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Sunday, June 15, 2025

Iranian missiles strike Israel’s port city of Haifa, oil refinery targeted

Iran on Saturday launched a barrage of missiles at Israel with sirens being heard across the country as Tehran targeted Israel’s port city Haifa and five people were reportedly killed in the strikes. Emergency responders said that rockets from Iran hit Tamra, east of Haifa, wounding dozens and killing four others, including a Palestinian woman and her two daughters.

The barrage of attacks by Iran was the first on early Sunday morning, as Israel sent alerts to its citizens to take shelter and sirens were activated in the northern Israel and Haifa area while Israeli air defenses were activated to intercept the attack.

Iran’s second night of ballistic missile attack on Saturday aimed to be targeted around Israel’s major port city, Haifa. In the spill over effect of Iran’s missile attack on Haifa, Syria, Jordan and Iraq announced closure of their airspace. And Lebanon also canceled all its incoming and outgoing flights as Iranian projectiles were spotted in Beirut, Washington Post reported.

Why is Iran targeting Haifa

Iran launched three major attacks on Friday night and Saturday morning with hundreds of ballistic missiles that injured about 80 people and killed three others. On Saturday night and early Sunday morning, Iran targeted Israel with dozens of ballistic missiles that even landed in Israel’s port city Haifa.

Haifa, which remained the primary target of Iran’s missiles on Saturday, is the site of a major naval base, oil refineries and numerous chemical plants which are significant to Tel Aviv. A New York Times report states that Israel’s largest oil refinery is situated in the Haifa Bay area. Missiles targeted some cities north of Haifa, and reports suggested that one person was critically injured in the attack.

Iran’s attack on Israel’s oil refineries and naval base in Haifa comes as Tel Aviv confirmed that it had struck nuclear facilities and major oil depots of Tehran on Saturday. Israel struck the Shahran oil depot in Tehran.

How many missiles fired by Iran have hit Israel

Iran has launched about 200 missiles at Israel since Friday night, along with a barrage of explosive drones, the Israeli authorities have said. However, the Israeli military has yet not declared the exact number of missiles it intercepted and how many evaded its defence system.

Though the Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that 17 sites were identified where missiles from Iran made an impact. Tel Aviv and its suburbs of Ramat Gan and Rishon LeZion, in central Israel’s coastal plain, and on Saturday, the northern city of Haifa and its surroundings.

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