TEHRAN, Apr 6: Intense fighting between Iran and US-Israeli forces escalated Monday, with dozens reported killed in strikes across the Islamic republic and Tehran warning of "much more devastating" retaliation if civilian targets continue to be hit.
At least 34 people, including six children, were killed in a wave of attacks targeting residential areas and key infrastructure, according to Iranian media and officials.
The strikes came after US President Donald Trump set a deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.
Iranian news agency Fars reported that 23 people were killed in an air strike in Baharestan County in Tehran province, including four girls and two boys under the age of 10. Additional fatalities were reported in Qom and the southern port city of Bandar-e Lengeh.
At least a dozen cities were hit, including Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan and Bandar Abbas, with strikes also damaging roads, gas facilities and other civilian infrastructure.
Among the targets was Tehran's Sharif University, one of Iran's leading scientific institutions, where significant damage was reported to laboratories and a mosque. Iranian officials said dozens of universities have been hit since the conflict began on February 28.
Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref condemned the attack, accusing Washington of using a "bunker-buster" bomb and calling it "a symbol of Trump's madness".
The violence also claimed senior military figures. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said its intelligence chief, Major-General Majid Khademi, was killed in a strike it blamed on the United States and Israel.
Israel confirmed responsibility, with Defence Minister Israel Katz describing Khademi as a key figure behind attacks on Israeli civilians and vowing to "hunt them one by one".
The Israeli military separately said it had killed AsgharBagheri, commander of a special operations unit of the Guards' Quds Force, in a strike on Tehran.
Despite mounting losses, Iran signalled it would not back down. Officials warned that any further attacks on civilian targets would trigger a far more severe response.
"Iran will deliver much more devastating blows," authorities said, responding to Trump's threats to target infrastructure if Hormuz is not reopened.
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed by Iran, sending global oil and gas prices sharply higher and rattling economies dependent on Middle Eastern energy supplies.
Iranian missiles and drones continued to strike regional targets, including Israel, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, while Israel expanded its campaign in Iran and Lebanon, where it is battling Tehran-backed Hezbollah.
In Israel, a missile strike hit a residential building in Haifa, killing two people, while Gulf states reported injuries from fresh Iranianattacks. "AGENCIES
