By Alexander Cornwell, Parisa Hafezi and Jeff Mason TEL AVIV/DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Iranian missiles struck major Israeli cities on Monday while Israel's prime minister said his country was on its way to eliminating "threats" from nuclear and missile facilities in Iran and civilian casualties mounted on both sides.

The Israel Defense Forces said alerts were activated in several areas of the country after the detection of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. The Air Force was working to intercept them, the IDF said.

The U.S. military is operating in the air, on land and at sea to shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel.

By Alexander Cornwell, Parisa Hafezi and Jeff Mason TEL AVIV/DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Iranian missiles struck Israel's Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday, destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week's G7 meeting that the battle between the two old enemies could lead to a broader regional conflict.

Sirens sounded in Israel as Iran launched dozens of ballistic missiles in retaliation for Israel's strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Iran has launched a second round of missiles against Israel as Israel’s military kept up attacks on Iran following earlier strikes that targeted nuclear and military sites

Iranian officials have repeatedly denied seeking a nuclear weapon. The United States and Iran have held five rounds of negotiations toward achieving an agreement that would limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, with a sixth round of talks scheduled for Sunday.

Israel's Ministry of Tourism has set up a round-the-clock virtual help desk in English and Hebrew for stranded travellers. But for anyone stuck here, all the museums are closed until further notice, entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem is barred to non-residents and many shops remain shuttered.

Aerial attacks between Israel and Iran continued overnight into Monday, marking a fourth day of strikes following Israel's Friday attack. That surprise strike hit the heart of Iran's nuclear program, killing several nuclear scientists as well as high-ranking military leaders, according to Israeli officials.

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said in a post on X that the U.S. Embassy will remain closed Monday, with an order for staff to shelter in place still in effect. He added that there has been “some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits near Embassy Branch in Tel Aviv,