Israeli officials confirmed that an Iranian missile strike resulted in the death of a man in Tel Aviv on Friday, marking a significant escalation as Tehran continues its retaliatory operations across the region one month into the conflict. The Israeli military reported detecting missiles launched from Iran targeting Israeli territory in at least five separate waves over a span of just over five hours, activating air defense systems and sounding warning sirens late Friday and into early Saturday.
The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical service confirmed the fatality in Tel Aviv and reported additional casualties: two men aged 65 and 50 were injured in a separate missile attack within the city, while two more individuals sustained injuries in the southern town of Kuseife.
In footage released by the military from one of the impact sites, Home Front Command official Miki David described how a residential apartment building was struck by a cluster munition. These weapons detonate mid-air, dispersing bomblets over a wide area. Both Iran and Israel have previously accused each other of deploying cluster bombs during the conflict.
Images from Tel Aviv showed emergency responders at the scene of the missile impact, with the entrance of a building heavily damaged and strewn with debris. Witness videos captured what appeared to be a missile barrage over Jerusalem, accompanied by air raid sirens. Explosions were also heard from Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israeli media reported that one of the missile waves, which triggered sirens in northern Israel and parts of the annexed Golan Heights, was launched simultaneously by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Earlier on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran would impose a “HEAVY price for Israeli crimes” following attacks on major steel factories and nuclear facilities.
Before the latest fatality was confirmed, emergency services had reported that 18 civilians had been killed on the Israeli side since the war began on February 28. Among those casualties, Iranian missile strikes were responsible for the deaths of 13 Israelis, including four minors, as well as one Filipino caregiver and one Thai national.
