missiles

Washington has approved the transfer of thousands of Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) to Ukraine, which will provide the country with a powerful new and relatively low-cost standoff strike capability, it has been reported. However, it’s unclear whether Kyiv will be able to use the new weapon to strike targets deep within Russia, with unnamed U.S. officials telling the Wall Street Journal that such targets are off-limits, at least for the U.S.-donated Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

According to the WSJ, the Trump administration last week approved the sale of 3,350 ERAM missiles to Ukraine. The weapons, which have a range between 150-280 miles and are stated to be air-launched, at least initially, should start to arrive in around six weeks. “Several” unnamed U.S. officials told the same publication that ERAM use would require prior approval from the Pentagon, due to the fact that it could strike targets relatively deep within Russia.

The ERAM package is said to be worth around $850 million, including undisclosed other items, with most of the funds for this coming from Ukraine’s European allies. The deal was delayed until after U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit meetings with Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.

In January 2024, the U.S. Air Force issued its first public contracting notice regarding ERAM, a request for information (RFI), but made no mention at that time about any connection to Ukraine.

Then, in July last year, the service disclosed that Ukraine was the intended recipient of ERAM, a precision-guided air-launched standoff munition that it was poised to start developing. A request for proposals (RFP) called for proposals from 16 companies, without naming them.

Included among those 16 companies, are CoAspire and Zone 5 Technologies. Of these, Zone 5 is also involved in the U.S. Air Force’s Enterprise Test Vehicle (ETV). Under this program, the service has picked four companies to build prototypes of a relatively low-cost and readily producible missile, with the aim of informing future cruise missile concepts. This is far from the first project of this kind to explore similar and related technologies. It’s not clear if the Zone 5 offering for ETAM is the same as that for ETV.

As for CoAspire, as well as ERAM, this firm is actively involved in a jointly funded U.S. Air Force and Navy project called the Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile (RAACM), which has been described in very similar terms to ETV.

Once again, we don’t know at this point the exact relationship between the company’s ERAM and RAACM offerings, let alone whether either of CoAspire or Zone 5 will be building missiles for the Ukrainian contract. There are many other possibilities here, not least more than a dozen companies that we don’t know about and that were issued an RFP. Looking at the same kind of space more broadly, it is clearly a growth area among defense contractors, both well-established ones like Lockheed Martin and relative newcomers such as Anduril and Kratos.

The RFP said that ERAM would be “pivotal for accelerating Ukraine’s capability to meet warfighter needs efficiently and effectively, and provides an affordable mass weapon to be produced at scale.” The Air Force added: “The Government is seeking to prototype and adapt commercial autonomous modular open-architecture vehicle [sic] that can deliver affordable long-range effects. The resultant prototype will provide a platform that is mass producible.”

ERAM will provide the Ukrainian Air Force with an important new capacity to strike targets beyond the reach of many of the weapons currently in its arsenal, including Western-supplied precision-guided bombs. It would make Ukraine better able to hold at risk a range of Russian targets far from the front lines — command-and-control facilities, logistics hubs, military-industrial capacity, and airfields, for example — helping offset Russian advantages in terms of manpower, weaponry, and resources.

Previously, Ukraine received Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) and Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) from the United States, as well as French-made Hammer guided bombs. All of which can hit targets out to distances of around 40 to 45 miles, depending on the release envelope and other factors. Ukraine has also received smaller numbers of Storm Shadow cruise missiles from the United Kingdom and Italy, and functionally identical SCALP-EGs from France that have maximum ranges of around 300 miles.

As well as its range parameters, some other specifications for the ERAM were disclosed in the RFI. In particular, the missile will be in the 500-pound class required and will have “a top speed of no less than Mach 0.6.” The weapon is required to have a “blast/fragmentation type with at least some degree of penetrating capability and unspecified variable fuze settings.”

“The ERAM’s internal navigation system has to be ‘capable of operating in a GPS degraded environment,’” the RFI continues. “The weapon also needs to have a ‘terminal Accuracy’ of ‘CEP 50 w/in 10m’ (meaning the weapon hits within 10 meters, or around 33 feet, of the specified impact point at least 50 percent of the time) in ‘both in non-EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) and high EMI environments (includes GPS degraded).’”

Russian forces have reportedly been using electronic warfare systems to good effect against GPS-assisted guidance packages used on a variety of air and ground-launched munitions that Ukraine has received from the United States and other Western partners. The ability of standoff precision-guided munitions to still operate effectively in the face of heavy electronic warfare jamming is also an area of considerable interest to the U.S. military.

Just as important to Ukraine are the significant numbers of missiles involved: the 3,350 ERAM rounds will go some way to helping offset the huge advances in Russian long-range precision weapons capabilities, especially the Shahed/Geran one-way attack drones. At this point in the conflict, sheer capacity is becoming critical to Ukraine to keep pressure on Russia via long-range strikes.

It’s unclear what aircraft the ERAM missile will be launched from, but Ukraine has adapted its Soviet-era MiG-29 Fulcrum, Su-24 Fencer, and Su-27 Flanker tactical jets to deliver Western-supplied precision ordnance. The MiG-29 and Su-27 have also been fitted with specialized pylons and tablet-based cockpit interfaces that make it easier to employ GPS-guided weapons. The Ukrainian Air Force has also received second-hand F-16s, which would be another possible candidate. It should also be noted that while publicly released answers to questions from prospective ERAM vendors have specifically discussed launch from aircraft, this might be just one mode of launch for what is already shaping up to be a highly modular weapon.

Last year, Lt. Gen. Serhii Naev, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that unspecified air-to-ground missiles with ranges of between 186 to 310 miles were expected to be provided to arm the F-16. While it’s possible he may have been referring to ERAM, there are other possibilities, as TWZ explored at the time.

Another key aspect of the original RFI was the requirement that 1,000 examples of the new missile could be built within two years, for an average production output of around 42 per month.

This also relates to increasing U.S. military interest in weapons, especially those with standoff range, that can be rapidly developed and then their production capacity and stockpiles scaled up, something that is seen as vital when it comes to planning around a potential future high-end conflict with China.

With that in mind, ERAM should also be a very useful real-world learning opportunity for the United States.

Most immediately, though, the ERAM missile helps meet Ukrainian demand for weapons that can engage targets deeper behind the front lines, reducing the launch aircraft’s exposure to highly capable Russian air defenses. Potentially, depending on its propulsion system and flight profile, Ukrainian pilots might be able to launch ERAM from lower altitudes, further improving their chances of survival, and still hit targets at extended distances. For now, these details about the weapon remain unknown.

