Netanyahu vows Iran 'will pay' after hundreds of missile fired into Israel
ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy reports as the the skyline over Israel is hit by a wave of Iranian missiles
Explosions were heard with fire and smoke visible on the Beirut skyline in the early hours of Wednesday (2nd October) as Israel confirmed it was striking Hezbollah targets
Israel had said it will carry out a “significant response” after Iran launched a barrage of almost 200 missiles into the country
Sirens were blaring across the country as citizens were told to take shelter, but there has been no immediate reports of casualties. The aerial attack has since stopped
A top Iranian military commander has warned that his country will hit Israel’s entire infrastructure if it takes any action against its territory
It comes after Israel says it has launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon, but Hezbollah refutes the claims
Israeli officials described the offensive as “localised raids” that are “very limited in scope"
Hezbollah has vowed to keep on fighting despite the assassination of its top leadership
The escalation in the war has killed more than 1,000 people, destroyed homes and displaced one million in Lebanon, authorities say
Explosions were heard, with fire and smoke visible on the Beirut skyline in the early hours of Wednesday morning (2nd October), as the Israeli military confirmed it was striking "Hezbollah targets".
This follows Israel saying it would "attack" in retaliation to Iran launching a missile strike into the country on Tuesday night (1st October).
“Iran made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said as he gathered his Security Cabinet for a late-night meeting.
Netanyahu said the missile attack was a failure and that Iran would soon learn a painful lesson just as its enemies in Gaza, Lebanon and other places have learned.
“Whoever attacks us. We attack them,” he said.
Early on Wednesday morning, a top Iranian military commander warned that his country will hit Israel’s entire infrastructure if it takes any action against its territory.
General Mohammad Bagheri - Iran’s armed forces joint chief of staff - said that the Revolutionary Guard was prepared to repeat its missile attack with “multiplied intensity.”He accused Israel of going "insane" and warned the attacks would "be repeated with much higher magnitude and we will hit all their infrastructure".Bagheri said Iran avoided targeting Israeli civilians although it was "completely feasible."
Earlier on Tuesday, an estimated 180 “projectiles” were fired at Israel from Iran, according to the IDF, sending citizens fleeing to bomb shelters.
The threat has since been declared over by the Israeli military and there are no immediate reports of casualties.
It is not clear how many missile made contact, nor how many were intercepted.
The US confirmed it deployed military forces to aid the interceptions.
Meanwhile, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said British forces “played their part” in “attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East”, without directly confirming its involvement.
Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war for years, but rarely have they come into direct conflict.
Iran has claimed responsibility for the attack, confirming it was responding to a series of previous strikes, which killed members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah leadership, figureheads of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsnian and a Hamas political leader.
The Iranian military said: "In response to the martyrdom of martyr Ismail Haniyeh, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and martyr Nilforooshan, we targeted the heart of occupied lands, the statement reads."
While Iran claims it targeted military targets, pictures and videos posted to social media showed shrapnel and missiles buried into tarmac in the streets and damaging buildings.
In Tehran, people were seen celebrating the attack, setting off fireworks and dancing in the streets.
As the world grapples with the intensifying escalations in the Middle East, international leaders are issuing divided responses to Iran's latest attack on Israel.
ITV News Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo reacts to Iran's strike on Israel from Jerusalem
Israel says it's launched a ground invasion on Lebanon
The strikes come after Israel claimed it launched a ground invasion into Lebanon.
The military said earlier on Tuesday it has entered southern Lebanon in what it has called a "limited, localised and targeted raids against Hezbollah terror targets".
In a statement, the IDF said the targets "are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel".
But, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif dismissed what he said were “false claims” of an Israeli incursion.
Hagari has claimed Israel have already made several smaller-scale incursions across the border in the past year.
He alleged evidence gathered during these raids proves Hezbollah were planning to launch an attack on the north of Israel.
"To make sure that Hezbollah can never carry out such an attack, and in order to enable 60,000 Israelis to safely return back to their homes in northern Israel, the IDF is taking action," he said.
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Nearly two dozen Lebanese communities close to the Israeli border have been ordered to evacuate by the Israeli military.
In a statement posted in Arabic on X, an IDF spokesperson said: “You must immediately head north of the Awali River to save yourselves, and leave your houses immediately."
Earlier on Tuesday, officials declined to say how deep Israeli troops would move into Lebanese territory but Hagari said troops would not go to Lebanon's capital.
"We're not going to Beirut," he said. "We're only going to areas next to our border and will do what is necessary to dismantle and demolish Hezbollah infrastructure."
Israel carried out attacks on central Beirut on Monday, after a weekend of dramatic missile strikes against its enemies in the Middle East - including in other parts of Lebanon and Yemen.
Monday morning's strike, which hit an apartment block and killed at least one person, marks the first time Israel has targeted the centre of Beirut since the recent conflict began on October 7.
Recent attacks have centred on the city's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
Hezbollah vows to keep fighting despite attacks
Amid Israel's ground incursion, Hezbollah launched rockets at central Israel, setting off air raid sirens and wounding one person, according to the IDF.
The Israeli military also said Hezbollah had launched projectiles at Israeli communities near the border, targeting soldiers without wounding anyone.
Anticipating more rocket attacks from Hezbollah, the Israeli army announced beaches would close, and restrictions would be in place on public gatherings.
Following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after the Israeli military bombed high-rise buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the group has vowed to keep on fighting.
Deputy leader Naim Kassem, in his first speech since their leader's death was announced, said Hezbollah were ready if Israel launched a ground offensive into Lebanon.
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