Iranian missile strike on Israel’s Beit Shemesh kills nine people

At least nine people have died in Iran’s missile strike on the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, as Iran continued retaliatory attacks against Israel and United States military assets across several Middle Eastern countries after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israel-US strike.

Residents of Tel Aviv reported hearing loud explosions, which were either from missile strikes or defence system interceptions. Israeli rescue services confirmed nine fatalities and 28 injuries in Beit Shemesh, raising Israel’s total casualty count to 10 since the conflict erupted.

“You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” said Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in a televised address on Sunday.

The US military reported no US casualties and minimal infrastructure damage, despite what it described as “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks”.

Israel’s military stated that Iran launched “dozens” of missiles toward Israeli territory, with many intercepted successfully. Emergency service Magen David Adom confirmed that a woman in the Tel Aviv region died from injuries sustained during Iran’s missile offensive.