Then there is the consideration about what kinds of targets the Pentagon will allow Ukraine to go after with ERAM.

Citing two unnamed U.S. officials, the WSJ reports that, “for months,” the U.S. Department of Defense has prohibited Ukraine from using long-range missiles to strike targets deep within Russia. Since late spring, the report continues, Ukraine has been blocked from using ATACMS against targets in Russia.

On at least one occasion, a Ukrainian request to use ATACMS against a target on Russian territory was rejected, the two officials said.

In his final year in office, President Joe Biden finally authorized Ukraine to use ATACMS to strike objectives in Russia, starting with the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a ground advance into Russia, before extending that authorization into other areas, according to reports. There remains some confusion here, however, since the U.S. State Department has also said that its policy on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons had not changed.

The apparent policy change by the Trump administration seems to be connected to efforts to bring the Kremlin into peace talks and find a resolution to the conflict.

Amid the latest reports on weapons restrictions, Zelensky has talked up Ukraine’s ability to strike targets in Russia using domestically produced weapons.

“At present, honestly, we are using our long-range weapons of domestic production,” Zelensky said, during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “And lately, we have not been discussing such matters with the U.S.,” he added.

Zelensky’s words follow the public unveiling of the locally produced Flamingo ground-launched long-range cruise missile last week. This weapon has a reported range of 1,864 miles (3,000 kilometers) and a powerful warhead, making it a much farther-reaching and more destructive weapon than any missile or one-way-attack drone available to Ukraine now.

Efrem Lukatsky, head of the AP photo service, published a very interesting teaser: “Ukrainian-made over 3,000 km range Flamingo missiles, which were launched into serial production, are seen in a workshop of one of the country’s leading Fire Point defence company in an… pic.twitter.com/i1qvFDgaW4

— Denis Danilov (@DenisDanilovL) August 17, 2025

Since then, Ukraine has shown off another long-range cruise missile from domestic production. This is the so-called Long Neptune, an extended-range version of the land-attack version of the Neptune anti-ship missile. Ukraine famously used Neptune missiles to sink the Russian Navy’s Slava class cruiser Moskva in 2022 and reportedly began developing a new land-attack version in 2023.

In the past, the maximum stated range of the anti-ship version of Neptune has been said to be around 190 miles (300 kilometers). A Ukrainian defense official told TWZ that the original land-attack version could have a range of up to 225 miles (360 kilometers). With its extended body having capacity for additional fuel, Zelensky has said the range of the Long Neptune is in the region of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers). Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president says that the new version has already been tested in combat.

A first official look at Ukraine’s other operational land attack cruise missile; the Long Neptune.

The Neptune LACM reportedly has a range of roughly 1000km, and has already seen combat this year. pic.twitter.com/cPHJ5sjZlu

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 25, 2025

For the time being, it’s unclear to what degree Ukraine will be able to use ERAM missiles against targets deeper inside Russia.

Even without that possibility, however, the new weapon will be of value to Ukraine, and its relevance also extends to the U.S. military.

In addition, while the Air Force says ERAM is ostensibly for Ukraine, it is not hard to see how the service or other branches of the U.S. military might also be interested in this weapon.

Already, the Pentagon is looking to develop and field weapons in this class, and domestic interest in the ERAM would not be surprising.

There are, meanwhile, U.S. efforts aimed at reducing costs and speeding up large-scale production of other systems, especially uncrewed platforms, which also parallel plans to prepare missile stockpiles for any future high-end conflict, especially one against China.

In the immediate future, the lower-cost, easier-to-produce ERAM should provide a significant boost to the Ukrainian Air Force. Looking further ahead, weapons like this may well be critical to the U.S. military’s potential to wage war against higher-end adversaries.

Contact the author: [email protected]

In the last decade, Southeast Asia has experienced an acceleration in the modernization of defense equipment, especially Indonesia, which is now the first operator of modern ballistic missile systems in Southeast Asia thanks to the acquisition of KHAN missiles produced by Roketsan from Turkiye in 2022. The move taken by Indonesia has the potential to change the balance of power and encourage the defense posture of neighboring countries, especially Malaysia and Singapore, which are within firing range of KHAN missiles.

A brief profile about the KHAN missile, the KHAN missile owned by Indonesia is an export variation that has the farthest range of 280 KM. The system package typically includes mobile launchers (MLRS/8×8), command vehicles, and ammunition carrier vehicles, making them suitable for shoot-and-scoot operations as well as high survivability against counter-battery and ISR counter-attacks.

Looking at these specifications, of course, the KHAN missile is suitable for the geography of Indonesia which has a stretching archipelago. Such missiles are capable of striking high-value targets (C2s, ammunition depots, radars, tactical runways) at theater operational distances without relying on interdiction-prone air platforms. In addition, this missile comes from the Türkiye defense industry which is indeed aggressive in exporting and conducting technological cooperation. With these dynamics, it finally provides an opportunity amid global supply uncertainty for Indonesia to modernize its armed forces and this is not the first cooperation between Indonesia and Turkiye.

In the end, KHAN put Indonesia on a precision ground attack capability, even though it was only 280 KM away, but this was enough to reach key facilities in the border area, tactical bases, or aggressor supply lines. So that the surrounding countries will begin to see the need to strengthen layered air/anti-missile defenses. 

KHAN, who was stationed in Kalimantan, was close to the Ibu Kota Nusantara and his firing range reached the East Malaysian region. Although not the main target, the existence of ballistic missiles adds pressure for Malaysia to increase its air defense. But Malaysia is also aware that Khan is aimed at external deterrence (such as China and other regional extremist threats) so that intra-ASEAN will not be a target for Indonesia. 

For Singapore, which already has advanced air defenses (Aster 30, SPYDER, Green Pine radar). With KHAN presence, it will strengthen the argument that investment in the air defense layer should continue to be expanded. With KHAN in Indonesia’s hands, Singapore can further emphasize air dominance in order to remain able to conduct a first strike in the event of a conflict (although it is unlikely to be an intra-ASEAN scenario).

Therefore, the conclusion for the response of the two countries is:

1. Malaysia will tend to be vigilant but its response is limited and more focused on improving air defense and regional coordination.

