Iran launches major missile attack on Israel

Iran launched dozens of missiles toward Israel on Tuesday in what it said was a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others, potentially pushing the region closer to a wider conflict.

CNN teams on the ground in multiple locations in Israel observed numerous missiles piercing through the skies as sirens blasted across the country.

Israel’s military estimated that Iran fired 180 “projectiles” at the country. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari described the barrage as a “serious attack” and warned that “there will be serious consequences.”

The IDF reported that many of the missiles were intercepted, though some landed in Israel with no injuries initially reported. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later said that the attack by Iran was “effectively defeated.”

Although the attack ended relatively quickly, it has further heightened tensions in an already volatile situation. World leaders have long warned that the conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, could escalate into a wider regional war. Attention will now turn to how Israel responds.

Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since the deadly October 7 terrorist attack by the group on southern Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with much of the strip reduced to rubble.

While Israel and Hezbollah have been trading cross-border fire for much of the past year, Iran launched its missile barrage on Tuesday just hours after Israel announced a “limited and localized” ground operation in Lebanon.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted Israel in response to the killing of Nasrallah and others, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

After the missiles were launched, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said that Tehran had acted in response to “the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime.” The mission warned on X that if Israel “dares to respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing response will ensue.”

US warned about ‘imminent attack’

The White House warned earlier on Tuesday that Iran was preparing a ballistic missile attack on Israel, heightening fears of all-out war in the region.

Residents of Tel Aviv and other cities were instructed to stay near shelters or other protected areas, with tensions noticeably high on the streets.

In a statement released mid-morning, just hours before Tehran’s attack, the White House said it had “indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” adding that the United States was “actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack.”

“A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” a senior White House official said.

Israel assessed that Iran was likely to attack three Israeli air bases and an intelligence base located just north of Tel Aviv, a person briefed on the matter said. The IRGC claimed to have targeted three Israeli military bases around Tel Aviv, according to the semi-official Iranian media outlet Mehr News.

The intelligence base in Glilot was evacuated Tuesday afternoon, and the Israeli military implemented contingency plans for personnel safety at those bases.

An Israeli source told CNN shortly after the White House warning that intense diplomacy was happening behind the scenes.

President Joe Biden convened a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and top national security officials on Tuesday “to discuss Iranian plans to imminently launch a significant ballistic missile attack against Israel,” according to White House spokesperson Emilie Simons.

Simons added that the officials “reviewed the status of US preparations to help Israel defend against attacks and protect US personnel.”

After a year of heightened tensions between Israel and Iran’s proxies in the region — including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen — an attack by Iran on Israel could further tip the region toward full-scale conflict.

US and Arab diplomats are already concerned about Israel’s potential response to the attack. A major concern is that Israel could use Iran’s strike as a pretext to launch strikes inside Iran.

“There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach, and that’s true of the entire Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said during his speech at the United Nations last week.

The US had previously committed to helping Israel intercept any threats from Iran, similar to its assistance in April when Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel — most of which were intercepted, a US official said.

Hagari stated that the IDF had intercepted “many” of the missiles, though he did not specify exact numbers.

“There are a few impacts in the center and more in the south. At this stage, we are assessing the situation. We are not aware of any injuries,” he said.

The US had anticipated that Iran’s attack on Israel could be similar in scale to the one in April, a US official told CNN.

The US warned Israel early Tuesday morning ET (midday in Israel) that Iran was poised to launch an attack, according to a source familiar with the situation. The warning came several hours before the White House made its public announcement.

The official noted that Iran had been postured for a quick strike. After the wave of drones and missiles fired at Israel in April, many of Iran’s assets remained in place.

Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated in recent weeks as Israel has intensified its actions against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group. On Monday, Israel launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu urged Israelis to “stand together” and continue following the orders of the frontline command amid growing fears of an imminent Iranian attack.

Netanyahu said Israel is in the midst of a “campaign against Iran’s axis of evil” and made specific requests of the Israeli public.

“What I ask of you is two things: First, strictly obey the directives of the frontline command. It saves lives. Second, stand together,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

The United States is “closely monitoring events in the Middle East” and remains “committed to Israel’s defense,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.

“We’re watching developments very carefully,” Blinken said during brief remarks alongside his Moroccan counterpart. Blinken did not specifically mention Iran or the potential attack.

The US Embassy in Israel directed all US government personnel and their families to “shelter in place until further notice” due to “the current security situation,” according to a security alert issued Tuesday.

“This information is provided for your own security planning,” the alert stated, without referencing the specific warnings of an imminent attack from Iran.

Credit: CNN