Israel hits military sites in western, central Iran

Israeli warplanes struck military sites across western and central Iran early Monday as explosions echoed through Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan and Karaj, the Israeli army and Iranian media reported. The raids marked a sharp escalation in the ongoing confrontation between the two regional powers.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force had hit facilities belonging to the Iranian regime, without immediately providing specific details on the locations or extent of the damage. Iranian state television reported blasts in the capital as well as in the northwestern city of Tabriz and the central city of Isfahan, while the Tasnim News Agency noted explosions near Karaj — west of Tehran. At least three explosions were heard in Isfahan alone, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Exchange of fire

The Israeli strikes came several hours after Iran launched multiple missile barrages toward northern Israel, itself a response to an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut that Tel Aviv said targeted a Hezbollah command and planning center. The Lebanese capital's southern districts were hit in the early hours of Sunday, prompting the Iranian retaliation against Israeli positions.

Israeli forces conducted the Beirut strike saying it targeted a Hezbollah command and planning center, prompting Tehran's missile barrage toward northern Israel hours later. The latest exchange adds to months of cross-border violence that has killed scores of fighters and civilians on both sides.