Tension Mounts Over the Ruins of Tel Aviv Following Iran’s Missile Counterattack

Israel intensifies its threats and expands its offensive against Iran, initiated early Friday morning. This Saturday, in addition to military and nuclear targets, it bombed a gas refinery in the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, the Israeli army has killed several military commanders and members of the Revolutionary Guard, whose leaders were also targeted the previous night. Official sources from Iran report that one of the attacks in its capital has resulted in 60 fatalities, including 20 children. Oman has confirmed that it will not host the talks this Sunday between the Islamic Republic and the United States, originally scheduled before the Israeli attack, aimed at reconciling positions on the nuclear race. Other Iranian sources increase the total number of casualties from the bombings to 78.

All movements in the region indicate that tension and violence are rising. In the streets of Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv, there is a palpable sense of anxiety. No one knows the extent to which the confrontation with the ayatollah regime will escalate.

Tehran seems more focused on warfare than on progressing in the agreement with Washington, having fulfilled its promise by launching a bold counterattack. On Friday night, it fired about 150 missiles at Israel in several waves, which could not all be intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system, one of the most advanced in the world. Despite defensive assistance from the United States to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, several missiles struck populated areas, according to the Israeli army, which expects more launches in the coming hours.

So far, there are three fatalities—all civilians outside shelters—and around 70 injuries. Seven of them are soldiers, although it has not been disclosed if any military infrastructure was hit. Additionally, on Saturday, drones launched from Iran were intercepted in the north and east of Israel. In an unprecedented measure during this phase of the conflict, the country remains on high alert, Ben Gurion Airport is still closed, and authorities estimate it will take weeks for citizens currently abroad to return.

The skies over the main cities of the country, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, roared Friday night amid flashes as projectiles from the Islamic Republic arrived, while local forces attempted to prevent them from hitting their targets. Simultaneously, orders were issued to the population to seek shelter. The damage is significant in a country not used to being challenged in this manner. This is evident in the reactions of some top Israeli officials.

Defense Minister Israel Katz raises the tone and directly addresses the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei: “If you continue firing missiles into Israel, Tehran will burn,” he stated. Iranian authorities, for their part, have warned the U.S., the U.K., and France that their bases or ships deployed in the Middle East will be targets of Iranian missiles if they assist in repelling Iranian attacks on Israel, as reported by Iranian state media.

Gaza, where dozens of Palestinians continue to die daily due to attacks from Israeli occupation troops and where around fifty hostages remain in Hamas hands, many already dead, has taken a backseat in recent hours. Two missiles were launched from the Strip this Saturday and fell in unpopulated areas of Israel.

The impacts of the Iranian missiles occurred in central Tel Aviv and some suburbs of its metropolitan area in the early hours from Friday to Saturday. In Rishon Letzion, a dozen two-story homes in a residential area were destroyed. The bodies of two of the three Israeli fatalities were recovered from this site. Several neighbors claimed that the deceased did not make it to the security room that homes built in recent decades are required to have by law.

Several family members, in tears and accompanied by military rescue teams, attempted to recover personal belongings on Saturday at noon. Sivan Malkiel, a 44-year-old woman, retrieved some dust-covered objects from her parents’ home, such as a rug, a sculpture of an elephant, a canvas painting, or a figure of a bullfighter in a tattered costume.

“They Want the Atomic Bomb”

About ten kilometers away, in Ramat Gan, the third fatality was reported. A three-story building was completely destroyed. It seems miraculous that there were not more deaths. Several parked cars on the street were wrecked. After the impact, as happened in other attacked locations, authorities placed Israeli flags. A hundred people, many of whom are ultra-Orthodox families living in the area, came to observe the effects of the attack.

Most buildings and storefronts in the surrounding streets also showed damage. “The explosion was huge. All the buildings shook,” recounted Bracha, an interior designer who used the traditional argument to justify Israeli attacks: “Iran wants to destroy Israel and the Jews. They are also the ones arming Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militias. And they want the atomic bomb.”

Upon uttering this phrase, a heated argument broke out between two men. The name of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was mentioned several times. They had to be separated before it escalated. A short distance away, Avia, 30, sitting on a bench, does not understand why they are arguing when she has lost everything. Her house has irreparable damage. She and her sister, Ila, 37, have only managed to salvage an empty suitcase. “I don’t care about Iran or Israel. I want my things,” Ila said when asked about the conflict.

At that moment, reality reminds them they are at war as alarms sound again, warning of a possible attack. Some run toward shelters or places they consider safer. Others take it more calmly while an officer, from a police vehicle, requests the area to be evacuated. A few minutes later, the threat subsides, but uncertainty remains regarding when the sirens will sound again.

A red rose made of fabric peeks from the facade amidst the rubble of the second floor. It’s almost the only splash of color amid the devastation. Veronique Benat, a Frenchwoman who has lived in Israel for three decades, observes it from below. “I turned 59 two days ago; this has been my birthday gift,” she quips as she looks at the building’s remains. The woman, who was unharmed, explains that she has been making these roses since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and gives them to volunteers, medics, or families of victims. A plastic tape set up by the police prevents her from getting closer to her apartment. She does not wish to. “I have nothing. I’m wearing what I have. I have no papers, no money, no anything… not even underwear.”

A few meters away, a group of about ten young Mexicans, aged between 18 and 20, who came to Israel to study the Torah, walk from the neighboring ultra-Orthodox stronghold of Bnei Brak and stand in front of the demolished building. They are dressed religiously: black pants, white shirts, and kippahs on their heads. They chat cheerfully about their experiences, confidently asserting that the integrity of the country hosting them does not depend so much on the army as on God. Therefore, some say that while the alarms were sounding and everything was shaking amid the explosions, they prayed continuously.