In an explosive turn in Middle East tensions that has rattled global powers and brought the region closer to all-out war, Iran claimed early Wednesday to have launched hypersonic missiles against Israel in retaliation for a sustained series of airstrikes on its capital. The strikes mark a historic escalation in hostilities between the two regional powers and threaten to expand into a broader conflict with global ramifications.
The strike comes just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently seeking reelection, demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and hinted at the possibility of assassinating the country’s Supreme Leader. As tensions reach a fever pitch, world leaders scramble for a diplomatic solution while civilians in both countries endure the terrifying realities of war.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Iranian state television aired a dramatic announcement: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had launched “the 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3” using its Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles. According to Iranian officials, these advanced weapons were aimed at Tel Aviv and other key targets within Israel.
Hypersonic missiles — capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 and maneuvering unpredictably mid-flight — pose significant challenges to traditional missile defense systems. Iranian military analysts claimed that the Fattah-1 “repeatedly shook the shelters” in Israel’s commercial and military hubs, although Israel has not confirmed any direct hits.
The missile salvo followed Israeli airstrikes on several districts of Tehran, particularly in the Piroozi, Sabalan, and Sayyad neighborhoods. Videos circulating on social media and verified by multiple sources show fireballs lighting up the night sky, and the sounds of air raid sirens followed by massive detonations echoed through the Iranian capital.
Israeli jets reportedly targeted command-and-control nodes and suspected missile silos in Tehran’s District 18 — an area described by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as housing “strategic assets of the Iranian military-industrial complex.”
As the conflict enters its sixth day, civilians in both nations are paying a heavy price. Iranian health officials reported that hospitals in Tehran were overwhelmed with casualties, with many injuries caused by collapsed buildings and flying debris. An unconfirmed number of nuclear scientists were among the dead, including some associated with the Natanz and Isfahan enrichment sites.
In Tel Aviv, the scene is equally dire. Underground parking garages and subways have become makeshift shelters. “We’ve decided to permanently set camp here until it’s all clear,” said Mali Papirany, a 30-year-old marketing executive who fled her apartment after Tuesday night’s strikes. “I don’t feel safe anywhere anymore.”
Israel has reported at least 24 fatalities and hundreds more injured since the conflict began on Friday. The Prime Minister’s Office emphasized that the strikes from Iran included “targeted attacks on population centers,” including the interception of a drone swarm over the Dead Sea.
Iran’s state-run media countered, alleging that over 224 of its citizens, including military personnel and civilians, had been killed in Israel’s campaign. The figures are yet to be independently verified, and Iran has not released a new toll since Sunday.
Tuesday also saw the emergence of a cyber dimension to the conflict. Fars News Agency reported that Sepah Bank, one of Iran’s largest financial institutions tied to the IRGC, suffered a paralyzing cyberattack that rendered its services unusable. Iran has accused Israeli-linked hackers, although no group has claimed responsibility.
Internet traffic data revealed service disruptions across several Iranian cities, indicating that cyberwarfare might be accompanying physical attacks as part of Israel’s strategy to weaken Iran’s infrastructure.
Amid this volatile situation, Donald Trump — recently re-nominated as the Republican candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election — inserted himself directly into the geopolitical firestorm.
While attending the G7 summit in Canada, Trump abruptly exited diplomatic meetings, returning to Washington for an emergency National Security Council briefing. Shortly after, he posted a statement on his Truth Social platform: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
Trump also issued a blunt demand: “The Islamic Republic must surrender — unconditionally — or face consequences worse than they can imagine.”
Despite claiming the U.S. is not directly involved in Israel’s military actions, Trump authorized the USS Nimitz carrier strike group to reposition closer to the Persian Gulf, along with additional Air Force assets in the region. U.S. officials said this is meant to “ensure deterrence and regional stability,” though they acknowledged that no final decision about military intervention had been made.
Trump’s posture was met with mixed reactions. Allies like the UK and France urged de-escalation, while adversaries accused Washington of fueling the conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron noted that “Trump has a critical role to play” in restoring dialogue with Tehran, but warned that “military adventurism would lead only to chaos.”
Diplomatic channels are buzzing with urgency. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke separately with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, urging restraint and offering Cairo as a venue for mediation.
China, which maintains robust trade ties with Iran, criticized Trump’s rhetoric as “pouring oil on fire.” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went further, calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the biggest threat to the region’s security.”
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session late Tuesday, though no unified resolution emerged. Russia, which remains a close ally of Iran, blocked language that would directly condemn Tehran’s missile launch, while the U.S. and UK sought language condemning both sides’ strikes on civilian targets.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility sustained “direct impacts” during Israeli strikes. A UN official told Reuters that a “significant breach of containment” had occurred, although the full extent remains unknown.
SIPRI, the Stockholm-based nuclear monitoring institute, warned that Israel’s ambiguous nuclear status could provoke further instability. The think tank estimates Israel possesses approximately 90 nuclear warheads, though it has never officially confirmed their existence.
Foreign governments are now working rapidly to extract their nationals from Iran. More than 700 foreigners have fled into Azerbaijan and Armenia, including citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan, Germany, Spain, China, and Vietnam, according to government data shared.
The United States temporarily closed its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday, citing the deteriorating security situation. However, no formal evacuation plan for U.S. citizens in the region has been announced.
Fear and chaos are gripping Tehran, where long lines formed at gas stations and bakeries as residents scrambled for essentials. “It’s like we are preparing for the end of the world,” said Mahdieh Hosseini, a 43-year-old teacher waiting in a three-hour queue for bread. “We just want this nightmare to stop.”
What began as a shadow war — marked by assassinations, cyber operations, and drone strikes — has now erupted into open confrontation. Israel says it began its campaign on Friday with an effort to neutralize Iranian nuclear and military capabilities, citing intelligence that Tehran was fast approaching weapons-grade enrichment levels.
In its initial strike, Israeli warplanes reportedly killed Major General Ali Shadmani, a senior figure within Iran’s Joint Staff Command. Another target, General Gholam Ali Rashid, was reportedly killed the next day. Both were long-standing architects of Iran’s defense policy and regional proxy operations.
Iran’s retaliatory drone swarms and missile attacks suggest a coordinated military response that is more direct than previous tit-for-tat exchanges. Analysts suggest this marks a point of no return, unless urgent diplomacy intervenes.
“Both sides are posturing for leverage, but miscalculation could be catastrophic,” said Noura al-Mufti, a regional security analyst at the International Crisis Group. “This isn’t like past escalations — the red lines are now blurred, and hypersonic weapons are in play.”
The conflict has shattered hopes of reviving the Iran nuclear deal, abandoned by Trump in 2018. Even prior to this week’s violence, negotiations had stalled. Iranian officials now say they will not resume talks with the U.S. “while bombs fall on our homes.”
European diplomats who helped broker the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) fear the collapse of diplomacy will result in Iran racing toward a nuclear weapon — and Israel racing to stop it at any cost.
In a sobering press conference, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated, “We are standing on the edge of a regional war that could, with one wrong move, become global.”
The ongoing Iran-Israel conflict is not merely a flare-up of longstanding tensions — it has become a fast-unfolding war involving new technology, global powers, and nuclear implications. With Donald Trump escalating rhetoric and deploying U.S. military assets, and Iran vowing to strike back with greater force, the possibility of a larger regional conflagration grows by the hour.
