Iran has launched missiles toward Israel, 'very few injuries', says IDF

“A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” a senior White House official said in a statement. (file photo)

The Israeli military said that Iran had fired more than 100 missiles directly at the country, a severe escalation in the battle between the Middle Eastern rivals fought mainly so far through proxies in the region.

An attack by Iran toward Israel could further tip the region toward full-scale conflict.

“A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. Iran’s Mehr News Agency also reported the missiles had been fired. However, an Israeli military spokesman later added that very few injuries have been reported, and that public can exit bomb shelters.

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The launch comes after Israeli forces moved into southern Lebanon as part of a campaign against Tehran-backed Hezbollah. The US earlier in the day warned of an imminent attack by Iran.

Oil price briefly spiked again after the confirmation, while gold rose and stocks declined.

The White House said that President Joe Biden convened a meeting earlier Tuesday with Vice President Kamala Harris and their national security team. They reviewed the status of US preparations to help Israel defend against these attacks and protect US personnel in the region.

In a statement released mid-morning, the White House said it had “indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” adding the United States was “actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack.”

“A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” a senior White House official said in a statement.

Israel assessed that Iran was likely to attack three Israeli air bases and an intelligence base located just north of Tel Aviv, a person briefed on the matter said.

US and Arab diplomats are already concerned about what might happen after Iran’s expected attack, including the scale of Israel’s response. One major concern on their mind is Israel possibly using a forthcoming Iranian strike to respond by striking inside Iran.

“There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach, and that’s true of the entire Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said during his speech at the United Nations last week.

(With Agency inputs)