Cross-border strikes trigger sirens, retaliation threats and regional alerts.
Image:ANADOLU AGENCY
TEHRAN/JERUSALEM: An Israeli airstrike hit a petrochemical facility in Mahshahr, Iran, on Monday, causing partial damage to the industrial complex, Iranian officials said.
Khuzestan province officials said the Karun Mahshahr Petrochemical Company was struck, but reported no casualties. Damage assessments are still ongoing.
The attack comes amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran, with both sides reporting strikes and missile launches overnight.
Sirens sounded across central and southern Israel after Iran launched missile salvos in multiple waves. Israeli air defence systems were activated to intercept incoming projectiles, with explosions reported in the skies over several cities.
Warnings also extended to occupied East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank as missile activity intensified.
The Israeli military said it detected launches from Iran and carried out retaliatory strikes on military targets in western and central Iran, including reported explosions in Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in its operations, while Iranian state media reported multiple blasts in key cities.
At the same time, Yemen’s Houthi movement announced a “total ban” on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea and claimed responsibility for missile attacks targeting Israel’s Jaffa region.
The group said it would continue operations in coordination with allied regional forces, citing ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a Security Cabinet meeting as the crisis deepens, according to Israeli media.
Israel also temporarily closed its airspace after intercepting a missile launched from Yemen, highlighting the widening scope of regional threats.
The exchange of strikes marks one of the most intense escalations in the region in recent months, with both sides warning of further retaliation.
