Iran warns of civilian attacks over Israel counter-offensive as the world braces for wider escalation in Middle East

Iran raised the specter of all-out war with Israel as it braced for a response to launching a barrage of almost 200 missiles last night. 

The hostile state’s military chief Mohammad Bagheri said its attack on Israel on Tuesday was limited to only military bases, but warned that it ‘had the capability to attack the regime’s economic infrastructure.’ 

‘If the Zionist regime is not controlled and takes action against Iran, we will target all of its infrastructure,’ said Major General Bagheri, saying the strikes against Israel were a response to a series of assassinations in the region. 

In the early hours of Wednesday, Israel said a coordinated effort between its Iron Dome anti-missile systems and the US military meant the strikes failed to inflict any significant damage.  

Nevertheless, the salvo from Iran escalated fears that the Middle East could be plunged into chaos grew overnight after Israel vowed to strike ‘powerfully’ in response to Iran’s strikes. 

It comes as: 

• Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon overnight on Monday with the aim of driving Hezbollah forces away from the border;
• The operation will be ‘limited’ and last for ‘days, not weeks’, Israeli officials told the US;
• Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles targeted at Israel, although the Iron Dome and the US military coordinated to prevent any significant damage;  
• Two terrorists armed with an assault rifle and a knife killed six people in the Jaffa neighborhood of Tel Aviv minutes before the Iranian missile attack.

World leaders urged restraint as Israel mulled its response, with the west desperately scrambling to prevent the Middle Eastern crisis from deteriorating into a widespread war. 

In recent weeks, the ongoing conflict has seen Israel carry out a series of high-profile assassinations of Iranian or Iranian-backed military leaders, including the air striking of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Friday. 

Nahrallah was killed alongside Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with their deaths preceding the July assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. 

Following the missile strikes targeting Israel on Tuesday, Bagheri cited the three assassinations as justification for its escalation. 

‘Since the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh, we have gone through a difficult period of restraint at the repeated request of the Americans and Europeans, who asked us to hold back to establish a ceasefire in Gaza,’ he said. 

‘However, after the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Commander Nilforoushan, the situation became intolerable.’ 

At least five Israeli strikes reportedly hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early this morning, with the world holding its breath as the IDF prepares to unleash a ‘powerful’ response.

Israel’s defence system last night stood firm as Iran launched warheads towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in revenge for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, including the assassination of its leader last week.

In a major escalation by Iran, 181 missiles began raining down on Israel, with some rockets dramatically exploding into bright orange flames near Tel Aviv as air raid sirens sounded.

But as Iran unleashed a salvo of missiles, ordered by its supreme leader Ali Khamenei, falling projectiles burned like comets against the night sky after the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ defensive system.

The US has confirmed that its troops helped down the incoming missiles, with the UK also revealing British forces ‘played their part.’ 

The expected assault, hailed as ‘heroic’ by Iran-backed Hamas, marks a major escalation in the Middle East, and was ‘twice the scope’ of Tehran’s bombardment in April, which saw more than 170 explosive drones and 120 ballistic missiles launched.

The sickening attack, which Israel has vowed to exact revenge for, forced civilians to seek shelter as huge chunks of molten metal crashed to the ground. 

In a major embarrassment for Iran, the US said that the missile volley was ‘defeated and ineffective’, with just one reported death – a Palestinian man who was killed by shrapnel in the West Bank.

Despite Iran claiming a new type of hypersonic missile was also used for the first time, IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there were no Israeli casualties and just a few hits in the center of the country and in the south.

‘We are on high alert both defensively and offensively,’ Hagari said in a TV broadcast. 

‘We will defend the citizens of the State of Israel. This attack will have consequences. We have plans, and we will operate at the place and time we decide.’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran’s massive missile attack on Israel ‘a big mistake’ and vowed to make Tehran ‘pay for it’.

‘Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,’ said Netanyahu hours after the attack, warning: ‘Whoever attacks us, we attack them.’

In a separate statement, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who was at the command and control centre monitoring the interception of Iranian missiles, also vowed to punish Iran for the attack.

