Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day on Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. 

Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on the Islamic Republic's heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets.

Israel's military said it had struck Iran's defence ministry headquarters, "nuclear weapons project" infrastructure sites and other targets, just before 2:40 am on Sunday (2340 GMT Saturday).

The targeted sites, including the "headquarters of the SPND (Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research) nuclear project", advanced Iran's efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon, according to Israel.

The Israeli military, in a social media post, warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories, signaling what could be a further widening of the campaign.

Iran's UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday's first wave of Israeli strikes. Iranian authorities have not provided an updated toll as of early Sunday.

In Israel, at least 10 people were killed in Iranian strikes overnight and into Sunday, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service, bringing the country’s total death toll to 13. The country's main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day.

Air raid sirens and explosions were heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Sunday, as Israel's military said millions of Israelis were "running for shelter" around the country.

In Israel, at least six people, including a 10-year-old and a 9-year-old, were killed when a missile hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven are still missing.

Visuals of streets lined with damaged and destroyed buildings, bombed out cars and shards of glass were reported while responders used a drone at points to look for survivors.

Another four people, including a 13-year-old, were killed and 24 wounded when a missile struck a building in the Arab town of Tamra in northern Israel. A strike on the central city of Rehovot wounded 42.

Israel has sophisticated multi-tiered air defenses that are able to detect and intercept missiles fired at populated areas or key infrastructure, but officials acknowledge it is imperfect.

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