Israel and Iran have exchanged threats about broader military action following Tuesday’s Iranian missile attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would pay for the attack, which involved nearly 200 missiles, and vowed retaliation. Iranian commanders warned Israel that failure to retaliate would lead to further attacks on Israeli infrastructure.
Iran launched an estimated 181 high-velocity ballistic missiles toward Israel. The Israeli military said the attack was ineffective and failed as air defense systems were able to intercept most of it.
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Two US warships in the region joined in the defense effort, launching 12 interceptor missiles in support of Israel. We still saw an alert sent to 10 million cell phones minutes before the missile arrived, with some impact across Israel. People were able to quickly evacuate and surprisingly no casualties were reported in Israel.
A man was killed when a missile crashed in the occupied West Bank, where there was no mobile phone system, but authorities in Israel are thanking the people for heeding their warning. The focus now shifts to how Israel responds.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said a response would be forthcoming.
“The majority of the incoming missiles were intercepted by Israel and the US-led defense coalition. Iran’s attack is a serious and dangerous escalation,” Hagari said. “There will be results.”
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Back in April, we saw similar attacks coming from Iran. Israeli authorities say Tuesday’s attack was about twice as strong as the previous one.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with officials on Wednesday to discuss how to respond. Axios reports that Iran’s domestic oil infrastructure is being considered as a potential target for a response. Iran says its response will be even harsher than Tuesday’s attack if its oil infrastructure is hit.