PHOTO – Israeli emergency service personnel gather at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv on 24 March 2026 (AFP). Iranian missiles have created impacts in several areas of Tel Aviv, causing major building damage and at least four casualties according to Al Jazeera
Iran launched waves of missiles at Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli military said, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said there had been “very good and productive” talks aiming at halting the conflict raging across the Middle East.
Three senior Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump appeared determined to reach a deal, but that they thought it highly unlikely that Iran would agree to U.S. demands in any new round of negotiations.
After Trump’s Truth Social comment on Monday, Iran said no talks had yet been held. Iran’s embassy in South Africa posted an image on X showing a child’s pink steering wheel placed on a car dashboard in front of the passenger seat, apparently mocking Trump’s idea, aired to reporters, that he could control the Strait of Hormuz alongside Iran’s supreme leader.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke to Trump less than 48 hours before their countries began the war, was expected to convene a meeting of security officials for talks on Trump’s bid for a deal with Iran, two senior Israeli officials said.
A Pakistani official has said direct talks may be held in Islamabad this week.
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after saying they had failed to make enough headway in talks aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program, even though mediator Oman said significant progress had been made.
The crisis has escalated across the Middle East. Iran has attacked countries that host U.S. bases, struck key energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
AIR RAID SIRENS SOUND IN TEL AVIV
On Tuesday, Iranian missiles triggered air raid sirens in Israel’s biggest city, Tel Aviv, where gaping holes were torn through a multi-storey apartment building. It was not immediately clear if the damage had been caused by a direct hit or debris from an interception
Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said they were searching for civilians trapped in one building in Tel Aviv and discovered civilians in a shelter in another damaged building.
Israel’s military said its fighter jets had carried out a large wave of strikes in central Tehran on Monday, targeting key command centres, including facilities associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence arm and the Intelligence Ministry. It said it had also hit more than 50 other targets overnight, including ballistic missile storage and launch sites.
Air defence systems were activated across Tehran as explosions were heard simultaneously in several areas of the capital, according to the Iranian news agency Nournews.
Trump said on Monday he was postponing for five days a plan to attack Iran’s power plants unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
REUTERS
