In one of the most serious escalations yet, Iran, late on Tuesday, fired close to 200 ballistic missiles at two military bases and the headquarters of Mossad, the intelligence agency of Israel. The missile strikes have caused large-scale destruction, prompting mass evacuations in residential areas across Israel.
Videos published on social media show widespread destruction, including huge craters outside the Mossad headquarters. One crater is reportedly 30 feet deep and 50 feet wide, 1,500 meters from the intelligence office.
Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri told Press TV that targets included Nevatim air base, the Netzarim military facility, and the intelligence unit at Tel Nof-all part of an operation dubbed “Operation True Promise II.” Nevatim air base also hosts Israel’s F-35 fighter jets, known to carry out attacks, such as the September 27 bombing in Beirut.
The assault utilized Iran’s hypersonic Fatah missiles, Iranian reports quoted the IRGC as saying. “It was an operation in which we tried our best not to target civilians and civilian infrastructures,” Bagheri said, adding the attack “was a reaction to the killing of key figures who were recently assassinated, including the chief of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh and the leader of the Lebanese resistance Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.”.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said,
“The military actions are the rightful exertion of all the rights of Iran aimed to bring about peace and security for Iran and the wider region.”
According to Irna news agency, he said in a post on X that ” this action was in defense of the interests and citizens of Iran.”
By the time of the missile attack, celebrations had already begun in several cities across Iran, where citizens waved Iranian, Lebanese, and Palestinian flags in solidarity with the IRGC’s actions.
On the other hand, Israeli officials cited that though about 180 missiles were fired, most of them were intercepted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded missile attacks as a “big mistake” and threatened to “pay” for the attack. “Iran made a big mistake today and will pay for it. The Iranian regime does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and take revenge on our enemies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Central Command for the U.S. military announced that more squadrons of F-16 and F-15E fighter aircraft and A-10 attack aircraft had been sent to West Asia, further building up its military presence in the region.
