Israel Imposes Media Blackout on Iranian Missile Attack Damage as 50th Wave of Strikes Continues for 12 Hours
TEL AVIV – Iran’s 50th wave of missile strikes on Israel was reported to have lasted more than 12 hours, spanning southern and central regions through to the north. The Israeli government was working intensively to conceal damage from the attacks whilst Hezbollah rocket fire across the border continued unabated.
Al Jazeera reported that one of the most significant incidents in recent hours occurred in Eilat, far in the south, where cluster munitions struck the city and spread across multiple locations. At least 10 sites reported damage from missiles, with numerous injuries recorded, including a 12-year-old boy.
The Israeli government’s media censorship initially attempted to suppress the information, but it ultimately came to light. This occurred because the Jordanian city of Aqaba, directly across from Israel, allowed residents to witness the attacks, record them and upload the footage – causing information to spread widely.
Al Jazeera correspondents reported that the only reason destruction in Eilat became public was because people successfully breached the military censorship veil. There was no way to conceal all impact sites with damage across 10 different areas of the strategic city.
These ongoing attacks placed considerable strain on Israeli society. In northern Israel, air raid sirens sounded every 30 minutes.
Iranian missile fragments fell in areas near Tel Aviv in central Israel after air defence systems intercepted incoming projectiles. Israeli Channel 12 reported debris landing in the cities of Lod and Ness Ziona near Tel Aviv following interception of missiles launched from Iran.
Air raid sirens sounded in several areas of central and southern Israel as explosions were heard from interception efforts, the channel added. Broadcasters stated that police and emergency crews were dispatched to locations where debris fell to assess damage.
Loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem and the West Bank, with missile fragments falling in the Masafer Yatta region of Palestine after Iranian missiles were intercepted, eyewitnesses told the Anadolu news agency.
Reports of missile damage also emerged from locations including Lod, Bnei Brak and Ramla. In Ramla, reports emerged of fire in the city centre following the Iranian strike wave.
However, shortly thereafter, the Israeli Army Radio deleted its post on X. A similar incident was reported by Channel 12, which subsequently reported that “the fire did not result from interception fragments and occurred before the alarm sounded”.
Confirmed damage occurred in Holon, where fire broke out, and two people aged 80 had been taken to hospital – one for injuries from glass fragments and one for smoke inhalation.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps stated they had launched the “50th wave” of operations against American military bases in the region. The operation was “directed against the terrorist US military bases” in the United Arab Emirates: Al-Dhafra and Fujairah, Bahrain: Juffair and the Fifth Naval Fleet, Kuwait: Ali Salem and Jordan: al-Azraq, according to their statement as reported by Iran’s Fars news agency.
They also targeted “early warning radar systems located in areas that play a protective role for the Zionist regime [Israel]”, the statement said.