Iran launches missiles at Israel

Update, 3:45 p.m. ET:  
The United States assisted Israel in defending itself against a barrage of more than 200 Iranian missiles earlier this afternoon, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. The U.S. government was not aware of any civilian deaths inside Israel, Miller said. But he added that the United States had received reports that a Palestinian individual died in the West Bank. Miller accused Iran of engaging in a state-on-state attack to protect the terrorist groups it had fostered in its fight against Israel.

“Of course, there must be consequences for Iran for this attack,” Miller said. But he did not specify what those consequences would look like. He said the United States would work with Israel on what its response to the attack would be. The United States would try to prevent a full-scale war from occurring in the region and had no interest in seeing an escalation in tensions, Miller insisted. Miller also denied Iranian claims that the Iranian government warned the United States ahead of time that it would be attacking Israel. He did not speculate as to what targets Iran might have hoped to destroy with its attack.

Update, 1:45 p.m. ET:  
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday told Israeli citizens they could leave bomb shelters around the country after an Iranian missile barrage ended. Roughly 40 minutes earlier, the IDF had instructed citizens to shelter in secure areas even as missile defenses intercepted Iranian rockets.

Original post, 1:00 p.m.:

Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel Tuesday, according to a report by the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF claimed all Israeli civilians were in bomb shelters. The Israeli military posted a graphic alongside the statement depicting all of Israel as a potential target for Iranian strikes. Earlier in the day, the Times of Israel reported that the United States had warned Israeli officials that Iran was planning to launch ballistic missiles against Israel. The report cited Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, who promised that Israel would punish Iran for any attacks it launched.

Why is this happening now? The attack follows news that Israel is conducting ground operations in southern Lebanon in a bid to destroy targets affiliated with the terrorist group Hezbollah. Israel accused the terrorist group of planning another Oct. 7-style attack on Israeli communities near Lebanon. The attacks aimed to kill Israeli citizens, the IDF said. The Israeli military would do what it took to protect its citizens from Hezbollah’s aggression, the IDF promised.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift yesterday about the beginning of Israel’s ground incursions into Lebanon.