‘Iran has not learned a simple lesson – those who attack the state of Israel, pay a heavy price,’ he said in a statement issued by his office.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the ‘significant escalation by Iran’, but added: ‘In short, this attack seems to have been defeated and ineffective’.

With the world holding its breath over an all-out war in the Middle East, the White House said President Joe Biden had ordered the US military to ‘aid Israel’s defence’ and shoot down Iranian missiles.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee in next month’s US presidential election, were both monitoring Iran’s attack on Israel from the White House situation room.

The US had earlier warned that it was preparing for Iran to launch ballistic missiles in yet another major escalation in the Middle East. These can reach their targets in just 12 minutes.

Some 181 missiles were fired into Israel in what Iran confirmed was a revenge attack for Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran claimed that 80 per cent of the missiles hit their targets, but the US and Israel have said the attack appears to have been ineffective. Footage online does appear to show that some of Iran’s targets were hit, while some buildings had their windows smashed.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said its ‘Fattah’ hypersonic missile, which translates as ‘conqueror’ or ‘bringer of victory’ in Arabic, was part of the salvo.

The salvo of rockets, seen raining down on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, came as Israeli police battled a terrorist attack in Jaffa, southern Israel, with Israeli media reporting that at least six people were shot dead.

The attack on Israel comes just hours after the IDF launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon to carry out raids against Iranian-backed Hezbollah targets. 

As missiles bombarded Israel, the IDF said: ‘A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel. You are instructed to remain alert and precisely follow the Home Front Command’s instructions.

‘The IDF is doing and will do everything necessary to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.’

In a chilling warning of further bloodshed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that should Israel retaliate Tehran’s response would be ‘more crushing and ruinous’.

They added: ‘In response to the martyrdom of (Hamas leader) Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and (Guards commander) Nilforoshan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories (Israel).’ 

But this statement was followed by a defiant announcement by Israel that its fighter jets are poised to attack other targets in the Middle East ‘in a powerful way’.

Hamas also praised Iran’s missile attack, releasing the statement: ‘The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) blesses the heroic rocket launches carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran against wide areas of our occupied lands.’

It added that it was ‘in revenge for the blood of our heroic martyrs’.

On Tuesday night, it appeared almost the entirety of the Iranian missiles were intercepted, either by Israel’s allies, or by its own network of defensive systems such as the Iron Dome.

A military spokesperson said Israel recorded ‘a few hits in the centre and other areas in the south of the country’.

One Palestinian was reported to have been killed near the West Bank city of Jericho when a projectile landed nearby during the rocket barrage, said Hussein Hamayel, the Palestinian governor of the area. He said the man, originally from Gaza, was killed by falling shrapnel.

US Navy destroyers deployed to the eastern Mediterranean took down multiple missiles, according to security sources, while Israel’s neighbour Jordan came to its aid.

Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said its air defences and the Royal Jordanian Air Force had intercepted Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Israel.

A large-scale attack by Iran on Israel could now be the catalyst for an all-out war in the Middle East.

In the UK, Downing Street said it ‘completely condemns Iran’s actions’. In a rare emergency briefing, Sir Keir Stamer said he ‘utterly condemned’ Iran’s attempt ‘to harm innocent Israelis’ and ‘push the region ever-closer to the brink’.

He said: ‘We stand with Israel, and recognise her right to self defence in the face of this aggression. Iran must stop these attacks, together with its proxies like Hezbollah.’

The PM added: ‘We support Israel’s reasonable demand for the security of its people.

‘I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink and I am deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation.’

He said the situation in Lebanon ‘is incredibly grave’ and warned British nationals to leave immediately. 

Overnight, at least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Lebanese security source said, as the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah sites and issued several evacuation orders.

“At least five Israeli strikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs,” the source said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

AFP correspondents heard multiple explosions and saw smoke rising in one area while a fire appeared to burn.

The Israeli military said early Wednesday that it was “currently striking Hezbollah terror targets in Beirut”.

Sir Keir refused to confirm or deny whether the British military would be helping Israel, telling reporters: ‘This is an evolving situation but what I will say is that we stand with Israel and her right to self defence and relevant updates will be provided in due course.’ 

Moments before Iran unleashed its missiles, Lord Admiral West, the former Head of the Royal Navy, questioned how large the scale of the attack would be and spoke about the implications this could have.

