Will Trump step in? US consulate in Israel damaged in Iran’s missile strike
The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv | AP
The US consulate in Israel suffered minor damage as Iran fired a fresh barrage of missiles at Tel Aviv on the fourth day of the intense military confrontation between the two countries.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed that the building sustained minor damage, but there were no injuries to personnel.
The consulate in Tel Aviv and the embassy in Jerusalem would remain closed through the day as a precaution, he added.
The development comes a day after US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that the US would attack Iran with its “full force” if any of their assets were targeted.
"If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US armed forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,” he had said.
The latest Iranian strikes killed at least five persons, taking Israel’s death toll to 18 since Friday, according to the national emergency service. Over a hundred people have been injured.
Tehran targeted Israel’s port city, Haifa, in its fresh offensive, leaving scores of people wounded. Local media showed fires burning at a power plant near the port.
The Associated Press reported that powerful explosions, likely from Israel's defence systems intercepting Iranian missiles, rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn, ushering in a fourth day of open warfare between the regional foes.
Several residential buildings in the city sustained damage.
The conflict began on Friday after Israel’s surprise attack on Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme and military leadership.
The two countries traded intense air strikes over the weekend, despite the international calls for de-escalation.
Israel said Iran had fired over 270 missiles since Friday, 22 of which slipped through the country's sophisticated multi-tiered air defences and caused havoc in residential suburbs.
Israel struck Iran’s oil refineries, killed the intelligence chief of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and two other generals, and hit population centres in intensive aerial attacks that raised the death toll to 224.
Middle East