Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, the latest in a series of escalating attacks in a yearslong conflict between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies that threatens to push the Middle East closer toward a regionwide war.
The orange glow of missiles streaked across Israel's night sky as air raid sirens sounded and residents scrambled into bomb shelters. Israel vowed retaliation for Iran’s barrage, which it said had caused only a few injuries.
Before Iran's attack, Israel had landed a series of devastating blows in recent weeks against the leadership of Hezbollah in Lebanon. It then ratcheted up the pressure on the Iran-backed militant group — which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began — by launching what it said is a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
Israel has said it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for citizens displaced from homes near the Lebanon border to return. Hezbollah has vowed to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a cease-fire in Gaza with Hamas, which is also supported by Iran.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the country’s air defenses intercepted many of the incoming Iranian missiles, though some landed in central and southern Israel. Israel’s national rescue service said two people were lightly wounded by shrapnel. In the West Bank, Palestinian officials said a Palestinian man was killed by a missile that fell near the town of Jericho, though it wasn't clear where the attack originated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed late Tuesday to retaliate against Iran, which he said "made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it.”
Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war for years, but rarely have they come into direct conflict.
Israel considers Iran to be its greatest foe -- citing Iran’s repeated calls for Israel’s destruction, its support for Arab militant groups and its nuclear program. Iran denies Israeli accusations that it is developing a nuclear weapon.
Moments before Iran launched its missiles, a shooting attack in Tel Aviv left six people dead, police said, adding that the two suspects who had opened fire on a boulevard in the Jaffa neighborhood had also been killed.
In the U.S., White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Iran’s missile attack a “significant escalation,” although he said it was ultimately “defeated and ineffective,” in part because of assistance from the U.S. military in shooting down some of the inbound missiles. President Joe Biden said his administration is “fully supportive” of Israel and that he’s in “active discussion” with aides about what the appropriate response should be to Tehran.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday morning to address the escalating situation in the Middle East.
Iran launched another 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.
Iran said it fired Tuesday's missiles as retaliation for attacks that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian military. It referenced Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, both killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut. It also mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader in Hamas who was assassinated in Tehran in a suspected Israeli attack in July.
Earlier Tuesday, Israel said it had begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire pounded southern Lebanese villages, and Hezbollah responded with a barrage of rockets into Israel. There was no immediate word on casualties.
While Hezbollah denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon, the Israeli army announced it had also carried out dozens of covert ground raids into southern Lebanon going back nearly a year.
If true, it would be another humiliating blow for Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group in the Middle East. Hezbollah has been reeling from weeks of targeted strikes that killed Nasrallah and several of his top commanders.
On Tuesday morning, Israel warned people in southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border and much farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a U.N.-declared zone intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war.
The border region has largely emptied out over the past year as the two sides have traded fire. But the scope of the evacuation warning raised questions as to how deep Israel plans to send its forces into Lebanon.
Questions raised over whether Israeli forces entered
An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating near the border in armored trucks, with helicopters circling overhead, but could not confirm ground forces had crossed into Lebanon.
Ahead of the Israeli announcement of an incursion, U.S. officials on Monday said Israel had described launching small ground raids inside Lebanon as it prepared for a wider operation.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon has seen sporadic incursions by Israeli military forces, but “they have not witnessed a full-scale invasion.”
Hagari, the Israeli army spokesman, said Israel had carried out dozens of small raids inside Lebanon since Oct. 8, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel after the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
Hagari said Israeli forces had crossed the border to collect information and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons. Israel has said Hezbollah was preparing its own Oct. 7-style attack into Israel. It was not immediately possible to confirm those claims.
Hagari said Israel’s aims for its current ground offensive in Lebanon were limited. “We’re not going to Beirut,” he said.
The Israeli military was accused of lying to the media in 2021 when it released a statement implying ground troops had entered Gaza. The military played down the incident as a misunderstanding, but well-sourced military commentators in Israel said it was part of a ruse to lure Hamas into battle.
Israel strikes more targets and Hezbollah fires rockets
The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched rockets at central Israel on Tuesday, setting off air raid sirens and wounding a man. Hezbollah said it fired salvos of a new kind of medium-range missile at the headquarters of two Israeli intelligence agencies near Tel Aviv. Hezbollah had also launched projectiles at Israeli communities near the border, targeting soldiers without wounding anyone.
Israel's statements indicated it might focus its ground operation on the narrow strip along the border, rather than launching a larger invasion aimed at destroying Hezbollah, as it has attempted in Gaza against Hamas.
Hezbollah and Hamas are close allies backed by Iran, and each escalation has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East that could draw in Iran and the United States, which has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel.
