Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Explosions were heard across Tel Aviv early Friday after missiles launched from Iran struck areas near Israel’s commercial hub, marking another escalation in the rapidly expanding regional conflict that has already spread to Tehran and Beirut.
According to Israeli emergency services, several sites in and around Tel Aviv sustained damage following the missile strikes. Authorities said response teams were dispatched to multiple locations across the city, though no injuries were immediately reported.
Firefighters were seen battling flames at a residential building near the city’s commercial district, while residents of another apartment building on the outskirts of Tel Aviv were evacuated after a projectile struck the structure. Emergency crews worked overnight to secure damaged buildings and extinguish fires caused by the impacts.
Iran’s state broadcaster said the missiles were launched “against targets in the heart of Tel Aviv,” describing the attack as part of Tehran’s response to Israeli operations across the region.
The missile barrage came hours after Israel carried out large-scale airstrikes on southern Beirut, targeting positions associated with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Israeli officials have vowed retaliation after Hezbollah entered the conflict earlier in the week.
Fighting intensified Monday when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following the widening confrontation between Israel and Iran. The militia’s leader, Naim Qassem, had pledged to confront what he described as Israeli aggression as the war expanded across the Middle East.
Israel’s military said it had activated air-defense systems to intercept incoming Iranian missiles late Thursday, though several projectiles appeared to reach areas around Tel Aviv, triggering the series of explosions reported by residents.
The exchange of missile and air strikes forms part of a broader regional escalation that has unfolded over the past week. Israeli forces have conducted repeated airstrikes inside Iran, including targets near Tehran, while also striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon.
At the same time, Iran has launched missiles and drones toward Israeli territory, while regional defense systems and allied forces have attempted to intercept incoming projectiles.
The conflict has also drawn in the United States. President Donald Trump said Washington had “no time limits” on its involvement in the campaign against Iran, while U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military operation had “only just begun.”
As missile exchanges continue and strikes spread across several countries, analysts warn that the confrontation risks evolving into a wider regional war involving multiple armed groups and states across the Middle East.
