The Israeli army assured that it had intercepted a large number of missiles fired by Iran towards Israel on Tuesday evening, adding that it had detected some “impacts” during the attack.
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Israel had just called on the population to prepare for a possible attack “on a large scale” from Iran. Warning sirens sounded throughout Israeli territory on Tuesday evening, October 1, while “missiles [ont été] fired by Iran towards Israel”, announced the Israeli army early in the evening. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had “made a serious mistake” by attacking his country, and that he would pay for it “the price”Israel being determined to make “be accountable to your enemies”.
While the Hebrew State army announced that residents could leave the shelters, here is what we know about this attack which reflects a new level in the escalation of violence in the region.
Iranian missile salvo intercepted by Israeli missile defense
Around 180 missiles were launched at Israel from Iran, an Israeli army spokesperson said early in the evening. On Telegram, the Israeli army called on residents to “stay safe”. “The explosions you hear are from the interception of projectiles,” she clarified. “The air defense system is fully operational,” she declared in a statement addressed to the Israelis. Dozens of detonations were indeed heard and explosions were visible in the sky.
Israel Alert
(franceinfo)
“We have the situation under control”later said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari in an intervention broadcast on Israeli television, assuring that these shots had caused “very few injuries, thanks to the responsible attitude of the population” And “to the army defense system” Israeli. “There will be an answer”assured the representative, warning: “We have plans and we will act where and when we decide.”
Israeli army spokesperson did not provide a more precise assessment of the attack at this stage, simply stating that it there was “had some impacts in the center and others in the south of the country”. Israeli rescuers reported two minor injuries from shrapnel. A Palestinian was killed in Jericho, in the occupied West Bank, by missile fragments, according to a Palestinian official.
Iran claims responsibility for attack
As alarms sounded in Israeli cities, the official Iranian news agency IRNA announced that Iran was behind its shots, saying “missiles on Tel Aviv”without any other details. “We targeted three military bases around Tel Aviv” during the operation, the Revolutionary Guards later clarified in a press release relayed by the ISNA agency.
In a cpress release transmitted by the Iranian Mehr agency, the Revolutionary Guards for their part announced the start of “long-awaited retaliation” from Iran, “in response” to the assassinations of the Palestinian leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in July in Tehran, of the leader of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday near Beirut, and of the former deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards, Abbas Nilforoushan.
The attack on Israel is a response to “terrorist acts” of the Hebrew State, immediately announced the Iranian delegation to the UN on the social network “overwhelming attacks” if Israel responds to these missile attacks. This attack is the second launched by Iran against Israel in six months after that of April, when Tehran claimed to have acted in “self-defense” after the attack which destroyed its consulate in Damascus, killing seven of its soldiers.
Air traffic disrupted in the region
Israeli airspace was closed for a time on Tuesday evening and flights were diverted. Israeli airport authorities announced its reopening and resumption of air services shortly after the end of the attack.
Several other countries in the region have also taken this measure for safety reasons. Airspace was also closed for a while in Iran. Lebanon also announced the closure of its airspace and the suspension of air traffic for at least two hours, before announcing its reopening in the evening. In Jordan, airspace was temporarily closed and all departures and arrivals were suspended. The Iraqi Ministry of Transport ordered the closure of its airspace for reasons of “security” And “the temporary cessation of air traffic in all Iraqi airports”.
The UN and the West condemn “escalation”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, “condemns the widening of the conflict in the Middle East”. “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire”added the UN boss in his press release, deploring “climb after climb”. The West, for their part, targets Iran more clearly in their reactions. The American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, judged “totally unacceptable” Iran’s attack on Israel, adding that “the whole world must condemn it”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned “with the greatest firmness” Iranian shots. “I condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing attack”German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also wrote about X, adding: “Iran must stop its attack immediately” because she “drags the region a little further towards the abyss”. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the region.
“This is a total failure of the administration [du président Joe] Biden in the Middle East”commented the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova. A bloody drama that is only getting worse. The White House’s inarticulate statements demonstrate total impotence in resolving crises.”. The UN Security Council will meet urgently on Wednesday to discuss the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. “We scheduled a meeting” at 10 a.m. in New York (4 p.m. in France), specified the Swiss Presidency of the Council.