Israeli strikes have killed over 1,000 people in Lebanon over the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
Hezbollah is a well-trained militia, believed to have tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles. The last round of fighting in 2006 ended in a stalemate, and both sides have spent the past two decades preparing for their next showdown.
Recent airstrikes wiping out most of Hezbollah’s top leadership and the explosions of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah indicate Israel has infiltrated deep inside the group’s upper echelons.
The group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said Monday that Hezbollah commanders killed in recent weeks have already been replaced.
As the fighting intensifies, European countries have begun pulling their diplomats and citizens out of Lebanon.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
63 Comments
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JJE
Firstly, widely reported (here too) that Israel, in the last 24 hours, mounted on incursion into Lebanon. This is otherwise known as an invasion of one UN state against another - as all have been repeatedly, and morally, lectured about.
110% of the incoming missiles were intercepted.
The fairytale goes on...
Banthu
Even though they crossed the border in violation of international law, apparently it's not an invasion, it's an SMO (Special Military Operation)
Ostensibly, the justification for the SMO is that Lebanon is being used as a proxy by a third country, Iran, and therefore Israel has the right to send troops across the border.
Are you ok with Netenyahu's justification or should they face sanctions and asset seizures?
Dango bong
Iran, the world's terrorist capital is mixing the pot again. All terrorist groups supported by Iran should be extinguished and Israel should eb supported in doing this.
JJE
Let's also observe Israel mounted an invasion - which sounds bad enough - against its neighbour. Invasions are terrible, but when they happen against a neighbour it is an arch offense rising to a heinous crime... right.
Incredible they are going with the "all shot down thing" with all the video evidence to the contrary.
During the filming of last night's events, no empty fields were hurt.
Airfields were extensively mauled.
Dango bong
Israel was responding to rockets being launched into their territory. Is Iran responding to some kind of attack on their territory?
Spend less time supporting murderous terrorists and educate yourself.
Sanjinosebleed
Says it all really who would trust Netanyahu and his war criminal buddies while he was hiding underground
JJE
The full thing and empty fields:
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1841183543093051731
Dango bong
Yes because Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran are fully in support of international law while holding Israeli hostages right?
TaiwanIsNotChina
But invasions can be legal, as Israel's is, or illegal as russia's naked territory grab is.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Missiles were flying out Lebanon prior to the war as they were not in Ukraine.
NCIS Reruns
It seems to be the standard practice for Israel's enemies to attack on major Jewish holidays. (In this case, the new year). I'm a bit surprised that wasn't mentioned anywhere in the article.
JJE
When was the last time Lebanon occupied parts of Israel or bombed them?
What an absurd statement. Channels this concept that only Israel (or their sponsor) has a self-ordained right to self defense that no one else enjoys...
TaiwanIsNotChina
Rocketed probably like... today.
JJE
There is certainly a non-consistent standard on different special military operations when it comes to neighbours now.
Iran's reply was fair and legitimate reply to their conduct.
lincolnman
Israel has every right to protect itself and take revenge on all the murderers who carried out the Oct 7th attack...
But what of this?
If we add all the children killed in Gaza to those in Lebanon, how many is that?
Why is it always the innocent children, who know nothing of the hate, who suffer?
If Israel wants to prove it is not the same as its enemies, it must stop the killing of innocent children...
Fighto!
Playing out exactly as I - and many more - predicted.
Iran launches hundreds of missiles, almost all of which are shot down by Israel. The mad Mullahs will then proclaim "revenge" over Israel.
It's actually all been reasonably predictable. The "widespread regional war started by Israel" so many predicted is highly unlikely : her rivals are largely impotent at this point.
wallace
Iran, the head of the snake will be chopped off soon.
JJE
The truth of the matter is Israel's (and their sponsor's) vaunted integrated AD network had more than few glaring issues last night.
First off the rank is three air bases being heavily hit (the biggest three).
Second, is why was US defense over Jordan and the fleet in that sea unable to do squat about it.
Saturation/spam attack (this time without advance notice) heavily pierced it.
JboneInTheZone
Enough about Hamas on 10/7
Fighto!
Abject failure by terror-sponsor Iran to land any punches on Israel.
Going after the Ayatollah and/or President of Iran next is certainly within Israel's capabilities.
Sanjinosebleed
https://x.com/PressTV/status/1841230388078780578?
Doesn’t look like this hypersonic one missed either gee who to believe….
owzer
Iran is trying the FAFO strategy.
they’re going to lose their nuclear facilities.
WoodyLee
Just what Bibi been ITCHING for.
The good news is the U.S. can see his TRAPS & GAMES.
bass4funk
Looks like the Iranian mullahs have a death wish. Now they have to always look over their shoulders.
JboneInTheZone
It looks like one of the missiles struck a school. Sanjinosebleed, do you condemn this attack? I’ve seen you attack Israel for hitting schools before. Will you hold Iran to the same standards you hold Israel?
wallace
The US and the UK helped to shoot down the incoming missiles.
