Iran launches massive missile attack on Israel – NBC Bay Area
Israel’s military said on Tuesday that Iran fired missiles into Israel, and air raid sirens sounded across the country as residents were ordered to stay near bomb shelters.
Israel and the United States have warned that there will be serious consequences if Iran attacks.
Housing orders were sent to Israelis’ cell phones and announced on national television. Television networks reported sirens in parts of Jerusalem and central Israel.
The alarms came after a day of rocket and missile attacks from Lebanon, and Israel said it had launched limited ground operations in southern Lebanon.
Israeli jets and artillery bombarded towns in southern Lebanon, where the population was ordered to evacuate, and Hezbollah fighters responded by firing a barrage of rockets into Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties as fighting intensified and concerns grew of a wider regional war.
A senior White House official has warned of “severe consequences” if Iran fires a ballistic missile at Israel. American ships and planes are stationed in the area to help Israel in the event of an Iranian attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the information.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also warned of consequences if Iran fired missiles at Israel.
He called on the population to stay close to protected areas. “The Iranian attack could be widespread. Following Home Front Command guidance could save lives,” he said.
Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment.
Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in April, but few of its missiles hit their targets. Many were shot down by a US-led coalition, while others apparently failed to launch or crashed in flight.
Although Hezbollah denied that Israeli troops had entered Lebanon, the Israeli military announced that it had also carried out dozens of ground incursions into southern Lebanon for nearly a year. Israel released video purportedly showing its soldiers operating in homes and tunnels where Hezbollah was storing weapons.
If true, it would be another humiliating blow to Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group in the Middle East, which is backed by Iran. Hezbollah has been suffering for weeks from the effects of targeted attacks that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his senior commanders.
On Tuesday morning, Israel warned people to move north of the Awali River, about 60 kilometers from the border and well beyond the Litani River, which marks the northern limit of an area declared by the UN to act as a barrier between Israel and Hezbollah. after their 2006 war.
The border area has been largely emptied over the past year as both sides exchange gunfire. But the scope of the evacuation warning raises questions about how deep Israel plans to send its forces into Lebanon.
On Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building near Beirut, causing damage, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The attack apparently hit an apartment located about 100 meters from the Iranian embassy.
In anticipation of more Hezbollah rocket attacks, the Israeli military announced new restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches in northern and central Israel. The army also said it was calling up thousands more reservists to serve on the northern border.
Doubts about the entry of Israeli forces
An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating near the border in armored trucks, with helicopters hovering overhead, but could not confirm that ground forces had crossed into Lebanon.
Before the Israeli announcement of a raid, US officials said on Monday that Israel had described carrying out small ground incursions into Lebanon as it prepared for a larger operation.
Neither the Lebanese army nor UN peacekeepers patrolling southern Lebanon have confirmed the entry of Israeli forces. The UN force said a cross-border operation would be a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif rejected what he called “false claims” of an Israeli invasion. He said Hezbollah is ready for “direct confrontation with hostile forces that dare or attempt to enter Lebanon.”
Hagari claimed that troops were carrying out “local ground raids” against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon to ensure that Israeli citizens could return to their homes in the north.
“We’re not going to Beirut,” he said.
Israel has said it will continue to attack Hezbollah until it is safe for civilians to return. Hezbollah has vowed to continue firing rockets at Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
He said Israel had carried out dozens of small incursions into Lebanon since October 8, when Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel after the Gaza war broke out.
Haggari claimed that Israeli forces had crossed the border to gather intelligence and destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons. Israel claimed that Hezbollah was preparing its own attack on Israel, similar to the one on October 7. Those claims could not be immediately confirmed.
The Israeli military carried out a bloody airstrike against Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut.
An Israeli military official said troops involved in the latest incursion were a short distance from the border, concentrated in villages hundreds of meters (yards) from Israel. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with military regulations, said there were no clashes with Hezbollah fighters.
The Israeli military was accused of lying to the media in 2021 when it released a statement implying that ground troops had entered Gaza. The military downplayed the incident as a misunderstanding, but well-informed Israeli military commentators claimed it was part of a ploy to draw Hamas into the fray.