Sawt Falasteen - Iran hits Israel with deadly missile onslaught

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on Friday launched aerial attacks on Iran in a surprise campaign it said was aimed at stopping its arch-foe from acquiring atomic weapons -- an allegation Tehran denies.

So far, Israel's strikes have killed at least 224 people inside Iran, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to authorities in the Islamic republic.

In retaliation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday it had "successfully" struck Israel with a salvo of missiles and warned of "effective, targeted and more devastating operations" to come.

The latest Iranian onslaught left a trail of destruction across Israeli cities -- including Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and Haifa -- with shattered homes, smouldering wreckage and stunned residents picking through the debris.

"We heard a strong bomb," said Henn, a father of four in Petah Tikva. "It was very scary," he told AFPTV.

The death toll in Israel rose by 11 on Monday, the prime minister's office said, bringing the total since Friday to 24.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said the missile barrage also lightly damaged a building used by the American embassy in Tel Aviv.

- 'I will not leave' -

Iran's attack followed a wave of intense Israeli air raids that struck targets across the Islamic republic -- from the western border with Iraq to the capital Tehran and as far east as Mashhad, where the airport was hit.

Despite reports of civilians fleeing Tehran, some vowed to stay.

"It is natural that war has its own stress, but I will not leave my city," Shokouh Razzazi, 31, told AFP in the Iranian capital.

The rapid escalation has drawn mounting international concern and calls for de-escalation.

China urged both sides to "immediately take measures to cool down the tensions" and "prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil".

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also appealed for calm, saying she had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "a negotiated solution is, in the long term, the best solution".

While critical of Israel's campaign in Gaza, von der Leyen blamed Iran for the latest crisis, citing the UN nuclear watchdog's findings that it was not in compliance with its obligations.

Iran, meanwhile, called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to condemn the Israeli strikes on its nuclear sites.

"We expect the (IAEA) Board of Governors and the director general to take a firm position in condemning this act and holding the regime (Israel) accountable," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in Tehran.

- 'A heavy price' -

Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the hostilities erupted, with Netanyahu accusing Iran of deliberately targeting civilians.

"Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children," he said while visiting a bombed-out apartment block in Bat Yam.

The military said Monday it had destroyed one third of Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers.

In a televised address, Iranian armed forces spokesman Colonel Reza Sayyad vowed a "devastating response" to Israeli attacks.

"Leave the occupied territories (Israel) because they will certainly no longer be habitable in the future," he said, adding shelters would "not guarantee security".

Addressing Iran's parliament, President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens to "stand strong against this genocidal criminal aggression with unity and coherence".

- 'Make a deal' -

US President Donald Trump insisted Washington had "nothing to do" with Israel's military campaign but warned any Iranian attack on American interests would trigger "the full strength and might" of the US military.

On Sunday, Trump urged both sides to "make a deal" while expressing doubts about near-term peace prospects.

"Sometimes they have to fight it out, but we're going to see what happens," he said.

A senior US official told AFP Trump had intervened to prevent Israel from carrying out an assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"We found out that the Israelis had plans to hit Iran's supreme leader. President Trump was against it and we told the Israelis not to," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Asked by Fox News whether regime change in Iran was one of Israel's objectives, Netanyahu said: "It certainly could be the result, because the Iran regime is very weak."

As hostilities intensified, Iran said it was scrapping planned nuclear talks with the United States, calling dialogue "meaningless" under bombardment.

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H.Darwish--SF-PST