John
Pretty limp attack by Iran. Seems it does terror a lot better than actual military ops.
kurisupisu
Actually, at the time of writing this,missiles are raining down on Israel.
The Iron Dome cannot protect Israelis.
The Israelis are finding out that violence begets more violence.
Tragic!
JboneInTheZone
You mean like the Palestinians in Gaza?
Wasabi
Again, the terrorist in action....
diobrando
Another player entered in the game to stop the genocide of israel, finally a country that really do something!
JboneInTheZone
You do realize the only reported death from the missile strike so far is a Palestinian, right? 180 missiles launched and they only killed 1 person, not even an Israeli. I wouldn’t call that a “country that can really do something” lol
Desert Tortoise
Considering the history of Israel since 1948 it should be obvious that there will be no peace in the region until Israel returns to her UN designated pre-1967 borders and the Palestinians have a nation of their own, again as guaranteed by the UN. Nothing less than this is even remotely acceptable. Israel has no legal claim on the West Bank, East Jerusalem or Gaza. None whatsoever.
Desert Tortoise
Interesting aside but the lack of effectiveness of Iranian ballistic missile attacks and the considerable effectiveness of Israeli, US and UK missile defenses (also considering that most of Israel's ballistic missile defense systems are joint programs with US companies like Raytheon) has implications for a notional Chinese attack on Taiwan. China may lose enough ballistic missiles to make any such attack embarrassingly ineffective. The Chinese are probably watching this carefully and assessing their own probability of success against US and US co-developed systems.
Btw, quite a few of these missiles are being engaged by air launched weapons from US and UK combat jet, not by ground based systems. That might be a surprise to some readers here.
WoodyLee
I feel sorry for these soldiers in the main photo sleeping on their tanks while Bibi and his war criminals are having a hot bath, a warm meals, and a roof over their heads.
Bibi is a war Criminal for putting these young souls and the rest of Israel through this hell
WoodyLee
CNN is showing vids of Iran Missiles flying over Jordan on their way towards Israel and NOT getting intercepted.
Desert Tortoise
The failure of the attack has implications for the survival of the hard line faction in Iran's government. The more moderate ( I use the term in a relative sense while trying not to fill my mouth with vomit that I'd have to swallow ) were counseling discretion while the hard liners wanted a military response and now. Well, they got their military response and it was a complete failure. Israel will probably retaliate and it they probably won't fail. Sustained successful attack by Israel could destabilize Iran in ways that matter. The mullahs, IRG pukes and hard liners in their government are losing face, and that could affect their ability to remain in power. Time will tell.
Desert Tortoise
They are soldiers chomping at the bit to get a piece of the action. Most wouldn't want to be anywhere else. When the US invaded Afghanistan I tried to go back on active duty but my disability from my previous time in service prevented me. I never had anything against Iraq but I sure wanted to get a piece of AQ! Only someone who was never in the military could write what you wrote.
Desert Tortoise
One, you don't know if they were intercepted afterwards, and two, even if they hit nothing of any great importance seems to have been hit.
Fighto!
Any evidence for that claim?
Israel's air defence against the incoming missiles from Iran has been - as we all knew it would be - very effective. It is protecting Israelis very well. Only one death due to Iranian missiles reported - to a Palestinian.
Missiles are not "raining down" on Israel.
I would hate to be in Iran's shoes now. Retribution against their outrageous attacks is in the mail. Israel does not mess around when they retaliate, either.
burgers and beers
"If we add all the children killed in Gaza to those in Lebanon, how many is that?
Why is it always the innocent children, who know nothing of the hate, who suffer?
If Israel wants to prove it is not the same as its enemies, it must stop the killing of innocent children..."
Exactly so.
changamangaliay
Seems Israel iron dome failed to intercept several missiles
GDBD
Lets take a step back and see what happened since last year:
Israel and US did their usual. Fighting small players, killing some and declaring how great they are. Nothing new.
On the other hand, Iran had two major direct attacks on Israel. Something we would have considered insane to even think about one year ago. With those attacks, Iran not only normalized attacking Israel directly, it also learned and helped other major players to learn what weaknesses Israel has. Next attack would be even more effective.
On top of that, one year ago Iran was considered by many (including by myself) evil for saying Israel is the root of evil in Middle East. One year later, it seems Iran has also won on the ideology side. Quite many people convinced that Israel indeed is really the root of evil. As long as it is there, there will not be a lasting peace in Middle East.
Desert Tortoise
Iron Dome was not designed to intercept IRBMs. It is designed to intercept the kinds of slower short range ballistic missiles fired primarily by Hamas. For the kinds of missiles used by Iran the Israelis have David's Sling which deploys the Stunner interceptor missile and the Arrow missile family, Arrow I, II and III.
