Sirens Sound across Occupied Territories As Iran Launches Fresh Missile, Drone Strikes

Sirens sounded across the northern, central, and southern regions of the occupied Palestinian territories after Iran a massive barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli targets.

News ID: ۲۰۰۱۴۴۹

17 June 2025

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in a new phase of the ongoing Operation True Promise III, launched the missiles and UAVs at the occupied Palestinian territories late on Monday.

The large-scale retaliatory operation, which was launched on Friday night, is being carried out under the code name “Ya Ali ibn Abi Talib.”

Israeli media reported that sirens sounded across the northern, central, and southern regions of the occupied territories after Iran began the ninth phase of its retaliatory operation.

It came barely hours after the Israeli regime struck a building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in northern Iran, widely condemned as a horrific war crime.

According to sources, this phase of Operation True Promise III was expected to be longer and more intense than the previous eight phases, which began Friday night following the Israeli military's unprovoked aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

That aggression led to the assassination of several high-ranking Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, including women and children.

After receiving heavy blows in the previous eight phases of the operation, the Israeli regime authorities have banned the live broadcast of the Iranian operation, according to reports.

Settlers have been banned from sharing or publishing images or videos related to the Iranian retaliation to avoid further embarrassment for the regime's embattled military.

However, some images that leaked through social media showed panic-stricken settlers hiding in underground shelters as the missiles and drones rained down on the occupied land.

Some reports said traffic cameras had been turned off across the occupied territories.

In a significant development during this phase of Operation True Promise III, which received significant coverage on social media platforms, an Israeli interceptor missile malfunctioned and tumbled down even before Iranian missiles had reached Tel Aviv.

In a statement after this phase of the operation was launched, the IRGC spokesperson said it will continue until dawn with an uninterrupted barrage of missiles and drones.

He said this phase of True Promise III is hybrid in nature, involving both missiles and drones.

The spokesperson further informed that in the past 72 hours, the IRGC aerospace division has, without a break, targeted 545 sites belonging to the Israeli regime with offensive drones across the occupied territories, and added that the operation will continue.

On Sunday, Iran’s armed forces had issued a stern warning to settlers in the occupied territories, advising them to evacuate immediately for their own safety.

Colonel Reza Sayyad, spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces Communications Center, warned settlers that remaining in the area would place their lives in grave danger, as Iran prepares for a “crushing” retaliation to recent Israeli military aggression.

“Leave the occupied territories. Leaving this occupied land is the only way to preserve your lives,” Colonel Sayyad said, slamming the “Zionist regime” for criminal aggression.

The operation comes in the wake of Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran that started on Friday morning and has resulted in the assassinations of many high-ranking Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, including children and women.

Among the martyrs are Major General Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces; IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami; Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC aerospace division; senior IRGC commander General Gholam Ali Rashid; and head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization, Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi.

Nuclear scientists Dr. Fereydoon Abbasi, Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and Dr. Abdolhamid Minoucher were also martyred in separate attacks.

Before the operation was launched on Friday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, said the Zionist regime made a "big mistake, a grave error" by targeting civilian areas across Iran and warned that the consequences will "ruin them."

"The Iranian nation will not overlook the blood of its precious martyrs and will not ignore the aggression against its sky," he declared in a televised message./tasnim