Israel struck a major petrochemical complex in southwestern Iran on Monday morning as the two countries exchanged fresh rounds of attacks, with Tehran firing another wave of ballistic missiles at Israeli territory even as Israeli strikes deepened inside Iran.
The IDF announced that "the Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence, struck several targets a short while ago in the petrochemical complex in Mahshahr in southwestern Iran," adding that further details would follow.
The Mahshahr petrochemical zone, located in Khuzestan province near the Persian Gulf, is one of Iran's largest industrial hubs and a critical node in the country's petrochemical export infrastructure.
חיל האוויר בהכוונת אמ"ן תקף לפני זמן קצר מספר יעדים במתחם הפטרוכימי במאהשהר שבדרום-מערב איראן. פרטים נוספים בהמשך
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 8, 2026
The strike on an economic facility marked a significant escalation in the nature of Israeli targeting, coming after Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter had said earlier in the day that Israel was hitting "surface-to-surface missile launch sites, as well as infrastructure facilities unrelated to the energy sector."
The Mahshahr strike appeared to push that scope further, directly hitting industrial infrastructure with major economic significance.
Simultaneously, the IDF confirmed a new Iranian missile launch, stating, "The IDF has identified that missiles were launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel a short time ago. The defense systems are operating to intercept the threat."
The Home Front Command issued emergency directives to mobile phones in affected areas, instructing the Israeli public to enter protected spaces and remain until further notice.
The exchange follows Iran's earlier IRGC missile strike on the Ramat David airbase overnight, which Tehran described as a warning in response to Israeli operations in Lebanon.
Israel retaliated with strikes on western and central Iran in the early hours of Monday, after which both sides continued trading fire through the morning.
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