2. Singapore will be more proactive, where Singapore will strengthen missile defense and defense diplomacy so that Khan’s presence does not create regional instability.

KHAN presence does not necessarily make ASEAN enter a full-fledged ballistic missile race. But Indonesia opens up the possibility that tactical ballistic missiles will be accepted as a natural part of the defense toolkit in the region. Especially for limited deterrence, and destruction of high-value targets.

And for Türkiye, this is a promising prospect where Türkiye is a new market in the Global South to balance its dependence on NATO. Indonesia as a key partner of ASEAN is a natural target. And KHAN cooperation can be an “entry point” towards a more concrete Strategic Partnership, covering trade, energy, and multilateral diplomacy. Indonesia can also position Turkey as an alternative counterweight to the dominance of traditional suppliers (the US, Russia, and France). So that Turkiye benefits from its image as a global defense exporter, especially since KHAN in Indonesia is the debut of Turkiye ballistic missiles in Southeast Asia.

Aug. 24 (UPI) — North Korea has test-fired two missiles newly designed to protect against aerial attacks, overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, state media announced Sunday.

The supreme leader oversaw the missile tests along with multiple members of the Workers’ Party of Korea and military officials, the Korea Central News Agency reported. The outlet said the missiles have “superior combat capability” and a “fast response” to attacks from aerial targets such as drones and cruise missiles.

The testing came less than a week after Ulchi Freedom Shield 25, joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, ABC News reported. The annual training exercises began Monday and were expected to end Thursday.

The training was expected to include live-fly events with U.S. F-35A and F-35C Lightning II aircraft as well as space-related elements, the Defense Department said. The Pentagon said the exercises work to strengthen the agencies’ response capabilities.

“Ulchi Freedom Shield 25 underscores the continuing military partnership between the U.S. and South Korea and is implemented in the spirit of the Oct. 1, 1953, mutual defense treaty,” the Defense Department said in a post Thursday.

“It continues to reinforce the role of the alliance as the linchpin for regional peace and security, reaffirming the ironclad commitment between the U.S. and South Korea to defend their homelands.”

Hours before North Korea’s missile test, U.N. Command confirmed the South Korean government fired warning shots at about 30 North Korean soldiers who crossed the Demilitarized Zone.

South Korean “forces issued several warning broadcasts in an attempt to notify the soldiers that they had crossed the [Military Demarcation Line], but they did not respond to the broadcasts,” a spokesperson for the U.N. Command’s Military Armistice Commission said in an email to Yonhap News Agency.

South Korean “forces then fired warning shots in a designated warning shot area to compel the [North Korean] soldiers to return to the north side” of the demarcation line.

Yonhap said the North Korean military has been working to fortify the border with South Korea since April 2024, adding barbed wire fences and anti-tank barriers near the Demilitarized Zone.

Report comes a day before US President Donald Trump’s summit with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae-myung, in Washington, DC.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the firing of two new air defence missiles, state media reported, announcing that the tests showed the weapons had “superior combat capability”.

The report on Sunday comes a day before United States President Donald Trump meets his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae-myung, in Washington, DC.

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the tests, which took place on Saturday, showed that the missiles demonstrated a “fast response” to aerial targets such as attack drones and cruise missiles.

The report did not explain the new missiles in any detail, only that their “operation and reaction mode is based on unique and special technology”.

It also did not say where the test had been carried out.

The launches also come as South Korea and the US continue their annual joint military drills and as the South Korean military announced that it had fired warning shots at several North Korean soldiers who had briefly crossed their heavily militarised border on Tuesday.

The United Nations Command in South Korea put the number of North Korean troops that crossed the border at 30, the Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korean state media, meanwhile, quoted Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol as saying the incident was a “premeditated and deliberate provocation”.

“This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area, where a huge number of forces are stationing in confrontation with each other, to the uncontrollable phase,” Ko said.

Earlier this month, Kim condemned the US-South Korea joint military drills as their intent to remain “most hostile and confrontational” to his country, pledging to speed up nuclear build-up.

South Korea’s new leader, Lee, has sought warmer ties with the nuclear-armed neighbour, and has promised to build “military trust”, but Pyongyang has said it has no interest in improving relations with Seoul.

Ukraine is hoping to see production of its Flamingo ground-launched long-range cruise missile, which just broke cover this past weekend, ramp up significantly by the end of the year. Manufacturer Fire Point is aiming to have the capacity to make seven Flamingos every day by October, though there are questions about how realistic any expanded production goals might be. Reportedly with a range of 1,864 miles (3,000 kilometers) and a warhead weighing 2,535 pounds (1,150 kilograms), the missile presents a much farther-reaching and more destructive weapon than any missile or one-way-attack drone available to Ukraine now.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talked briefly about Flamingo during a sit-down with journalists yesterday. The Associated Press, which was first to reveal the missile’s existence, has also now reported additional details provided by Fire Point. Previous reports said that Flamingos have already been used in strikes on targets in Russia, but how many have been produced so far is not known.

“The tests of this missile were successful. And so far, it is the most successful missile we have – it flies 3,000 kilometers, which is important. I believe that we cannot talk much about it until we can use hundreds of missiles,” Zelensky said yesterday, according to Ukrainian outlet Ukrinform. “By December, we will have more of them. And by the end of December or in January-February, mass production should begin.”

Fire Point says it builds around one Flamingo every day now and is aiming to get that rate up to at least seven by October, according to the AP. Seven missiles per day would translate to 2,555 built annually. As an aside, something reportedly happened with the first production batch that caused the missiles to end up pink colored, which led to the Flamingo name.

New imagery published by the AP of the missile, seen below, also confirms that Flamingo is just a very large weapon, overall. We also now have a direct look at the warhead inside, which has a pointed front end that may indicate a design intended to offer increased penetration against harder targets. It is possible that the warhead could even be a repurposed air-dropped bomb.

Beyond the claimed range and warhead size, firm details about Flamingo’s capabilities remain limited. It is powered by a single jet engine and is launched with the help of a rocket booster via a rail mounted on a two-axle trailer.

With the new AP imagery in hand, experts and observers have drawn comparisons between what can be seen of the Flamingo’s engine and the AI-25TL turbofan, best known as the powerplant for the L-39 Albatros jet trainer. This would be a logical choice given that the AI-25 series was originally developed by Ivchenko in what was then Soviet Ukraine, and Ukrainian firm Motor Sich continues to produce versions today. Ukraine is also an operator of L-39s. The Albatros has been and continues to be a very popular design worldwide, with thousands made to date, opening up an additional avenue for sourcing engines.

