A deadly Iranian missile strike struck the Israeli coastal city of Bat Yam overnight, leaving at least four people dead and more than 100 injured, local officials confirmed on Sunday. Israeli rescuers worked through the early morning hours, searching the rubble of an eight-story building hit during the attack.
Bat Yam’s mayor told Reuters that dozens of people were treated for injuries, and at least 35 residents remain missing. Emergency crews said they managed to rescue several trapped individuals, though some were found dead at the scene. Search operations are ongoing amid concerns more people could be buried beneath the debris.
The strike was part of a larger wave of Iranian attacks that began just after 11:00 p.m. local time on Saturday and continued into early Sunday. According to Israeli officials, missile sirens sounded across the country as multiple cities were targeted in retaliation for Israel’s earlier airstrikes on Iran.
Israel’s national ambulance service reported at least seven fatalities across the country, including a 10-year-old boy and a young woman in her 20s. Over 140 people have been wounded, many of them seriously, as rescue teams race to respond to multiple impact zones.
The missile barrage comes after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran’s military and energy sites, escalating tensions between the longtime rivals. Iran’s retaliation has raised fears of a wider regional war, drawing attention from world leaders calling for de-escalation.
At this stage, it remains unclear how many buildings were hit nationwide. However, Bat Yam appears to be among the hardest-hit areas, as scenes of destruction and emergency response efforts continue to unfold on the ground.