JERUSALEM
Eleven Israelis were injured and four others missing following an Iranian missile strike in Haifa in northern Israel on Sunday, the country’s national emergency service MDA said.
The organization said one of the injured was in critical condition when a missile directly struck a five-story building in Haifa. Four other people were treated for shock.
The daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that four people were missing after the strike.
Channel 12 said some people remain unaccounted for after a missile warhead weighing 450 kilograms directly hit the building.
According to the broadcaster, missile fragments fell in at least three locations in Haifa, causing significant damage.
The Israeli army earlier said that it had detected missile launches from Iran towards Haifa, Galilee in northern Israel, and the Negev in the country’s south.
Regional escalation has continued to flare since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
*Writing by Rasa Evrensel and Rania Abushamala in Istanbul