IDF says missiles launched from Iran into Israel

Published

8 months ago

October 1, 2024

admin

Iran has launched missiles into Israel, the Israeli military says.

The attack – in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against the Hezbollah group in Lebanon – marks a significant escalation in the conflict.

Nearly 200 missiles were launched, according to Israeli army radio. Warning sirens sounded in Jerusalem shortly after 5.30pm UK time and explosions were heard.

The Israeli military said all civilians were in bomb shelters as the rockets were fired.

Israel-Lebanon latest: Follow live updates

Major developments include:

• Explosions heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
• Missiles seen flying over central Jordan
• Heavy continuous gunfire heard in Beirut
• Four killed, seven wounded in shooting in Jaffa

Witnesses told Reuters they saw dozens of missiles flying over central Jordan and the country’s state news agency soon announced the temporary closure of its airspace.

The Jordanian Army appealed to its citizens to stay in their homes for their safety.

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.

Take offs and landings at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport were suspended at around 6pm UK time, Israeli army radio said. An hour later, authorities said they were preparing to reopen the airport.

The attack from Iran was expected and orders to shelter were sent to Israelis’ mobile phones and broadcast on national television earlier today.

Citizens were given permission to leave designated protected spaces at around 6.30pm UK time.

An Israeli spokesman said this evening that officials are so far not aware of any injuries from the missiles.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesman said the attack will have consequences – and Iran has already vowed to respond to any retaliation.

Iran’s 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”.

Its Revolutionary Guards also warned that any retaliation will spark a “more crushing and ruinous” response from Tehran, Iranian state TV reported.

‘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”.

A senior Iranian official said its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was in a secure location.

Sky News understands Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the King of Jordan, Abdullah II.

Earlier today, the US warned that Iran was getting ready to launch the attack and Israelis were subsequently told to “stay close to a protected space”.

An unnamed government official told Sky’s partner network NBC News that the US was helping Israel defend itself, and warned that a direct military attack on Israel would have “severe consequences” for Iran.

The warning came as 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

Mum of emaciated baby in Gaza says ‘I lost my husband… I don’t want to lose her’

Published

1 hour ago

May 23, 2025

admin

Mum of emaciated baby in Gaza says 'I lost my husband... I don't want to lose her'

In mid-May, the World Health Organisation assessed that there were “nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death”.

“This is one of the world’s worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time,” its report concluded.

Warning: This article contains images of an emaciated child which some readers may find distressing

Israel‘s decision this week to reverse the siege and allow “a basic level of aid” into Gaza should help ease the immediate crisis.

But the number of aid trucks getting in, so far fewer than 100 per day, is considered dramatically too few by aid organisations working in Gaza, and the United Nations accuses Israel of continuing to block vital items.

Israel-Gaza latest: Gaza enduring ‘atrocious death and destruction’, UN boss warns

“Strict quotas are being imposed on the goods we distribute, along with unnecessary delay procedures,” said UN secretary general Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday.

“Essentials, including fuel, shelter, cooking gas and water purification supplies, are prohibited. Nothing has reached the besieged north.”

Nineteen of Gaza’s hospitals remain operational, all of them are overwhelmed with the number of patients and a lack of supplies.

“Today, we receive between 300 to 500 cases daily, with approximately 10% requiring admission. This volume of inpatient cases far exceeds the capacity of Rantisi hospital, as the facility is not equipped to accommodate such large numbers,” Jall al Barawi, a doctor at the hospital, told us.

At least 94% of the hospitals have sustained some damage, some considerable, according to the UN.

Paramedic crews are close to running out of fuel to drive ambulances.

The lack of food, after an 11-week blockade, has left thousands malnourished and increasingly vulnerable to surviving injuries or recovering from other conditions.

Children are the worst affected.

Our team in Gaza filmed with baby Aya at the Rantisi hospital in northern Gaza. She is now three months old and dangerously thin.

Her skin stretches over her cheekbones and eye sockets on her gaunt, pale face. Her nappy is too big for her emaciated little body.

Lethal spiral

Her mother Sundush, who is only 19 herself, cannot get enough food to produce breastmilk. Baby formula is scarce.

Aya, like so many other young children, cannot get the vital nutrition she needs to grow and develop.

It’s a lethal spiral.

“My daughter was born at a normal weight, 3.5kg,” Sundush tells us.

“But as the war went on, her weight dropped significantly. I would breastfeed her, she’d get diarrhoea. I tried formula – same result. With the borders closed and no food coming in, I can’t eat enough to give her the nutrients she needs.”

“I brought her to the hospital for treatment, but the care she needs isn’t available.

