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.

That surprise strike hit the heart of the Iran's nuclear program, killing several nuclear scientists as well as high-ranking military leaders, according to Israeli officials.The U.S. did not provide any military assistance or have any involvement in Israel's Friday strike,

The Israeli military claims its campaign has eliminated high-value targets, including nine senior scientists, and severely damaged Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Iranian authorities confirmed damage to four critical buildings at the Isfahan uranium conversion facility,

New targets appear to indicate an expansion of Israel’s war aims beyond the Iranian nuclear facilities that consumed the first days of the conflict.

Israel's killing of IRGC senior command left the clerical regime exposed to rebellion and transnational rivals, foreign policy expert Carlo J.V. Caro argues

In a small, tight-knit town near Haifa in northern Israel, residents here never thought they would experience such horror.

Israel and Iran bombarded each other for a third day, with international concern growing that the conflict will spread across one of the world’s key oil-producing regions.