Iran fired several waves of missiles at Israel on the evening of October 1 in a surprise attack, raising the possibility of a direct all-out war between two of the most powerful military forces in the Middle East, the New York Times reported.
The Israeli military said Iran fired about 180 missiles into its territory in the latest attack. The barrage of fire forced millions of Israelis to take shelter in bomb shelters for more than an hour.
According to the Israeli military, many of the rockets were intercepted by Israel's air defense systems, but many also fell in central and southern Israel.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in Israel following the latest Iranian attack. However, a Palestinian man was killed by shrapnel that landed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"Based on what we know now, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective," President Joe Biden said. According to the US President, the US military is "actively supporting" Israel's defense.
President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, informed that US Navy destroyers together with Israel shot down Iranian attack missiles.
Iran's latest attack on Israel has the region on edge awaiting Israel's potential response.
"Iran made a big mistake tonight and they will pay the price. Iran does not understand our determination to defend itself and retaliate against our enemies," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the night of October 1.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the ballistic missile attack on Israel was in retaliation for recent assassinations. In July, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital by suspected Israeli forces. Then, on September 27, Israeli warplanes killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike just south of Beirut, Lebanon.
Iran also said it would fire more missiles if Israel retaliated.
During the Iranian attack, air raid sirens sounded across Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Explosions were heard in both cities as Israeli interceptors collided with dozens of enemy missiles.
Iran's attack on Israel was the culmination of a dizzying chain of events in less than 24 hours, beginning with Israel launching a ground operation into Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia.
Israel pounded Lebanon from the air throughout October 1 as its army advanced by land, while Hezbollah fired rockets deep into Israel. The attacks left 55 people dead and 156 wounded across Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The missile attack from Iran comes as Israel continues to battle Hamas in Gaza.
Iran last attacked Israel in April, but Israel intercepted most of the hundreds of missiles and drones fired at its territory. At the urging of the United States, Israel responded with a limited response, firing at an air base near some of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but not hitting the facilities themselves.
