Iran has escalated its war with Israel, launching fresh ballistic missile attacks toward central population centres and reinforcing concerns that civilians are now the primary targets.
The latest alert, issued early morning on March 22, covered Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Rishon LeZion, Holon, Ashdod, and surrounding towns, with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) issuing urgent shelter warnings for millions of civilians.
While earlier Iranian attacks mixed military and strategic sites, recent barrages show increased focus on populated urban centres.
Iran’s Shift Towards Civilian Targets
Israeli military officials say Iran has changed tactics after suffering heavy losses to its missile launchers and command infrastructure.
With its launch capacity degraded by sustained Israeli and US airstrikes, Iran is now deploying fewer missiles with heavier payloads, including cluster munitions designed to cause wide-area damage.
In recent weeks, Iranian ballistic missiles have struck residential neighbourhoods in Beit Shemesh, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Arad, Dimona, and parts of greater Jerusalem.
On March 1, a missile directly hit a residential area in Beit Shemesh, killing nine civilians and damaging a public bomb shelter.
On March 18 and 19, cluster missiles rained fragments across central Israel, killing two elderly civilians and injuring dozens more.
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Iran’s Cluster warheads, which break into dozens of bomblets mid-air, are poorly suited for military precision but highly destructive in dense urban areas.
Sunday’s Central Israel Warning
The latest missile launch detected on March 22 was aimed at a wide area of central Israel, according to the IDF.
Air defence systems were activated, and residents received phone alerts instructing them to remain in protected spaces until further notice.
Emergency services were placed on high alert across multiple districts as interceptors engaged incoming threats.
While Israel’s layered missile defence system, including Arrow and David’s Sling, has intercepted most incoming projectiles, officials acknowledge that some missiles or fragments continue to penetrate, especially when cluster munitions are used.
Beyond Israel, Iran has also struck civilian-linked infrastructure across the Gulf, including airports, hotels, commercial districts, and energy facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE.
Diplomatic outreach has remained minimal, with Iranian leaders showing no willingness to discuss a ceasefire while Israeli and U.S strikes continue.
Iran has made clear it will not accept continued bombardment without retaliation and is using missile attacks to raise the cost of the war.
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In recent statements, Iran has framed its missile campaign as “self‑defence,” arguing that halting fire without guarantees would reward continued pressure.
Clock Ticks on Strait of Hormuz
Meanwhile, U.S President Donald Trump has issued a direct ultimatum to Iran, giving Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face what he called devastating military consequences.
Speaking amid rising global oil prices and mounting shipping disruptions, Trump said the United States would strike Iran’s power plants and other energy infrastructure if the vital waterway remains blocked.
The strait carries about one‑fifth of the world’s oil supply, and its effective closure has already disrupted global markets and energy flows.
Iran has swiftly rejected the ultimatum, with senior Iranian officials saying the country would not yield to threats and warning that any attack on its energy facilities would trigger retaliation against U.S and allied interests across the region.
President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration has accused the U.S and Israel of causing the crisis through strikes on Iranian territory and energy assets, including the South Pars gas field.
Iran has also reiterated that it sees pressure on Hormuz as legitimate leverage while it remains under attack, signaling it would keep the strait closed unless hostilities against it stop.
