IRAN and Israel exchanged waves of missile attacks again today in a conflict which began on Friday and shows no signs of slowing.

The Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel — which again evaded the famed US-provided Iron Dome defence system — reportedly killed at least five people and wounded dozens more.

Iran announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for Israel’s sweeping attacks on residential and military targets, which have killed at least 224 people in the country since last Friday.

The Israeli military warned residents of part of Iran’s capital today to evacuate ahead of Israeli strikes.

Israel said it planned to strike military sites in the city. 

In return, the Iranians warned residents of Tel Aviv to “leave this city immediately for the sake of your lives and the safety of your loved ones — and do not return to it ever again.”

Ahead of last week’s initial attack, Israel’s Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran, and since then Iran has reportedly detained several people on suspicion of espionage.

Today, authorities hanged a medical doctor identified as Esmail Fekri, who had been in prison since 2023 after being convicted of supplying the Mossad with “sensitive and classified” information, Iranian television reported.

Israel claims, without much evidence, that it now has complete control over the skies of Tehran and is able to carry out multiple strikes at will.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit “every target” in Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was holding the US responsible for Israel’s aggression against Tehran.

He told the country’s parliament on Sunday: “Contrary to all norms of international law, the US allows Israel to commit aggression and attack our country.

“We neither sought nor initiated war. It wasn’t us that killed high-ranking military officers and scientists, but these terrorists. 

“We aren’t aggressors. Today, we need unity and solidarity more than ever; the Iranian people must unite and strongly resist aggression.”

Diplomatic efforts are growing to bring an end to the fighting. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the conflict with his British counterpart David Lammy on Sunday, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told the Russian TASS news agency.

The source said Mr Fidan highlighted Turkey’s concern that further developments could escalate into a larger-scale crisis, “and called for talks on Iran’s nuclear programme to be resumed without delay in order to end the conflict as soon as possible.”

Peace campaigners have continued to call out the illegal nature of Israel’s attack.

CND general secretary Sophie Bolt said: “Israel must end its illegal war on Iran. It’s using nuclear lies to justify attempts to secure regime change through military aggression — and risks widening a humanitarian catastrophe. 

“Both the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) and the US director of national intelligence have stated that Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear bomb. Iran is also a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. 

“Israel does have nuclear weapons, and Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu threatened to use them against the people of Gaza.”

Ms Bolt pointed out that the Israelis have refused to sign up to the Non-Proliferation Treat (NPT) or co-operate with the IAEA.

She added: “The British government needs to end its support for this nuclear-armed genocidal regime,” and should widen sanctions on Israel and impose a full arms embargo now.”

Stop the War Coalition convener Lindsey German said: “We must all oppose this war on Iran. 

“Our government must stop arming Israel, must expel the ambassador and break diplomatic links, and oppose any attack on Iran.”

“Anything else leads us closer to all-out war in the Middle East,” she added.

Former Labour MP Claudia Webbe hit back at claims by Israel that it was forced to wage war because Iran posed an “existential threat” to its existence. 

She said: “This is not about security. This is about power. This is about profit. This is about the unbroken chain of imperial arrogance that stretches from Suez to Basra, from Palestine to Tehran.”

A group of British-based Iranians, including Somaye Bagher Zadeh, Sussan Azar and Nilly Brook, said while “ordinary Iranians have suffered for decades under the harshest regime of sanctions, Western powers have stood by the genocidal — and nuclear — regime of Israel have armed and financed it and have enabled it to carry out with impunity, the mass murder of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians and the deliberate starvation of a whole population.

“Western hypocrisy knows no bounds,” the signatories said. 

Eugene Puryear, an organiser with the US-based Party for Socialism and Liberation, slammed the role played by the US in the Israeli attack.

He said: “Trump and Netanyahu will stop at nothing to maintain Imperial control over West Asia, using brutal military means against any dissenting force.

Mr Puryear added: “There is no appetite for another war among US workers and from the socialist movement. Even inside Trump's own coalition, voices of protest are rising and will only grow if US involvement deepens.”

Executive editor of Black Agenda Report Margaret Kimberley said: “The US and Israel are of one accord in planning and carrying out a regime change war against Iran.”

There are unconfirmed reports from the US-based website Axios that Israel has formally asked the US to join the fighting against Iran.

Mr Netanyahu has reportedly long sought to bring the US into a war with Iran.

China has taken an active role in trying to bring an end to the fighting.

On Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate phone calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to seek an end to the fighting.

During the talks, Mr Wang said that China firmly opposes Israel’s use of force against Iran in violation of international law, and the immediate priority is to avoid escalation of the conflict to protect the region from falling into greater turmoil.

Mr Wang said China was willing to play a mediation role to resolve the differences between the two parties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also reportedly offered during a call with President Trump over the weekend to mediate between the two warring sides.