At least 24 people have been killed in Israel as Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes targeting civilian areas. A U.S. Embassy branch in Tel Aviv suffered minor damage.

The Israel Defense Forces said alerts were activated in several areas of the country after the detection of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. The Air Force was working to intercept them, the IDF said.

Iran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities early Monday, after Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran, with both sides threatening further devastation. AFP images showed gutted residential buildings in Tel Aviv and fires smouldering outside the coastal city of Haifa,