New Delhi: Iran launched over 180 missiles Tuesday, targeting three key locations in Israel—the headquarters of Mossad, Tel Aviv’s intelligence wing, and two air force bases in the Negev desert—in retaliation against Israel’s recent actions, including the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
The barrage of missiles Tuesday evening came after Tel Aviv launched a ground invasion of Southern Lebanon, with the aim to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure near Israel’s Northern border. About 60,000 Israelis have been displaced since the start of the conflict in Gaza, after Hezbollah began launching rockets at Israel a day after Hamas’ attacks on 7 October, 2023.
At least one Palestinian individual in the West Bank has been killed and three individuals in Jordan have been reported as injured from the shrapnel of the Iranian missiles. The operation was carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is separate from the Iranian armed forces.
“Based on legitimate rights and with the aim of peace and security for Iran and the region, a decisive response was given to the aggression of the Zionist regime. This action was in defence of the interests and citizens of Iran,” said Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran in a post on X.
The Iranian president also warned Israel against entering into a direct “conflict” with Tehran, promising that the attack was merely a show of force. The attack is the second time the West Asian nation has directly attacked Israel months after launching nearly 300 missiles in April 2024.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “vowed” to retaliate against Iran, and, in comparison to April, may have more leeway for a larger strike at Tehran or its proxies in the region, given that Hezbollah—its chief threat in the neighbourhood—has been severely weakened over the past few weeks.
Unlike the April attacks, however, the Iranian missile barrage had some success in striking at its targets, with videos circulating of successful hits at Israel’s Nevatim air base in the Negev desert.
Senior US officials described the attack as “ineffective”, with US Naval ships joining in the defence of Israel and shooting down missiles.
“In short, based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. This was first and foremost the result of the professionalism of the IDF, but in no small part because of the skilled work of the U.S. military and meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack,” said Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser at a press briefing Tuesday.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris, in a statement, called Iran a “destabilising force” in the region and called the joint American-Israel efforts to defend against Iranian missiles a “success”.
US President Joseph R. Biden, who counselled restraint to Iran’s attacks on Israel in April this year, may have less leverage this time around, especially as elections are only around 35 days away, making this attack an election issue.
Donald J. Trump blasted the Biden-Harris administration, calling it “grossly incompetent” after Iran’s attacks on Israel and threatened that the incumbents are leading the US towards “World War III” during a campaign stop in Wisconsin.
Republican Party leaders, from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to rank and file members, have urged stronger retaliation against the Iranian strike.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv continues its operations in Lebanon, with airstrikes on the Dahiya neighbourhood in Beirut—a Hezbollah stronghold—as well as further strikes against Hamas in the Gaza strip.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 55 people were killed due to Israeli air strikes in the country.
At the moment, Israel has two ground operations ongoing—in Gaza and Southern Lebanon—while also defending against Iranian and Hezbollah missiles in the last 24 hours.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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