Everyone’s phone rang simultaneously with an alert around 19:30 local time.
It read: “You must enter a secure area immediately and remain there until further notice.”
The message was sent by the Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command and ended with the words “life-saving instructions”.
People started looking for shelter in safe rooms as missiles were fired towards Israel from Iran.
The bells that rang throughout the country were heard by millions.
As the alarm rang out outside, we moved to the shelter of the BBC’s Jerusalem Bureau – a secure part of the building with no windows.
We heard a loud noise as the missiles flew overhead and were intercepted by the Israeli defense system.
Videos captured here and elsewhere shared on social media show bright lights as missiles fly over Israel – and clouds of smoke as they are intercepted or detonated.
“There’s a lot of them,” exclaimed a contact in a video recorded in southern Israel showing circles of light in the night sky.
At around 20:00, the IDF said its air defense unit was targeting and intercepting the launch, and asked people to “remain in a protected area until further notice”.
It went on to say: “The explosions you hear are coming from fallen trees and explosives.”
Anxiety was running high throughout Israel as reports emerged overnight that Iran was preparing a strike.
It came hours after Israel’s military attacked Lebanon, in what its military called a “limited, localized and targeted operation” against Hezbollah.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they launched the missiles in retaliation for recent attacks that killed Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, as well as a top Iranian commander.
As the missiles flew overhead, messages came in from people in different parts of the country, waiting in their safe rooms.
“There are many alarms all the time so we are in a safe house… But we are fine for now,” a mother of two in southern Israel told me in a voiceover.
“It’s very scary. I still can’t believe that this is our life… it was SO close,” said a message from a reporter in Tel Aviv.
“Usually we stay on the ground and we don’t go down to the shelter but this time…we realized we had to go down.”
“There was a lot of noise,” Efrat lawyer Eldan Schechter said in a WhatsApp message from Ra’anana in central Israel, adding that he believed “it is not the end of today”.
“We have to see how it will turn out. It’s really scary… but we are strong and confident that our IDF will protect us. Iran just made a big mistake.”
About an hour after the first message, phones rang again with a new warning from the Home Front Command, telling people to leave shelters and protected areas.
After these strikes, an IDF spokesman said there were incidents in central and southern Israel.
Videos shared later on social media showed missile damage in many areas, including a large underground crater near Tel Aviv.
The Palestinian Civil Defense Department in the West Bank city of Jericho said a man died during a shootout with Iran.
According to the AFP news agency, which spoke to the governor of the city, Hussein Hamayel, the victim was killed by falling rocket debris.
Israeli officials have not reported any serious injuries from Tuesday’s airstrikes.
“Currently, we have not identified other programs that will be launched in Iran. Stay loyal and obey orders,” said IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari in a televised address.
Israel says at least 180 missiles were fired, most of which were intercepted. It said there would be “consequences”.