Israel-Iran battle escalates, civilians urged to evacuate target areas

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on Sunday, killing and wounding civilians and raising concerns of a broader regional conflict, with both militaries urging civilians on the opposing side to take precautions against further strikes.

Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire with the U.S. while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday.

An Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson, Hossein Kermanpour, said since the start of Israeli strikes 224 people had died and more than 1,200 had been injured, 90 percent of whom he said were civilians. Those killed included 60 on Saturday, half of them children, in a 14-story apartment block flattened in the Iranian capital.

Israel's military, which launched the attacks on Friday with the stated aim of wiping out Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, warned Iranians living near weapons facilities to evacuate. Early on Monday, it said Israel's air force attacked surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran.

"Iran will pay a heavy price for the murder of civilians, women and children," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said from a balcony overlooking blown-out apartments where six people were killed in Bat Yam, a town south of Tel Aviv.

Iran's armed forces told residents of Israel to leave the vicinity of "vital areas" for their safety.

Explosions rattled Tel Aviv in the afternoon as Iran launched its first daylight missile raid since Israel attacked on Friday.

At least 10 people, including children, have been killed so far, according to Israeli authorities.

Hours later, shortly after nightfall, Iran launched a second wave of missiles, which struck a residential street in Haifa, a mixed Jewish-Arab city in northern Israel. The national emergency service reported nine people were injured in the strike, along with two others following a missile impact in the south.

(With input from Reuters) 

(Cover: Flames from a fire at the Tehran oil refinery, located south of the capital, are seen burning in the distance on June 15, 2025. /VCG)