*Israel Vows Harsh Retaliation
IRAN, on Tuesday, October 1, launched a volley of ballistic missiles at Israel in what Tehran said was retaliation for the killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders and an Iranian General.
Israel said Iran fired over 180 missiles and that while many were intercepted, several hit in the south and central areas of the country.
The Iranian response comes in the wake of Israel’s opening of a new front in a widening Middle East war. Hundreds have been killed in the recent Israeli bombardment of Lebanon, which has been followed by Israeli soldiers crossing into the south of that country on Monday, September 30.
That incursion comes as more people were killed in Gaza on Tuesday, part of a broader war that’s reportedly killed over 41,000 Palestinians and largely destroyed the Gaza Strip.
Next week will be the first anniversary of the attack on southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed, triggering the conflict.
Iran reportedly fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, a sharp but brief escalation between Middle Eastern adversaries that threatened to trigger a fresh round of attacks, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate.
The barrage started around 7:30 p.m., Israel time, after the United States (US) only hours earlier warned that an attack was imminent.
The Israel Defense Forces said many of the missiles had been intercepted and reports indicated one person had been killed in the West Bank.
Tuesday’s strike came after Israel carried out a dramatic series of attacks on Lebanon in recent days, killing Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a Beirut airstrike and sending ground forces across the border.
Tehran had also threatened to retaliate after the political leader of Hamas was killed in Tehran in July, an attack blamed on Israel.
There was no independent assessment of the damage from the strike. While Israel and the US said it was limited, Iranian state television, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said 90 per cent of the missiles hit strategic targets in Israel.
Video taken of incoming strikes indicated some got through the country’s vaunted air-defense network.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it,” Netanyahu said at the opening of a meeting of his security cabinet, adding: “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.”
Explosions were heard in Israel as Iran launches the missile attack, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Iranian state-run media
Oil prices surged over five per cent amid worries of supply disruptions from the energy-rich region.
