Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles against Israel on Tuesday, the latest escalation between the two countries amid a widening conflict in the Middle East.
Israel’s military said it intercepted more than 180 missiles launched from Iran across the country, setting off explosions that could be heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem.
The Pentagon, which said U.S. naval destroyers in the region helped to intercept the missiles, said roughly 200 projectiles were fired by Iran — an attack “twice the size” of an Iranian barrage in April.
About 10 million Israelis were told to take shelter as air raid sirens warned of the attack.
Iran had vowed to retaliate following Israeli attacks that killed the top leadership of its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.
“Our action is concluded unless (the) Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on the social media platform X. “In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful.
“Israel’s enablers now have a heightened responsibility to rein in the warmongers in Tel Aviv instead of getting involved in their folly.”
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.”
The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the escalating situation in the Middle East for Wednesday at 10 a.m., at the request of France and Israel.
Israel’s airport authority briefly closed the country’s airspace and diverted incoming flights to airports outside the country. The closure was lifted after the military said the threat had passed.
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.
“A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” the official wrote.
The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles that are targeting Israel. Biden and U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris monitored the Iranian attack from the White House Situation Room.
“Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a briefing, but still called Iran’s actions a “significant escalation.”
Biden said the U.S. remains “fully, fully supportive of Israel,” while Harris called Tehran “a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller would not say what consequences the U.S. was considering for Iran’s “unacceptable” attack, telling reporters the administration would discuss next steps with its Israeli counterparts. The Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had spoken to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant before and after the attack.