He told MailOnline: ‘If it’s pre-warned and fired on a limited scale, just for Iran to say to all their own people and to the terrorists in the region, ‘Look, we’re not taking this lying down the fact that the Israelis have attacked Hezbollah and gone into Lebanon’, that’s one thing. 

‘If it is a huge and major ballistic missile attack tied in with other actions as well, that’s a different kettle of fish, and that could lead to a larger Middle East war.’

Lord West said that while the US have stepped in to assist Israel, it was unlikely that the UK would be able to help defend ballistic missiles.

He added: ‘If it’s only ballistic missiles, then there’s little that we can do with our aircraft to shoot down ballistic missiles.

‘If it’s purely ballistic missiles being fired, then you can’t shoot them down from a fighter aircraft. 

‘And that’s all we’d have available in that area. Now, the Type 45 destroyer could shoot down a ballistic missile that’s aimed at it, or something close to it, but not things that are being fired into Israel.’

Shadow Security Minister Tom Tugendhat MP also condemned the attack, saying: ‘Iran’s barbaric attack on Israel shows that the regime in Tehran is intent on killing as many innocent men, women, and children in Israel as possible. 

‘They are trying to murder Jews, Muslims and Christians in the only democracy of the Middle East. The world must unite in condemning this heinous act of state terrorism.

‘This is just the latest action from a regime that, for the past 45 years, has murdered its own citizens and hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Syria and Yemen. Today, my thoughts are with the people of Israel and everyone in the Middle East who is suffering at the hands of Iran’s brutal leaders.’

The ballistic missiles were fired from Iran while Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon also launched rockets and fired small arms into Israel.

It followed Israel’s ground assault on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and its killing of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut last week.

The remarkably minimal impact of the barrage of missiles was in part due to Israel’s sophisticated warning systems, its shelters and air defence networks such as the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in the centre and the south of the country received messages on mobile phones to take cover and avoid gatherings.

Last night, Professor Michael Clarke, previously of the Royal United Services Institute, said the Middle East faced a full-scale conflict.

He said: ‘This might not be the only attack. If I was making decisions in Iran I wouldn’t be just firing one salvo.

‘I also suspect there will be a lot more terrorist incidents on behalf of Iran. In the past fortnight Israel has had its adversary on the back foot. The question is are they over-reaching themselves? Should we [the UK] support it fully?

‘The wider world is saying be careful Israel, we are closer to a regional war than we were two weeks ago, or even 48 hours ago. A ceasefire does not appear to be on Israel’s agenda.’

Fears of an Iranian attack were raised as the Israeli military warned the residents of more than two dozen Lebanese border communities to immediately evacuate their homes after announcing the start of ground operations against Hezbollah late last night.

Israeli citizens elsewhere were warned by the Home Front Command to ‘stay next to a protected space’, ‘minimise moving around the area’ and ‘avoid gatherings’.

Meanwhile IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee told Lebanese citizens to flee north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometres (36 miles) from the border, raising fears that the IDF may intend to send its forces deep into southern Lebanon or step up the intensity of airstrikes.

‘You must head north of the Awali River to save yourselves and leave your houses immediately,’ said the statement.

Iran in April launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in a one-off retaliation for an Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate compound in Syria. 

But all those projectiles were downed by Israeli, Jordanian, British and US defences, and analysts said the move was more a symbol of intent on Tehran’s behalf and not designed to cause real damage. 

The latest Iranian attack comes in response to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last Friday and the punishing airstrikes of the past week that have displaced more than 1 million people from their homes across southern and eastern Lebanon. 

Tehran had appeared uncharacteristically reluctant to trumpet its support for Hezbollah in recent weeks even as Israel dramatically ramped up its military offensive against the Iranian proxy. 

However, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon this afternoon issued a cryptic statement affirming that Tehran will continue to ‘stand by’ Hezbollah.

‘The Lebanese people are aware and can fully distinguish between their friends who stood by them in the darkest of circumstances, and those who provide cover for their enemy to besiege and target them,’ it said.

‘The influential role of Iran will become more and more clear to the world when the star of victory over Zionist terrorism shines,’ it added.

