Eight killed, hundreds injured by Iranian ballistic missiles
"Since 1948, I can’t recall a war as vital, important and crucial as the one we are facing now,” Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth tells JNS.
Eight people were killed and nearly 300 wounded in the early hours of Monday by an Iranian ballistic missile barrage on Israeli civilian population centers in the central and northern regions of the country.
The impacts were spread across four locations. Four of the deaths took place in the greater Tel Aviv area—four in Petach Tikvah and one in Bnei Brak.
Three people who were initially reported as being trapped in Haifa were later declared dead, while a 30-year-old woman is hospitalized in serious condition.
Permission was granted by the Israeli military censorship on Monday afternoon to publish that the three were killed while working in the Bazan Group’s petrochemical facilities, which took a direct hit.
The Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command is investigating the deaths of three victims—two women and a man in their 70s—who were killed in Petach Tikvah while sheltering in a protected space. An 80-year-old man was also found dead at the site of a missile strike in Bnei Brak.
As of Monday morning, Magen David Adom teams had evacuated 87 people to hospitals—five in moderate condition and 81 in mild condition. Rescue operations and searches for additional casualties were ongoing at two of the four affected sites.
According to an Israeli Health Ministry update on Monday morning, a total of 287 wounded individuals arrived at hospitals during the night. The ministry’s numbers include information from both MDA and independent arrivals. As of Monday morning, one person was in serious condition, 13 were in moderate condition, 240 were in mild condition, 11 were suffering from anxiety and 25 patients were under medical evaluation with their condition not yet determined.
Visiting the site of the deadly Iranian missile strike in Petach Tikvah, President Isaac Herzog condemned the attack as “evil, pure evil in and of itself,” emphasizing that it was deliberately aimed at innocent civilians across Israel.
He declared, “You think you’re going to tire us or fatigue us, you’re absolutely wrong. We’re a very strong, resilient nation with very strong capabilities in all fields.”
Herzog addressed the mullahs regime directly, asserting that the Iranian people and the entire region “want change” and “deserve change.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and first lady Michal Herzog survey the destruction at the site of the Iranian missile strike in Petach Tikvah, June 16, 2025.
Herzog accused Iran of decades of spreading terrorism, radicalizing nations and arming proxies to destabilize the region and threaten Israel’s existence, including through the Islamic Republic’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
“We don’t intend to be the scapegoats again, and we are fighting as much as possible,” he said, calling on world leaders at the G7 Summit in Canada to ensure Iran never acquires nuclear weapons and to demand the immediate return of the Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that a nearby Iranian missile strike had damaged the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that the home of MK Hanoch Milwidsky (Likud) in Petach Tikvah was damaged by an Iranian missile.
Several people were lightly wounded on Sunday night in the preceding Iranian missile attack.
At least 13 people were killed overnight Saturday as Iranian ballistic missiles struck civilian areas across Israel.
“Israel is in an existential war. Since 1948, I can’t recall a war as vital, important and crucial as the one we are facing now,” Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told JNS on Monday.
“I am confident the Iranians have understood that we are not joking—our mission is to eliminate any nuclear or missile threat, both for this generation and the generations to come,” he added.
Bismuth called on free nations, the Iranian people and those who support freedom and Israel to stand with them. The fight, he said, is for the safety of children everywhere, as the Iranian regime poses a significant threat to global security and stability—something regularly acknowledged by NATO countries at their parliamentary assembly, where he leads the Knesset delegation.
“When this regime falls—and the sooner, the better—millions of Iranians will rejoice alongside Israel. This is a fight for stability, security, and the future of coming generations,” he added.
“For me, the people of the year are the Israeli people,” he continued. “Despite the shaking buildings, the trembling babies and the loss of life, they understand that this is a threat we must confront and overcome. Because, sooner or later, those conventional missiles that strike us today could be nuclear tomorrow,” Bismuth said.
Likud MK Dan Illouz stressed that Israel must complete its dual goal of removing the threat of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and ballistic missiles.
“These are two existential threats to Israel that Iran has developed, while saying time and time again that it wants to destroy Israel. We cannot wait for them to push the button before we respond,” Illouz told JNS.
“However, there is also a larger opportunity here. The greatest victims of the current regime in Iran are the Iranian people, who are the children of an incredible civilization that has been hijacked by extremists. Iran used to be one of Israel’s allies, and this can become a reality again,” he continued.
“There is a unique opportunity for the people of Iran to rise and take hold of their destiny and future. This is not a goal for us, because it is something the Iranian people will have to decide on their own. But the opportunity is clear and present,” said Illouz.
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