Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for the recent assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and an Iranian commander in Lebanon.
The attack came after Israel deployed ground forces in southern Lebanon, escalating its attack on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.
Most of the nearly 200 rockets were intercepted by Israeli and US defenses, and there were no known Israeli casualties from the attack.
“In response to the martyrdom of martyr Haniyeh, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah and martyr Nilforoushan, we have targeted the heart of the occupied territories,” Iran said. Revolutionary Guard he said in a statement after rockets began appearing in the sky over Israel.
“Should the Zionist regime respond to Iran’s operation, it will face an overwhelming attack,” the group, Iran’s paramilitary group, said.
Abbas Nilforoushan was a deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who was killed along with Nasrallah in an Israeli bombing last Friday in Beirut.
Ismail Haniyeh was the political commander of the terrorist group Hamas, who was killed in July by an Israeli strike in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Israel has been engaged in a violent war against Hamas since the group launched the October 7 terror attack on Israel from Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces reported some hits from the rockets, the damage of which is being assessed, according to an Israeli security official.
This image shows missiles over Jerusalem on October 1, 2024.
Menahem Kahana | Afp | Getty Images
According to Israeli authorities, only two people were reported to be slightly injured by shrapnel from the rocket attack in the Tel Aviv area. There were also some minor injuries reported across Israel with people moving to safety.
There was one death of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank city of Jericho.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking to reporters at the White House, said: “The United States military coordinated closely with the Israel Defense Forces to help defend Israel against this attack.”
“Naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down incoming missiles,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also said, “Obviously, this is a significant escalation by Iran.”
“We will now consider what are the appropriate next steps to ensure, first and foremost, American interests, and then promote stability to the greatest extent possible as we go forward,” he said.
The IDF announced that civilians were allowed to leave protected areas across the country shortly after 1:30 p.m. ET.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, October 1, 2024.
Amir Cohen | Reuters
President Joe Biden met Tuesday afternoon with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security officials to discuss the attack. the White House said.
“The President has asked the US military to help defend Israel against Iranian attacks and to shoot down missiles aimed at Israel,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said in a post on the X social media site.
“They also reviewed preparations to protect US personnel in the area.”
The US Embassy in Jerusalem Before the attack he asked all US government employees and their families in Israel to “shelter until further notice”.
The embassy in the same statement said it “reminds US citizens of the continued need for caution and heightened personal security awareness, as security incidents, including mortar and rocket and UAS intrusions into unmanned aircraft systems, often occur without warning ยป.
“The security environment remains complex and can change rapidly depending on the political situation and recent events,” the statement said.
The Iranian attack came a day after Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon as part of an offensive on Hezbollah.
The number of Israeli soldiers who have entered Lebanon is “in the low hundreds,” an Israeli official told NBC News.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said the killing of Nasrallah and a senior Revolutionary Guard commander in that attack “will not go unanswered.”
Araghchi also said the United States was “complicit in this crime.”
In April, Iran launched an attack on Israel that included more than 300 drones and ballistic missiles after an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed two top Iranian commanders.
Most of the missiles and drones were shot down by the Israeli and US armies.