Israel vows to retaliate after Iran fires nearly 200 missiles in ‘extensive’ attack
Iran has launched a barrage of missiles at Israel – in an attack Benjamin Netanyahu labelled a “major mistake” as he said: “It will pay.”
In a move anticipated by officials, nearly 200 missiles were launched on Tuesday evening, according to Israel‘s army radio.
Israel-Lebanon latest: Follow live updates
The attack, in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, marks a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Iran‘s actions have already been condemned by world leaders including Sir Keir Starmer while the US has said it played a role in helping ally Israel defend itself.
People take cover on a Tel Aviv road side. Pic: AP
A US official said on Tuesday afternoon that an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel was “imminent” and within a few hours, shortly after 5.30pm UK time, sirens sounded across the country as rockets began to arrive overhead.
Window-shaking explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem, though it was not initially clear whether the noise was from missiles landing, being intercepted by Israeli defences, or both.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Israelis had earlier been told to seek safety with orders to shelter sent to mobile phones and broadcast on national television. The Israeli military said all civilians were in bomb shelters as the rockets were fired.
Witnesses told Reuters they saw dozens of missiles flying over central Jordan and the country’s army appealed to its own citizens to stay in their homes for their safety.
A map showing the sirens sounded across Israel as the barrage began
Jordan’s state news agency soon announced a temporary closure of its airspace, which lasted until around 7.55pm UK time, and Kuwait Airways said it was changing some of its flight routes due to the “current situation”.
Take offs and landings at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport were suspended for around an hour.
People take cover on the side of the road in Shoresh, Israel. Pic: AP
Reporting close to the Israel-Lebanon border, Sky’s security and defence editor Deborah Haynes took cover as missiles flew overhead during a live broadcast.
Iran’s state TV has since claimed 90% of the missiles hit their targets while an Israeli spokesman has said officials there are so far not aware of any injuries from the attack.
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Sky team take cover near Israel-Lebanon border
Elsewhere in Tel Aviv, six people were killed by two suspects who opened fire in Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish neighbourhood in the south of the city, Israeli media reported.
Israeli police said the shooting was a suspected terror attack.
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Rockets seen from Tel Aviv. Pic: Reuters
Projectiles seen from southern Lebanon. Pic: Reuters
Israel and Iran exchange threats of escalation
Israel has vowed the attack will have consequences, with its prime minister leading officials who have made statements.
Mr Netanyahu said: “Iran made a major mistake tonight – and it will pay for it.”
“There is also a deliberate and murderous hand behind this attack – it comes from Tehran,” he continued. “We will stand by the rule we established: whoever attacks us – we will attack him.”
His comments came after IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari labelled the attack “extensive” and said: “There will be repercussions. We have plans.”
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Israeli PM: ‘Iran made a major mistake’
Iran has already said it will respond to any retaliation.
Its UN Mission said in a social media post that if Israel “should dare to respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing response will ensue”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also warned that any retaliation will spark a “more crushing and ruinous” response from Tehran, Iranian state TV reported.
Some took to the streets of Tehran to celebrate following Iran’s attack. Pic: Reuters
An Israeli flag being burnt during celebrations. Pic: Reuters
In a post on X, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said Mr Netanyahu “should understand that Iran is not warlike, but it will stand firmly against any threat”.
“This is only a glimpse of our capabilities,” he continued. “Do not engage in conflict with Iran.”
A senior Iranian official said its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was in a secure location.
US and UK react to Iranian attack
The US – which warned about Iran’s imminent attack earlier on Monday – said it helped its ally Israel to defend itself.
US Navy destroyers fired around a dozen interceptors against Iranian missiles, the Pentagon said.
The White House press secretary said the president and vice president had convened two meetings with their national security team in the White House situation room and are receiving regular updates.
US officials also said they had not yet received any reports of injuries as a result of the missile strikes but stressed it was too early to rule out casualties.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Starmer – who spoke to Mr Netanyahu and the King of Jordan, Abdullah II – has condemned Iran’s actions “in the strongest possible terms”.
The prime minister later gave a statement from Downing Street saying the UK “stands with Israel” and Iran’s aggression cannot be tolerated – while reiterating his calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
“The prime minister said he will work alongside partners and do everything possible to push for de-escalation and push for a diplomatic solution,” a Downing Street spokesperson added.
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Iran’s attack came after Israel’s military said its paratroopers and commandos were engaged in fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants after launching “limited, localised and targeted raids” against the armed group in Lebanon.
Iran previously launched a drone and missile barrage against Israel in April, but most projectiles did not reach their targets.
World
Donald Trump ambushes South African president at White House meeting by playing video alleging ‘genocide’
Donald Trump has ambushed South Africa’s president during a White House meeting by playing a video purportedly showing evidence of a “genocide” of white farmers in the African country.
The US president, who was hosting leader Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, said the footage showed the graves of more than a thousand white farmers and “it’s a terrible sight… I’ve never seen anything like it. Those people are all killed”.
After an initial friendly chat where Mr Trump complimented South African golfers in the room, a montage of clips was played as Mr Ramaphosa sat quietly and mostly expressionless. He later said: “I’d like to know where that is because this [the alleged burial site in the video] I’ve never seen”.
