At Least Eight Dead, Dozens Injured After Iranian Missile Barrage on Israeli Civilians

Latest Developments

• Family Killed in Tamra: Iran launched several waves of ballistic missile attacks against civilian targets in Israel in the early hours of June 15. Earlier in the evening, five members of an Arab Christian family were killed in the northern  city of Tamra following a direct hit from an Iranian missile. Iranian media reported that 100 projectiles were fired at Israel during the attack, as the Israeli Air Force scrambled and intercepted dozens outside of Israeli airspace.
• Missiles Impact in Central Israel: Later in the evening, at least three people were killed and at least 30 injured when another salvo of Iranian ballistic missiles slammed into the central region of Israel. Impacts were reported in the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Rehovot, and Bat Yam, where dozens of people, including children, were classified as missing after a missile struck a residential building. The Israeli Homefront Command eventually issued the all-clear notice confirming that  civilians no longer needed to stay close to bomb shelters following the barrage.
• Defense Minister Warns Iran: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned earlier on June 14 that “Tehran will burn” if the missile barrages against Israeli population centers persist. “The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages,” Katz stated, adding that “according to the plans, air force fighter jets will begin to carry out strikes on targets in Tehran.” Earlier the same day, the IDF announced that it had established air superiority “from western Iran to Tehran” after an overnight sortie involving 70 military aircraft targeting some 40 sites in the Iranian capital.

FDD Expert Response

“Iran’s missile strike in Tamra has once again underscored a critical, often overlooked reality: its weapons do not distinguish between Jew and Arab, Israeli or Palestinian. As Iranian projectiles fall indiscriminately across Israel and the surrounding region, both Israeli and Arab civilians have borne the consequences. This pattern highlights a deeply cynical truth: for Iran, Palestinians are not partners in so-called resistance, but pawns in a campaign to destroy Israel.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“While Israel has painstakingly collected intelligence over several years, placed Mossad teams inside Iran for further precision, and begun to surgically remove the regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile assets from the battlefield, Iran continues to lob missiles indiscriminately at civilians in response. The Islamic Republic is demonstrating to the United States — and the broader Western world — that it was never a good faith negotiator, but a terror-spawning theocracy hell bent on causing widespread carnage as it fights for survival.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor

FDD Background and Analysis

“Elaborate ‘deception operation’ orchestrated by Trump and Israel’s Netanyahu to decapitate Iran’s leadership and cripple nuclear program,” by Mark Dubowitz

“Israel Confirms Mossad Teams Operating Inside Iran,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘From Western Iran To Tehran:’ Israel Claims Air Superiority Over Iranian Skies as it Braces For Further Retaliation,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran’s lies about its nuclear plans finally at an end,” by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Ben Cohen