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JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says Iran has fired missiles at Israel, and is warning Israelis to shelter in place. The announcement Tuesday followed warnings from a senior US administration official that Iran was preparing to “imminently” launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel.
The US official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence, said the US is actively supporting Israeli defensive preparations.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning Monday to Iran, which backs Hezbollah and Hamas. “There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach," Netanyahu said, just days after an airstrike south of Beirut killed the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which is backed by Tehran.
The Israeli military earlier warned several southern Lebanese communities near the border to leave their homes, shortly after starting what it called a limited ground operation against Hezbollah targets.
Hezbollah's acting leader, Naim Kassem, promised the group will fight on following the death of its long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah and several of the group's top commanders who have been assassinated in recent days. Kassem said the group's fighters are ready and the slain commanders have already been replaced.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since Oct. 8, the day after Hamas sent fighters into Israel and sparked the war in Gaza. It's been almost a year since some 250 people were abducted from Israel, and friends and family are worried about their loved ones as attention turns away from hostages and north toward Lebanon.
Here is the latest:
Israel closes airspace after Iranian missile arrack
Israel's airport authority says the country's airspace has been closed and incoming flights are being diverted to airports outside the country.
The airspace closure Tuesday followed an Israeli military announcement that Iran had launched missiles at the country. It warned Israelis to take shelter as air raid sirens sounded, and explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem.
Iran said it launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
Israeli military says it killed another senior Hezbollah operative— Israel's military says it killed a senior Hezbollah operative in an airstrike on an apartment building on the edge of Beirut.The Israeli military says Mohammed Jaafar Qassir was killed in a strike Tuesday afternoon. It says Qassir was in charge of Hezbollah's Unit 4400 that ships weapons from Iran to Lebanon and he supervised Hezbollah's development of precision-guided missiles.The Israeli military said Qassir also sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah in recent years.There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli claim.Qassir's brother Ahmad carried out a suicide attack in southern Israeli port city of Tyre in 1982 that killed dozens of Israeli soldiers. His death is marked annually as “Martyr's Day.”The claim came in a statement read aloud on state television Tuesday as air raid sirens sounded and explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem.The statement warned that “if Israel responds militarily to this operation, it will face a harsher response.”Iran referenced Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, both killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut. The statement also mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader in Hamas who was assassinated in Tehran in a suspected Israeli attack in July.It warned this attack represented only a “first wave,” without elaborating.— The Israeli military says Iran has fired missiles at Israel, and air raid sirens are sounding across the country.Military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari released a video statement Tuesday saying “the air defense system is fully operational, detecting and intercepting threats wherever necessary, even at this moment.”Soon after, a series of explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem. It was not immediately known if they were interceptions or incoming missiles landing. The explosions near Jerusalem were so loud that windows shook.Residents were ordered to shelter in place and remain close to bomb shelters. The order was sent to mobile phones and announced on national television. TV stations reported sirens in parts of Jerusalem as well as central Israel.Iranian media posted videos that appeared to show missile launches at several sites across the country, but the Iranian government did not immediately acknowledge what was happening.The alerts were sounded after a day of rocket and missile attacks from Lebanon. Israeli authorities also warned that Iran might be preparing a missile attack.Israel has warned there would be “repercussions” if Iran attacks.Israeli military urges public to heed warnings about a possible Iranian strikeThe Israeli military is urging the public to stay close to sheltered areas and says it takes seriously the possibility of an attack by Iran.Military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday that Israelis must obey public safety guidelines issued by the military's Home Front Command.“The Iranian strike could be widespread. Following Home Front Command guidelines can save lives,” Hagari said.— A U.S. official has said Iran may strike Israel within the next 12 hours, with an attack that could be as big as or bigger than strikes earlier this year.However, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details on a sensitive matter, cautioned that Iran has been postured to conduct such an attack since August – in order to be able to strike on short notice – and that the U.S. has not seen significant changes in Iran's posture in the last day or so.Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in April, but few of its projectiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S.-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed in flight.— The chief is appealing for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, warning that escalation to an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah militants must be avoided “at all costs.”U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who delivered the message from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stressed that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected.Guterres spoke earlier Tuesday to Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati and told him the U.N. system is mobilized to assist those in need, Dujarric said. He also appealed to the international community to urgently support a $426 million humanitarian appeal to help the people of Lebanon. — Turkey's Foreign Ministry has established a coordination center to assist citizens wishing to leave Lebanon, warning that the situation there could worsen.Turkey has developed evacuation plans by sea and air, the ministry said. It did not elaborate.Nearly 20 countries have requested Turkey's assistance in evacuating their citizens, by using Turkish ports, airports and airspace, or by including their citizens in Turkey's evacuation plans, the ministry said. — The State Department has ordered all U.S. diplomats and their families based in Israel and the West Bank to shelter in place until further notice as the security situation becomes increasingly uncertain with Israel's ground incursion in Lebanon and potential threats of an Iranian missile attack.“As a result of the current security situation, the U.S. Embassy has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice,” the embassy in Jerusalem said Tuesday in a notice to American citizens.“This is provided for your information as you make your own security plans,” it said. “The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events.”' — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is watching the situation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon “very closely” and “very carefully,” but is committed to Israel's defense and security.Speaking Tuesday before talks with the visiting foreign minister of Morocco, Blinken did not address the threat to Israel posed by a potential Iranian ballistic missile launch that was identified by the White House shortly before he spoke.“The United States is committed to Israel's defense,” he said. “We're watching developments, as I said, very carefully at this moment.”— An Israeli airstrike struck a residential building near the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, causing damage and blowing out windows in the area.The strike appeared to hit an apartment in the building on the southern highway leading up to Beirut international airport, and about 100 meters (yards) from the Iranian Embassy.The Israeli military said it carried out an attack in Beirut, without giving further details.There was no immediate word on casualties.— A Bulgarian government jet left for Beirut for the second day to pick up the remaining Bulgarian citizens who wanted to be evacuated, the prime minister said Tuesday.Dimitar Glavchev said 61 Bulgarians had asked to be evacuated on the second trip. A total of 89 people, mostly families with children, were evacuated from Lebanon on Monday.Glavchev said that empty seats on Tuesday's flight will be offered to citizens of other EU countries. — Speaking out against Israel's ground offensive in southern Lebanon, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Tuesday that Israel would “set its sights” on Turkey next.In a speech marking the opening of parliament following its summer recess, Erdogan criticized both the international community and the Islamic world for failing to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions in Gaza and Lebanon. He vowed to stand strong against Israel and to support Lebanon.“Although some people persistently refuse to see it, the Netanyahu government is dreaming a crude dream that includes Anatolia,” Erdogan said, referring to a large swathe of Turkey.“The place that Israel - which is acting with the delirium of the promised lands - will set its sights on after Palestine and Lebanon will be our homeland,” he said.