Iranian missile strikes kill 10 in Israel in night of mutual attacks

Iranian strikes killed at least 10 people and wounded dozens in Israel overnight, as cross-border attacks between the two countries continued into Sunday.

In the evening, the Israeli military said it struck an aerial refuelling aircraft at Mashhad airport in eastern Iran, describing it as its longest-range attack since launching operations against Iran last week.

Iranian state media said no damage has been reported to the airport's buildings or runway.

In the early hours of Sunday, an Iranian missile hit an apartment building in the city of Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, killing six people, including two children. At least 35 people remain missing following the strike, according to Israeli media.

Another four people were killed when a missile struck a building in Tamra, a Palestinian town in northern Israel. 

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Israeli authorities said more than 140 were wounded in missile strikes that hit homes in northern and central Israel, including in the city of Rehovot. 

The Israeli army said that Iran fired 70 missiles and dozens of drones at Israel in three waves overnight.

Israeli authorities said that some 22 of Iran's 270 ballistic missiles fired over the past two nights breached Israel's anti-missile shield.

US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that Iran and Israel would have peace "soon", adding that many unspecified meetings were taking place and that the two countries should and will reach a deal.

Just hours earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that military operations against Iran are "operating as usual and even beyond that".

Katz added that Israel is "essentially turning Tehran into Beirut now".

Shortly after his remarks, a new wave of explosions rocked the Iranian capital, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported. 

Since Iran began its retaliation for Israel’s earlier offensive on Friday, at least 13 people have been killed in Israel and over 300 wounded, according to Israel's rescue services.

In Iran, authorities said at least 78 people were killed on the first day of Israel's campaign, with scores killed more on the second. Among the dead were 60 people, including 29 children, who died when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran.

Iran's health minister said on Sunday that the majority of the people killed and wounded in Israeli strikes are civilians, mainly women and children, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Overnight on Sunday, Israel struck the South Pars gas field, located offshore in the southern Bushehr province, in the first apparent attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure.

Tasnim News Agency reported that production at South Pars, the world's largest gas field and the source of most of Iran’s domestic gas supply, was partially suspended after the Israeli strike set off a fire on Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Israel's attack on the gas facility on the shore of the Gulf sought "to expand the war beyond" Iran.

Araghchi added Iran is acting in “legitimate” self-defence and the attacks on Israel will end once Israel halts its military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian government said on Sunday that Iranians can seek shelter in mosques and schools during Israeli attacks, as well as subway systems, which will remain open at all times from tonight.

"There is no problem with the provision of food, medicine, fuel," government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told state TV.

Long list of targets

On Sunday, Israel issued evacuation warnings to Iranians living near weapons production facilities in Tehran. 

Iranian media reported that Israel had attacked a facility affiliated with the defence ministry in the central city of Isfahan, noting "possible damage". 

An Israeli military official said Israel still has a long list of targets it plans to hit in Iran, adding that it had struck around 80 targets in Tehran on Saturday evening, including two "dual-use" fuel sites said to support military and nuclear operations.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran's responses will grow "more decisive and severe" if Israel's hostile actions continue.

Trump, meanwhile, wrote on Truth Social that the conflict could be easily resolved but warned Tehran that any strike on US targets would be met with "the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces".

"We can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict," he added.

The president later told ABC News that the US is not involved in the military action against Iran, but did not rule out the possibility of becoming involved in the conflict. He also said he would be "open" to Russian President Vladimir Putin being a mediator.

Trump gave no details of any possible deal.

Araghchi said Israel’s attacks were intended to sabotage nuclear talks with the US, which had been due to resume in Oman on Sunday but have now been cancelled.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the US is attempting to encourage an exchange of messages between Israel and Iran in an effort to "calm tensions".

Meanwhile, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Iran has asked Cyprus to convey "some messages" to Israel, saying he expected to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day.

The Iranian foreign ministry, however, later said it did not send any message to Israel via a third country.

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