Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Under intense pressure from within and without to retaliate and save its honor, Iran repeated its April act on Tuesday night, firing nearly 200 ballistic, supersonic missiles, which Israel’s famed “Iron Dome” anti-missile system neutralized and limited their impact on the Jewish nation.
Meanwhile, Israel’s ground attack on Lebanon to free it of any remaining Hezbollah infrastructure, and its action against the Houthis in Yemen continued apace. Israel’s Gaza strikes are now winding down.
In April also, Iran had used similar ‘fireworks’ against Israel, which caused little harm. Iran launched more than 300 drones, and ballistic and cruise missiles, most of which were intercepted outside of Israel.
On Tuesday night, Israeli air defenses shot down dozens of Iranian missiles that flew over Syria. Israel’s state-of-the-art air defenses intercepted many of the missiles, with no reported casualties.
Afraid of escalation, Iran is still playing it safe as the US has pledged more military support for Israel, and the UN called for a ceasefire amid concerns over escalating regional conflict, the media reported.
Reiterating its previous threats, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they launched tens of missiles toward Israel and warned that if Israel retaliated Tehran’s response would be “more crushing and destructive”, Iranian state TV reported.
“After a period of restraint, Iran has targeted the heart of the (Israeli) occupied territories with tens of missiles following the martyrdom of (Hamas leader) Ismael Haniyeh… the intensification of the Zionist regime’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, the martyrdom of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and (of) Guards Commander Abbas Nilforoushan.”
The missile launches were ordered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been hiding in a secure location since Israeli airstrikes on Beirut killed Nasrallah last week.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday the missile attack from Iran was over and people could leave air raid shelters.
“Following the situational assessment, it was decided that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas across the country,” it said in a statement.
President Joe Biden directed the US military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles targeting Israel, the White House National Security Council said on Tuesday.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are monitoring the attack from the White House Situation Room and receiving regular updates, NSC spokesperson Sean Savett said in a post on X.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation” after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.
“This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” Guterres said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Iranian missile attack came after Israel said ground troops crossed into Lebanon overnight, launching what the military described as a “limited operation” to root out Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure.
In recent days, a wave of Israeli airstrikes has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top commanders, while driving hundreds of thousands of Lebanese from their homes, into Syria. Israel says a ground operation is now necessary to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in the north, pummelled by continuous rocket fire from Hezbollah since October 8, 2023.
Israel’s military said it identified 180 missiles launched on Tuesday from Iran shortly after 7:30 pm. Sirens blared across the country, and Israelis were ordered to stay in protected areas. An Israeli security official said that in cooperation with the US, the Israeli Air Force intercepted many of the missiles, though there were some direct hits damaging buildings and igniting some fires.
In a surprise announcement, Israel said on Tuesday that its ground forces have been operating covertly in Lebanon for the last year, carrying out dozens of small ground operations. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the army’s spokesman, said the current raid is an expansion of these activities.
Meanwhile, the cross-border fire continued. Hezbollah said it had targeted groups of soldiers in several Israeli border areas with artillery shelling and rockets. Israel said no soldiers were injured. Israeli artillery units pummelled targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut.
The military official said that marching to Beirut, as Israel did in its 1982 invasion of Lebanon, is “not on the table”. At the time, the Israeli invasion was also pitched as a limited incursion to push the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) back.
Israel is expanding its evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon, sending hundreds of thousands of Lebanese fleeing from the south.
The situation in West Asia continues to escalate. On Wednesday, the IDF called on Lebanese civilians in two dozen villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately.
“Hezbollah’s activity forces the IDF to act against it. The IDF does not wish to harm you. For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, their facilities, or their weapons, puts themselves at risk,” Colonel Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, said in a statement on X.
The Israeli military has described its ground operations in southern Lebanon as “limited, localized, and targeted raids,” to demolish Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the border area.
Earlier on Tuesday, in a series of targeted airstrikes, Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets, under precise guidance from the Intelligence Directorate, struck multiple Hezbollah weapons production sites and terrorist infrastructure across Beirut.
In a statement on X, the IDF said, “The IDF and the US Armed Forces cooperated in defense several days before, during, and after the Iranian attack. The IDF expresses great appreciation for this cooperation and will continue to deepen its relationship with the US Armed Forces, due to our commitment to strengthening regional stability and the coordination between the militaries.”
This military action comes in response to Iran’s recent ballistic missile attack on Israel, which has significantly escalated tensions in the region.
Meanwhile, Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that with its capabilities Israel would be victorious
“The morning after Iran’s widespread attack, there is something that should be clear to our enemies: Israel will be victorious. With our military capabilities, our defense industries, the support of our allies and in particular the strength of our incredible people – we know that even when the cost is high, we will win. Iran will pay a significant and heavy price for last night’s attack. Tehran knows that Israel is coming. The response needs to be tough and it should send an unequivocal message to the terror axis in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza and in Iran itself,” Lapid said in a series of posts on X.