“The doctor said her condition is very serious. I really don’t want to lose her, because I lost my husband and she’s all I have left of him. I don’t want to lose her.”

Some of the aid entering Gaza now is being looted. It is hard to know whether that is by Hamas or desperate civilians. Maybe a combination of the two.

The lack of aid creates an atmosphere of desperation, which eventually leads to a breakdown in security as everyone fights to secure food for themselves and their families.

Only by alleviating the desperation can the security situation improve, and the risk of famine abate.

World

Police launch ‘major operation’ after 12 people injured in knife attack at Hamburg train station

Published

2 hours ago

May 23, 2025

admin

Police launch 'major operation' after 12 people injured in knife attack at Hamburg train station

Twelve people are reported to have been injured after a knife attack at Hamburg’s central train station.

A “major operation” has been launched and a suspect was arrested, police said in a post on X.

The identity of the suspect has not been revealed.

Reports in Germany said the suspected attacker was a woman.

The fire service said six of the injured were in a life-threatening condition, three others were seriously hurt, and another three sustained minor injuries, news agency dpa reported.

Bild newspaper said the motive for the attack was so far unknown.

Hamburg is Germany’s second biggest city, with the train station being a hub for local, regional and long-distance trains.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

World

Israeli embassy shooting suspect ‘fired repeatedly after victims hit the ground’

Published

16 hours ago

May 23, 2025

admin

Israeli embassy shooting suspect 'fired repeatedly after victims hit the ground'

The man suspected of shooting dead two Israeli embassy workers in Washington DC leaned over and fired at them repeatedly after they fell to the ground, the FBI has said.

Elias Rodriguez, 31, has been charged with murdering Sarah Milgrim and her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky, after they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night.

Israeli PM attacks Starmer – latest updates

Footage has showed Rodriguez, from Chicago, chanting “free, free Palestine” as he was arrested.

It later emerged Mr Lischinsky had bought a ring and planned to propose to Ms Milgrim.

Authorities are investigating the killings as both a hate crime against the Jewish community and terrorism.

‘I did it for Gaza’

It comes as the FBI has said in a charging document on Thursday that surveillance footage shows how Ms Milgrim and Mr Lischinsky died.

Rodriguez is allegedly seen passing the couple after they left the museum before shooting them in the back.

The FBI says the footage then shows him leaning over the couple and firing at them several more times after they fell to the ground.

The video then shows Ms Milgrim attempting to crawl away before “(Rodriguez) followed behind her and fired again”, the charging document says.

The suspected gunman is then accused of reloading his weapon and firing at Ms Milgrim as she sat up.

According to the charging document, Rodriguez then jogged to the museum and once inside asked to speak to a police officer before stating that he “did it” and that he was unarmed.

He is then said to have told police: “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed.”

Suspect ‘expressed admiration’ for fatal protest

The court document also states that 21 expended 9mm bullet cases were found at the scene and the gun was slide-locked – meaning it was empty of ammunition.

An empty gun magazine was also recovered from the scene.

The FBI says it has obtained travel records which show Rodriguez flew from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to the Reagan National in Washington DC on Tuesday with the gun in his checked baggage.

Rodriguez had bought the weapon in the state of Illinois on 6 March 2020, according to the charging document.

The FBI has said that while Rodriguez was in custody he “expressed admiration” for a US Air Force member who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC on 25 February 2024.

Aaron Bushnell died in the apparent act of protest against the war in Gaza.

Rodriguez also told police he bought a ticket to the museum around three hours before the event that was attended by Ms Milgrim and Mr Lischinsky.

During a brief court appearance at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington DC today, Rodriguez was charged with two counts of first degree murder and with the murder of foreign officials.

He has also been charged with causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Rodriguez was told he could face life in prison or the death penalty if he is found guilty.

He remained calm throughout the hearing, paying attention to the proceedings throughout and confirmed that he is asking the court to appoint an attorney on his behalf.

He will next appear at a federal court in Washington DC on 18 June.

Murdered couple ‘were perfect for each other’

Meanwhile, Ms Milgrim’s father, Robert, says he feared his daughter might be in danger when he saw news alerts of a fatal shooting in Washington DC.

Ms Milgrim’s mother Nancy opened a phone locator app and saw Ms Milgrim was at the Capital Jewish Museum.

“Shortly after that, the Israeli ambassador called us on my wife’s phone,” Mr Milgrim told Sky News’ partner network NBC News, fighting back tears.

He added that it was the ambassador who told them Mr Lischinksy had bought a ring and was planning to propose to Ms Milgrim.

“They were perfect for each other, he said.

Mr Milgrim continued: “They just brought us joy, and her memory, which is a blessing, will continue to bring us joy – but it’s not the same as her not being here.”