Iran fired a volley of missiles at Israeli cities on Monday, killing 11 people and raising Israel’s death toll to 24 since Friday, in a dramatic escalation following Israeli airstrikes deep inside Iranian territory.

Israel’s surprise aerial campaign, launched Friday, targeted military, nuclear, and strategic sites across Iran, killing at least 224 people — including senior commanders, scientists, and civilians — according to Iranian authorities. The strikes were part of Israel’s effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran has consistently denied.

In retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced they had “successfully” struck Israeli targets, warning of more “devastating” attacks. Missiles hit Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva, and Haifa, causing widespread destruction and panic among civilians.

“The entire shelter shook,” said Haifa resident Shlomi Biton, who was with his five children during the attack. Others described scenes of chaos and terror as explosions rocked their neighborhoods.

The U.S. confirmed that a building used by its embassy in Tel Aviv sustained minor damage. In Iran, a Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned an Israeli strike that reportedly damaged a hospital in Kermanshah, calling it a “war crime.”

Despite calls from international actors for de-escalation, including China, the European Union, and Turkey, both sides remain defiant. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged unity against what he called “genocidal criminal aggression,” while an Iranian military spokesman threatened that Israel would no longer be “habitable.”

Turkey has offered to mediate, and U.S. President Donald Trump stressed that America was not involved in Israel’s operations. However, he warned that any attack on U.S. interests would provoke a powerful military response.

A senior U.S. official revealed that Trump intervened to stop an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not deny the claim but suggested regime change in Iran could be a consequence of the conflict, stating, “The regime is very weak.”

Meanwhile, Iran has cancelled nuclear talks with the U.S., declaring negotiations “meaningless” amid ongoing bombardment.

As the region teeters on the brink of full-scale war, both nations appear to be preparing for a protracted and dangerous confrontation.