The Third Day Iran Pounds Israeli Cities

Iranian missiles continued striking Tel Aviv and Haifa for the third consecutive day, with reports of hundreds of rockets targeting Israeli cities. Lebanese media described fires in Haifa and explosions near Tehran's parliament building as the exchange intensified beyond the nuclear facilities initially targeted.

Lebanon maintained its distance from the conflict, with Hezbollah reportedly communicating its intention to spare Lebanon from another war. The government arranged repatriation flights for Lebanese stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh while canceling Middle East Airlines flights to Iraq.

Trump's intervention marked a potential turning point, declaring that Israel and Iran would achieve peace "soon" and later expressing hope for a ceasefire. This diplomatic statement contrasted sharply with Netanyahu's threats that Iran would pay a "very heavy price" and his suggestion that regime change in Iran could result from the war.

Lebanese outlets reported Israel's assassination of 14 Iranian nuclear scientists, some through car bombs, as the military dimension expanded beyond the initial strikes on nuclear infrastructure.