10 million civilians were seeking shelter
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed on Tuesday that it has launched “dozens” of missiles towards Israel. Israel confirmed the attack, stating that approximately 10 million civilians were seeking shelter.
Reports indicate up to 100 missiles may have been launched by Iran, targeting various cities and towns of Israel.
Iranian state television broadcast a statement from the IRGC, confirming the missile strike was in response to the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week. The IRGC also cited the recent death of one of its commanders, Nilforoshan, as another reason for the attack.
“We targeted the heart of the occupied territories in response to the martyrdom of Haniyeh, Nasrallah, and Nilforoshan,” the IRGC said in a statement. Iran’s military leadership has warned of further strikes if Israel retaliates.
In a televised address following the launch of the missiles, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel was “fully prepared to defend and retaliate” to the Iranian attack.
The missile strike prompted an immediate response from the US, which had announced ahead of the attack that Iran was preparing to launch an imminent missile attack against Israel. US President Joe Biden ordered the US military to support Israel in its defense against the Iranian missile attack, reported Reuters.
Israel has responded to the missile attack by closing its entire airspace, as air raid sirens continue to sound across major cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Video footage circulating on social media shows missiles streaking across the skies, illuminating the night as Israeli civilians seek shelter in bomb-proof rooms.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the situation via social media, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “All Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel.” The IDF added that up to 10 million civilians were seeking refuge in bomb shelters.
Iran’s latest attack comes on the same day as Israel commenced ground raids into Lebanon.
This story is developing.
