Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations and their regional allies. The missile barrage, Iran stated, was in retaliation for Israel’s recent airstrikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began, intensifying tensions in the region.
Earlier in the day, Israel launched a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah strongholds. As missiles lit up the night sky, air raid sirens blared across Israel, prompting citizens to take shelter.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, confirmed that Israel’s air defense systems intercepted many of the missiles, though some managed to strike central and southern parts of the country. Israel’s national rescue service reported two people suffered minor injuries from shrapnel.
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man was killed near Jericho by a missile, although the source of the strike remains unclear.
The attack comes amid fears of a broader regional war as tensions between Israel and Iran, along with their respective allies, continue to rise. Both sides are bracing for further military escalations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed late Tuesday to retaliate against Iran, stating that the country “made a grave mistake tonight, and it will pay for it.”
Iran’s armed forces joint chief of staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, issued a stark warning on Tuesday, vowing that any attack on Iran’s territory would be met with retaliatory strikes on Israel’s entire infrastructure, delivered with “multiplied intensity.”
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire targeted villages in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah responding by launching a barrage of rockets into Israeli territory. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the exchange.
In a separate incident, just before Iran launched its missile attack, a shooting in Tel Aviv claimed the lives of at least six people. Police reported that two gunmen opened fire on a boulevard in the city’s Jaffa neighborhood before being killed by security forces. The attack marks a significant escalation in the already volatile region as the conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed forces deepens.
