Photos of a tense week as Iranian missiles bypass air defenses in retaliatory strikes on Israel
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Last Friday, Iran began firing missiles at Israel in retaliation for a barrage of strikes inside its territory that targeted military and nuclear sites and killed top officials and scientists.
Iranian attacks have intensified in their frequency and reach since then, despite Israel having one of the most advanced air defense systems in the world.
Iranian projectiles have been intercepted but some have hit Israeli cities including Tel Aviv, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and residential buildings.
Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport is empty of passengers following an Israeli military strike on Iran, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport is empty of passengers following an Israeli military strike on Iran, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers search through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Israeli soldiers search through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Israelis take shelter in a basement as a siren sounds a warning following missile launches from Iran, in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israelis take shelter in a basement as a siren sounds a warning following missile launches from Iran, in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Relatives attend the funeral of four members of the Khatib family, Palestinian citizens of Israel killed in an Iranian missile strike on Tamra, Israel, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Relatives attend the funeral of four members of the Khatib family, Palestinian citizens of Israel killed in an Iranian missile strike on Tamra, Israel, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Israeli soldiers search for survivors amid the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers search for survivors amid the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israelis take shelter during air raid sirens warning of incoming strikes by Iran, in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Israelis take shelter during air raid sirens warning of incoming strikes by Iran, in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
ADDS NAMES: Tehila Alush, and her daughter Ariel Asraf, 3, take shelter in an underground metro station as a precaution against possible Iran missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
ADDS NAMES: Tehila Alush, and her daughter Ariel Asraf, 3, take shelter in an underground metro station as a precaution against possible Iran missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Beachgoers take shelter at the entrance of a garage during a missile alert from Iran, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Beachgoers take shelter at the entrance of a garage during a missile alert from Iran, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A Jewish man prays as he takes shelter during sirens warning of incoming fire at Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service during a blood drive to prepare for mass casualties in the event of strikes by Iran, in Jerusalem, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
A Jewish man prays as he takes shelter during sirens warning of incoming fire at Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service during a blood drive to prepare for mass casualties in the event of strikes by Iran, in Jerusalem, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
People shelter in an underground metro station as air raid sirens warn of incoming strikes by Iran, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
People shelter in an underground metro station as air raid sirens warn of incoming strikes by Iran, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A woman is evacuated from the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A woman is evacuated from the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A child is evacuated from the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
A child is evacuated from the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Personal objects at the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in an apartment in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Personal objects at the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in an apartment in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Haim Rasin is evacuated from his apartment after a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Haim Rasin is evacuated from his apartment after a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Patients rest outdoors after a building of the Soroka hospital complex was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Patients rest outdoors after a building of the Soroka hospital complex was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smokes rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smokes rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Firefighters work in a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Firefighters work in a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A painting and personal belongings are covered with dust and shards of broken glass in a home struck by an Iranian missile in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo /Oded Balilty)
A painting and personal belongings are covered with dust and shards of broken glass in a home struck by an Iranian missile in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo /Oded Balilty)
While Israel maintains air superiority over its enemy and possesses the capacity to strike targets deep inside Iran, the ongoing attacks suggest that missile threats to population centers remain a serious and unresolved challenge.
Israel has long relied on its multilayered missile defense system to protect communities around the country against rocket barrages from militants in Gaza or Lebanon. Since the wars in the Middle East erupted following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that list has grown to include fire from rebels in Yemen and Iran.
This gallery offers a visual account of a tense and unpredictable week in Israel, one marked by continued Iranian and Israeli strikes and questions about the limits of modern air defense.
___
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.