In the second major Iranian attack on Israel, the majority of the rockets were intercepted. The only fatality was a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip.
Iran fired 181 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening. As in April, Israeli air defenses and the international defense coalition led by the US intercepted most of the projectiles. One Palestinian from the Gaza Strip was killed near Jericho, and two Israelis and four Palestinians were injured.
According to Palestinian sources, the deceased is 37-year-old Sameh al-Asali. The worker was originally from Jabalia in the Gaza Strip. He was hit by debris, Jericho Governor Hussein Hamajel told AFP. Four other Palestinians were injured by shrapnel from the same rocket.
As reported by the online newspaper "Times of Israel," two Israelis suffered minor injuries in Tel Aviv. Several people in Israel also required medical treatment after falling while attempting to reach a bomb shelter. A school was damaged in the central Israeli city of Gedera.
The alarm was raised primarily in the center and south of the country. Shortly after midnight (local time), the Home Front Command lifted the restrictions for citizens in central Israel, the Jerusalem area, and parts of the north.
Following the wave of attacks, the Israeli security cabinet met in a bunker near Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) said: "Iran has made a grave mistake and will pay for it." The attack on Israel had failed. He thanked the US for its support and emphasized: "Whoever attacks us, we will attack." He called on the "powers of light in the world" to unite against Iran.
Second direct attack from Iran
This was only the second direct Iranian attack on Israel. Normally, Iran acts against the Jewish state through its proxies in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, or Yemen.
Officials described Tuesday's major attack as retaliation for deadly attacks on leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Iranian military. Specifically, the attacks targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, along with Revolutionary Guard General Abbas Nilforushan, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
International criticism, praise from Hamas
Following the attack, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (independent) spoke by telephone with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant (Likud). He reaffirmed the United States' commitment to Israel's security. The US had informed the Israelis that afternoon that an Iranian attack was likely imminent. The Iranian UN mission in New York asserted that it had not notified the Americans beforehand.
The massive shelling drew international criticism. Among others, the governments of Great Britain, France, Canada, Australia, Austria, and the European Union condemned the large-scale attack. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) wrote on X: “We have urgently warned Iran against this dangerous escalation. Iran must immediately cease the attack. It is pushing the region further to the brink.”
Jordan officially announced that it had intercepted missiles, as it had done in April: "The Royal Jordanian Air Force and air defense systems responded to a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace."
The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, on the other hand, praised the "heroic rocket attacks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." These were "revenge for the blood of our heroic martyrs.".
Army spokesman: Do not make the locations of impacts public
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari stated: “Iran carried out a serious act last night, pushing the Middle East toward escalation.” Israel will choose the time and place for its response. These events will not be without consequences. Iran has preemptively closed its airspace. On Wednesday morning, Hagari warned Israelis on Twitter against publicly disclosing the locations of airstrikes, saying that doing so would serve the enemy.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its operation against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. According to its own statements, it destroyed weapons laboratories and terrorist infrastructure in the capital, Beirut, overnight. Hezbollah fired approximately 50 rockets at Israel on Wednesday morning. No one was injured. (Israelnetz)
