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Israel says Iran launches missile attack, warns residents to shelter

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon [Amir Cohen/Reuters]Published On 1 Oct 20241 Oct 2024

The Israeli military says Iran has launched a missile attack at Israel, as air raid sirens sounded across the country and Israelis rushed for shelter.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said there are no reports of casualties from Tuesday’s attack, and that the army does not see “any more threats in our airspace”. He told people that they are safe to leave the shelters.

The military had earlier warned that any ballistic missile attack from Iran was expected to be widespread and told the public to shelter in safe rooms.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the missile attack on Israel is in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week, as well as that of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier this year, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

“In response to the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and [IRGC Guards commander] Nilforoshan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories,” the IRGC said in a statement.

It said Iran had launched tens of missiles at Israel, and that if Israel retaliated, Tehran’s response would be “more crushing and ruinous”.

Hagari however, said the attack was serious and will have consequences.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters news agency that the order to launch missiles at Israel was made by the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei remains in a secure location, the senior official added.

The firing of missiles came after Israeli troops launched a ground raids into Lebanon, in the biggest escalation of regional warfare since fighting erupted in Gaza a year ago.

Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabari, reporting from the Lebanese capital Beirut, said people are celebrating.

“We’ve heard over the last 20 minutes Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel. Non stop gunfire and fireworks being set off across the capital,” Jabari said.

In neighbouring Jordan, the civil aviation authority said air traffic was suspended following the attack.

The aviation body announced “the temporary closure of Jordanian airspace”, with all arrivals and departures halted.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies