ReutersIsrael says Iran has launched more than 180 missiles at the country in a major attack that has fueled fears of a regional war.
Millions of people rushed to shelters before fireworks lit up the night sky above Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Emergency services said two were slightly injured in the gunfire.
Israel’s military said most of the missiles were intercepted with US help, but said there were “a small number of hits”. It accused Iran of “dangerous escalation” and warned of “consequences”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the missiles hit their weapons and were in retaliation for the killing of leaders of its allies Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as a top Iranian general.
The US said the missile attack appeared to be “defeated and unsuccessful”, and that it was discussing a response with Israel.
The UN Secretary-General condemned what he called “the growing conflict in the Middle East”, adding: “This must stop. We really need a ceasefire. “
The missile attack came hours after the Israeli military launched an offensive in southern Lebanon to clear what the military said were “Hezbollah terrorist targets” in border villages that pose a threat to civilians in northern Israel.
Israel has continued to attack the Iran-backed Shia Islamist political and military group after a year of cross-border clashes sparked by the war with Hamas in Gaza, saying it wants to ensure the safe return of displaced border residents. Hezbollah rocket, drone and missile attack.
Cries of airstrikes could be heard across Israel at around 19:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on Tuesday, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned that missiles had been fired from Iran.
Minutes from Jerusalem, loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem as missiles flew overhead and were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems.
Videos shared on social media showed bright lights as missiles flew over Israel, and clouds of smoke as they were intercepted or detonated.
Just an hour later, the IDF announced that people were allowed to leave their protected areas because it “did not detect any aerial threats from Iran”.
Later, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement that “there were a small number of hits in central Israel, as well as some hits in Southern Israel”.
“Most of the incoming missiles were intercepted by Israel and the defense coalition led by the United States.”
He added: “The attack on Iran is a serious and dangerous escalation. There will be consequences.
“Our defense and offensive capabilities are at a high level of readiness. Our apps are ready.
“We will respond wherever, whenever, and however we choose, in accordance with the order of the Israeli government.”
US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters at the White House that he was “not aware of any damage to Israeli aircraft or military equipment”.
“In short, based on what we know right now, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” he added.
He also condemned the attack as “a major escalation” and warned: “We have made it clear that there will be consequences, serious consequences, from this attack, and we will work with Israel to do that.”
AFPIran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement saying it had launched a number of ballistic missiles “into the center of occupied areas” and targeted unspecified “defense and military” facilities.
The attack was in retaliation for the “violation of Iran’s sovereignty and the martyrdom” of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an explosion in Tehran in July that Iranian officials blamed on Israel, but Israeli officials did not say. The statement described the missile blast as “in line with the nation’s legitimate right to self-defense”.
It also said the attack was in response to an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut on Friday that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Brig-Gen Abbas Nilforoushan, commander of the IRGC’s overseas operations, the Quds Force.
The IRGC warned Israel that it would “face further blows” if it responded to the attack.
Later, Iranian state media said the missiles hit the Nevatim, Hazterim and Tel Nof air bases, as well as Israeli tanks in Netzarim – a reference to the Israeli military tunnel in central Gaza – and a gas installation in the southern city of Israel Ashkelon.
The attack came less than an hour after a senior White House official told reporters that the US had indications that Iran was preparing to fire missiles at Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then told the Israelis in a video statement: “We are in the middle of a campaign against evil Iran.
“Together, we will stand strong in the trying days that await us. We will stand together. We will fight together and we will win.”
At that time, the Central Command of the American military announced that three additional aircraft of F-16 and F-15E aircraft and attack aircraft of A-10 were arriving in the Middle East, and that one squadron had arrived.
Over the weekend, the Pentagon also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group to stay in the region to “deter aggression”.
In April, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation for a deadly strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria that killed several top officials.
Almost all of them were shot down by Israel, the US and other Western allies and their Arab allies, and an air base in southern Israel received only minor damage when hit.
Israel retaliated by firing a missile that hit an Iranian Western air base in a defensive move.
On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had promised that the death of his close colleague Hassan Nasrallah “will not go unavenged”.
He did not give details, but said: “The fate of this region will be decided by the opposition forces, Hezbollah is at the forefront.”
Iran has built a network of allied armed groups in the Middle East, all of which oppose the US and Israel and sometimes call themselves the “Axis of Resistance”. Besides Hezbollah, they include Hamas in the Palestinian territories, the Houthis in Yemen, and a number of Shia militias in Iraq and Syria.