According to Jerusalem Post on Tuesday evening around 500 rockets were fired at Israel, and explosions were heard both in Jerusalem, in the Jordan Valley, in the Tel Aviv area and in the south of Israel.
It is unclear whether the explosions were caused by rockets or Israeli air defenses.
Iran stated that several dozen rockets were fired at Israel, while Israeli defense sources told the newspaper Haaretz that it was about just under 200 rockets.
According to CNN the rockets were launched from a number of places in Iran, including from the Tehran area, Tabriz and Kashan.
The Iranian news agency Isna showed video images of rockets being launched, and social media was abuzz with images showing rockets lighting up the sky, allegedly headed for Israel.
A retaliation
In an announcement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, it is said that the attack was retaliation for Israel’s murder of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian general Abbas Nilforoushan.
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on 31 July, and Nasrallah and Nilforoushan were killed in Beirut on 27 September.
The Revolutionary Guard warns Israel against retaliating against Tuesday’s rocket attack, saying that doing so would trigger another Iranian attack.
Legal and rational
The attack on Israel “is legal, rational and a legitimate response to terrorist acts”, Iran’s UN delegation wrote on X Tuesday evening.
– If the Zionist regime dares to respond or carries out new malicious actions, a subsequent and crushing reaction will follow, it said.
– Regional states and Zionist supporters are advised to distance themselves from the (Israeli) regime, it said.
Attack over
At 19:30 Norwegian time, the Israeli defense announced that the Iranian attack was over.
According to spokesman Daniel Hagari, a large number of rockets were shot down before they caused damage.
– We have cut off a large number. There have been a few impacts in central and southern parts of the country, he says.
Many Israelis went into bomb shelters or sought refuge elsewhere when the rocket alarm went off.
According to Hagari, no deaths or injuries have been reported in Israel following the attack. However, one Palestinian was killed in Jericho in the occupied West Bank, allegedly after being hit by shrapnel from an Iranian rocket.
American aid
According to Reuters, several rockets were also shot down over Jordanian territory.
President Joe Biden stated that he had ordered American forces in the region to assist Israel in shooting down the Iranian missiles before they reached Israel.
Also during the Iranian attack in April, American forces helped ensure that 99 percent of the rockets and drones were shot down before they reached Israel.
Out of control
According to Hagari, the Iranian attack will have serious consequences.
– We have plans and we will put them into practice when and where we decide, he says.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) urges restraint and fears what he calls an extremely serious escalation in the Middle East.
– The conflict is about to escalate completely out of control. The region is on the brink of a major war, which could involve even more states and create an even bigger humanitarian disaster, he tells NTB.
– I repeat my message that all parties must immediately stop hostilities and seek diplomatic solutions. The work on a ceasefire both in Gaza and in Lebanon must be further intensified, says Eide.
– The members of the UN Security Council, who are responsible for international peace and security, must now prove their responsibility, he adds.
The United States was notified
Anonymous US sources warned earlier on Tuesday that an Iranian attack was imminent. The same thing happened before the attack in April.
– The United States has indications that Iran is preparing a ballistic missile attack against Israel, said an anonymous White House official.
– Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel could be as large or larger than the attack in April, said another high-ranking source.
According to a senior Iranian source, the US was notified of the attack in advance via diplomatic channels.
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2024-10-01 19:02:35