‘Iran is continuing its approach steadfastly, unaffected by all the noise that is happening.’

Israel’s defence forces (IDF) claimed to have launched ‘localised’ cross-border raids on southern Lebanon late last night, which Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said were designed to prevent Hezbollah from conducting an ‘October 7-style massacre’.

‘Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases ready for an attack on Israel,’ he said. 

Clips and images released by the IDF showed tanks, artillery and helicopters pounding targets just across the border, along with a video showing special forces seemingly preparing under the cover of night for a raid. 

However, Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have contested Israel’s version of events, denying the claim that IDF troops had stepped foot on Lebanese soil.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched waves of rockets at targets across Israel yesterday, prompting officials to close beaches and limit the size of public gatherings. 

Air raid sirens sounded across northern and central Israel this morning as air defence systems sprang into action to down the Hezbollah rockets – but some projectiles appeared to sneak through.

Pictures and videos shared to social media showed the remnants of downed projectiles lying in the streets, while smoke was seen rising from buildings struck in Hezbollah’s attacks after explosions rang out in Tel Aviv.

The Lebanese group claimed it launched a barrage of Fadi 4 missiles at Israeli Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv, the IDF 8200 intelligence unit in Glilot, as well as a series of other military targets. 

The Israeli military said their ground operations in Lebanon began in earnest on Monday night and involved the elite 98th division, which was deployed to the northern front two weeks ago from Gaza where they had been fighting against Hamas for months.

It said its air force and artillery supported ground troops engaged in ‘localised and targeted ground raids’ against Hezbollah in southern Lebanese villages.

Israeli officials have insisted the raids will be limited in scale, adding they do not intend to launch a ground assault on Beirut or occupy swathes of Lebanon.

The operation, which comes nearly a year on from Hamas‘ October 7 attacks, was given the green light yesterday – three days after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was confirmed dead following a devastating attack in Beirut.

But Rear Admiral Hagari added this afternoon that IDF special forces units had been conducting small scale raids to destroy Hezbollah tunnels along the border ever since October 7.

Close to 3,000 militants from Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were allegedly waiting in southern Lebanon villages to attack Israel in the days after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught. 

But they were forced back by Israeli airstrikes, allowing IDF commandos to conduct some 70 raids undetected in which they destroyed weapons caches, collapsed tunnels and gathered intelligence, Hagari said.

It was revealed this afternoon that the IDF also mobilised four additional brigades to be deployed in missions along the northern border in the wake of the latest ground incursions.

‘This will enable the continuation of operational activity against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation and the achievement of operational goals, including the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes,’ the army said in a statement.

The statement did not provide details about the new brigades being called up, but one brigade typically consists of 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers, while an armoured tank brigade has about 100 tanks.

Meanwhile, Israel’s air force continued to pound targets across Lebanon with brutal airstrikes yesterday, while also hitting Damascus in Syria and various locations in Gaza. 

Dystopian images that emerged early this morning showed Israeli flares and munitions lighting up the night sky in southern Lebanon, softening up Hezbollah positions in preparation for the IDF incursion. 

Despite the IDF’s claims, Hezbollah denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon at all, casting doubt on the situation on the ground.

In its first statement since Israel announced the start of ground operations, the Lebanese group’s spokesman Mohammed Afif dismissed what he said were ‘false claims’ of an Israeli incursion, simply stating that his forces ‘were ready’ to respond to an invasion.

Many observers dismissed this as a propaganda tactic, but no videos or photos of Israeli troops in Lebanon had emerged at the time of writing.  

Nevertheless, Israel has dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah in the past two weeks.

It successfully pulled off a ruthless covert operation that saw thousands of rigged communication devices explode in the hands of Hezbollah members, and proceeded to launch a devastating campaign of airstrikes.

Hezbollah chief Nasrallah – a towering figure who turned the group into Lebanon’s top military and political force – was assassinated last week along with several other senior commanders in one of those strikes.

Now, Israel has indicated it is primed for an invasion of Lebanon, with the stated aim of enabling thousands of its citizens who fled Hezbollah rockets to safely return to their communities near the northern border.

