JERUSALEM

The Israeli army reported a new missile barrage from Iran on Monday evening, as hostilities between the two regional foes continued to escalate.

A military statement said sirens were activated across the greater Tel Aviv area, including the cities of Holon, Petah Tikva, Ramat Gan, Lod, Ramla, Ra'anana, the coastal plain area, and illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The army said the barrage was the sixth launched by Iran toward Israel since midnight.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that three ballistic missiles were fired from Iran during the latest barrage, claiming that they were intercepted by air defenses.

Regional escalation has raged since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul