According to Iranian state television, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards launched tens of missiles at Israel on Tuesday, warning that if Israel retaliate, Tehran’s reprisal would be “more crushing and destructive,”
“After a period of restraint, Iran has targeted the heart of the occupied territories with tens of missiles following the martyrdom of (Hamas leader) Ismail Haniyeh … the intensification of the Zionist regime’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, the martyrdom of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and (of) Guards Commander Abbas Nilforoushan.”
A senior Iranian official told Reuters the missile launches were ordered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has remained in a secure location since Israeli airstrikes on Beirut killed Nasrallah last week.
Tehran is “fully prepared” for an Israeli retaliation, the official added. REUTERS
In its statement, Iran referenced Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, both killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut. It 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 air raid alerts in Israel came a day after Israel said it had begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire pounded southern Lebanese villages where people were ordered to evacuate, and Hezbollah militants responded by firing a barrage of rockets into Israel.
A senior White House official warned of “severe consequences” should Iran launch a ballistic missile against Israel. U.S. ships and aircraft are positioned in the region to assist Israel in the event of an attack from Iran. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence.
Hagari also warned of consequences if Iran fired missiles into Israel.
He urged the public to stay close to sheltered areas. “The Iranian strike could be widespread,” he said.
Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Hezbollah has been reeling from weeks of targeted strikes that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders.
On Tuesday morning, Israel warned people to evacuate to the north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border and much farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a U.N.-declared zone intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war.
READ ALSO:
Sudan’s army denies attack on UAE ambassador residence, blames RSF
Hezbollah and Hamas are close allies backed by Iran, and each escalation has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East that could draw in Iran and the United States, which has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel.
Israeli strikes have killed over 1,000 people in Lebanon over the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
Hezbollah is a well-trained militia, believed to have tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles.
Recent airstrikes wiping out most of Hezbollah’s top leadership and the explosions of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah indicate Israel has infiltrated deep inside the group’s upper echelons.
The group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said in a televised statement Monday that Hezbollah commanders killed in recent weeks have already been replaced.
As the fighting intensifies, European countries have begun pulling their diplomats and citizens out of Lebanon.