As TWZ has noted previously, Flamingo’s reported capabilities also align extremely closely with another cruise missile called the FP-5, which is offered by a company called Milanion in the United Arab Emirates. Milanion describes the FP-5 as having a wingspan of 19.6 feet (six meters), a maximum takeoff weight of 13,228 pounds (6,000 kilograms), and a warhead weighing 2,205 pounds (1,000 kilograms), as well as a top speed of 590 miles per hour (950 kilometers per hour) and a cruising speed of 528-559 miles per hour (850–900 kilometers per hour). The missile is said to feature a satellite navigation-assisted inertial navigation system guidance package that is also designed to be resistant to electronic warfare attacks.

The FP-5 moniker also fits with the designation of another known Fire Point product, the FP-1 long-range kamikaze drone. However, the exact relationship between Flamingo and Milanion’s FP-5 remains unknown.

If Fire Point can ramp up Flamingo production, it could give Ukraine a new and immensely valuable means of targeting key sites well inside Russia, and doing so in a more destructive manner. The jet-powered nature of the missile also offers speed and suvivability benefits for penetrating deeper into Russian territory, especially compared to the converted light aircraft and other longer-range drones Ukraine relies on now for those kinds of strikes. The reported size of the warhead, combined with jet-powered speeds, would also give the missile the ability to burrow into more hardened targets, opening up all-new target sets.

As a direct comparison, the FP-1 drone, a twin-tail-boom pusher-propeller design, has a maximum range of around 994 miles (1,600 kilometers) and a 132-pound (60-kilogram) warhead, Fire Point told the AP. The company also said that FP-1s now account for some 60 percent of attacks on targets far inside Russia, further underscoring the kinds of options available to Ukraine now to prosecute those strikes.

At the same time, it remains to be seen whether Fire Point can significantly increase Flamingo production, and at what cost. The price point for a single one of the missiles is currently unknown.

“We need to consider the financing of this program,” Ukraine’s President Zelensky also said yesterday, according to Ukrinform.

Fire Point, a start-up founded in the wake of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, was clear to tout its existing production capacity for the FP-1, as well as the relatively low cost of those drones, in its discussion with the AP. The company says it makes around 100 FP-1s every day at a cost of approximately $55,000.

“We removed unneeded, flashy glittery stuff” to help with producibility and lower costs, Iryna Terekh, Fire Point’s head of production, who is a trained architect, told the AP.

At the same time, Flamingo is very different in all respects to the FP-1. Still, if Fire Point can even just reach its current daily production target of seven, that could be a significant addition to Ukraine’s arsenal. In addition to its own organic capacity, Fire Point might look to leverage foreign partnerships to help expand its ability to churn out Flamingos, if it is not doing so already in cooperation with Milanion.

Regardless, Flamingo’s emergence comes at a time of particular uncertainty about how the ongoing war in Ukraine may evolve, with a new burst of discussion around ceasefire and peace proposals now swirling. U.S. authorities have also reportedly been pressing Ukrainian authorities to offer territorial and other concessions to Russia to bring the fighting to an end following a summit between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska last week.

On a strategic level, Flamingo could give Ukraine a valuable additional negotiation tool because of the broad swath of Russia it could potentially threaten. As a domestically developed weapon, Ukrainian forces would have much more freedom to employ the missiles against targets inside Russian territory. Western countries have, on-and-off, placed restrictions on the use of long-range munitions they have supplied against Russia proper, and otherwise pressured Ukraine not to strike certain categories of targets.

“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country. It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social social media network today. “[Former U.S. President] Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out?”

👀👀👀

US President Trump: It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country […] Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out? […] Interesting times ahead!!! pic.twitter.com/PMGu7GYApF

— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) August 21, 2025

For Ukraine, there is a clear impetus to do whatever might be possible to increase stocks of Flamingo and help the missile live up to its full potential.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Plans shared with defence contractors also show a new missile field in the American Midwest, according to report.

The administration of United States President Donald Trump has circulated plans for its $175bn “Golden Dome” missile defence system, revealing a possible new missile field in the Midwest and details of the project’s plans to shoot down missiles in space, the Reuters news agency reports.

According to a series of slides, titled “Go Fast, Think Big!”, presented to some 3,000 defence contractors in Huntsville, Alabama, last week, Reuters says that plans for the Golden Dome include three layers of missile interceptors, radar arrays and lasers, in addition to its space-based defences.

While the presentation highlighted that the US “has built both interceptors and re-entry vehicles” for space-based missile interception before, the plans also acknowledged that the US has never built a vehicle that can handle the heat of reentry while targeting an enemy missile, according to Reuters.

Trump has estimated his Golden Dome could cost $175bn.

So far, Congress has appropriated $25bn for the system in the president’s tax and spending bill passed in July. Another $45.3bn is earmarked for the Golden Dome in Trump’s 2026 presidential budget request.

“They have a lot of money, but they don’t have a target of what it costs yet,” a US official cited by Reuters said.

Plans for the dome included a map showing that a new large-scale missile field, with systems built by Lockheed Martin, could be located in the US Midwest, Reuters reported.

The site would be in addition to two similar missile fields that already exist in southern California and Alaska.

Lockheed Martin has described the Gold Dome as “a defence system that shields America from aerial threats, hypersonic missiles and drone swarms with unmatched speed and accuracy”.

“Thanks to President Trump’s vision, Golden Dome will make this a reality, securing our future,” Lockheed Martin wrote in a post on social media in March.

Reuters said the slides did not include any references to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which was part of a bid for Golden Dome contracts, alongside the software maker Palantir and defence systems manufacturer Anduril.

Trump campaigned on building “a missile defence shield around our country,” in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. At an earlier campaign event in July 2024, Trump compared his plans with Israel’s Iron Dome.

The Iron Dome is Israel’s missile defence system, which detects an incoming rocket, determines its path and intercepts it. The system was developed with more than $1bn in funding from the US.

Days after taking office on January 27, Trump signed an executive order to “immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defence shield, which will be able to protect Americans”.

Although Trump secured $25bn for the system in his tax and spending bill, which also included significant cuts to federal funding for other programmes, including Medicaid, the project still faces a significant funding shortfall.

