Death toll rises in Israel after another night of Iranian missiles; US Embassy in Tel Aviv damaged
“Sometimes they have to fight it out,” Donald Trump said
Israeli security and rescue forces at the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran hit and caused damage in Tel Aviv, June 16, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
(JTA) — At least eight people were killed early Monday in multiple locations across Israel as Iranian missiles rained down across the country for the third straight night.
The death toll in an earlier strike in Bat Yam, a city adjacent to Tel Aviv, rose as more bodies were extricated from rubble, meanwhile, and a research center at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot was destroyed in a strike. On Sunday, missiles arrived during the day for the first time.
The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv sustained minor damage amid strikes there and remains closed, Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X.
The toll comes as Israeli officials say they have accomplished key objectives in their attack on Iran, including controlling the airspace around Tehran, killing top military and intelligence leaders, and neutralizing a portion of the launchers used to propel ballistic missiles toward Israel. But experts in the region say they expect the conflict to go on for some time.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who had said he preferred a diplomatic approach to curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, said on Sunday that he still hoped for a deal — but said there could be more fighting first.
“I think it’s time for a deal, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters. “But sometimes they have to fight it out. But we’re going to see what happens. I think there’s a good chance there will be a deal.”
