Haifa | Tel AvivIn what has become the deadliest Iranian missile strike on Israel since the start of the latest conflict, a 10-story residential apartment building was directly hit just hours ago, killing at least six people and leaving seven others still trapped under the rubble.
The missile strike, part of Iran’s ongoing retaliatory campaign dubbed “Operation Ya Ali ibn Abi Talib”, has escalated tensions to new heights amid the broader True Promise III offensive.
Race Against Time to Rescue Survivors
Local emergency services have described the rescue effort as a race against time, as teams work tirelessly to extract survivors from the collapsed section of the building. Initial reports estimated that up to 35 people were trapped under the debris, with heavy machinery and K-9 units deployed in full force.
The entire wing of the residential complex has collapsed, with twisted metal rods and cracked concrete slabs hanging precariously from the remains. Groups of anxious family members, journalists, and bystanders gathered behind police barricades, watching the dramatic search and rescue efforts unfold.
Blast Wave Shatters Surroundings
The intensity of the explosion was felt far beyond the building itself. According to eyewitnesses, the shockwave shattered windows and ripped off shutters of nearby apartment blocks up to 100 meters (328 feet) away.
“We felt the ground shake. It was like a thunderclap, and then screams. Windows just exploded,” said one local resident.
This strike marks the most lethal attack on Israeli civilians in the ongoing two-and-a-half-day-long war, ignited after Iranian leaders vowed revenge for Israeli airstrikes on Iranian soil that killed high-ranking military and nuclear personnel earlier this week.
Civilian Toll Rises on Both Sides
While this strike has caused a high number of casualties in Israel, the civilian death toll inside Iran is believed to be significantly higher, following Israeli operations earlier in the week that allegedly targeted residential neighborhoods and strategic locations in Tehran, Isfahan, and Qom.
The escalating tit-for-tat strikes have raised fears of a full-scale regional war, with international calls for restraint growing louder.