Trump suggested in May that the shortfall could be partly made up by Canada paying $61bn towards the project.

At least 26 Palestinians have been killed since dawn across Gaza in Israeli attacks, medical sources have told Al Jazeera, as the besieged and bombarded enclave’s decimated health system, overwhelmed by a daily flow of wounded, is forcing doctors to make decisions on who to treat first.

In the latest killings on Friday, three people died in an Israeli attack on the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City. Five people were also killed in an Israeli air attack in Jabalia an-Nazla, in northern Gaza.

Earlier, an Israeli attack hit tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza – previously designated a so-called “safe zone” – igniting a major fire and killing at least five people, including infants. Al-Mawasi has come under repeated, deadly Israeli fire.

The death toll also includes includes six people who were desperately seeking aid.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hani Mahmoud said the injured, including children, were transferred to Nasser Hospital. Some showed wounds compatible with drone attacks.

“Drone missiles are packed with nails, metals and shrapnel that explodes at high speed, causing internal bleeding,” Mahmoud said. “These attacks are on the rise and target people in large crowds, in markets or while queueing for water.

“While Israel claims to be using sophisticated weapons, when we look on the ground, we see the number of casualties contradicting what Israel is [saying],” he added.

‘What should we do? Die at home?’

Israel’s ongoing, punishing blockade of Gaza is forcing doctors in crammed medical facilities to make difficult decisions about who to treat.

Patients with chronic illnesses are often the first to miss out because emergency departments are overwhelmed by people wounded in Israeli attacks.

“Before the war, I used to receive dialysis three times a week, with each session lasting four hours. At that time, the situation was stable, the treatment was effective, and we would return home feeling well and rested,” Omda Dagmash, a dialysis patient, told Al Jazeera at the barely functioning al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

“Now we can barely make the journey to the hospital, particularly since we are not eating well.”

At al-Shifa, the dialysis schedule has been scaled down to shorter and less frequent sessions. For some, it is a matter of life and death.

“The journey here is long and costly,” said Rowaida Minyawi, an elderly patient. “After all this exhaustion, we sometimes can’t find treatment. I have heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Even the medicine we get is not good. What should we do? Die at home?”

Besides prioritising patients, healthcare workers say they have to scale back operations to the minimum, as no fuel means no power – and no way to save lives.

“Only a few departments are working. We had to cut electricity to the rest,” said Ziad Abu Humaidan, from the hospital’s engineering department.

“The hospital’s yards turned into graveyards rather than a place of care and healing. Without electricity, there is no lighting, no functioning medical equipment, and no support for other essential services.”

Waning support in Israel for war

According to a public opinion survey conducted by the Israeli news outlet Maariv, about 44 percent of the Israeli public said the continued war in Gaza will not achieve the country’s goals.

A total of 42 percent of those surveyed said they believe the fighting will lead to achieving the goals, while 11 percent of the respondents said they are undecided.

Maariv also noted that of those who support the current coalition government, 73 percent think the military will achieve its goals, while 70 percent of opposition supporters think otherwise.

In the meantime, Israel faced a rare backlash on Thursday after it bombed Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing three people and wounding at least 10.

United States President Donald Trump contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after having “not a positive reaction” to the strike, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

After the call, Netanyahu attributed the strike to “stray ammunition” and added that Israel was investigating the incident.

Hamas slammed the attack as “a new crime committed against places of worship and innocent displaced persons” that comes in the context of a “war of extermination against the Palestinian people”.

July 14 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States will send Ukraine Patriot air defense system munitions that the European Union will pay for.

Trump made the announcement to reporters during a press gaggle at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after attending the Club World Cup final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

He told reporters the number of Patriot munitions hasn’t been agreed on yet, but was adamant Europe was to pay for them.

“They’re going to have some because they do need protection, but the European Union is paying for,” he said. “We’re not paying anything for it, but we will send it.”

Trump incorrectly stated that the United States has given hundreds of billions more to Ukraine than the European Union, despite the U.S. government and the EU, along with its members states, having allocated comparable amounts.

According to the U.S. government, the United States has allocated $182.8 billion of which $83.4 billion has been disbursed. The EU states it and its members have given Ukraine $192.5 billion, and have allocated tens of billions more.

The United States is, however, still the largest single backer in Ukraine’s defense, though it has given very little aid to the war-torn country during the second Trump administration.

Trump has sought to have the EU pay more for Ukraine’s defense, and he told reporters Sunday that he has a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, and that they will be sending “various pieces of very sophisticated” military equipment to Ukraine “and they’re going to pay us 100% for them.”

A pause on some U.S. military aid transfers to Ukraine put in place early this month was lifted by Trump as he has grown more frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump, who campaigned on ending the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House, has been seeking a cease-fire in the war since his inauguration, which has seemed to have hit a stalemate. Early this month, he had a phone call with Putin, after which he told reporters that he “didn’t make any progress” toward securing a cease-fire.

Since then, he has voiced frustration with the Russian leader, whom he once frequently praised.

“Putin really surprised a lot of people,” Trump said Sunday. “He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening. There’s a bit of a problem there. I don’t like it.”

US president makes announcement amid growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

United States President Donald Trump has said he will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine as his administration signals growing disillusionment with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to negotiate an end to Moscow’s invasion.

“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday.

“Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” Trump said.

“So, there’s a little bit of a problem there. I don’t like it.”

Trump said he had not decided on the number of Patriot batteries he would send to Ukraine, but “they’re going to have some because they do need protection.”

Trump’s comments come after he last week confirmed that his administration had decided to sell weapons to NATO allies in Europe for them to pass on to Kyiv.

Trump is set to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte this week for discussions expected to focus on his plans to supply weapons to Kyiv.

Rutte’s trip to Washington, DC comes as Trump has teased that he will make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday.

After campaigning on a promise to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine, Trump has expressed growing frustration with Putin’s refusal to agree to a peace deal.

While Putin has agreed to brief pauses in fighting, he has knocked back US proposals for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

Russia has argued that the proposal, which has been accepted by Ukraine, would give Kyiv a chance to remobilise its troops and rearm.

In some of his strongest criticism yet of Putin, Trump on Tuesday accused the Russian leader of throwing a lot of “b******” at the US.

“He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” Trump said.

After returning to the White House in January, Trump moved to scale back support for Kyiv, casting Washington’s aid as a drain on the US taxpayer and accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of being an obstacle to peace.

