Iran launches barrage of 200 missiles at Israel

Iran launched a barrage of 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday night and sparked terror on the streets of Tel Aviv in response to the death of Hezbollah’s senior leadership and the ground invasion of southern Lebanon. Rockets lit up the sky and smashed into buildings as air sirens blared across the country just hours after the White House warned an attack was ‘imminent’.

Terrifying footage showed the Iron Dome shooting down some of the rockets and sending burning fragments to the ground as Americans were urged to take cover in bomb shelters. The missiles rained down in two major salvos about 15 minutes apart. Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and Israel.

Other nations in the Middle East went on alert. Officials in Baghdad said Iraq is closing its airspace for safety reasons. Israel also closed its airspace and incoming flights are being diverted to airports outside the country. It remains unclear exactly what was hit in Israel and what the impact on the ground will be. Tehran was targeting Mossad headquarters and military bases, CNN reported. The headquarters of Israeli’s spy agency is just outside Tel Aviv.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attack was in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon that killed several Hezbollah leaders. ‘In response to the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and martyr Neilvorushan, we are striking military targets with dozens of missiles,’ the Iranian military said. Iran’s state TV claimed that 80% of their missiles launched at Israel hit their target. It’s unclear exactly what the targets were.

Israeli army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the country’s air defense system was fully operational, detecting and intercepting threats. ‘However, the defense is not hermetic,’ he noted. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are in the White House Situation Room monitoring the attack.

The two are ‘receiving regular updates from their national security team. President Biden directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles that are targeting Israel,’ the White House said in a statement.

Just before the Iranian missile barrage began, Israeli police said gunmen opened fire in Tel Aviv on the boundary with Jaffa, leaving at least eight dead. TV footage showed gunmen getting off at a light rail station and opening fire.

Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Israel told its employees to return home and be prepared to enter bomb shelters as the White House warned of an imminent ballistic missile attack from Iran. The attack could see the Middle East on the brink of an all-out war and comes a day after Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon aimed at crippling the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.

‘Iran’s legal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime—which involved targeting Iranian nationals and interests and infringing upon the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran—has been duly carried out,’ Iran’s representative to the United Nations said. The first missiles were fired around 12:30 pm ET, according to reports out of Israel. The U.S. warning had come about five hours earlier.

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