Donald Trump meets Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office. Pic: AP
The lights were dimmed in the Oval Office as the videos were shown, including of South African officials allegedly calling for violence against white farmers.
The scene in the heart of the White House administration was reminiscent of Mr Trump’s ambush of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February.
But later, as he left after around three hours at the White House, Mr Ramaphosa insisted his meeting with Mr Trump went “very well”.
The White House’s official account on X posted the footage that was shown in the Oval Office, saying it was “proof of persecution in South Africa”.
South Africa has rejected the allegation that white people are disproportionately targeted by crime.
The clips included one of a communist politician playing a controversial anti-apartheid song that includes lyrics about killing a farmer.
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Mr Trump accused South Africa of failing to address the killing of white farmers.
“We have many people that feel they’re being persecuted, and they’re coming to the United States. So we take from many… locations, if we feel there’s persecution or genocide going on,” the US president said, referring specifically to white farmers.
He added: “People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety. Their land is being confiscated and in many cases they’re being killed.”
Alluding to people in the videos, Mr Trump said: “These are people that are officials and they’re saying… kill the white farmer and take their land.”
The US president then displayed printed copies of news articles that he said showed white South Africans who had been killed, saying “death, death” as he flipped through them.
He added of one article: “Here’s burial sites all over the place, these are all white farmers that are being buried.”
Mr Trump and Mr Ramaphosa look towards a screen where videos were played. Pic: Reuters
South African leader rejects allegations
Mr Ramaphosa pushed back against Mr Trump’s accusations, by responding: “What you saw, the speeches that were being made, that is not government policy. We have a multi-party democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves, political parties to adhere to various policies.
“And in many cases, or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy.
“Our government policy is completely, completely against what he [a person in the video montage] was saying, even in the parliament. And they are a small minority party which is allowed to exist in terms of our constitution.”
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Mr Ramaphosa also said of the behaviour alleged by Mr Trump: “We are completely opposed to that.”
The South African leader said there was crime in his country, and the majority of victims were black. Mr Trump cut him off and said: “The farmers are not black.” The South African president responded: “These are concerns we are willing to talk to you about.”
A video was played during the White House meeting. Pic: AP
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Mr Trump has cancelled aid, expelled South Africa’s ambassador and offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners based on racial discrimination claims which Pretoria says are baseless.
Experts in South Africa have said there is no evidence of white people being targeted, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country that suffers from a very high crime rate.
Vladimir Putin has visited Kursk for the first time since his troops ejected Ukrainian forces from the Russian city.
The Russian president met with volunteer organisations and visited a nuclear power plant in the region on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.
Mr Putin said late last month that his forces had ejected Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region, which ended the largest incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War.
Vladimir Putin during his visit in the Kursk region on Tuesday. Pic: Kremlin News/Telegram
Mr Putin visited a nuclear power plant. Pic: Kremlin.ru/Reuters
Ukraine launched its attack in August last year, using swarms of drones and heavy Western weaponry to smash through the Russian border, controlling nearly 540sq m (5,813sq ft) of Kursk at the height of the incursion.
More than 159 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory, Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday.
The majority were over Russia’s western regions, but at least six drones were shot down over the densely populated Moscow region, the ministry added.
The visit in the Kursk region comes as a Russian missile attack killed six soldiers and injured 10 more during training in the Sumy region of Ukraine, according to the country’s national guard.
The commander of the unit has been suspended and an internal investigation has been launched.
The Russian president met with volunteer organisations. Pic: Kremlin News/Telegram
Russia’s defence ministry claimed the attack on the training camp in northeastern Ukraine killed up to 70 Ukrainian servicemen, including 20 instructors.
The attack comes after US President Donald Trump spoke to both Mr Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging them to restart ceasefire talks.
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But German defence minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday that Mr Trump misjudged his influence on Mr Putin after the call between the American and Russian leaders yielded no progress in Ukraine peace talks.
Europe has since announced new sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. Mr Pistorius said it remained to be seen whether the US would join those measures.
Three people have died after severe thunderstorms caused flooding in the Var region of southeastern France, according to reports.
The rain has also caused widespread damage as Meteo-France, the country’s national weather agency, placed the region under an orange alert for rain, flooding and thunderstorms, French broadcaster BFM TV reported.
Two of those who died were an elderly couple who were in their car as it was swept away by floodwaters in the seaside town of Le Lavandou, France 24 reported.
Meanwhile, the gendarmerie said around 2.30pm local time (1:30pm UK time) that a person had been found drowned in their vehicle in the commune of Vidauban.
Le Lavandou and the commune of Bormes-les-Mimosas were particularly hard hit by the storms.
Gil Bernardi, mayor of Le Lavandou, said during a press conference: “The roads, the bridges, the paving stones, there is no more electricity, water, or wastewater treatment plant. The shock is significant because the phenomenon is truly violent and incomprehensible.
“As we speak, an entire part of the commune is inaccessible.”
Power and water outages were also reported in the town of Cavaliere where 250mm of rain fell in the space of one hour.
A parking lot collapsed in the town, and dozens of people were rescued, according to the authorities.
Around 200 firefighters and 35 gendarmes have reportedly been responding to the floods in Var.
Meteo-France had recorded cumulative rainfall exceeding 10cm as of 10am local time.
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