TEHRAN, (PIC)
The Middle East witnessed a sharp military escalation in the early hours of Monday morning as Iran and Israel traded strikes. Iranian missile attacks targeted areas inside Israel, drawing swift retaliatory Israeli airstrikes against sites within Iranian territory.
The Israeli occupation army announced that it had detected missile launches from Iran towards areas in the southern and central parts of the country, claiming that its air defense systems worked to intercept them.
According to the Hebrew media, sirens were sounded early Monday across Beersheba, Dimona, and the Negev as Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel, prompting Israel’s home front command to issue safety warnings and instruct citizens to remain near shelters.
News outlets reported that air defense systems intercepted several rockets over the areas of the Dead Sea, Beersheba, and Dimona, while ambulance and civil defense crews moved to various sites to examine the targeted sites.
Israel’s official radio said that a rocket salvo of seven missiles targeted the Ashdod area south of Tel Aviv, while the newspaper Israel Hayom noted that the army detected the launch of about 10 rockets in the latest wave, claiming that most of them were intercepted.
Rockets and shrapnel fell in areas west of Jerusalem and in the Negev, while material damage was reported in several homes inside the illegal Itamar settlement in the northern occupied West Bank, with no casualties recorded. #متابعة | تضرر منزل للمستوطنين قرب مستوطنة "إيتمار" بالضفة الغربية بفعل الصواريخ الإيرانية . pic.twitter.com/S8KMB16R3j — المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) June 8, 2026 The Iranian attack came just hours after the Israeli army announced that it had carried out airstrikes targeting military sites in western and central Iran, adding that its air forces struck Iranian military infrastructure, air defense systems, and ballistic missile facilities.
Iranian media reported hearing explosions in Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan, while authorities announced the closure of the airspace at Imam Khomeini International Airport in the capital following the strikes.
On the political front, Iran warned that any further escalation would be met with a “crushing and comprehensive” response, emphasizing that its military actions fall within its inherent right to self-defense. Tehran also held the US administration responsible for the consequences of its support for Israeli policies in the region.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli media conveyed differing accounts regarding the level of coordination between Washington and Tel Aviv. US officials claimed that American forces did not participate in the attack on Iran, while Israeli sources spoke of prior coordination between the two sides.
In a related development, the Israeli army said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, which triggered sirens and led to the temporary closure of airspace before flights resumed at Ben Gurion Airport.
On Sunday evening, Iran launched barrages of ballistic missiles towards Israel in response to its ongoing attacks on Lebanon, while sirens sounded across wide northern areas, including the Galilee, the Golan Heights, and Haifa.
Iranian officials said its strikes on Israeli sites were in response to a recent Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb that killed two people and injured 20 others.
Last week, Tehran threatened that any Israeli attack on Beirut would be considered a violation of the US-Iran ceasefire and would be met with counterattacks on Israel.
This escalation is considered one of the most serious direct confrontations between Iran and Israel since the volatile regional truce took effect last April, amid growing concerns that the conflict could expand into other regional arenas. #فيديو | اللحظات للأولى لاستهداف صاروخ إيراني في مستوطنة إيتمار جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/nm0C2BjHOx — المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) June 8, 2026 لحظة دوي صافرات الإنذار في مطار "بن غوريون" وسط فلسطين المحتلة أثناء القصف الصاروخي اليمني على "تل أبيب" المحتلة pic.twitter.com/dl6AnTQZD7 — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) June 8, 2026