Watch: Passenger captures shocking moment as Iranian rockets target Israel from Dubai flight

Iran launched the strikes in retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon

A passenger on a flight to Dubai captured alarming footage on Tuesday night of an Iranian rocket barrage aimed at Israel. The video, shared by the New York Post, displays the intensity of the missile attack, with nearly 180 rockets unleashed, prompting threats of retaliation by Israel.

EXCLUSIVE: Video from passenger jet en route to Dubai, shows missiles firing out of Iran towards Israel pic.twitter.com/6VUv9OlDUM
New York Post (@nypost) October 2, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, meanwhile, vowed to hold Iran accountable for the missile strike, while Tehran issued a warning that any retaliation would lead to “vast destruction,” raising fears of a larger regional conflict that could destabilise the Middle East.

Reaffirming its support for Israel, the US stated that any direct intervention by Israel's allies would elicit a “strong attack” from Iran on their “bases and interests” in the region. “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it,” Netanyahu said during a political-security meeting, according to an official statement.

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Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the missile assault was a response to Israeli actions, including the killings of militant leaders and aggression against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Gaza. The Israeli military earlier released raw footage showing Iranian missiles raining down over Jerusalem's Old City.

Amid Israel's recent military operations in Lebanon, which escalated over the past two weeks and included the start of a ground operation on Monday, fears of a potential regional war with Iran and the US have increased. During the Tuesday attack, Iran reportedly launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, triggering alarm sirens throughout the country and audible explosions in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley.

World leaders are calling for de-escalation between Iran and Israel following a significant rocket attack launched by Tehran against its long-standing rival on Tuesday, coinciding with Israel's announcement of a ground offensive against Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran. Iranian officials stated that the strikes were a response to the killings of leaders of Iran-aligned militant factions. This marks Iran's second direct attack on Israel, following a missile and drone strike in April that was retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

US President Joe Biden has instructed US military forces to assist Israel in defending against Iranian missiles. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the assault as "totally unacceptable" and noted that initial reports indicated Israel, supported by the US and its allies, successfully countered the missile attack.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the Iranian rocket attacks, framing them as retaliation for the deaths of key leaders, including Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas called the Iranian missile launches "heroic" and framed them as vengeance for the "blood of our heroic martyrs."