Israel started ‘dangerous game’ by attacking civilian targets, oil industries: Iran

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday Israel started “a dangerous game” by carrying out attacks against civilian targets and oil industries.

In a statement carried by the state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC said it launched a missile attack on Haifa in northern Israel a few minutes ago in retaliation for an Israeli attack on Iran’s Mahshahr petrochemical firm earlier in the day.

It warned the consequences of the current wave of escalation on the global economy will be “the responsibility of the main arsonist in this field, America.”

Earlier in the day, an Israeli airstrike targeted a petrochemical firm in southwestern Iran, causing partial damage to the industrial complex, Iranian officials said.

The attack came as sirens also sounded in several cities in Israel following missile launches by Tehran.

The region has been on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.

A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.