Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles against Israel Tuesday, the Israeli military said, the latest escalation between the two countries amid a widening conflict in the Middle East.
“All Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel,” the Israeli Defense Forces wrote on social media.
Dozens of projectiles were shot down over Tel Aviv before they could hit any targets. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for intercepting the missiles.
Air raid sirens could be heard across central Israel as residents were ordered to enter bomb shelters and await further instructions from officials. Rocket attack warnings were issued to residents across the country.
The barrage came shortly after a White House official on Tuesday told Global News the U.S. had indications Iran was planning to “imminently” launch a missile attack against Israel.
“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” the official wrote.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari also warned of consequences if Iran fired missiles into Israel. He told reporters an attack was expected to be widespread.
Ahead of the attack, the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem directed all government employees and family members to shelter in place until further notice. The last time such an order was issued was ahead of Iran’s missile barrage in April.
That attack was the first time Iran had launched a direct attack on Israel, though few reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S. and British-led coalition while others appeared to fail at launch or crashed while in flight.
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Global News asked Global Affairs Canada if it was updating its own messaging to diplomatic and consular staff in Tel Aviv and Canadian citizens in Israel more broadly, but has yet to hear back.
In a statement on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was facing “large challenges” as it fights an Iranian axis. He urged the public to listen to public safety guidelines from the military’s Home Front Command, but did not make direct mention of the missile threat.
U.S. ships and aircraft were already positioned in the region to assist Israel in the event of an attack from Iran. There are three U.S. Navy destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea, an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Oman and fighter jets arrayed throughout the region. All have the abilities to shoot down incoming missiles.
The attack from Iran comes a day after the Israeli military began what they called limited, localized and targeted raids against Iran-backed Hezbollah in the border area of southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu on Monday warned Iran that there was “nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country,” accusing the Iranian government of plunging the Middle East “deeper into war” at the expense of its own people.
An Israeli airstrike hit a residential building near Beirut Tuesday, causing damage and blowing out windows in the area. The strike appeared to hit an apartment about 100 meters from the Iranian Embassy. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Israel’s military also said on Tuesday it had killed Muhammad Jaafar Qasir, a commander in charge of weapons transfers from Iran and its affiliates to Hezbollah.
Israel has continued to launch attacks on Lebanon after the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah — the most powerful leader in Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and U.S. interests in the Middle East — one of the heaviest blows in decades to both Hezbollah and Iran.
Nasrallah’s killing, along with the assassinations of other Hezbollah commanders and systematic attacks on the group’s communications devices, constitute the biggest blow to the Shi’ite movement since Iran created it in 1982 to fight Israel.
Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have vowed to continue its attacks on Israel in solidarity with Hamas, which also receives support from Iran and has been embroiled in a nearly year-long conflict with Israel in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading rocket fire across the Israel-Lebanon border throughout the Gaza conflict. But the attacks have escalated in recent weeks, leading to growing concerns that an all-out war — the first since 2006 — is imminent.
Israel has accused the Iranian proxies of preparing a repeat of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and sparked the current conflict, as the first anniversary approaches.
—with files from Global News’ Reggie Cecchini and The Associated Press
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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