New Delhi: The latest conflict in the Middle East is escalating alarmingly.
A day after Israel launched a massive air offensive against Iran, the two countries traded missiles and airstrikes on Saturday.
Stung by Israel’s offensive which killed top military commanders and scientists, besides bombing nuclear sites, Iran retaliated with drone attacks on military and civilian targets in Tel Aviv and other Israeli towns.
That provoked fresh Israeli strikes on Saturday, even as both sides issued stern warnings to each other.
Israel’s Defence minister Israel Katz said Iran’s leadership had crossed a red line.
“If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli homefront, Tehran will burn,” Katz said in a statement.
Iran, in turn, threatened to expand strikes and warned Israel’s allies the US, the UK and France not to interfere, saying their bases in the region are also potential targets.
Israel has made it clear that its actions are aimed to stop Iran building an atomic weapon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging Iranian citizens to “stand up and let your voices be heard.”
US-Iran nuclear talks cancelled
Iran has failed to reach a nuclear deal, which was being negotiated by US President Donald Trump.
The next round of US-Iran nuclear talks, which were scheduled for Sunday, won’t happen, mediator Oman’s Foreign minister Badr Albusaidi says.
“The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place. But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace,” Albusaidi wrote on X.
Iran’s Foreign minister had earlier said continuing talks with the US is “unjustifiable” given the current situation.
Casualties on both sides
Both Israel and Iran have suffered casualties.
Iran has said at least 78 people were killed and over 320 injured, most of them civilians, in Israeli strikes.
Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex, with more strikes reported across the country as Israel said it had attacked more than 150 targets.
Israeli officials, on the other hand, confirmed that three people died and dozens were injured in Iran’s counterattack.
Iran reportedly fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves.
