Iran Launches Missile Attack Against Israel
Iran has launched a missile attack on Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces announced on Tuesday.
“Israel is under attack,” Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X. “Right now, millions of civilians are in bomb shelters as Iran launches another direct attack on Israel.”
Videos of missiles raining down on Tel Aviv circulated on social media after the attacks commenced, with some showing Israel’s “Iron Dome” intercepting some of the incoming missiles.
Iranian officials said they launched more than 100 ballistic missiles in the attack, according to The New York Times, with others reporting the nation launched as many as 400 missiles. Air raid sirens rang out across Israel, and CNN reported that the Israeli security Cabinet is sheltering in an emergency bunker in Jerusalem.
The missile barrage comes after Israel launched several attacks — including a recent ground invasion — in Lebanon. The attacks were targeted at Hezbollah, the Islamic militant group allied with Iran, and last week killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the group. Hezbollah is also allied with Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that attacked Israel last Oct. 7, leading Israel to launch a prolonged offensive in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The Iranian National Guard called the missile attacks on Tuesday the “first wave of attacks on the occupied territories,” according to Al Jazeera.
U.S. officials reportedly warned earlier on Tuesday that Iran planned to strike Israel. “This morning, @VP and I convened our national security team to discuss Iranian plans to launch an imminent missile attack against Israel,” President Joe Biden wrote in a statement posted to X. “We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region.”
The National Security Council wrote in a statement that Biden and Harris “are monitoring the Iranian attack against Israel from the White House Situation Room,” and that Biden “directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attack.”
Former President Donald Trump also responded to the attack. “The world is on fire and spiraling out of control,” he wrote before bashing Democrats and claiming that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, “the world will go up in smoke.”
Israel has said it will retaliate for the attacks on Tuesday. “There was a serious attack on us and there will be serious consequences,” an IDF spokesperson said.
More from Rolling Stone
Best of Rolling Stone
Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.