Iran launches fresh missile strikes on Israeli, US targets in Middle East

Iran has launched a new wave of missile strikes targeting Israeli cities and American military facilities across the Middle East, according to the country’s state broadcaster, IRIB.

The broadcaster described the barrage as “the most intense and heaviest since the start of the war,” adding that the attacks lasted for about three hours.

According to statements attributed to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, the strikes targeted Israeli cities including Tel Aviv, Haifa and West Jerusalem — the part of the contested city under full Israeli control.

Israel’s military confirmed that missiles were detected heading towards the country and said its air defence systems had been activated to intercept the incoming threats.

Journalists from AFP reported hearing air raid sirens in Jerusalem, followed by the sound of explosions in the distance.

Iranian media also reported that the missile barrage targeted several American facilities in the region, including “numerous US targets in Erbil” in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain.

The escalation comes amid the ongoing Middle East conflict that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory missile attacks by Tehran.

In an earlier statement carried by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, the Revolutionary Guards said a “mass” of ballistic missiles had been fired at the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain and three other facilities in northern Iraq.

The Guards also claimed that no US Navy vessel had “dared” approach the Strait of Hormuz, after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright earlier said an oil tanker had been escorted through the strategic waterway before deleting the statement shortly after.

Meanwhile, several countries across the Gulf reported new attacks early Wednesday, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announcing that their air defence systems had intercepted incoming missiles and drones.