By: Fern Sidman

The ongoing military confrontation between Israel and Iran took a grave turn overnight as a wave of Iranian missiles and drones struck deep into the heart of central Israel, with one of the nation’s most revered scientific institutions, the Weizmann Institute of Science, sustaining direct damage. Simultaneously, the conflict appears to be broadening into a regional crisis, with attacks on U.S. assets in Iraq and signs of potential chemical fallout in southern Iran.

According to reporting from JFeed.com, the Weizmann Institute — located in Rehovot and widely regarded as the crown jewel of Israeli civilian scientific research — suffered a direct hit in the early hours of Saturday morning. At least one laboratory building caught fire following the strike, as confirmed by The New York Times, prompting a swift response from emergency services. Firefighters and paramedics battled through hazardous conditions to evacuate personnel and contain the blaze.

“The attack on the Weizmann Institute is both symbolically and strategically significant,” JFeed.com noted in its breaking coverage. “This isn’t just a building—it’s a beacon of Israeli innovation and global scientific collaboration.”

The same barrage led Israeli authorities to declare a mass casualty event at Wolfson Hospital in Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. As JFeed.com reported, trauma units were overwhelmed after the explosion of a missile near a residential neighborhood. A woman in her 60s, another in her 80s, and a child believed to be around 10 years old were killed in the blast. An additional 136 individuals were reported injured, with several in critical condition.

Dozens of ambulances flooded the streets of Holon as first responders worked to triage victims and transport them to emergency facilities. “The scale of devastation, especially in urban centers, is being felt in every direction,” JFeed.com wrote, emphasizing the emotional and logistical toll the attacks are having on Israel’s densely populated coastal plain.

The impact of the escalation is not confined to Israel alone. In Erbil, Iraq, explosions were reported near the U.S. Consulate, raising alarms over the widening of the war into a multinational conflict. The consulate compound reportedly went into lockdown after the blasts, though as of this writing, no casualties have been confirmed.

This incident marks a dangerous regional shift, suggesting that Iran’s proxies—or perhaps even Iranian forces—are now directly targeting American diplomatic infrastructure. According to the information provided in the report at JFeed.com, the Erbil incident underscores the risk of “a rapidly escalating theater of war, extending from the Levant to the Persian Gulf.”

Meanwhile, reports emerging from southern Iran suggest that Israeli strikes on weapons storage depots may have triggered dangerous chemical exposure among nearby civilian populations. JFeed.com cited Iranian social media and local eyewitnesses who described strong chemical odors and widespread breathing difficulties following the destruction of several military facilities. Videos circulating online show residents of the Fars and Khuzestan provinces wearing improvised face coverings and seeking medical treatment for respiratory distress.

While no official statement has been issued by Iranian health authorities, fears are mounting that stored chemical agents or hazardous industrial substances may have been released into the atmosphere.

“If substantiated, this could pose not only a humanitarian crisis but also a legal and diplomatic flashpoint,” JFeed.com warned. “Questions over the storage and use of toxic materials in civilian areas could shift the narrative of the conflict significantly.”

In a development with global nuclear security implications, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Saturday that four critical structures at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility were damaged in Israel’s precision strikes. Among the affected installations are a uranium enrichment facility, a fuel plate production plant, and associated technical infrastructure.

Despite the severity of the physical damage, the IAEA reported no increase in radiation levels outside the facility. As the report on JFeed.com pointed out, “This echoes previous Israeli strikes on nuclear sites such as Natanz, which were executed with remarkable surgical precision to avoid radioactive fallout.”

Nevertheless, the attack demonstrates the growing sophistication of Israeli intelligence and airpower, with analysts noting that the targeting of both scientific and military infrastructure in a single coordinated campaign is without precedent.

Perhaps the most telling sign of the conflict’s gravity came with Israel’s formal request for U.S. military support, as reported by NBC News and echoed in JFeed.com’s in-depth reporting.

According to senior Israeli officials, the request reflects the mounting scope of Iranian retaliation and the need for bolstered defensive and offensive capabilities. Washington has not yet issued a public response, but multiple sources suggest strategic consultations are already underway at the Pentagon and the National Security Council.

“This is no longer a question of if the U.S. will become involved, but how,” JFeed.com stated. “With American lives, assets, and allies under direct threat, the calculus in Washington is shifting.”

As Saturday’s events unfold, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Israeli-Iranian conflict has entered an unprecedented phase. With direct hits on Israeli civilian infrastructure, potential chemical exposure in Iran, and American diplomatic targets now under fire, the stakes are rising exponentially.

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israeli jets will continue to fly over Tehran if necessary, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has reaffirmed Israel’s “right and duty” to neutralize existential threats, the broader regional and international response remains uncertain.

Yet what is beyond doubt, according to JFeed.com, is that the events of the past 24 hours have reshaped the strategic landscape.

“This is not just a military escalation. It is a reordering of deterrence doctrine, a test of international resolve, and a litmus test for U.S. credibility in the Middle East,” JFeed.com concluded.

As Israel mobilizes its forces and the world watches the skies over Rehovot, Tehran, Erbil, and Tel Aviv, the next moves from Washington, Jerusalem, and Tehran will likely determine whether this spirals into full-scale regional war—or settles into an uneasy, volatile new status quo.