The early hours of Wednesday witnessed an unprecedented military escalation in the region, as cities and wide areas within Israel were subjected to intense missile attacks launched from Iranian and Yemeni territories. This field explosion came just minutes after US President Donald Trump announced his approval of a conditional ceasefire with Tehran, putting the fragile calm to a real and difficult test.
Media sources confirmed that the Israeli Air Force responded immediately by launching airstrikes targeting missile launch platforms deep inside Iranian territory. Residents of Jerusalem heard violent explosions in the sky resulting from aerial interception operations, coinciding with the detection of the first missile barrage that followed Trump's speech directly, before successive waves of attacks followed.
According to field data, Iran launched six consecutive missile barrages, the second of which targeted southern areas including Dimona, Beersheba, and the Negev, where sirens blared continuously. These attacks drove thousands of settlers into shelters, amid a state of confusion that prevailed in Israeli security circles due to the timing and scale of the shelling.
The third barrage extended to the Israeli interior in the central region, where warning systems were activated in Tel Aviv and the cities of Petah Tikva and Bnei Brak. Technical reports indicated that some of the missiles used were of advanced models, while sources spoke of the use of cluster missiles in some barrages that targeted vital centers.
Attacks were not limited to the Iranian front; defensive systems detected the launch of two missiles from Yemen towards Israel in two separate attacks following the White House announcement. Sources did not provide precise details about the results of the Yemeni shelling, but they confirmed that the attacks came within the framework of clear field coordination aimed at pressuring the Israeli side.
Regarding material and human losses, medical and media sources reported projectiles falling in Beersheba, in addition to a building being directly hit in Tel Aviv. Local authorities also recorded severe damage to a facility in Petah Tikva and a large fire breaking out at the site, while two people were injured in the town of Tel as-Saba in the south.
Israeli military censorship imposes a strict blackout on the true extent of losses resulting from these barrages, which is a common behavior in the face of missiles coming from multiple fronts. This blackout includes details of drone and missile interceptions, as well as the results of ongoing field confrontations on other fronts, to ensure that no free information is provided to the other side.
US President Donald Trump had earlier announced a temporary two-week truce, indicating that the United States had received a ten-point Iranian proposal that represents a basis for negotiation. Trump confirmed that this agreement was reached after mediation efforts led by Pakistan through its prime minister and army chief of staff, with the aim of defusing a comprehensive explosion.
The White House stipulated for the continuation of this halt that Tehran fully, immediately, and safely open the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation. Trump stressed that the cessation of military operations must be mutual and bilateral, considering that American military objectives have been largely achieved, paving the way for a long-term peace agreement.
Despite these diplomatic statements, the field reality on Wednesday morning reflected a large gap between political announcements and military movements on the ground. Sources confirm that Israel was surprised by the timing of the American decision and expressed reservations about security guarantees, especially with the continued flow of missiles that reached most major cities from the north to the Negev.
Trump conditioned the cessation of strikes on the full and immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and that the ceasefire be bilateral.
שתף את דעתך
Widespread missile escalation strikes Israel and raids on Iran following Trump's ceasefire announcement