Iran armed forces urge evacuation of residents in major Israeli cities

Iran's armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi urged on Tuesday residents of the major Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv to evacuate, warning of imminent "punitive" attacks.

"Punitive operations will be carried out soon," Mousavi said in a video statement carried by state TV on the fifth day of the deadly confrontation triggered by Israeli air raid on Friday.

He added that previous attacks on Israel have so far only been for "deterrence" purposes.


Referring to Israel, Mousavi said that "residents of the occupied territories, especially Tel Aviv and Haifa, are strongly urged to leave these areas for the sake of their lives".

Mousavi told Israelis not to "fall victim" to "animalistic desires" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which Tehran blames for the escalation.

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched a surprise attack in the early hours of Friday, saying it was targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities.

So far it has killed at least 224 people in the Islamic republic, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.

Iran has retaliated with barrages of drone and missiles that have killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to the latest figures from the prime minister's office.

On Monday, Israel warned residents to leave a northern district of the Iranian capital before striking the headquarters of state television, in an attack the broadcaster said killed three people.