NY Times:
Live Updates: Iran Launches Barrage of Ballistic Missiles at Israel
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel, loud booming explosions were heard above Tel Aviv, and flashes of light from the arcing intercepting rockets of Israel’s air defense system were visible.
Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening, an attack that could set off a sharp escalation in the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Iran and tip the region further into turmoil and a widening war.
“A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran to Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel, including in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Loud booming explosions were heard above Tel Aviv, and flashes of light from the arcing intercepting rockets of Israel’s air defense system were visible.
The salvo of missiles from Iran came a day after Israeli forces began a rare ground invasion of southern Lebanon aimed at crippling the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah there. Iran backs Hezbollah and Hamas, the two militias currently fighting Israel, as well as the Houthis in Yemen.
A senior White House official said the United States would help defend Israel and warned that a direct attack against Israel “will carry severe consequences for Iran.”
U.S. officials assess that Iran will launch mostly, if not solely, ballistic missiles at Israel in the next few hours, and likely in more than one wave. President Biden and Vice President Harris held a meeting on Tuesday morning with national security officials “to discuss Iranian plans to imminently launch a significant ballistic missile attack against Israel,” according to the White House. They reviewed plans to help Israel defend against the attacks and protect Americans in the region.
Iran’s state media report that Iran has launched ballistic missiles on Israel. “It’s raining missiles in Tel Aviv,” headlined Tasnim News Agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards Corps.
