A wave of over 180 ballistic missiles rained down on Israel on Tuesday night, unleashed by Iran in a dramatic escalation of the already volatile conflict in the Middle East. The attack, described by Israeli officials as a “severe and dangerous escalation,” came in response to Israel’s intensifying military operations in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, targeting Iranian-backed militant groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Iran would “pay for it,” while Tehran warned of “vast destruction” in response to any Israeli retaliation, raising fears of a wider war. The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, expressed full support for its partner and promised “severe consequences” for Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for the missile attack, claimed to have used hypersonic Fattah missiles for the first time, with 90% of their missiles successfully hitting targets within Israel. Israeli air defenses intercepted a significant portion of the missiles, but several strikes were reported, including damage to a school in the central city of Gadera.
The attack sent Israelis scrambling for bomb shelters, with explosions heard across the country. In Lebanon, where Israel’s military operation has intensified in recent weeks, Israeli airstrikes killed the commander of the Imam Hussein division, a Hezbollah-linked group, and caused further casualties, bringing the total killed in Lebanon to nearly 1,900.
The launch of a ground operation in Lebanon by Israel for the first time in 18 years, pitting Israeli soldiers against Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy force, is a significant escalation with potentially devastating consequences.
The U.N. Security Council called for an emergency meeting on Wednesday, and international leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, urged both sides to de-escalate and implement a ceasefire to prevent the conflict from spiraling out of control. The situation remains highly volatile, with both sides threatening further retaliation and the potential for the conflict to expand beyond the immediate borders of Israel and Lebanon. The international community is closely watching the situation, fearing a full-blown regional war could erupt.
