Iranian president terms assault ‘decisive response’ to ‘Israeli aggression’ in act that moves Middle East to brink of major confrontation
Tue Oct 01 2024 Mark Weiss in Jerusalem The Irish Times
Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday night in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hizbullah allies in Lebanon. Israel and the US promised a sharp response to the attack.
Israel said more than 180 missiles were launched, subjecting it to the biggest aerial attack in its history. Israel’s military said its Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted most of the projectiles and said others landed in open areas. The Pentagon said US navy warships fired approximately 12 interceptors against the Iranian missiles.
Some missiles were intercepted over Jordan.
The only reported fatality was a Palestinian man who was killed when a rocket hit the West Bank town of Jericho.
Most Israelis remained in bomb shelters or safe rooms until the all clear was sounded after less than an hour.
Minor damage was reported, but the attack has moved the Middle East to the brink of a major confrontation.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian described the assault as a “decisive response” to “Israeli aggression”. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said the attack had been in retaliation for recent Israeli assassinations, including that of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh. The statement said Tehran would launch more missiles if Iran were attacked.
As Israel’s security cabinet met on Tuesday night it was clear that the response would be significant and is likely to come very soon. Israel Defence Forces spokesperson, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said: “Iranian fire on the state of Israel will have consequences. We have plans and we have capabilities.”
[ Israeli military warns of ‘consequences’ following missile attack by IranOpens in new window ]
US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller called the Iranian attack “brazen and unacceptable”, saying “every nation in the world must join us in condemning it”.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington would consult Israel over the response. “This is a significant escalation by Iran… We’ve made clear there will be severe consequences.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the attack and called for an immediate ceasefire across the region.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: “Our sympathy is with the Israeli people in the face of this aggression, and with all in the region impacted by ongoing violence.”
Just before the missile attack, six people were killed in Jaffa, a mixed Jewish-Arab neighbourhood in Tel Aviv, when two Palestinians shot and stabbed passersby. Both men, residents of the West Bank city of Hebron, were shot and killed by a security guard and civilians.
[ Iran fires barrage of ballistic missiles at IsraelOpens in new window ]
Israel said overnight that its troops had launched ground raids into Lebanon.
Nearly 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in nearly a year of cross-border fighting, according to Lebanese government statistics on Tuesday. – Additional reporting: Reuters.
Mark Weiss
Mark Weiss is a contributor to The Irish Times based in Jerusalem
