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Reports of "loud explosions" in central Israel emerged as air raid sirens sounded across the region following a missile strike from Iran, Al Jazeera reported, citing Israel's Channel 12.
The news outlet further noted that debris was seen falling in central parts of the country. Consequently, the Israeli ambulance service provided medical assistance to four individuals who sustained injuries while heading to a shelter. While the Israeli Home Front Command subsequently announced that the initial incident in the central region was over, the situation remained tense as new threats were identified. According to Al Jazeera, the Home Front Command later detected rocket and missile fire launched towards southern regions of the country, prompting authorities to urge residents in the south to take shelter immediately. This escalation comes amid a significant intensification of Israeli operations. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that two senior Iranian intelligence officials were killed in a targeted airstrike carried out by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) in Tehran. In a post on X, the IDF stated, "ELIMINATED: Abdollah Jalali-Nasab & Amir Shariat, senior intelligence officials of the "Khatam al-Anbiya" Emergency Command. The two senior commanders were key figures in the Iranian intelligence community and close to the leadership of the Iranian terrorist regime." The IDF identified the officials as Abdollah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat, senior figures in Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya emergency command. According to the Jerusalem Post, the strike was conducted with precise guidance from Israeli Military Intelligence. The two men had recently been appointed as acting replacements in the intelligence division after their predecessor, Saleh Asadi, was killed during the early phase of what Israel calls Operation Roaring Lion. The Khatam al-Anbiya emergency command is responsible for gathering and analysing intelligence for senior officials in Iran's security establishment. These assessments help shape the country's military decision-making against Israel, according to reports by the Jerusalem Post. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the operation was part of a broader campaign targeting Iranian military infrastructure. Since the start of the campaign, hundreds of IAF aircraft have struck hundreds of targets linked to the Iranian government across Iran, Defrin noted. He added that the operation began with a surprise attack after Israeli military intelligence identified two gathering points in Tehran where senior Iranian security leaders had assembled. This reported strike follows the completion of 20 waves of attacks against more than 150 Iranian government targets, according to the Jerusalem Post, in an escalating effort to disrupt Iran's command networks. Earlier, the IDF stated that its joint military operations with the US against Iran will continue until an "existential threat" to Israel is eliminated. Speaking to ANI, IDF spokesperson Lt Ben Cohen said Israel is prepared for a prolonged operation to neutralise Iran's military capabilities. "I'm not going to give any specific timeframe, but I'll tell you that we're going to keep going until we know that we've taken away that existential threat," Cohen said. He noted that while Israel generally seeks to avoid prolonged conflicts, the scale of the threat means operations against Iran's infrastructure could take time. (ANI)
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