Fatalities in Israel Following Iran's Retaliatory Airstrike...Over 40 Injured

Fatalities have occurred in Israel as Iran launched a retaliatory attack in response to Israel's airstrike on nuclear facilities.

CNN reported on the 13th (local time) that Yahiel Leiter, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, confirmed the deaths resulting from Iran's retaliatory attack.

According to Ambassador Leiter, one woman died and over 40 people were injured in Iran's airstrike. Israeli police stated that the woman was killed by weapon fragments in the Ramat Gan area, southeast of Tel Aviv.

Ambassador Leiter told CNN, "Today, Iran launched a total of 150 ballistic missiles in three salvos" and added, "Since Iran possesses close to 2,000 ballistic missiles, further retaliation is expected."

He criticized Iran for targeting Israeli civilians and asserted, "Israel is fighting not against the Iranian people, but against the regime seeking to possess nuclear weapons."

Leiter also mentioned that until the attacks against Iran are completed, the exact scale of nuclear infrastructure destruction cannot be calculated, stating, "Our analysis suggests we may be very close to permanently and completely neutralizing Iran's nuclear infrastructure."

On the other hand, Iran protested that Israel had carried out a planned and organized military attack in violation of international law.

Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council that so far, "78 people have been martyred, including senior military officials, and over 320 have been injured," adding, "the overwhelming majority of whom were civilians, including women and children."

Jung Sam Koh, Hankyung.com reporter jsk@hankyung.com