Iran Launches Missile Attack on Israel: Key Updates
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Israel has vowed “there will be repercussions” following an “extensive” attack which saw a barrage of rockets fired towards it by Iran.
In a move that had been anticipated by officials, nearly 200 missiles were launched towards Israel earlier this evening, according to the country’s army radio.
Here is what we know so far:
The attack from Iran was expected and orders to shelter were sent to Israelis’ mobile phones and broadcast on national television earlier today. The Israeli military said all civilians were in bomb shelters as the rockets were fired.
Iran‘s state TV has claimed 80% of the missiles hit their targets while an Israeli spokesman has said officials there are so far not aware of any injuries from the missiles.
🔴 181 Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel
🔴 10 million Israelis in bomb shelters
🔴 Over a dozen major Israeli cities and tens of communities under attack
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, says on Iranian state TV that this was the first wave of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ attacks.
He says Israeli “military centres and facilities were our targets, but the attacks might have lead to civilians being hit as well due to possible miscalculations”.Azizi says if Israel “makes a mistake” again, there is going to be a second wave which will be “even more destructive”.He adds that according to Iran’s assessments, Israel “cannot retaliate” to Iran’s attack tonight.
Israel has said the attack will have consequences and Iran has already vowed to respond to any retaliation.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “There will be repercussions to this attack. We have plans.
“For now we are not identifying more attacks. We will operate at the time and place we decide.”
I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation.
US President Joe Biden ordered the US military to support Israel’s defense against the wave of Iranian missiles on Tuesday.
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said on X that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were “monitoring the Iranian attack against Israel from the White House Situation Room and receiving regular updates from their national security team.”
Biden “directed the US military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles targeting Israel,” he said.The US, Israel’s most important backer, also helped shoot down Iranian missiles during the last Iranian attack in April.National security adviser Jake Sullivan is holding a news conference at the White House.
He says the US is still working with Israel “to assess the impact of the attack” but “at this time we do not know of any deaths in Israel”.”In short, this attack seems to have been defeated and ineffective,” he says.Mr Sullivan says “this is a significant escalation by Iran”.
“It is equally significant that we were able to step up with Israel and create a situation where no one was killed in Israel as far as we know at this time,” he adds.He goes on to say the US “is very much in touch with the Israelis” and the White House “has made clear that there will be consequences for this attack”.
InTel Aviv, eight people were killed by two suspects who opened fire in Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish neighbourhood in the south of the city, Israeli media reported.
Israeli police said the incident was a suspected “terror” shooting.
We strongly condemn Iran‘s missiles being targeted at Israel and its civilian population. We demand Iran to immediately cease hostilities against the State of Israel and fully support Israel‘s right to defend itself. pic.twitter.com/JpanOhI732
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the waves of missiles launched against Israel were retaliation for Israel’s killing of IRGC, Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC commander Abbas Nilfourashan in a strike in Beirut last week.
Israel is also believed to have been behind the killing of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Although it never claimed responsibility for that attack, Iran made clear it considered Israel responsible.
The IRGC also said that any Israeli response to Tuesday’s missiles would be met with further “more crushing and ruinous” strikes.
Iran also launched a wave of missiles and drones back in April. That attack was widely seen as symbolic with almost all the slow-moving projectiles being shot down.
Several international airlines have continued to avoid flying over areas in the Middle East affected by the conflict, with many extending their suspension of flights, particularly to Beirut, Tel Aviv and Tehran.
German airline group Lufthansa, which includes Swiss Air, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, said its flights to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended through October 31. Trips to and from Beirut won’t take off until November 30 and October 14, respectively.
Swiss Air said the suspensions were “intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews.”
Dutch airline KLM also announced Friday that its one daily flight to Tel Aviv will be suspended until the end of the year.
Ryanair, Europe’s biggest budget airline, has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26, citing “operational restrictions.”
US airlines Delta and United have also suspended flights to Israel. Qatar Airways canceled flights to and from Beirut until further notice.
Hamas has praised the Iranian missile strikes on Israel that Iran said were launched to avenge the deaths of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian Brig Gen Abbas Nilforoushan.
We congratulate the heroic rocket launch carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, on large areas of our occupied territories, in response to the occupation’s continuing crimes against the peoples of the region, and in retaliation for the blood of our nation’s heroic martyrs,” the Hamas statement said, Reuters reported.
