The United States Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, confirmed Monday that a missile launched during Iran’s overnight attack caused slight damage near a branch of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, though no American personnel were harmed.
Iran fired a wave of missiles at Israeli cities in retaliation for an earlier Israeli offensive targeting military installations deep within Iranian territory.
The conflict marks one of the fiercest escalations in decades of hostility between the two nations.
Images captured by AFP depicted widespread destruction in Tel Aviv, with buildings reduced to rubble along the Mediterranean coast.
The Israeli military had earlier instructed residents to seek shelter amid alerts of inbound missile threats.
“Some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits near Embassy Branch in @TelAviv but no injuries to US personnel,” Huckabee wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He further announced that the US Embassy in Jerusalem would stay closed throughout Monday due to ongoing security directives instructing embassy staff and Americans in the area to remain indoors.
Meanwhile, a senior US government official revealed that President Donald Trump intervened to halt an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump reportedly advised Israel against escalating further but told the press, “Sometimes they have to fight it out” before diplomacy can begin.