IRIA News

Iran launched nearly 200 missiles into Israel on October 1, 2024, further intensifying the ongoing conflict between Israel, Iran, and their regional allies. Tehran said that the missile barrage was in retaliation for a series of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group operating in Lebanon.

Air raid sirens sounded across Israel as civilians rushed to bomb shelters. Several missiles managed to hit central and southern parts of the country, though many were intercepted by Israeli air defenses.

According to Israeli officials, only two people sustained light injuries from shrapnel, and a Palestinian man was reportedly killed near Jericho in the West Bank, however, the full details of the aftermath of the large-scale missile attacks remain unclear.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly condemned the attack, declaring that Iran had “made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it.”

🚨 ENTIRE ISRAEL IS GETTING POUNDED BY IRANIAN MISSILES pic.twitter.com/qKDMFnyCf3

— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) October 1, 2024

Tension with Hezbollah

Iran’s missile strike was directly tied to rising tensions with Hezbollah, which has also been launching rocket attacks into Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Israel has responded by intensifying its military activities in southern Lebanon, launching airstrikes and artillery fire on Hezbollah positions. These clashes mark a sharp escalation in the conflict.

The Israeli military confirmed earlier that it had initiated a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon. However, Hezbollah denied that Israeli troops had entered its territory. Despite these denials, Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari revealed that Israel had carried out covert raids in Lebanon over the past year to gather intelligence and target Hezbollah’s infrastructure. Hagari stated that Israel’s current objectives were limited, assuring that “We’re not going to Beirut.”

Celebration in Gaza and Tehran

A wave of celebration swept through Gaza, Tehran, Beirut, and other cities around the region as residents flocked to the streets in response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel. The strikes, seen by many as a significant act of retaliation, sparked widespread joy across the besieged territory.

Eyewitnesses in Gaza reported spotting Iranian ballistic missiles flying overhead from various parts of the Strip, toward Israeli settlements. For many in Gaza, the attack was seen as an unprecedented show of force. The sentiment on the ground was that this act of retaliation would carry far-reaching consequences for Israel. Residents rejoiced at what they felt was a decisive and powerful response.

Regional implications

The missile exchange and ongoing clashes are heightening fears that the conflict could expand beyond the Israeli-Lebanese border. Hezbollah and Hamas, both supported by Iran, have vowed continued resistance until there is a ceasefire in Gaza. The situation has alarmed the international community, with the UN Security Council scheduling an emergency meeting for Wednesday morning to address the unfolding crisis.

Concerns of a wider war have also drawn the United States into the mix, with President Joe Biden expressing his full support for Israel. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan referred to Iran’s missile attack as a “significant escalation,” though he said the efforts were largely “defeated and ineffective” due to U.S. military assistance in shooting down some of the missiles.

Iran justified its latest missile assault as a response to Israeli attacks that killed top leaders from Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Iranian military. Tehran cited the deaths of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, both killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut, along with the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year.

International response

The U.S. military has deployed assets to the region to support Israel, while European nations are beginning to evacuate their diplomats and citizens from Lebanon as the fighting escalates. The international community has grown increasingly concerned about the potential for a prolonged and far-reaching conflict.

Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, warned that further actions against Iran would lead to retaliatory strikes on Israel’s infrastructure with “multiplied intensity.”

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon over the past two weeks have reportedly claimed more than 1,000 lives, with the Lebanese Health Ministry reporting that nearly a quarter of the victims were women and children. Hezbollah, with its large arsenal of rockets and tens of thousands of fighters, has vowed to continue its resistance.

The rapid escalation in violence has led to fears of a regional war involving not only Israel and Hezbollah but also Iran and other regional actors. Both Israel and Hezbollah have been preparing for a potential conflict since their last major engagement in 2006 ended in a stalemate.

The coming days are likely to prove critical, as international efforts to contain the conflict face significant hurdles amid a rapidly changing and violent landscape in the Middle East.

US response to Iranian missiles fired at Israel —

Israel “effectively defeated this attack” with the help of US and other partners, says US Sec of State Blinken.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that US destroyers joined Israel in shooting down inbound missiles. pic.twitter.com/s8sDHZ14Sv

— IRIA (@IRIA_Research) October 1, 2024