Fos
I think the only terrorist states are Israel and United Stated of America, after killing over 40.000 innocent lives in Gaza and starting another war in Lebanon to please their corporations at Wall Street, controlled by? Let us not state the obvious.
Hence the reaction of Iran, after Netanyahu nefarious and criminal acts.
I remind you once again the top 5 weapons manufacturers in the world are all American and racketing profits like never before: Boeing, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman.
It is utterly perfidious to side with the State of Israel in this very moment in time. Wake up and smell the coffee!
Desert Tortoise
Really? Then how does this explain Israel developing a whole family of ballistic missile defense systems over the past decades, frequently in cooperation with the American defense giant Raytheon? Seems like some were concerned enough about to spend a lot of time and money developing weapons systems to defeat exactly such an attack.
Desert Tortoise
So, some truth to that. Iron Dome was not designed to defeat the longer range and much faster IRBMs Iran fired. Iron Dome was optimized to defeat the much slower and shorter range missiles fired by Hamas. This was done to keep the system inexpensive so Israel could afford a lot of them.
For defense against the longer ranged and much faster IRBMs Iran fired Israel has Arrow I, II and III along with David's Sling. The also have PAC-3 for close in point defense.
Chabbawanga
Israels deescalation through escalation working as planned.
Glad there were no serious civilian casualties.
Chabbawanga
Right. Iran has rattles their sabres. Causing next to no damage, and if they think this proclamation of victory will convince anyone thats great. Everyone is a winner.
Israel and the US now have the opportunity to leave it here, but they wont. They are incapable of deescalating. The US knows nothing but war, and Israel is cut from the same cloth.
itsonlyrocknroll
Had Hamas 7th October 2023 atrocity never occurred, many tens of thousands of innocent lives would have been spared, this thread would never have existed, the middle east, a region forever neck deep in a caldron of religious fervour extremism, would not be facing the horror prospect of all out war.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are Iranian funded proxy Islamic terrorist organisations devoted, until death, to the extermination of the state of Israel, every Jew.
US government irrespective of political hue will never let that happen.
Yrral
DT,A mall ,a school and others Israel military in the Negev desert such as the Dimona Nuclear Reactors with Iranian Mirv
Chabbawanga
Yawn.
ADNAN
Israel has killed many children, innocent civilians.
And America continues to support. America should be the mediator and not support the massacre.
Hopefully this war will end soon. All countries unite to stop the war.
kurisupisu
So, Naftal Bennett says attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
What do the people of Israel say?
If such an attack proceeds then will Iran attack Israel’s nuclear sites with hypersonic weapons?
Will other counties come to Iran’s aid?
So many unanswered questions.
It is time for the Israelis to show restraint!
Desert Tortoise
Iran doesn't have MIRVs or MRVs.
Some dude
A female friend of mine once sent me a cartoon called "If women ruled the world". It was pretty funny (car dealerships: "blue cars" and "red cars", IKEA assembly instructions: "1) Call Daddy"), etc.).
One thing I reckon is absolutely true: if women ruled the world, we'd see a lot less of this kind of thing.
Sanjinosebleed
You first! I have never seen you give anything but glowing praise of the war criminals in Israel destroying schools hospitals and slaughtering women and children!
Desert Tortoise
The only missile Iran has that can reach Israel is the Shahab 3. It's a liquid fuel missile based on the North Korean Nodong 3, and Ghadr 110 which is a development of Shahab 3. The former has a CEP of 1200 meters while Ghadr 110 has a CEP of 110 meters. Neither are particularly accurate in an age when western precision guided missiles have CEPs under 10 meters. Some are accurate enough to enter a pre-planned window or cave entrance. Shahab 3 takes several hours to set up and fuel. Ghadr 110 has a solid fuel second stage so it sets up faster as only the first stage has to be fueled. In either event these missiles are easily detected long before they can be launched.
Yrral
These were Mirv that hit the Mall
theFu
Invasions are bad when there hasn't been any attack first. That's very different than what Russia did.
Hezbollah in Lebanon has been attacking Israel for years. I say, it is about time. Time to end all Hezbollah terror and Iranian terror worldwide.
If Hezbollah's military were under control of the Lebanese Army that would be different, but they aren't. Lebanon needs to handle these outlaws, but they haven't, so Israel has little choice.
Chabbawanga
Hopefully some day
Yrral
TheFu,the Lebanon army need to protect the people of Lebanon,we do not use the army to police gang violence in America
TokyoLiving
The myth of Israel's iron dome was destroyed, if you don't believe it, watch the videos on telegram. If anyone is to blame, it is Israel for invade Lebanon..
TokyoLiving
Too much Rambo movies..