Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley after Israelis piled into bomb shelters.
Reporters on state television lay flat on the ground during live broadcasts. Reuters journalists saw missiles intercepted in the airspace of neighbouring Jordan.Israeli media reports said as many as 100 to 400 missiles had been launched.
Dozens of explosions boomed across Jerusalem on Tuesday night as air raid sirens rang out, AFP journalists reported.“A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel,” the military said in a statement. It said sirens were sounded across Israel, including in Jerusalem.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they launched tens of missiles toward Israel and warned that if Israel retaliated Tehran’s response would be “more crushing and ruinous”, Iranian state TV reported.
Earlier, Israel had warned of a potential widespread missile attack from Iran following ground raids by Israeli forces into Lebanon and aerial bombardments targeting Hezbollah positions. This marks Israel’s first ground campaign in Lebanon in 18 years, setting the stage for direct conflict with Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy in the Middle East.
“This is the most significant escalation since last year’s Gaza conflict,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel’s military spokesman. He added that Iran’s missile strikes are expected to be on a large scale. “We urge everyone to heed the warnings and take shelter immediately.”
The Israeli airstrikes over recent weeks have targeted Hezbollah’s leadership, reportedly killing many top commanders. More than a thousand Lebanese civilians have been killed, with over a million displaced from their homes.
Iran, which backs Hezbollah, has vowed retaliation against Israel, raising concerns that the conflict could spill over into neighbouring countries. Despite efforts by the United States to contain the violence, fears of a regional war are mounting as tensions rise.
