• IDF claims 180 missiles fired towards Israeli territory, no immediate reports of casualties
• Iran vows ‘crushing response’ if Israel retaliates; IRGC says ‘three bases near Tel Aviv’ targeted
• US calls it ‘significant escalation’, vows to help ally defend itself
• Attacks come after Israeli forces launch ‘ground incursions’ into Lebanon
• Hezbollah denies ground invasion, says it is ready to face any action
• Flights cancelled, rerouted across the Middle East; PIA stops using Iranian airspace
• World leaders call for restraint

BEIRUT / WASHINGTON: Iran struck back against Israel on Tuesday, launching a barrage of missiles after Tel Aviv claimed it had carried out ground incursions into south Lebanon, raising concerns of a dangerous escalation in the Middle East powder keg, and sending Western capitals into a frenzy.

Footage showed sirens going off across major Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and occupied Jerusalem, as missiles streaked across the sky — some of them were intercepted by Israeli defences while others were seen impacting the ground.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Al Jazeera reported that the missiles also appeared to be targeting their settlements in places such as the occupied West Bank.

Shrapnel was reported falling from the sky in places such as Jenin and Bethlehem, while Israelis were ordered to remain in bomb shelters for a few hours.

“IDF systems have identified approximately 180 missiles fired towards Israeli territory from Iran,” the Israeli military said.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari warned that the attack would have consequences, while Hamas praised the “heroic rocket launch”.

According to the Pentagon, Iran launched about twice as many ballistic missiles on Tuesday as it did in its previous attack on Israel earlier this year, in response to a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

The missile attack, which was preceded by a US warning to Israel, prompted airlines around the world to cancel flights over the region, with Pakistan’s flag carrier also announcing it was halting the use of Iranian airspace following the escalation.

‘Crushing’ response

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said the missile attack was in response to the assassinations of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

It later said that the missile salvo mainly targeted ‘three mil­itary bases’ around Tel Aviv.

“In response to the martyrdom of [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and Nilforoshan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories (Israel),” IRGC said in a statement reported by the Fars news agency.

The IRGC threatened to car­ry out “crushing attacks” aga­inst regional Israel if it retaliated after the missile attack.

“If the Zionist regime reacts to Iranian operations, it will face crushing attacks,” the Guard said.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York posted on X that the attack on Israel is a “legal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts.”

“Should the Zionist regime dare to respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing response will ensue. Regional states and the Zionists’ supporters are advised to part ways with the regime,” it wrote.

On the other hand, Iran’s armed forces said on Tuesday they would target the “bases and interests” of Israel’s backers in the region if they directly intervene against Tehran.

Its foreign ministry also called on the UN Security Council to take “meaningful action” to prevent threats against regional peace and security.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s strategic adviser to President Masoud Pezeshkian, has criticised Western “hypocrisy”, calling it “not just outrageous, but extremely dangerous”.

In a post on X, Zarif said Western countries “have aided and abetted the Israeli genocide in Gaza and acquiesced in Israeli aggressions against Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and other countries in the region”. He added that Iran has the right of self-defence against repeated Israeli attacks.

US stands by Israel

In Washington, the US national security adviser characterised Iran’s move as a ‘significant escalation’, but also said it “appears to have been defeated and ineffective”.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said the US was prepared to help Israel defend itself from Iranian missile attacks.

“We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region,” Biden said on X about a meeting held with Vice President Kamala Harris and the White House national security team earlier in the day.

President Biden said that there was an active discussion ongoing over how Israel would respond to an Iranian ballistic missile attack, and that the consequences for Tehran remain to be seen.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said the US was “fully supportive” of Israel, describing Tehran’s assault as “defeated and ineffective.”

“Initial reports indicate that Israel was able to intercept the majority of incoming missiles and that there was minimal damage on the ground,” a Pentagon official said, noting that two American destroyers fired about a dozen interceptors as part of the defensive effort.

Israel ‘invades’ Lebanon

The Iranian missile launches came after Israeli ground troops launched raids and its warplanes bombed Lebanon from the skies earlier in the day.

Tel Aviv claimed that commando and paratroop units launched operations in Lebanon, with the Israel’s military saying that its attacks were aimed at Hezbollah strongholds along the border.

A UN spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that peacekeeping forces had witnessed “sporadic incursions” by Israeli military, not a full-scale invasion, as it warned Israel against launching a “large-scale ground invasion”.

In southern Lebanon near the border, Israeli officials have told residents to abandon their homes. At least 600 people were seeking refuge in a monastery after their Christian village of Ain Ebl received a warning from the Israeli military, residents told Reuters, one of at least 20 towns where Israel told residents to flee.

The rapid Israeli escalation that has engulfed Lebanon into war has killed hundreds. Near the city of Sidon south of Beirut, mourners wept over coffins containing black-shrouded bodies of people killed in Israeli strikes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation” after Iran fired the salvo of ballistic missiles.

“This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” Guterres said in a statement.

Hezbollah targets Tel Aviv

A Hezbollah spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday that the Israeli military had not entered Lebanese territory but that they would be ready to fight the Israelis if they did.

Many Lebanese say they were prepared to resist Israeli forces: “Not just Hezbollah, all of Lebanon will fight this time. All of Lebanon is determined to fight Israel for the massacres it committed in Gaza and Lebanon,” said Abu Alaa, a Sidon resident.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah said it had targeted an air base in Tel Aviv in retaliation for attacks on civilians in Lebanon, launching “a salvo of Fadi-4 rockets at the Sde Dov air base in Tel Aviv”.

It is the fourth iteration of a series which have progressively bigger payloads and longer ranges that Hezbollah has begun to use in recent weeks.

The group said it fired missiles at the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, blamed for assassinations of Hezbollah commanders and leaders, and at a military intelligence unit on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Air traffic, evacuations

Both Iran and Israel were quick to suspend air traffic in the wake of the attacks.

All incoming and outgoing flights were suspended at Tehran international airport and Israel’s Ben Gurion airport. In addition, Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation said passenger flights over its airspace had been redirected to alternative routes.

Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss on Tuesday announced that they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East.

Kuwait Airways also announced it was changing some flight routes due to the “current situation”.

Meanwhile, Western nations worked to organize evacuations of their citizens from Lebanon following Tuesday’s escalation, with Cyprus, the closest European Union member state to the Middle East, emerging as a likely hub.

No country has activated a large-scale military evacuation yet, though some are chartering aircraft to assist their nationals.

Calls for restraint

World leaders on Tuesday urged Iran and Israel to step back from the brink. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “broadening conflict in the Middle East”.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for an end to the “spiral of violence” blighting the Middle East, while the foreign minister demanded “restraint”.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Tuesday said that he was concerned about an “escalation”, saying the situation was “extremely serious”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday condemned Iran’s attack “in the strongest terms”, his office said.

Meanwhile, Russia said the US approach in the Middle East was a “complete failure”. “A bloody drama that is only gaining momentum. The White House’s incomprehensible statements demonstrate its complete helplessness in resolving crises,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a post on Telegram.

Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shared an illustration of missiles being launched with a Quranic verse promising “divine victory”.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024