Israel has been rocked by one of the heaviest blows of the US–Iran war after Tehran fired a 2‑tonne “monster” ballistic missile that slammed into an area near a key Israeli airbase, defence officials say.

Sirens screamed across central Israel just after 3:10 a.m. as early‑warning radars detected a single, unusually large launch from western Iran. Arrow and David’s Sling batteries fired in rapid sequence, but commanders admit the warhead’s sheer mass and evasive re‑entry profile made it “one of the most challenging targets” Israel has faced. Seconds later, a deafening blast shook towns kilometres from the impact site.

Initial assessments indicate the missile—believed to be an upgraded Khorramshahr‑variant carrying a 2‑tonne high‑explosive payload—hit an industrial and logistics zone close to a major airbase used by Israeli and US aircraft. Drone footage shows a crater the size of an apartment block, warehouses flattened, fuel tanks shredded and rows of vehicles twisted into burning wreckage.

Hospitals report multiple dead and scores wounded, including base personnel and civilian workers caught on night shifts. Power cuts and damaged roads are hampering rescue efforts as firefighters battle secondary blazes fed by ruptured fuel lines.

Tehran is celebrating the strike as proof it can “punch through the Zionist shield and hit the American war machine at its staging ground.” Israeli and US officials insist core runways and command infrastructure remain operational—but privately concede that if one 2‑tonne warhead can land this close, the next salvo could redraw every assumption about how survivable their front‑line bases really are.