Iran launched a missile assault on Israel on Tuesday evening, the Israeli military said, hours after its troops crossed over into Lebanon to fight the Tehran-backed Hizbollah militia.
“A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
It added that while the country’s air defence system was “fully operational, detecting and intercepting threats wherever necessary”, it was not “hermetic” and therefore citizens needed to follow instructions to remain safe.
“You may hear explosions, which could be the result of interceptions or impacts,” the IDF warned. “The IDF is fully prepared for both defence and offence at peak readiness.”
It was not immediately clear how many missiles were fired, what was targeted or the damage caused. Residents in Tel Aviv and other central parts of Israel were advised to stay in bomb shelters and safe rooms.
The assault came hours after Israel launched its ground offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday, intensifying its campaign against Hizbollah after launching waves of devastating air strikes against the militant group.
In the past two weeks, Israel has assassinated Hizbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, carried out a bombing campaign that has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, and moved troops across the border.
Israel has characterised its incursion into Lebanon as “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids” against Hizbollah in the south of the country.
It says it is seeking to make northern Israel safe for the return of about 60,000 people displaced by Hizbollah’s rocket fire.
The regional escalation has been accompanied by a ratcheting up of Israel’s rhetoric, with officials talking about “defeating” Hizbollah and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledging last week to “change the balance of power in the region for years”.
In its April barrage, Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel after a suspected Israeli strike hit its embassy compound in Damascus, killing several senior Iranian commanders.
The attack that month was clearly telegraphed and caused limited damage since Israel’s air defences, supported by the US, the UK and France, intercepted most of the projectiles before they reached Israeli air space.
Israel responded with a missile attack on an air base near the Iranian city of Isfahan, but the tit-for-tat exchange was contained, with neither side wanting a further escalation.
But, as Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza has lowered in intensity, Israeli forces have stepped up strikes on Iranian proxies in the region.
The apparent missile attack will heighten fears that the region is close to an all-out regional war.
Hours before, a US official had warned that Iran was “preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel”.
Following the first reports of the missile warning, Brent crude, the international benchmark oil price, rose 3.9 per cent to $74.49 a barrel on Tuesday, after having previously traded down on the day. Gold prices also rose.
Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they do not want to be drawn into a broader Middle East war, adding that the Islamic republic would not fall into what they have described as Israel’s “trap”.
Analysts say the regime’s priority is ensuring the republic’s survival and that it is wary of being dragged into a direct conflict with Israel that would also pull in the US.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Tehran wanted political “collective action” by countries that seek “stability and calm in the region”. He called on the international community to stop Israel’s escalation in the region.
The US has been deploying additional forces to the region since Israel assassinated Nasrallah on Friday and ramped up its bombing campaign on Lebanon. It has about 40,000 troops in the region.
Additional reporting by Raya Jalabi and Rafe Uddin
