Loud explosions echoed across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem early Saturday morning as Iran launched a fresh wave of retaliatory missile strikes against Israel. Sirens blared across multiple Israeli cities, prompting the military to order citizens back into shelters amid what it called an “intensifying assault.”
Footage captured by Reuters from Tel Aviv showed a plume of smoke rising after a projectile struck the ground, minutes after the Israeli military confirmed it had identified additional incoming missiles from Iran.
The renewed attacks came shortly after Israel’s preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities, which also reportedly killed IRGC commander-in-chief General Hossein Salami.
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As the situation teeters on the brink of wider war, the International Crisis Group (ICG) has warned that the next move by U.S. President Donald Trump will be critical in preventing the Middle East from “plunging into the abyss.”
In a strongly worded statement, the ICG said: “Trump’s initial statements paint Israel’s strikes as useful leverage for nuclear talks, but to see them that way is a mistake.” The think tank urged the U.S. president to de-escalate the crisis by pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to halt its military campaign and by offering Iran incentives—such as sanctions relief—to stand down.
The ICG also suggested that Trump consider threatening to block weapons transfers to Israel if the conflict intensifies further, warning that the current trajectory could trigger a prolonged and devastating regional war.
“Such a course would require difficult diplomacy and for Trump to face down what would be fierce opposition in Washington,” the group said. “But moving in the opposite direction, as he appears to be doing now, is far worse.”
With the region at a tipping point, world powers are watching closely as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates and the risk of broader regional involvement grows.
