Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Iran on Tuesday, forcing the country's citizens to seek shelter as air raid sirens sounded across the country.
Israel vowed retaliation for Iran’s missile barrage, which it said had caused only a few injuries.
A series of window-shaking explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem, though it was not immediately clear whether the sounds were from missiles landing or being intercepted by Israeli defenses, or both.
The orange glow of missiles streaked across Israel's night sky as air raid sirens sounded across the country and millions of residents scrambled into bomb shelters. The attack raised the strong likelihood of an Israeli reprisal.
Before Iran's attack, Israel had landed a series of devastating blows in recent weeks against Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon. It then ratcheted up the pressure on the militant group — which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began — by launching what it said is a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
Israel has said it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for citizens displaced from homes near the Lebanon border to return. Hezbollah has vowed to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a cease-fire in Gaza.
Iran said it fired the missiles into Israel as retaliation for attacks that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian military. It referenced Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, both killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut. It also mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader in Hamas who was assassinated in Tehran in a suspected Israeli attack in July.
Israel vowed retaliation for Iran's missile barrage, which it said had caused only a few injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran "made a big mistake" with its attack "and it will pay for it."
"Whoever attacks us, we attack them," he vowed.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the country’s air defenses intercepted many of the incoming missiles, though some landed in central and southern Israel.
“This strike will have consequences,” he said. He said the attack had caused only “very few” injuries, but did not elaborate.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are monitoring the attack from the White House Situation Room and are being briefed regularly by their national security team, the White House said. Biden directed the U.S. military to shoot down missiles targeting Israel to bolster the country's defense against the attack.
“We're still assessing the impact, but based on what we know now, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective, and this is testament to Israeli military capability and U.S. military," Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "Make no mistake: the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel”
Biden added he had not yet spoken to Netanyahu, but said he will and that consequences for Iran "remain to be seen."
Harris, in remarks of her own on Tuesday, called the attack "reckless and brazen" and condemned Iran's actions.
"Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East, and today's attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact," she said, adding: "We are still assessing the impact, but initial indications are that Israel, with our assistance, was able to defeat this attack. Our joint defenses have been effective, and this operation and successful cooperation saved many innocent lives. As I have said, I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias."
"My commitment to the security of Israel is unwavering, and let us be clear: Iran is not only a threat to Israel, Iran is also a threat to American personnel in the region, American interests, and innocent civilians across the region who suffer at the hands of Iran-based and backed terrorist proxies," Harris continued. "We will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend U.S. forces and interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists, and we will continue to work with our allies and partners to disrupt Iran's aggressive behavior and hold them accountable."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the attack "totally unacceptable" and added that "the entire world should condemn it."
"At this time, we do not know of any deaths in Israel," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a briefing, adding that they are tracking the death of a Palestinian in Jericho in the West Bank. Damage to aircraft or "strategic military assets" are unknown, he added, calling the attack "a fluid situation."
Sullivan said that the U.S. is "particularly focused on protecting U.S. service members in the region" and praised efforts to minimize casualties.
"This is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event," Sullivan said. "And it is equally significant that we were able to step up with Israel and create a situation in which no one was killed in this attack in Israel, so far as we know at this time. We are now going to look at what the appropriate next steps are to secure, first and foremost, American interests, and then to promote stability to the maximum extent possible."
"There will be severe consequences for this Iranian attack and we will work with Israel to make sure that is the case," Sullivan vowed.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that the U.S. was unaware of any civilian casualties in Israel or any damage to U.S. facilities in the country.
At an event Tuesday afternoon, former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, used the attack as an opportunity to criticize Biden and Harris, the Democratic nominee, saying that the world is "very close to global catastrophe."
Moments before Iran launched its missiles, a shooting attack in Tel Aviv left six people dead, police said, adding that the two suspects who had opened fire on a boulevard in the Jaffa neighborhood had also been killed.