Iran's seventh wave of missile attacks has brought life to a near halt across a large part of Israel. Air raid sirens sounded in Haifa, Galilee, the Golan Heights, the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, and the western parts of occupied Jerusalem.
Israel's home front reactivated all emergency protocols. Hospitals switched to full emergency mode, education was suspended in schools and all educational institutions, gatherings in open areas were banned, and businesses without shelters were ordered to cease operations.
Flight traffic was also affected by the attacks. It was reported that some planes could not land at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, and that missile launches from Iran were detected following sirens in central Israel.
An assessment from the Ramallah office stated that approximately 8 million Israelis were forced to immediately seek shelters and reinforced rooms. This number represents more than two-thirds of Israel's roughly 10 million population.
Previous waves also had visible impacts on the ground. Debris and missiles fell near the Itamar settlement, northwest of the Dead Sea, and around Beit Shemesh west of Jerusalem; Dimona, Beersheba, and the southern Dead Sea area were also previously targeted regions.
On the military front, the Israeli army announced it intercepted 7 missiles over Ashdod before they reached their targets. These developments indicate that reciprocal attacks are intensifying pressure on the ground.
On the political front, contacts between the US and Israel drew attention. It was reported that the phone call between Netanyahu and Trump was brief, with Trump urging Netanyahu to exercise restraint and avoid retaliation.
That same night, it was shared that Israeli Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir spoke three times with US Central Command Middle East Commander Brad Cooper. These contacts raised the possibility of operational coordination between the two sides amid ongoing developments on the ground.
Iran announced it launched missiles at various Israeli targets in response to Israel targeting southern suburbs of Beirut. The Israeli army stated it struck Iranian attacks with air defense, drones, and other military targets.
The situation has heightened concerns that reciprocal moves are escalating and that the war front could uncontrollably expand.
