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JERUSALEM | Xinhua | Israel’s military on Tuesday vowed to “carry out attacks throughout the Middle East tonight” to retaliate against the Iranian attacks.
The military said around 200 missiles were fired by Iran at Israel in the evening, adding the attacks’ impact was still under review. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed that several missiles hit central and southern Israel, and “quite a few” were intercepted by air defense systems.
Amid Iran’s night attack, a Palestinian man, originally from the Gaza Strip, was killed by shrapnel in a village near Jericho in the occupied West Bank, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported, while Israeli Magen David Adom rescue service said two people in Tel Aviv sustained minor injuries. There has been no immediate report of fatalities within Israel yet.
Video footage circulating on social media showed that a restaurant in northern Tel Aviv was damaged.
At a press briefing, Hagari remarked that no immediate launches were expected from Iran. He said civilians who had fled to shelters “are now permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas,” but advised them to stay near shelters as the alert level remains high and missile barrages may resume later.
The military said Chief of the General Staff of Israel Defense Forces Herzi Halevi had conducted a situational assessment at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv. The cabinet is expected to convene later to discuss potential responses to Iran’s attacks.
Israel’s Airports Authority announced the reopening of airspace after a brief closure. Its neighbor Jordan also reopened its airspace following a temporary suspension of air traffic shortly after the attacks.
Jordan’s Interior Ministry reported two injuries as missile debris fell on the country’s territory. The kingdom’s military said its units have remained on high alert to respond to any attempts that threaten the country’s security and stability.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed that it had targeted Israel with dozens of ballistic missiles.
The IRGC said in a statement that the attacks were in retaliation for Israel’s assassinations of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and senior IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan, as well as its intensification of “malicious acts” with the U.S. support in its offensives against Lebanese and Palestinian peoples.
The operation was carried out following the approval of the Supreme National Security Council and a directive by the General Staff of the Armed Forces, with the support of the country’s army and Defense Ministry, the IRGC added.
It warned that if Israel retaliates by attacking Iran, it will face further “crushing and destructive” attacks.
A senior Iranian aviation official said flights to and from Iran have been canceled, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi group and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip expressed support for Iran in its attacks against Israel.
The two anti-Israel groups praised the attacks, calling them “a powerful message” to deter Israel’s “aggression” in the region. ■