While Ukraine continued to receive weaponry through funds allocated during the tenure of former US president Joe Biden, Trump had declined to approve new arms shipments to help Kyiv repel Moscow’s invasion.

Following months of unsuccessful efforts to broker a peace between Moscow and Kyiv, Trump on July 7 announced that he would begin approving shipments to Ukraine comprised mostly of “defensive weapons”.

Asked on Sunday if his upcoming announcement on Russia would involve sanctions against Moscow, Trump declined to answer but repeated that he was disappointed with Putin.

“I am very disappointed with President Putin. I thought he was somebody that meant what he said,” Trump said.

“And he’ll talk so beautifully, and then he’ll bomb people at night. We don’t like that.”

Israeli military attacks ports of Hodeidah, Ras-Isa and as-Salif as Houthis continue to launch missiles towards Israel.

Israel’s military has bombed three ports and a power plant in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, prompting the rebel group to fire more missiles towards Israeli territory.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it struck the ports of Hodeidah, Ras-Isa and as-Salif on the Red Sea coast as well as the Ras Kathib power plant.

It said it also struck a radar system on the Galaxy Leader ship, which was seized by the Houthis and remains docked in the port of Hodeidah.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli attacks late on Sunday were the first on Yemen in almost a month and came after the military claimed that it intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis in the early hours of the day.

The rebel group, which controls Yemen’s most populous areas, responded to the latest Israeli attacks by launching more missiles at Israel in the early hours of Monday.

The Israeli military said two missiles were fired from Yemen, and that it attempted to intercept the projectiles. The attack set off sirens in the cities of Jerusalem, Hebron and near the Dead Sea.

Israel’s emergency service said there have been no reports of injuries or impact from the projectiles.

The Houthis say their attacks on Israel are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who are under Israeli attack. The group has fired hundreds of missiles at Israel and launched more than 100 attacks on commercial vessels in the vital Red Sea corridor, since Israel’s war on Gaza began in 2023.

The Houthis paused their attacks after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in January, but resumed them after the United States launched attacks on Yemen on March 15, killing nearly 300 people in the weeks that followed.

Houthis downplay attacks

The latest escalation comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East as a possible ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza hangs in the balance, and as Tehran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear programme following United States air strikes that damaged Iran’s most sensitive atomic sites.

In Yemen on Sunday night, the Houthi-affiliated news outlet Al Masirah TV reported that strikes hit the port city of Hodeidah, while the Saba news agency confirmed the attacks on the three ports as well as the power station.

A spokesman for the Houthis, Ameen Hayyan Yemeni, meanwhile, said the group’s air defences forced “a large portion” of Israel’s warplanes to retreat.

Locally-manufactured surface-to-air missiles were used to respond, “causing great confusion among enemy pilots and operations rooms”, he wrote in a statement on X.

Al Jazeera’s Nabil Alyousefi, reporting from the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, said the Houthis were downplaying the impact of the strikes on Hodeidah.

“The Houthis say their air defences – using locally made surface-to-air missiles – were effective in responding to the Israeli assault, with sources indicating roughly 30 minutes of clashes between Houthi air defenses and Israeli forces,” Alyousefi said.

“The Houthis have not reported any material or human losses so far, reassuring that their armed forces repelled all Israeli aggression. They emphasized their readiness to confront any future Israeli attacks and stated they are prepared to target Israeli territory in response,” he added.

The hostilities also took place after a grenade and drone attack on a Red Sea cargo ship set the vessel on fire and forced its crew to abandon it.

No group has claimed the attack, but the United Kingdom maritime agency said it matched the “established Houthi target profile“.

Separately, Israeli forces also bombed Lebanon, claiming attacks on several Hezbollah targets in the country’s south as well as the eastern Bekaa region.

In a statement, the military said the strikes were directed at infrastructure used for “storing and producing strategic weapons” and a “rocket launch site”.

Since a November 27 ceasefire formally ended more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, Israel has continued sporadic strikes on Lebanon. It says the group’s activities run counter to the agreement, but does not provide evidence to back its claims.

In addition to its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have launched attacks on the occupied West Bank, Syria and Iran over the past year.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will hold back delivering to Ukraine some air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons as part of its announced pause to some arms shipments amid U.S. concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said.

The details on the weapons in some of the paused deliveries were confirmed by a U.S. official and former national security official familiar with the matter. They both requested anonymity to discuss what is are being held up as the Pentagon has yet to provide details.

The pause includes some shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds.

Elbridge Colby, Defense Department undersecretary for policy, said the decision to halt some weapons comes as Pentagon officials have aimed to provide Trump “with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end.”

“At the same time, the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for administration defense priorities,” Colby added in a statement.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, blasted the move that came just days after Russians forces launched one of the biggest air assaults on Ukraine since it started the war more than three years ago.

“U.S.-made air defense systems, including the Patriot platform, are the centerpiece of Ukraine’s defenses against Russian strikes. They work. They save lives every day,” Kaptur said. “But there are no parallel defensive alternatives for Ukraine if the U.S. stops supplying these vital munitions.”

One of the officials said other weaponry being held up includes the AIM-7 Sparrow — a medium-range radar homing air-to-air missile — as well as shorter-range Stinger missiles and AT-4 grenade launchers.

The Pentagon review that determined that stocks were too low on some weapons previously pledged comes just over a week after Trump helped forge a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end their 12-day conflict. The U.S. has provided air defense support to Israel, Qatar and other Mideast neighbors. It’s unclear if that conflict had any impact on Trump’s move in Ukraine.

The U.S. deployed air defenses systems as it knocked down an Iranian ballistic missile assault last month launched on the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The retaliatory strike from Tehran against the U.S. military installation came days after Trump ordered a barrage of strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites.

Mascaro and Madhani write for the Associated Press.

US President Trump calls for calm as truce agreement raises hope of an end to the dangerous conflict.

Iran and Israel are reported to have agreed to a ceasefire following 12 days of exchanging intense air strikes, including a “last-minute” barrage fired by Tehran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday morning that Israel had agreed to the truce proposal announced by United States President Donald Trump overnight. Earlier, Iranian state television reported that the ceasefire had begun.

The Israeli statement came not long after Trump had said in a post on social media that the ceasefire was under way.

“The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” he said.

