ASIATODAY.ID, TEL AVIV – Iranian missile strikes are increasingly shaking Israel as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.
A ballistic missile carrying a cluster bomb warhead fired toward central Israel on Monday killed at least one person and seriously wounded two others, marking the latest escalation in the rapidly widening confrontation.
The strike was part of the seventh missile salvo since midnight, as Tehran stepped up attacks against Israel and several Gulf states.
The cluster warhead reportedly hit at least six locations across central Israel, including Yehud, Or Yehuda, Holon, and Bat Yam.
The fatality occurred at a construction site in Yehud, where two workers in their 40s were struck by shrapnel from the exploding munitions. According to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA), one man died at the scene while the other was transported to hospital in critical condition.
Another man in Or Yehuda was also seriously injured by fragments from the blast.
Images from the scene showed a large crater in the ground along with damaged vehicles and buildings, underscoring the destructive power of cluster munitions that scatter submunitions over a wide area.
Iran is believed to have fired several ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads during the ongoing conflict. These weapons disperse dozens of smaller bomblets randomly across large areas, significantly increasing the risk of civilian casualties.
Elsewhere, MDA paramedics treated a woman in her 50s who suffered a head injury after being struck by flying debris caused by the cluster munition fragments. She was later transported to Shamir Medical Center and reported to be in stable condition.
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB praised the attack, describing it as “the first wave of missiles under the leadership of Mojtaba Khamenei,” who was reportedly selected a day earlier as the successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
While Iran continued launching repeated strikes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out retaliatory airstrikes inside Iran. The Israeli military said it targeted Basij paramilitary bases, headquarters linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and facilities involved in rocket engine production in the city of Isfahan and other locations.
As the confrontation escalates, tensions are also spreading across the Gulf region.
Iran has reportedly targeted energy infrastructure and shipping routes near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
The disruption has already rattled global markets. Brent crude prices surged to nearly USD120 per barrel, about 65 percent higher than before the conflict erupted, before easing slightly.
U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to calm market fears, saying the surge in oil prices would be temporary.
“Short-term oil prices are a very small price to pay for security and peace for the United States and the world once Iran’s nuclear threat is eliminated,” Trump wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, Gulf states are beginning to feel the direct impact of the conflict. Energy facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have reportedly been targeted by drone and missile attacks.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted several drones aimed at the Shaybah oil field, one of the kingdom’s largest energy installations.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Tehran’s actions, warning that Iran would ultimately suffer the most if it continues expanding attacks against Arab states.
The widening hostilities have also prompted emergency measures from Washington.
The U.S. State Department ordered non-essential personnel and family members to leave Saudi Arabia, while reducing staff at eight other diplomatic missions across the Middle East.
With missile exchanges intensifying and the conflict spreading across multiple fronts, analysts warn the Iran–Israel war could evolve into a major regional crisis threatening global energy stability and international security. (AT Network)
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