Israel vows to retaliate after Iran fires nearly 200 missiles in ‘extensive’ attack

Published

10 months ago

October 2, 2024

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

‘It appears to be a far larger Iranian attack than in April’

Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall phoned in to explain what is going on where he is on the side of a road in Tel Aviv.

He witnessed a “huge amount of activity in the air above us” and said it was hard to distinguish between incoming missiles and ones launched by Israel to intercept.

“It appears to be a far larger attack than April,” he said.

Iran appears to have fired ballistic missiles this time, which take 10 to 12 minutes to reach Israel.

Back in April it was drones – much slower and easier to intercept.

“A lot of people” were out in the open air as the rockets were above, Bunkall said.

Some had decided to continue their journeys home, while others tried to “get to the side of the road and take some cover, whether that’s under a bridge or in a lay-by somewhere”.

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.

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 sending ‘top of the line’ weapons to support NATO in Ukraine war

Published

14 hours ago

July 15, 2025

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Donald Trump sending 'top of the line' weapons to support NATO in Ukraine war

Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.

Speaking with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”

Follow the latest here

It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “very good conversation” with Mr Trump late on Monday. He thanked him for the “willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings”.

Weapons being sent from to Ukraine include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which the country has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.

Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.

The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.

Mr Zelenskyy previously criticised Vladimir Putin’s “desire to drag [the war] out”, and said Kyiv was “working on major defence agreements with America”.

It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump over Mr Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.

During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call”, but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.

“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Mr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.

After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”

Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskyy met with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv, where they “discussed the path to peace” by “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe”.

He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.

World

Trump announces weapons deal with NATO to help Ukraine – as he gives Putin 50-day ultimatum

Published

1 day ago

July 14, 2025

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Trump announces weapons deal with NATO to help Ukraine - as he gives Putin 50-day ultimatum

Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.

Speaking with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States,” he added, “going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”

Follow the latest here

Weapons being sent include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which Ukraine has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.

Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.

The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.

It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump against Vladimir Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.

During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call,” but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.

“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.

After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”

He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.

World

At least 30 dead and 100 injured as armed groups clash in Syria, officials say

Published

2 days ago

July 14, 2025

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At least 30 dead and 100 injured as armed groups clash in Syria, officials say

At least 30 people have been killed in the Syrian city of Sweida in clashes between local military groups and tribes, according to Syria’s interior ministry.

Officials say initial figures suggest around 100 people have also been injured in the city, where the Druze faith is one of the major religious groups.

The interior ministry said its forces will directly intervene to resolve the conflict, which the Reuters news agency said involved fighting between Druze gunmen and Bedouin Sunni tribes.

It marks the latest episode of sectarian violence in Syria, where fears among minority groups have increased since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.

The violence reportedly erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida.

Last April, Sunni militia clashed with armed Druze residents of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, and fighting later spread to another district near the capital.

But this is the first time the fighting has been reported inside the city of Sweida itself, the provincial capital of the mostly Druze province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports the fighting was centred in the Maqwas neighbourhood east of Sweida and villages on the western and northern outskirts of the city.

It adds that Syria’s Ministry of Defence has deployed military convoys to the area.

Western nations, including the US and UK, have been increasingly moving towards normalising relations with Syria.

Concerns among minority groups have intensified following the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack carried out by Assad loyalists.

That was the deadliest sectarian flare-up in years in Syria, where a 14-year civil war ended with Assad fleeing to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebel forces.

The city of Sweida is in southern Syria, about 24 miles (38km) north of the border with Jordan.