Iran launches missiles at Israel; Netanyahu promises retaliation
JERUSALEM - The Israeli military said Tuesday that Iran has fired missiles at Israel, and air raid sirens sounded across the country as residents were ordered to remain close to bomb shelters.
The alerts were sounded after a day of rocket and missile attacks from Lebanon, and as Israel said it had begun limited ground operations in southern Lebanon. Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire pounded southern Lebanese villages where people were ordered to evacuate, and Hezbollah militants responded by firing a barrage of rockets into Israel.
Iran had launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in April, but few of its projectiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S.-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed in flight.
RELATED: Explosive devices strike Lebanon again amid deadly pagers attack: Key details
Israel and the United States have warned there would be severe consequences if Iran attacks.
Here are the live updates (all estimated times are in Eastern):
8:15 p.m.
A top Iranian military commander warned that his country will hit Israel’s entire infrastructure if it takes any action against its territory.
Iran’s armed forces joint chief of staff Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said Wednesday that the Revolutionary Guard was prepared both defensively and offensively to repeat its missile attack with "multiplied intensity."
"If the Zionist regime, that has gone insane, is not contained by America and Europe and intends to continue such crimes, or do anything against our sovereignty or territorial integrity, tonight’s operation will be repeated with much higher magnitude, and we will hit all their infrastructure," he said.
Bagheri said Iran avoided targeting Israeli civilians, although it was "completely feasible."
8 p.m.
Israel’s U.N. ambassador Danny Danon said his government will decide when and how to respond to Iran’s attack.
"But I can tell you one thing, it will be noticed," he said. "It will be painful."
"We have no desire for war or escalation, but we cannot sit idly by when our civilians are being attacked in such manner," the Israeli ambassador said. "Iran used to send boxes but now, when they send almost 200 ballistic missiles, that’s something that I don’t think any other nation in the world will ignore."
7 p.m.
Israel reopened its airspace after the Iranian missile attack.
The country’s airport authority briefly closed Israel’s airspace to incoming flights during Tuesday’s attack and diverted them to other airports outside the country.
But after the army said the threat had passed, the authority said flights were operating as normal again.
6 p.m.
The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the escalating situation in the Middle East for Wednesday at 10 a.m., at the request of France and Israel.
5:55 p.m.
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has condemned the missile attack on Israel by Iran, calling Tehran "a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East."
The vice president said Tuesday that she supports President Joe Biden’s decision to shoot down the missiles targeting Israel.
5:10 p.m.
"Iran made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it," Netanyahu said as he gathered his Security Cabinet for a meeting late Tuesday.
Netanyahu said the missile attack was a failure and that Iran would soon learn a painful lesson just as enemies in Gaza, Lebanon and other places have learned.
"Whoever attacks us, we attack them," he said.
President Joe Biden said his administration is "fully supportive" of Israel after it thwarted an Iranian missile attack and that he’s in "active discussion" with aides about an appropriate response.
4 p.m.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said 90% of missiles it launched against Israel hit their targets successfully.
The statement broadcast on state TV late Tuesday said the attack targeted air and radar bases as well as security apparatus that planned the killing of senior Hamas and Hezbollah figures.
It said Iran has a right to defend itself under international regulations.
3:10 p.m.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Iran fired around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
"This is totally unacceptable, and the entire world should condemn it," he said during a meeting Tuesday with the Indian foreign minister at the State Department.
2:15 p.m.
Israeli police say six people have been killed in a shooting in Tel Aviv.
Police say two suspects opened fire Tuesday evening on a boulevard in Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv. The two suspects were neutralized.
The attack came moments before a massive barrage of rockets from Iran sent people into bomb shelters across Israel, including in Tel Aviv.
Also, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Guterres’ comments Tuesday came shortly after Iran said it fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel.
"This must stop," the U.N. chief said in a statement Tuesday. "We absolutely need a cease-fire.
Many rockets, fired from Iran, are seen over Jerusalem from Hebron, West Bank on October 01, 2024. (Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
1:40 p.m.
Israeli military spokesman said very few injuries after Iranian missile strike and that public can exit bomb shelters.
1:35 p.m.
Israel’s airport authority says the country’s airspace has been closed and incoming flights are being diverted to airports outside the country.
The cityscape of Jerusalem is pictured at night. (Photo by Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images)
1:30 p.m.
According to FOX News, the White House said "President Biden and Vice President Harris are monitoring the Iranian attack against Israel from the White House Situation Room and receiving regular updates from their national security team.
1:25 p.m.
Israel’s military says it killed a senior Hezbollah operative in an airstrike on an apartment building on the edge of Beirut.
The Israeli military says Mohammed Jaafar Qassir was killed in a strike Tuesday afternoon. It says Qassir was in charge of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 that ships weapons from Iran to Lebanon, and he supervised Hezbollah’s development of precision-guided missiles.
12:55 p.m.
A live video feed from Tel Aviv, just before 8 p.m. local time, showed dozens of missiles lighting up the sky, with some being intercepted and exploding mid-air.
12:45 p.m.
Israel says Iran has fired missiles at Israel. FOX News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst said initial reports indicate that around 100 missiles have been fired toward Israel. Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system could be seen intercepting the projectiles.
12:40 p.m.
President Joe Biden said his monitoring reports Iran will fire a missile into Israel.
"This morning,@VP and I convened our national security team to discuss Iranian plans to launch an imminent missile attack against Israel," he posted on social media. "We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region."
This is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed. Check back for updates.