The deployment of boots on the ground overnight to conduct raids on southern Lebanese villages closest to the border represents a significant escalation in Israel’s war against its enemy to the north.

The IDF said that its incursion, dubbed ‘Operation Northern Arrows’, will continue ‘according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas’.

The IDF’s incursion into southern Lebanon came after Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Iran, whom Hamas and Hezbollah are both backed by. 

He said: ‘There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country.’

Hezbollah’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said Monday the group will fight any Israeli troops who try to occupy parts of Lebanon. 

Lebanon’s prime minister meanwhile said his country was facing ‘one of the most dangerous phases of its history’, urging the United Nations to provide aid for one million people displaced by Israeli air strikes.

‘Around a million of our people have been displaced because of the devastating war that Israel is waging on Lebanon,’ the National News Agency reported Najib Mikati as saying.

‘We urgently call for more aid to reinforce our ongoing efforts to provide basic support to displaced civilians,’ he added in a meeting with UN representatives.

Mikati later this morning launched an appeal for more than $400 million in aid to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in his country in coordination with the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said.

The US said it was informed beforehand about Israel’s raids, which have been described as ‘limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.’ 

The invasion is said to have forced Lebanese troops to retreat three miles from their positions along the counrty’s southern border with Israel.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese health ministry said early this morning that 95 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in the past day, with another 172 injured. 

An overnight Israeli strike in Lebanon targeted Mounir Maqdah, commander of the Lebanese branch of the Palestinian Fatah movement’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, according to two Palestinian security officials.

The strike hit a building in the crowded Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon, the sources said, adding the militant commander’s fate was unknown. 

In Syria, three civilians were killed and nine others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the capital Damascus, Syrian state media said on Tuesday citing a military source.

As the Israeli bombardment continued into the night, residents living in southern Beirut were ordered to evacuate ‘immediately’. 

‘You are located near interests and facilities belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah, and therefore the IDF will act against them forcefully,’ IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X. 

‘For your safety and the safety of your family, you must evacuate the buildings immediately, starting at a distance of no less than 500 meters.’ 

The intensive air strikes of the past two weeks have eliminated several Hezbollah commanders but also killed about 1,000 civilians and forced one million to flee their homes, according to the Lebanese government. 

British nationals have been urged to leave Lebanon immediately, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy warning the conflict could ‘escalate in a major way’.

Lammy told reporters on Monday night: ‘I have been urging since coming to office in July for British nationals to leave Lebanon. And indeed the previous government from October 2023 was urging UK nationals not to travel to Lebanon.

‘Notwithstanding that we sent a rapid response team. 700 troops are in Cyprus. We will do all we can to assist people to get out. 

‘We have secured places on commercial flights that are flying tomorrow so that UK nationals can get out.’

Asked what he would say to British nationals who have not yet taken his advice, he said: ‘I urge them to leave because the situation on the ground is fast moving.

‘While we will do everything we can to protect British nationals and those plans are in place to do so, we cannot anticipate the circumstances of the speed with which we could do that If things escalate in a major way over the coming hours and days.’

The UK Government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid escalating violence.

The flight was due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday and vulnerable British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 will be prioritised, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said.

Mr Lammy said: ‘The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly.

‘The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority.

‘That’s why the UK Government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.’

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost every day since the war in Gaza began. 

The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people in Israel and Lebanon. Israel says it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for Israelis displaced from border communities to return to their homes. 

Hezbollah has promised to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

Early on Monday, Hezbollah vowed to keep fighting even after its longtime leader Nasrallah and other top officials were recently wiped out by Israeli strikes.

Giving his first address since the group’s leader was killed, deputy Naim Qassem said: ‘Hezbollah’s front will continue, everyone on the battlefield is ready and, despite the losing of our leader and commanders, we will not move aside nor will we forsake our duty in support of Gaza and in defence of Lebanon,’ he said.

‘If the Zionists enter Lebanon, we are ready and prepared for a ground battle, and we will be victorious.’

Israel’s order restricting entry and exit from the northern communities of Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi does not necessarily mean Israeli troops will invade Lebanon immediately. 

Areas can also be declared closed military zones if an imminent threat is detected.