At Least 8 Killed, 100 Injured in Overnight Iranian Missile Barrage on Israeli Civilians

Latest Developments

Several Casualties in Iranian Attack: Iran launched a fresh barrage of ballistic missiles at Israeli population centers in the early hours of June 16. Four people were killed from a direct impact on a housing complex in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikvah, three others were killed in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, and an 80-year-old man was killed by a direct hit in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that the U.S. Embassy’s branch in Tel Aviv had also sustained minor damage from shock waves and that the embassy and consulate would remain closed on June 16.
IDF Strikes Missile Launchers: As Israelis headed for bomb shelters, the IDF announced that it was striking surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, actions it said reduced the number of missiles Iran had planned to fire overnight by half. The IDF stated following the attack that one-third of the Islamic Republic’s missile launchers have been “dismantled.”
Israel Shutting Down Media Livestreaming of Impacts: Since the start of Operation Rising Lion, the IDF has continuously warned civilians and media outlets not to share images or footage of missile impact sites, saying that Iran “monitors these records to improve its attack capabilities.” Following June 16’s barrage, Israeli Police stated that police vehicles were responding to reports of live documentation, streaming, and photography of impact sites by foreign media outlets in the Haifa region.

FDD Expert Response

“Iran’s principal means of striking Israel’s civilian and strategic infrastructure remains its missile and drone arsenals. The IDF has demonstrated that it can neutralize the drone threat, but the missiles have caused significant damage. Consequently, the systematic identification and destruction of fixed and mobile missile platforms inside Iran has emerged as a critical operational objective. While it would not be an easy task, degrading this infrastructure would significantly curtail Iran’s capacity to conduct meaningful attacks on the Israeli home front.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israel is weathering the storm of ballistic missile barrages against its civilians and slowly turning the tide on Iran’s capabilities to launch the attacks. Israel’s air superiority in the skies of Iran is so far paying dividends, neutering the regime’s military capabilities and protecting Israeli civilians on the home front.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor

“Iranian intelligence operations inside Israel have long relied on operatives to gather information that could help the regime more accurately target critical infrastructure. Today, open-source intelligence — including published images of impact zones and livestream footage — can serve the same purpose. As Iran escalates its ballistic missile campaign, it’s imperative to deny the regime any data that could improve the precision of its attacks.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst