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Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel on Tuesday in what it claimed was a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others, potentially moving the region closer to wider conflict.
CNN teams on the ground in multiple locations in Israel observed dozens of missiles tearing through the sky as sirens rang throughout the country.
Israel has vowed to respond to the attack, raising concerns among allies that it could further escalate the conflict in the Middle East.
Hours after the assault, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Iran made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay the price.”The Iranian regime understands our determination to protect ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies. I haven’t. ”
The Israeli military said it estimated Iran had fired 180 “projectiles” into the country.
Video shows Iranian missiles being fired into skies across Israel
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it intercepted many of the missiles, some of which fell on Israeli ground, but there were no injuries as initially reported. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Tuesday that the Iranian attack had been “effectively defeated.”
Although the attack ended relatively quickly, it clearly heightened the risks in an already extremely tense situation. World leaders have long warned that the conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, could escalate into a broader regional war. All eyes will be on how Israel will react in the future.
Israel has been fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack on southern Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, and much of it has been reduced to rubble.
And while Israel and Hezbollah have been conducting artillery fire across the border for much of the past year, Tuesday came just hours after Israel announced it had launched a “limited and localized” ground operation in Lebanon. , Iran launched a barrage of fire.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that it had targeted Israel in response to the killing of Nasrallah and others, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
After the missile barrage was fired, Iran’s mission to the United Nations announced that Tehran was responding to “acts of terrorism by the Zionist regime.”
The mission said in the
The White House warned early Tuesday that Iran was poised to launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel soon, sharply raising fears of an all-out war in the region.
People in Tel Aviv and other cities were told to stay near evacuation centers and other protected areas, and the atmosphere on the streets was noticeably tense.
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In a statement issued in the morning, hours before Iran launched its attack, the White House said there were “indications that Iran is preparing imminently for a ballistic missile attack against Israel” and that the United States “We are actively supporting Israel’s defense preparations,” he added. Please protect Israel from this attack. ”
“A direct military attack from Iran on Israel would have serious consequences for Iran,” a senior White House official said in a statement.
Before the attack, Israel had assessed that Iran was likely to attack three Israeli air bases and an intelligence base just north of Tel Aviv, people briefed on the matter said before the attack. . According to Iran’s semi-official media outlet Mehr News, the Revolutionary Guards said they targeted three Israeli military bases near Tel Aviv.
The information bases in Grillot were evacuated on Tuesday afternoon and the Israeli military implemented contingency plans to ensure the safety of personnel at these bases, the official said.
Immediately after the White House’s warning, Israeli officials told CNN that there was intense diplomacy going on behind the scenes.
President Joe Biden will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security officials Tuesday “to discuss Iran’s plans for an imminent large-scale ballistic missile attack against Israel,” according to White House Press Secretary Emily Symons. He convened a meeting with senior security officials.
Simmons added, “They reviewed U.S. readiness to help protect Israel from attack and protect U.S. military personnel.”
Iran’s attack on Israel comes after a year of rising tensions between Israel and Iranian proxies in the region, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. This could lead to even more serious conflict.
American and Arab diplomats are already concerned about what will happen after the expected Iranian attack, including the scale of Israel’s response. One of their main concerns is that Israel could respond by taking advantage of future attacks on Iran and launching attacks inside Iran.
“There is no place in Iran beyond the reach of Israel’s long arm, and that is true throughout the Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech at the United Nations last week.
The U.S. has long indicated that Israel should be able to protect anything Iran directs, just as the U.S. offered to help in April when Iran launched a wave of drones and missiles toward Israel, most of which were successful. We were prepared to do everything possible to assist in the interception. U.S. officials said it was intercepted.
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IDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari called Tuesday’s barrage a “serious attack” and said “there will be serious consequences.”
Hagari said in a statement that the IDF intercepted “many” missiles, but did not elaborate on the exact number.
“There are some impacts in the central region and some more in the south. At this stage we are assessing the situation. We are not aware of any injuries.”
US officials told CNN they expected the scope and scale of Iran’s attack on Israel could be similar to the April attack.
The United States warned Israel early Tuesday (noon Israeli time) that Iran was ready to launch an attack, according to officials. The warning between the two countries came hours before the White House publicly announced there were signs that Iran was preparing an attack.
The official said Iran was poised to act quickly in the attack. Following the onslaught of drones and missiles launched toward Israel in April, much of Iranian assets were left in place.
Tensions between Israel and Iran have increased significantly in recent weeks as Israel steps up its efforts against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, with Israel launching a ground operation in southern Lebanon on Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Israelis to “stand together” and continue to follow command from the front lines amid growing concerns about an imminent attack from Iran.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel was in the midst of a “campaign against the Iranian axis of evil” and made specific demands of the Israeli people.
“I ask you two things: first, to strictly follow the instructions of your front-line commanders, which will save lives, and secondly, to unite,” Netanyahu said. said in a statement.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the United States is “following events in the Middle East very closely” and is “committed to the defense of Israel.”
In brief remarks, Prime Minister Blinken and his Moroccan counterpart said, “As I said, we are monitoring developments very closely at this time.” Blinken did not specifically mention Iran or the possibility of an attack.
The US Embassy in Israel said in an alert on Tuesday that it had directed all US government personnel and their families to “shelter in place until further notice” due to the “current security situation.” Announced.
“This is provided for your information as you develop your own security plans,” the warning says, but does not mention any specific warning about an impending attack from Iran.
CNN’s Pauline Lockwood and Niamh Kennedy contributed reporting.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
