Middle East Erupts: Iran Strikes Back as Israel Declares Emergency, U.S. Forces Join Defense Grid

TEL AVIV/TEHRAN – A wave of chaos swept the Middle East late Friday as Iran launched a massive retaliatory missile barrage on Israel, hours after Israel initiated a preemptive strike targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure in a surprise military operation dubbed “Operation Rising Lion.” Explosions rocked the Iranian capital, Tehran, as Israeli warplanes reportedly struck multiple high-value sites, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command center—killing Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami in the process. Israel has since entered a state of emergency, activating air defense systems and calling in reinforcements amid escalating fears of full-scale war.

Iran responded with a fierce show of force, firing dozens of ballistic missiles at major Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Haifa. In the deadliest strike yet, at least two civilians were confirmed dead, including a woman who succumbed to injuries sustained in an earlier hit on a Tel Aviv neighborhood. A fourth wave of strikes at dawn Saturday flattened residential blocks in central Israel, with emergency teams scrambling to rescue survivors. Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services agency, reported at least 21 injuries as homes lay in ruins, images of shattered buildings and scorched neighborhoods flooding social media and news outlets.

With tensions boiling over, U.S. defense systems have now joined Israeli forces in intercepting incoming projectiles, signaling Washington’s active support amid fears of a regional wildfire. Former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley voiced staunch backing for Israel, declaring that the Jewish state’s decisive action has made the world “safer” by targeting what she labeled Iran’s rogue nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, global leaders are urging restraint, but with cities burning and alliances hardening, a volatile new chapter in Middle East conflict appears to have begun.