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
US ‘destroying’ international rules-based order by trying to meet Russia ‘halfway’, Ukraine’s UK ambassador warns
The United States is “finally destroying” the international rules-based order by trying to meet Russia “halfway”, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has warned.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Washington’s recent actions in relation to Moscow could lead to the collapse of NATO – with Europe becoming Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s next target.
“The failure to qualify actions of Russia as an aggression is a huge challenge for the entire world and Europe, in particular,” he told a conference at the Chatham House think tank.
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“We see that it is not just the axis of evil and Russia trying to revise the world order, but the US is finally destroying this order.”
Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Pic: Reuters
Mr Zaluzhnyi, who took over as Kyiv’s ambassador to London in 2024 following three years as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, also warned that the White House had “questioned the unity of the whole Western world” – suggesting NATO could cease to exist as a result.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy scrambles to repair relations with US President Donald Trump following a dramatic row between the two men in the Oval Office last week.
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Mr Trump signalled on Tuesday that tensions could be easing, telling Congress he had received a letter from Mr Zelenskyy saying he was ready to sign a peace deal “at any time”.
Zelenskyy and Trump during their extraordinary Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
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But on the same day, the US president ordered a sudden freeze on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine, and Washington has since paused intelligence sharing with Kyiv and halted cyber operations against Russia.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Mr Zaluzhnyi said the pause in cyber operations and an earlier decision by the US to oppose a UN resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine were “a huge challenge for the entire world”.
He added that talks between the US and Russia – “headed by a war criminal” – showed the White House “makes steps towards the Kremlin, trying to meet them halfway”, warning Moscow’s next target “could be Europe”.
World
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh being forced to fight for same military accused of genocide against their people
Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is a sprawling mass of humanity.
It’s a sea of makeshift bamboo shelters, home to more than one million Rohingya refugees – a mainly Muslim minority from Rakhine state in Myanmar.
Some 700,000 fled their homeland back in 2017 – after the Myanmar military massacred thousands.
The army was accused of genocide by the United Nations.
The Rohingya refugees didn’t escape danger though.
Right now, violence is at its worst levels in the camps since 2017 and Rohingya people face a particularly cruel new threat – they’re being forced back to fight for the same Myanmar military accused of trying to wipe out their people.
A child at the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar
Militant groups are recruiting Rohingya men in the camps, some at gunpoint, and taking them back to Myanmar to fight for a force that’s losing ground.
Jaker is just 19.
We’ve changed his name to protect his identity.
He says he was abducted at gunpoint last year by a group of nine men in Cox’s.
They tied his hands with rope he says and took him to the border where he was taken by boat with three other men to fight for the Myanmar military.
“It was heartbreaking,” he told me. “They targeted poor children. The children of wealthy families only avoided it by paying money.”
And he says the impact has been deadly.
“Many of our Rohingya boys, who were taken by force from the camps, were killed in battle.”
Jaker speaks to Sky’s Cordelia Lynch
An aerial view of the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar
The situation in Cox’s is desperate.
People are disillusioned by poverty, violence and the plight of their own people and the civil war they ran from is getting worse.
In Rakhine, just across the border, there’s been a big shift in dynamics.
The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group has all but taken control of the state from the ruling military junta.
Both the military and the AA are accused of committing atrocities against Rohingya Muslims.
And whilst some Rohingya claim they’re being forced into the fray – dragged back to Myanmar from Bangladesh, others are willing to go.
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Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar – where refugees arrive from Myanmar after crossing the Naf River
Some are so aggrieved with the AA, they’re willing to support their former persecutors.
Abu Zar is one of those willing to take up arms.
But not for the military or AA, he says.
Everyone praying in the mosque with him is prepared to go back to protect their own cause he says – not anyone else’s.
“We want to fight for our rights because we have been demanding justice for a long time. But the situation has become unbearable,” he tells me.
Abu Zar has said he is willing to take up arms for his own cause
It’s estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 Rohingya have joined armed groups from this camp.
But the fight they are joining has become increasingly bloody.
In a cramped shelter, we meet Safura.
Safura came under fire as she fled Myanmar
Safura’s son Aman had his foot blown off
Five days ago she managed to get out of Myanmar but she had to be carried part of the way.
Her legs are riddled with bullet wounds and the pain is severe.
Her son, Aman, who lies on the floor next to her, has had his foot blown off.
They were injured she said, during an attack on her family home in the middle of the night.
“They entered our house and shot all my family members. My husband and mother-in-law were killed on the spot.”
The military denies forcing Rohingya to the battlefield. But the camps tell a different story- one of surging violence and vulnerability.
US President Donald Trump has told Gazans to hand over Israeli hostages or “you are dead”.
The threat, made over social media, came hours after the White House confirmed that US officials had broken with tradition to hold direct talks with Hamas.
The US has previously avoided direct contact with the group owing to Washington’s longstanding position not to negotiate with terrorists – with Hamas having been designated as a terrorist group in the US since 1997.
In a press conference on Wednesday, White House press secretary Ms Keavitt said there had been “ongoing talks and discussions” between the US officials and Hamas.
File pic: AP
But she would not be drawn on the substance of the talks – taking place in Doha, Qatar – between US officials and Hamas, but said Israel had been consulted.
Ms Leavitt continued: “Dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people, is something that the president has proven is what he believes is a good faith, effort to do what’s right for the American people.”
There are “American lives at stake,” she added.
Adam Boehler, Mr Trump’s pick to be special envoy for hostage affairs, participated in the direct talks with Hamas.
A spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel had “expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas”.
Hours later, Mr Trump warned Hamas to hand over Israeli hostages or “it’s over for you” – adding: “This is your last warning”.
Hamas militants on the day of a hostage handover in Gaza in February. Pic: Reuters
On his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump wrote: “Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered or it is over for you.
“Only sick and twisted people keep bodies and you are sick and twisted. I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.”
Mr Trump met with freed Israeli hostages on Wednesday, something he referenced in his social media post, before adding: “This is your last warning. For the leadership of Hamas, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance.
“Also, to the people of Gaza, a beautiful future awaits, but not if you hold hostages. If you do, you are dead. Make a smart decision. Release the hostages now, or there will be hell to pay later.”
Israel estimates about 24 living hostages, including American citizen Edan Alexander, and the bodies of at least 35 others, are still believed to be in Gaza.
Donald Trump with Benjamin Netanyahu in February. Pic: Reuters
The US has a long-held policy of not negotiating with terrorists – which it is breaking with these talks as Hamas has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government’s National Counterterrorism Center since 1997.
The discussions come as a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire continues to hold, but its future is uncertain.
Palestinians amid the rubble in the southern Gaza strip. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump has signalled he has no intention of pushing the Israeli prime minister away from a return to combat if Hamas does not agree to terms of a new ceasefire proposal – which, Israel says, has been drafted by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages – the group’s main bargaining chip – in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.
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Israel has made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase.
Fighting in Gaza has been halted since 19 January.
Hamas has exchanged 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
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