US-Israel strikes hit Iranian residential areas, killing 18 in Qom

Friday 27 March 2026 - 17:16

By: Dakir Madiha

US-Israel strikes hit Iranian residential areas, killing 18 in Qom

Rescue teams in Iran search for survivors under collapsed buildings in Tehran, Qom and Urmia after overnight US-Israeli strikes targeted residential zones. Qom reports at least 18 deaths, per the city's deputy governor cited by CNN. The attacks mark the latest in a nearly month-long campaign that has ravaged civilian infrastructure and displaced millions nationwide.

Israel's military said Friday it conducted massive overnight strikes on Tehran and expanded operations against Iran's arms industry. Iranian media reported deadly hits on residential areas in Qom and Urmia. In Qom's Pardisan district, three homes took direct impacts. In Urmia, a missile destroyed four housing units in a residential complex, killing and wounding civilians, according to Hamed Saffari of West Azerbaijan crisis management via IRNA. Tehran rescuers from the Red Crescent pulled one survivor from rubble, while Al Jazeera's capital correspondent heard explosions and air defenses active all night.

Israel claimed targets included ballistic missile production sites and air defense systems around Tehran and western regions. Iranian officials consistently deny such assertions, insisting strikes destroy civilian areas far from military installations.

Destruction mounts across Iran. The International Organization for Migration said Friday about 82,000 civilian buildings suffered damage in 20 of 32 provinces, affecting nearly 180,000 people. Iran's Red Crescent reported over 62,000 homes, 281 medical centers and hospitals, and nearly 500 schools hit.

Iranian Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera Thursday that at least 1,937 people have died since fighting began February 28, with nearly 25,000 wounded. The toll includes 240 women and 212 children, marking the first official health ministry update in days.

The UN refugee agency estimates 3.2 million Iranians, over 3 percent of the population, now internally displaced. The Norwegian Refugee Council warned of widespread home, hospital and school destruction, with nearly all Tehran neighborhoods affected. Secretary General Jan Egeland said civilians pay the highest price and urged an immediate end to fighting, warning prolonged conflict could drive millions across borders.

The strikes follow mixed diplomatic signals. President Trump extended Thursday the deadline for striking Iranian energy infrastructure to April 6, while claiming talks go very well. A senior Iranian official told Reuters the US received a ceasefire proposal but called it one-sided and unfair.