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Five car bombs exploded across Tehran following a wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.
Iranian authorities say the blasts killed several nuclear scientists. Social media footage showed mushroom clouds rising above the capital.
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Israeli airstrikes in Tehran
Amid the explosions and ongoing Israeli airstrikes, many residents were filmed fleeing the city, with the head of Iran’s traffic police noting a significant surge in vehicular exits from Tehran.
Israeli sources said that in retaliation for the Iranian ballistic-missile attacks that killed 10 people and injured hundreds in Bat Yam and Tamra, “buildings are coming down in Tehran.” A senior Cabinet member warned that Iran “will intensify attacks against civilians in Israel, believing the home front is weak and that this will break us. But they are gravely mistaken. We will defeat them.”
The official added that although the strikes on Israel’s home front “are very serious, they pale in comparison to Iran’s nuclear threat. We are well prepared. For a year, the small cabinet has planned for this. We held endless meetings, and successfully deceived everyone into thinking we were only discussing hostages, when in reality we were also addressing the Iranian threat.”
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Iranian lining up outside gas stations across Tehran amid Israeli airstrikes
(Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA)
Asked why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes in Iran after nearly two decades of restraint, the official attributed the decision to the influence of the so-called "War Cabinet"—including Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—describing them as “hawkish.”
“Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons that make the bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima look tiny in comparison. We could not remain passive. This is truly an existential war,” he said.
Sending a message to Tehran, the official declared, “We have many more surprises. There is great determination in Israel. There really is no real pressure on Israel to stop. They want us to finish this. Behind the scenes, there are beginnings of mediation efforts, but there is still no concrete proposal for a ceasefire.”
Earlier, Katz declared that “Tehran will be treated like Beirut.” Shortly after his statement, the IDF struck dozens of targets in the Iranian capital, with smoke plumes visible across the city. Among the targets were air defense systems, buildings linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and weapons depots—particularly ballistic missile sites.
In a separate report, Iran’s Fars News Agency said an Israeli drone struck Tehran’s police headquarters, injuring several officers. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen network reported explosions in the cities of Tabriz and Kermanshah.
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On Saturday night, as a heavy barrage of ballistic missiles targeted northern Israel, Israeli fighter jets carried out the largest wave of airstrikes in Tehran since the start of the campaign, hitting dozens of targets in less than an hour. Among the sites attacked were a major fuel terminal and weapons storage facilities. Iranian officials were also reportedly targeted, with some believed to have been eliminated. Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum confirmed that two fuel facilities in Tehran had been struck. The country’s health minister claimed most of the casualties were women and children.
The IDF announced Sunday morning that the Israeli Air Force had struck throughout the night, destroying armed surface-to-surface missile launchers that were ready to fire. Launchers that had already fired missiles at Israel were also quickly located and hit. The military also struck surface-to-air missile infrastructure and radar installations operated by the Iranian regime, part of Israel’s effort to maintain aerial superiority over Iranian airspace.
Iranian media on Sunday reported explosions in Kermanshah in the west and in Isfahan. An official in Isfahan province said a site affiliated with the Iranian Defense Ministry had been attacked about an hour earlier and that damage was being assessed. The Sabereen News agency, which is affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq, reported a strike on an electronics factory in Shiraz and another in Shahroud, northern Iran. The semi-official ISNA news agency reported that the Defense Ministry’s headquarters in Isfahan had also been damaged.
Amid the intensifying attacks, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an unprecedented evacuation warning to Iranian civilians. “This is an urgent warning to all those currently in or near weapons manufacturing sites in Iran, and those aiding them,” he wrote on X, referring to ballistic missile production facilities. “For your safety, evacuate these areas immediately and do not return until further notice. Your presence endangers your life.”