Israel-Iran Conflict: Attacks, Retaliation & Rising Casualties | April 2024

Israel launched a new wave of attacks on Tehran early Sunday, targeting what officials described as nuclear facilities and military infrastructure, according to reports from Iranian state media and confirmed by international sources. The strikes follow continued Iranian retaliatory attacks on Israel and regional countries, marking the 23rd day of escalating conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants should Tehran not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, according to reports from Al Jazeera. This ultimatum comes as Israel continues its offensive operations within Iran.

Iranian military officials have vowed to retaliate for any attacks on their power plants, threatening to target energy infrastructure linked to the U.S. And Israel throughout the Middle East. The Iranian military claims to have intercepted a U.S.-Israeli armed drone over Tehran, preventing it from carrying out combat operations, as reported by the Tasnim news agency.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) asserted on Saturday that its air defenses downed an Israeli fighter jet in Iranian airspace, a claim that has not been independently verified by Israel. Earlier, Israel reportedly targeted the Natanz nuclear site on Saturday in what Iranian officials are calling “criminal attacks,” according to the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation.

Explosions were reported in eastern Tehran on Sunday, following Iranian missile strikes on southern Israel. Nearly 100 people were injured in Iranian missile strikes on towns near an Israeli nuclear facility, according to reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel had a “very difficult evening in the battle for our future” after the strikes on Arad and Dimona.

The conflict began after Israel launched blistering attacks on Iran’s nuclear and military structure, deploying warplanes and drones to strike key facilities and kill top generals and scientists, according to the Associated Press. In response, Iran fired over 100 drones at Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces reported intercepting seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched toward Israeli territory in the past hour, attributing the interceptions to the Air Force and Navy. Iran has similarly caused multiple casualties after strikes in Israel, with at least five people killed in a residential neighborhood near Haifa, according to the BBC.