Israel and Iran traded attacks for a fourth day on Monday, defying international calls for de-escalation, as the conflict between the two regional powers intensified.
Israeli rescue workers said eight people had been killed in an Iranian missile barrage on the country’s cities, bringing the Israeli death toll since Friday to 23.
Iranian authorities said late on Sunday that 224 civilians had been killed in Israeli strikes.
The rocket attacks followed Israeli air strikes on sites in central Iran, extending the conflict that started when Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities, military sites and residential areas on Friday.
The Israeli military said that on Sunday it had completed a “widescale wave” of attacks on infrastructure belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, its specialised Quds force and the Iranian army in Tehran.
Speaking to parliament on Monday, Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian called for national unity, while reaffirming the country’s commitment to its nuclear energy programme.
The latest assault came as international leaders arrived in Canada for a G7 summit and said diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis would be a priority.
Oil prices rose as much as 5.5 per cent to $78.32 a barrel on Monday, before paring most of their gains. The region accounts for a third of the world’s oil production, and analysts said they feared more disruption to global energy markets.
