Iran conducted a significant missile strike against Israel on Tuesday night, launching approximately 180 missiles aimed at various locations across the country. Israeli officials reported that the majority of these missiles were intercepted by Israel’s air defense systems, although some managed to hit central and southern Israel.
This assault represents an alarming escalation in conflicts that now involve multiple nations in the region, raising concerns about the possibility of further hostilities. On the same day, Israel was engaged on three fronts: battling Hamas in Gaza to the south, confronting Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north, and dealing with the Iranian missile assault from the east.
According to Israel’s military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, while most of the Iranian missiles were brought down, there were no reports of Israeli fatalities from the airstrike; however, one Palestinian individual reportedly died from debris in the West Bank. This attack follows a similar Iranian strike from April, which also resulted in no Israeli casualties.
Reacting to the missile attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated during a Security Cabinet meeting, “Iran made a big mistake this evening, and it will pay for it.” He emphasized, “Whoever attacks us, we will attack them.” In Washington, President Joe Biden remarked that the U.S. believes the attack was largely ineffective, reiterating strong support for Israel.
In a related move, U.S. destroyers fired 12 interception missiles at Iranian projectiles headed towards Israel, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, who indicated that assessments on the effectiveness of the interceptors were ongoing.
In a separate incident in Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, two armed assailants opened fire on a light-rail train, resulting in six fatalities and twelve injuries. Israeli police responded quickly, killing the attackers, who were identified as Palestinians from Hebron in the West Bank.
The missile strikes by Iran occurred amid escalating tensions following an Israeli campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, including ground operations initiated earlier in the week. Iran has attributed its missile attack to several recent Israeli operations, including the killing of a top Hezbollah leader and key figures from Hamas.
In a statement shared via the social media platform X, Iran’s United Nations mission justified the missile launch as a legitimate response to actions by Israel, warning of severe repercussions should Israel choose to retaliate.
Prior to the attack, the Israeli government had alerted civilians to seek shelter. A subsequent notice allowed residents to emerge from the shelters after a safe period. Restrictions were imposed in urban areas, further heightening security measures in affected cities.
Tensions have dramatically worsened since Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel in early October, following a major Hamas assault. Over the past year, exchanges of fire along the Israel-Lebanon border have occurred routinely, though they escalated significantly in the past two weeks, resulting in substantial casualties and displacements in Lebanon as Israel targets Hezbollah positions.
In April, an Israeli strike in Syria killed top leaders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, prompting Iran to retaliate with drones and missiles against Israel, most of which were intercepted, though some damage was reported.