Iranian missiles struck Israel’s major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa in an early morning attack on Monday, destroying homes and increasing concerns among world leaders at this week’s G7 meeting that the fighting between these two longtime enemies could spread into a wider regional war.

Israel’s national emergency service reported that three people were killed in the country’s centre, whilst dozens more were wounded in the overnight strikes. The attack was part of Iran’s retaliation for Israel’s earlier strikes on Friday, which targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile programmes.

Search and rescue operations were underway in the port city of Haifa, where around 30 people were wounded, emergency authorities said. Dozens of first responders rushed to the areas that were hit. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port, according to media reports.

Video footage showed several missiles flying over Tel Aviv, and explosions could be heard there and over Jerusalem. Several residential buildings in a densely populated neighbourhood of Tel Aviv were destroyed in a strike that blew out the windows of hotels and other nearby homes just a few hundred metres from a US Embassy building in the city.

The dawn missiles struck near Shuk HaCarmel, a popular market in Tel Aviv that typically attracts large crowds of residents and tourists buying fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as areas close to popular bars and restaurants. A residential street in nearby Petach Tikva and a school in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish city of Bnei Brak were also hit.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the latest attack used a new method that caused Israel’s multi-layered defence systems to mistakenly target each other. “The initiatives and capabilities used in this operation, despite the comprehensive support of the United States and Western powers and the possession of the most up-to-date and newest defence technology, led to the successful and maximum hitting of the missiles on the targets in the occupied territories,” the Guards said.

Israeli officials have repeatedly said their defence system is not 100% effective and have warned of difficult days ahead.

The escalating conflict has already taken a heavy toll on both sides. At least 10 people in Israel, including children, were killed in earlier strikes, according to authorities. Meanwhile, the death toll in Iran has reached at least 224 people, with 90% of the casualties reported to be civilians, according to an Iranian health ministry spokesperson. (Business Day)