Iran's heavy barrages impact multiple Israeli targets overnight
6 Min Read
Iran's armed forces have launched multiple large-scale barrages, targeting Israeli sites in occupied Palestine, following a stern warning by Major General Mousavi.
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The Israeli air defense systems fired to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles during a retaliatory response over Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, on June 18, 2025. (AP)
Iran launched multiple waves of ballistic missiles at Israeli targets in occupied Palestine, in retaliation for the continued Israeli aggression against the country, overnight, on Wednesday.
The attack was preceded by a post from Iran’s Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei on X, declaring, “We must respond forcefully to the terrorist Zionist entity… We will never compromise with the Zionists,” reaffirming Iran’s commitment to confrontation and its refusal to bow to US threats.
به نام نامی #حیدر، نبرد آغاز میگردد
— KHAMENEI.IR | فارسی 🇮🇷 (@Khamenei_fa) June 17, 2025
علی با ذوالفقار خود، به #خیبر باز میگردد#الله_اکبر pic.twitter.com/yGYrXUDGoK
A hit on Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate
Sirens sounded across Israeli-occupied cities and settlements at around 12:40 am (local time), signaling the arrival of the first wave of Iranian ballistic missiles and triggering widespread panic among settlers who rushed to shelters amid reported malfunctions in the alert system. Some even claimed rockets landed without any prior warning.
Israeli media outlets estimated that the first batch included 20 to 30 ballistic missiles. This large barrage followed multiple smaller-scale attacks that were carried out throughout Tuesday.
#WATCH | Footage shows a missile salvo launched from #Iran toward Israeli targets in the occupied Palestinian territories. pic.twitter.com/HaW6XAhkPF
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 17, 2025
Although these attacks consisted of a smaller quantity of missiles in each wave, multiple impacts were recorded, including a hit on the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman). A large warehouse in a base hosting its members, in Tel Aviv, was dealt a direct and critical hit on Tuesday morning.
In this latest set of strikes, Israeli media outlets reported that impacts were recorded in Ashdod in the south, al-Quds, and the city settlements of Sharon and Samaria in the center. The Iranian Fars News Agency also revealed that Iranian forces attacked the Meron Air Traffic Control Base in northern occupied Palestine in this attack.
What to know about Meron base
The Meron facility is a strategic Israeli military base located atop Mount Meron in northern occupied Palestine.
It is considered one of the occupation’s key hubs for electronic surveillance and aerial monitoring along the northern front.
The base plays a critical role in tracking activity in Lebanon and Syria and houses radars, jamming systems, and sensitive military communications.
It is an integral part of "Israel’s" C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence) network used to coordinate operations against northern targets.
Iranian outlets confirmed that the offensive involved Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles and struck sensitive Israeli sites.
Faulty interceptors
Additionally, faulty interceptors were seen steering toward the ground before impacting an unidentified object, causing a large fire in Tel Aviv. This marks the third documentation of Israeli missiles, launched to intercept Iranian projectiles, failing and hitting ground-based objects.
#WATCH | Footage documents a couple of malfunctioning Israeli interceptors impacting an area in Tel Aviv, causing a fire.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 17, 2025
This is the third time that such an incident has been recorded by bystanders since the Israeli aggression on #Iran began.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/p3EKtKMSlW
Second wave of strikes follows shortly
A second wave of strikes followed shortly, as sirens sounded in swaths of settlements, including in Tel Aviv, Netanya, and the West Bank. The attack took place at around 1:30 am, as Israeli media outlets reported that two Iranian missiles impacted their targets in Tel Aviv and the north.
Debris from interceptors had also caused fires across multiple areas in occupied Palestine, including in Bnei Brak, where around 20 cars caught fire.
#WATCH | Circulating video documents the impact caused by an Iranian missile in Tel Aviv.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 17, 2025
According to Israeli media, Iranian missiles impacted sites in Ashdod, al-Quds, Sharon, and Samaria.#Iran #Palestine pic.twitter.com/dZ4xlTb3aA
Read more: Iran retaliatory strikes target greater Tel Aviv as injuries reported
IRGC says Israeli air defense system crumbling
Shortly after, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) declared, "We are witnessing the beginning of the end of the Zionist army’s air defense system."
In its tenth statement since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Iran and the following Iranian retaliatory strikes, the IRGC revealed that the latest wave of strikes involved first-generation Fattah missiles, highly maneuverable and powerful weapons that successfully penetrated "Israel’s" missile defense shield and repeatedly struck Israeli military positions.
The deployment of Fattah missiles, the IRGC indicated, sent a clear message of Iranian strength "to Tel Aviv’s delusional ally and instigator of war," in a reference to the United States.
The statement emphasized that the latest missile strike "proved beyond any doubt that the skies over the occupied territories are now fully under our control."
The IRGC concluded by stressing that the residents of Tel Aviv "are now defenseless in the face of Iran’s missile capabilities."
Iranian forces issue evacuation order for Israeli settlers
Earlier, the Iranian armed forces issued an evacuation order for Israeli settlers in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood in Tel Aviv after an Israeli threat to Tehran's District 18.
According to Iranian state TV, in response to the Israeli threat to #Tehran's District 18, Iranian forces issued an evacuation order for Israeli settlers in the Neve Tzedek area.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 17, 2025
The Israeli occupation military had issued a threat earlier targeting an industrial area in Tehran’s… pic.twitter.com/Ds9nqfqzVR
Why Neve Tzedek?
Neve Tzedek is one of Tel Aviv’s oldest and most symbolically significant neighborhoods. It holds deep cultural, historical, and ideological value within the Zionist narrative and is often described in Israeli discourse as the “first Zionist dream.”
As the nucleus from which Tel Aviv later expanded, Neve Tzedek has come to embody the early aspirations of the Zionist project along the Palestinian coast.
The neighborhood is also a major cultural and tourist destination, attracting thousands of visitors each year.
Tehran under Israeli attack
Meanwhile, Tehran has reportedly come under attack following "Israel’s" threats, with explosions heard in the neighborhoods of Piroozi, Sabalan, and Sayyad, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent said an Israeli strike Tuesday morning targeted the road connecting Tehran to the western outskirts of the Iranian capital.
Iranian air defenses destroy, down 22 Israeli drones
Iranian air defenses were also reported to be engaging multiple Israeli targets in the skies over Mashhad.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, citing an informed source, reported that Iranian air defense systems successfully destroyed and downed 22 Israeli drones and intercepted dozens of projectiles in the past 24 hours.
According to the informed source, over 270 people have been martyred since the start of the Israeli aggression on Iran.
Read more: 'Israel' reports 14,583 cases of direct damage amid Iranian strikes