While Netanyahu threatened that Israel would respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire, the agreement raises hopes for a de-escalation in a conflict that intensified dramatically in recent days, as the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities and Tehran attacked a US base in Qatar.

“In light of the achievement of the objectives of the operation, and in full coordination with President Trump, Israel has agreed to the President’s proposal for a bilateral ceasefire,” he said.

Waves of missiles

A fragile peace appeared to take hold early on Tuesday, with reports of hostilities ceasing following six waves of missile launches by Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi implied the strikes were launched just before a 07.30 GMT deadline announced by Trump.

“The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute,” he wrote on social media.

Several people were killed in the attacks, emergency services and the Israeli military said. Not long afterwards, Israelis were told they could leave missile shelters, and no further launches have been reported.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said Israeli strikes on the capital had halted, calling the calm “a promising indication about the prospect of the ceasefire”.

But he noted that the situation remains fragile, with Iran, like Israel, having pledged to strike back in case there is any resumption of attacks against it.

‘Now Gaza’

Following Netanyahu’s announcement that his government had agreed to the ceasefire, Israel’s opposition called for him to seal a truce to end the 20-month war with Hamas in Gaza.

“And now Gaza. It’s time to finish it there too. Bring back the hostages, end the war,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on social media.

However, hardliners criticised the agreement, insisting Iran remains dangerous.

The “regime in Iran is not a regime with which agreements are made but a regime that must be defeated,” wrote Dan Illouz, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party.

“If not defeated” Iran will find new means against Israel, he declared.

Israel attacked Iran on June 13 saying that Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. Trump made a similar assertion before the US strikes on Saturday.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog IAEA on Monday demanded access to Iran’s nuclear facilities to confirm the location and state of the country’s enriched uranium.

There has been speculation that Iran may have moved its stock of the nuclear material ahead of the US strikes on the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz facilities.

Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said on Tuesday that Tehran is assessing damage to its nuclear industry and arrangements have been made for its restoration, the Reuters news agency reported.

“The plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services,” Eslami said.

Iran and Israel have exchanged a barrage of missiles after the United States bombed key Iranian nuclear sites, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Iran on Sunday launched two volleys of 27 missiles, targeting Israel’s main Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, research facilities, and command centres, an Iranian state news agency reported.

Air raid sirens were sounded across most of Israel, sending millions of people to safe rooms and bomb shelters as explosions and missile interceptions were seen above the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the port city of Haifa, and other parts of the country.

At least 20 people were wounded, according to Israeli emergency workers.

“This is certainly the first time that we have seen two volleys coming in such close succession. Usually, there are hours between each volley of missiles. This time, it was less than half an hour,” said Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, Jordan.

The targeted areas spanned the occupied Golan Heights in Syria to the Upper Galilee to northern and central Israel, affecting 10 separate sites either directly by missiles or by large shrapnel, Odeh said.

“There is extensive damage in those sites, especially in the Tel Aviv area and Haifa,” Odeh said.

Videos from Tel Aviv and Haifa towards the north showed rescue teams combing through debris, apartments reduced to rubble, mangled cars along a street filled with debris, and medics evacuating injured people from a row of blown-out houses.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it was investigating why no air raid warnings were sounded in Haifa.

Israel also carried out another wave of bombings on “military targets” in western Iran. The Israeli military earlier said its strikes destroyed Iranian missile launchers and targeted soldiers.

The latest exchange of missiles between the Middle Eastern enemies followed the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, with President Donald Trump saying the attacks had “obliterated” the three facilities.

Trump said Iran’s future held “either peace or tragedy” and that there were many other Iranian targets that could be hit. “If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill,” he said.

Iran responded by saying it “reserved all options” to defend itself and warned of “everlasting consequences” if the US joined the war.

In a statement, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the US attacks on its nuclear facilities as a “gross and unprecedented violation” of international law.

“The world must not forget that it was the United States that, in the midst of a diplomatic process, betrayed diplomacy” by supporting Israel’s “aggressive action”, and is now waging “a dangerous war against Iran,” the ministry said.

It has become clear that the US “adheres to no rules or ethics, and in order to advance the aims of a genocidal and occupying regime, spares no lawlessness or crime”, it added.

Meanwhile, Israel said it will temporarily reopen its airspace for flights from 11:00 GMT on Sunday as it repatriates thousands of citizens left stranded overseas by its war with Iran, the country’s airport authority said.

Ben Gurion Airport “will open for landings from 02:00pm-8:00pm as part of Operation Safe Return”, the authority said in a statement, referring to the government’s efforts to bring home citizens.

Most airlines continue to avoid large parts of the Middle East after the US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, according to the flight tracking website, FlightRadar24.

Iran has fired its first retaliatory missile strikes against Israel after an unprecedented US attack on three Iranian nuclear sites, including the Fordow facility. At least 11 people have been injured in central Israel, while air raid sirens have sounded in occupied East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Iran has carried out a barrage of missile attacks against Israel, hours after the United States attacked key Iranian nuclear sites.

Loud explosions were heard in coastal hub Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Sunday shortly after the Israeli military reported incoming Iranian missiles and activated air defences.

Sirens rang in Israeli cities, with rescue services and media reports saying at least 20 people were injured.

Israeli police reported “the fall of weapon fragments” in an area near the northern port of Haifa, where local authorities said emergency services were heading to an “accident site”.

Tel Aviv, Haifa, and the southern city of Beersheba have been the three Israeli areas targeted by Iran frequently.

Reporting on missile strikes is subject to strict military censorship rules in Israel, where at least 50 impacts have been officially acknowledged nationwide and 25 people have been killed since the war started on June 13, according to official figures.

Iran has warned of “everlasting consequences” after President Donald Trump claimed the US attacks “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz.

Meanwhile, Iran’s National Nuclear Safety System Centre and the United Nations nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), say there has been no increase in radiation levels following the US strikes.

June 17 (UPI) — Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an “easy target,” and Iran should surrender unconditionally, President Donald Trump said Tuesday before Iran’s leader countered with his own warning, “the battle begins.”

As Iran fired two hypersonic missile barrages into Israel on Tuesday night, Khamenei wrote in a post on X, “In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins,” along with an image of fire raining down on an ancient city.

In a separate X account, he wrote in English, “We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy.”

There were no injuries reported in Iran’s attacks, as Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation order before a new wave of airstrikes in Tehran.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump urged Khamenei to surrender.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“He is an easy target but is safe there — we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump continued.

