First Israeli civilian killed as Iran strikes Tel Aviv amid Operation Roaring Lion

A 40-year-old woman has been named as the first victim in Operation Roaring Lion, the current war between Israel and Iran that began early on Saturday morning. A missile launched from Iran late Saturday night struck a neighborhood in Tel Aviv, causing extensive damage and injuring around 27 people – including two in moderate condition and 25 with lighter injuries – all of whom were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Magen David Adom emergency paramedics initially treated one female victim at the scene, but pronounced her dead shortly after midnight.

A two-month-old baby and his older sister were also among those pulled from the building. Their parents were evacuated from the complex shortly afterward. According to the Times of Israel, seven of the people wounded in the strike were children.

First responders from the Israel Police and Fire Department conducted search-and-rescue efforts following the attack.

Police Chief Daniel Levy reached the scene with Tel Aviv District Commander Haim Sargaroff, and the two “conducted a situational assessment” with officers there.

Considerable destruction and fires that broke out from missile impact made it difficult and time consuming to rescue those trapped under rubble in the apartment buildings.

The barrage was one of many that Israel has endured since Saturday morning, when the IDF and the U.S. military launched a major coordinated offensive against Iran – striking targets across the country and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with numerous senior commanders – after weeks of rising tensions.

With an increasing presence of U.S. forces in the region over the last several weeks – and the massacre of Iranian citizens who protested the ayatollah regime under Khamenei in mid-January – Israel has been on a high security alert status, with many wondering about the timing of possible U.S. intervention.

Reports indicate that the U.S. military carried out nearly 900 strikes across Iran within the first 12 hours of the operation, according to an unnamed U.S. official cited by Fox News. The official added that Iran has launched roughly 300 missiles over the same period. Many were directed at Israel, but missile and drone attacks were also reported across the Gulf in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia as air-defense systems engaged incoming projectiles, and debris fell in populated areas.

Iran has been warning for weeks on various social media platforms that U.S. military bases in the area would be a valid target for Iranian retaliation, and any ally of the U.S. could also be targeted.

With the current conditions and frequent missile launches toward Israel, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed residents to remain near bomb shelters and refrain from non-essential travel. Schools, public gatherings, and most workplaces are closed, with only critical sectors permitted to operate until further notice.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have signaled that the ongoing offensive is intended to help bring about the collapse of the Islamic Republic. Netanyahu, in a televised address, pledged to create the conditions necessary for the nation of Iran to “free itself from the chains of dictatorship.”