors to Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the nuclear scientist assassinated in 2020.
Iranian officials reported additional strikes in Shiraz and Isfahan, including the destruction of a military electronics factory. A massive explosion at the South Pars gas field temporarily halted production of 12 million cubic meters of gas.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that continued Iranian missile attacks would result in deeper strikes targeting regime leadership and state infrastructure. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi defended the country’s actions, saying, “If the aggression stops, our responses will stop.”
The conflict, triggered by what Israel called a “point of no return” in Iran’s nuclear development, is expected to last “weeks, not days,” according to U.S. and Israeli officials. The White House is reportedly supporting the extended operation, though it has not commented publicly.
As both nations brace for further escalation, the region faces its most volatile confrontation in years.