“But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers,” he said, adding, “Our patience is wearing thin.”

In a subsequent post, Trump simply stated, “Unconditional surrender!” in all capital letters.

Trump said he hasn’t reached out to Iranian leaders and isn’t “in the mood” to negotiate with them, ABC News reported.

He said Israel has “complete and total control of the skies over Iran” due to “American-made, conceived and manufactured” arms.

Trump posted his comments after Israeli and Iranian forces continued exchanging aerial assaults during the fifth day of the active war between the two nations.

The president met with military advisers shortly after returning early from the G7 conference in Canada on Tuesday due to the situation in the Middle East.

Israeli forces are targeting ballistic missile launch sites and command centers in central Iran.

“We’ve struck deep, hitting Iran’s nuclear ballistic capabilities,” Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

“We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime, and as such, they have been pushed back into central Iran,” the IDF statement says.

“They are now focusing their efforts on conducting missile fire from the area of Isfahan.”

Meanwhile, Iranian officials have issued warnings to civilians in Tel Aviv and Haifa to evacuate because they are targeted for a “punitive operation.”

“The operations carried out so far have merely been warnings for deterrence,” Iran’s commander-in-chief Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Tuesday. “A punitive operation will be executed soon.”

He referred to the Israeli cities as “occupied territories” and said residents should leave them “for their own safety and not to become victims of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s barbaric actions.”

The U.S. embassy in Israel announced it will close Wednesday for three days due to the escalating conflict.

“As a result of the current security situation and ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the U.S. Embassy has directed that all U.S. government employees and their family members continue to shelter in place and near their residences until further notice.”

The embassy, located in Jerusalem, said it had no information to assist private U.S. citizens who want to leave the country, adding that Israel’s largest airport, Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, is closed.

Iran’s government has defended its retaliatory attacks on Israel as ‘self-defence’ after launching a second barrage of missiles on Saturday night. Iran’s strikes came after Israel’s military bombed civilian areas and energy infrastructure across Iran, saying it was targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.

Video shows a barrage of Iranian missiles making impact in Tel Aviv and other sites in Israel in its second wave of attacks, killing at least 10 people. The strikes are retaliation for Israel’s bombing of civilian and energy infrastructure in Iran.

Explosions and air raid sirens are being heard again in Iran and Israel as the two nations continue to exchange missiles and drones, a day after the Israeli military killed top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists in the worst such escalation in decades.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least four people and wounded more than 200 others in Israel since Friday, as a barrage of dozens of Iranian missiles lit up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv overnight.

On the Iranian side, at least 80 people, including women and children, have been killed and more than 320 others injured, as the Israeli army targeted residential areas in capital Tehran, military sites and nuclear facilities, killing at least nine nuclear scientists so far.

Accusing Israel of initiating a war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it “must expect severe punishment” for killing several top-level military commanders and scientists.

In a message on state TV, he said Israel “should not think that it is over because they attacked and it is finished”.

“No. They started this and initiated the war. We won’t allow them to escape unscathed from this great crime they have committed,” Khamenei said.

Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, with fears of a prolonged conflict engulfing the region.

‘Tehran will burn’

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on Saturday that “Tehran will burn” and its residents will pay dearly if Iran continues its missile strikes against Israeli civilians.

“The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they – especially the residents of Tehran – will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians,” said Katz.

“If Khamenei continues to fire missiles towards the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn,” the minister added.

On Saturday, two projectiles hit Tehran’s Mehrabad airport which hosts an air force base with fighter jets and transport aircraft, and is located close to key Iranian government buildings.

“The attacks caused explosions at the airport but did not affect any runways, buildings or facilities,” Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA said.

The Israeli military also continued to launch strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.

“There has been limited damage to some areas at the Fordow enrichment site,” ISNA news agency reported Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying on Saturday.

“We had already moved a significant part of the equipment and materials out, and there was no extensive damage and there are no contamination concerns.”

Israel’s Iron Dome penetrated

Meanwhile, several Iranian missiles penetrated Israel’s Iron Dome defence system and struck central Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion and Ramat Gan areas.

Air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, sending residents rushing into shelters. An Israeli official said Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves.

A high-rise building was hit overnight in a densely populated area of central Tel Aviv. At least nine buildings were also destroyed in Ramat Gan, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Mike Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, said he had to go to shelters five times overnight amid Iran’s missile barrage. “It’s now Shabbat here. Should be quiet. Probably won’t be. Entire nation under orders to stay near shelter,” he posted on X.

The Israeli army on Saturday said seven of its soldiers were wounded in a ballistic missile attack on central Israel. They were taken to hospitals and have since been released, according to a military statement.

This is the first confirmation of Israeli military casualties since the escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel began two days ago.

Meanwhile, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that five people in the occupied West Bank were also injured as rocket shrapnel fell near the town of Sa’ir near Hebron. The five injured included three children, aged six, seven and 12.

Wafa earlier reported that Israel had imposed widespread closures across the occupied West Bank amid the escalating conflict with Iran. Israeli forces have shut down roads, set up checkpoints and prevented freedom of movement for the Palestinians.

Iran warns Israel’s allies

Iran has also warned Israel’s allies – the United States, the United Kingdom and France – that their bases and ships in the region will be targeted if they help defend Israel.

“Any country that participates in repelling Iranian attacks on Israel will be subject to the targeting of all regional bases of the complicit government, including military bases in the Persian Gulf countries and ships and naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea by Iranian forces,” a government statement said, according to Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency.

Iran has already accused the US of being complicit in the attacks and said it shared full responsibility for the consequences.

Shahram Akbarzadeh, professor of Middle East politics at Deakin University in Australia, said both Israel and Iran appear to be “settling in for the long haul” and more attacks could be expected. He said the US would also be dragged into the conflict.

“When Israel launches attacks on Iran, Iran has to respond, and I think Israel is actually banking on this dynamic – that once the conflict starts, the United States has an obligation and a commitment to Israeli security,” Akbarzadeh told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged people in Iran to stand up to the “evil and oppressive” regime under Khamenei and seek “freedom”.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said according to the people in Iran, Netanyahu’s message was unwelcome.

“We have to remember that Iranian people are living under the shadow of war, which is now getting translated into a real war. They are also under the pressure of sanctions,” he said.

“People are angry, specifically at the fact that it’s not just military officials and nuclear scientists but very ordinary citizens who were affected by the recent strikes.”