NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to make Tehran pay after it launched around two hundred missiles at Israel.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,” said Netanyahu hours after the attack, and warned: “Whoever attacks us, we attack them.”
The attack comes amid a ongoing crisis in the Middle East, threatening to escalate into a full-scale regional war.As the air raid sirens went off across Israel at night, residents rushed into bomb shelters, witnessing the missile trails illuminating the night sky. Despite the scale of the attack, Israel reported only minor damage and few injuries.
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The Israeli military says it has received no reports of injuries from the Iranian missile attack.
The military’s spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the country’s air defenses intercepted many of the incoming missiles, though some landed in central and southern Israel.
“This strike will have consequences,” he said.
He urged the public to continue to listen to public-safety guidelines from the army.
Khamaeini declares missile attacks as ‘Victory from God,
Iranian Supremo Ali Khamenei took to social media and posted an illustration on his social media X profile of a large underground weapons cache and captioned it as “Victory from God and a near conquest…”
In another post, he said, “The strikes of the resistance front on the worn-out and decaying body of the Zionist regime will be more striking.”
‘Mossad headquarters targeted’
Ballistic missiles also targeted two military bases of Israel and the headquarters of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service.
Chief of the general staff of the Iranian armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri, told Press TV that the Nevatim air base, the Netzarim military facility and the Tel Nof intelligence unit, were hit in the Tuesday night attack dubbed ‘Operation True Promise II’.
The Nevtim air base houses Israel’s F-35 fighter jets, according to a report in the Tehran Times, which added that the fighter jets that bombarded Beirut on September 27 flew from this military air base. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps used hypersonic Fatah missiles in targeting the three sites, as per the Iranian news outlet.
Meanwhile, Bagheri further said that Iran deliberately did not attack civilian targets and infrastructure. The ballistic missile attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, said Bagheri, was in response to the July 31 killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyah and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan and the September 27 killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
Top Iranian commander warns Israel not to retaliate or risk attacks on infrastructure
A top Iranian military commander has warned that his country will hit Israel’s entire infrastructure if it takes any action against its territory.
Iran’s armed forces joint chief of staff Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said Wednesday that the Revolutionary Guard was prepared both defensively and offensively to repeat its missile attack with “multiplied intensity.”
“If the Zionist regime, that has gone insane, is not contained by America and Europe and intends to continue such crimes, or do anything against our sovereignty or territorial integrity, tonight’s operation will be repeated with much higher magnitude and we will hit all their infrastructure,” he said.
Bagheri said Iran avoided targeting Israeli civilians although it was “completely feasible.”
US warns Iran of severe consequences
In response to the attack, US National Security Advisor said that the US Military coordinated closely with IDF to help defend Israel from Iran and President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris personally monitored the attack.
Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters the missile attack was a “significant escalation” by Iran and that “there will be consequences, severe consequences”.
He added that the US is working with the IDF to assess the impact of the attack.
International condemnation
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, calling for an immediate ceasefire and warning against the broadening conflict in the Middle East. “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” Guterres said in a statement.
As tensions continued to rise, Jordan, Iraq, and Israel closed their airspace, and flights were suspended at Tehran International Airport, Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, and other regional hubs. Neighbouring countries, including Iraq and Jordan, are bracing for further fallout, with Iran-backed Iraqi militias threatening to target US bases in the region should Washington become involved in the conflict.