Iranian Missile Strike Kills 7, Including Two Children, in Central Israeli City of Bat Yam

Tel Aviv, June 16— At least seven people, including two children, were killed and nearly 200 others injured after an Iranian ballistic missile struck a residential building in Bat Yam, a city in central Israel, late Saturday night. Authorities report that three people remain missing.

Among the dead were an 8-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy, and an 18-year-old teenager. The missile strike marked Iran’s second consecutive overnight assault, triggering widespread panic and air raid sirens in Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Jerusalem, and other parts of central Israel just after 2:30 a.m.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the missile carried a warhead weighing several hundred kilograms and made a direct hit on a residential apartment complex in Bat Yam. The city’s mayor stated that at least 61 buildings were damaged as a result of the explosion.

Widespread Damage and Casualties Reported in Ramat Gan and Rehovot

The casualty toll extended beyond Bat Yam, with reports confirming fatalities in Ramat Gan and at least 42 injuries in Rehovot, including a mother and her young child.
Rescue operations are underway, with IDF Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade continuing to comb through rubble in search of missing persons.

Military officials said that it may take another full day to complete scanning and recovery operations due to the scale of destruction.

Eyewitness Account: “There Was an Insane Shockwave”

Libat Vaknin, a resident of the impacted area, shared a harrowing account with Channel 12 News, revealing that her father went missing after failing to reach a bomb shelter in time.

“My brother went in to get him, and then the explosion happened. There was an insane shockwave. My brother was injured, my dog was injured, and now they’re still searching for my father,” she said tearfully.

Retaliation and Rising Tensions

After the attack, Israel launched retaliatory strikes; however, details about these strikes remain limited. Tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv have reached critical levels, and regional analysts fear the conflict could escalate into a wider confrontation.

The Israeli government is expected to convene an emergency security meeting later today to assess the ongoing threat and formulate a strategic response.