BREAKING: Iran launches missile attack on Israel
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Iran has launched a wave of missiles at Israel.
Jerusalem according to Guardian witnessed dozens of missiles flying overhead towards Israel’s main coastal cities in a huge attack not long after 7.30pm, with the engines of the rockets clearly visible from below.
While some interceptions could be heard over Jerusalem, many of the missiles appeared to continue on towards the coast and central Israel to the sound of distant bombs.
On the edge of the Old City many stopped to watch the missiles flying overhead in what appears to have been an unprecedented attack.
Barely 10 minutes later a second wave of missiles passed over the city, apparently from a different direction, with the bright flashes of interceptions lighting up the sky as loud booms rang out.
Earlier, a White House official warned that Iran was preparing to launch an “imminent” ballistic missile attack on Israel.
The Pentagon is actively supporting Israel in its preparations to defend against the attack, according to the official who was not authorized to speak publicly. A direct attack on Israel will carry “severe consequences for Iran,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Tuesday directed government employees and their family members to “shelter in place until further notice.”
The indications of an imminent attack follow Israel’s aggressive airstrikes and covert attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
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.
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The intelligence base in Glilot was evacuated Tuesday afternoon, the person said, and the Israeli military has put contingency plans for the safety of personnel at those bases into effect.
President Joe Biden convened a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and top national security officials Tuesday “to discuss Iranian plans to imminently launch a significant ballistic missile attack against Israel,” according to White House spokesperson Emilie Simons.
Simons added, “They reviewed the status of US preparations to help Israel defend against attacks and protect US personnel.”
After a year of heightened tensions between Israel and Iran’s proxies in the region — including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen — an attack by Iran toward Israel could further tip the region toward full-scale conflict, CNN reported.
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.
