TEL AVIV —
Iran launched a heavy missile attack on Israel tonight, according to the Israeli military and the Iranian government media, as the tension in the Middle East worsened.
“A short time ago, missiles fired from Iran were attacked in Israel,” said a statement issued by the Israeli military. The sound of the warning was heard, as reporters from AFP reported explosions heard in Jerusalem.
Iran’s IRNA news agency said they launched a rocket attack on Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial center.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the attack was a response to Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week, as well as the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who died in a bomb attack in Tehran, which Iran blamed on Israel.
Israel’s airspace has been closed and all flights have been diverted, according to a spokesman for the airport authority.
Iraq and Jordan, which lie between Iran and Israel, have also closed their airspace.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant previously discussed the threat of Iran with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to a statement from his office.
President Joe Biden has ordered the US military to “assist in the defense of Israel” and shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, according to the White House.
Biden and his vice-president Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for the US presidential election next month, are both monitoring Iran’s attack on Israel in the White House situation room, the statement said.
The Israeli military said recently that the rockets have stopped and people can now come out of the shelters.
The damage caused by the Iranian missiles is not yet known.
Although Iranian-backed groups were part of the Middle East war that began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, Tehran has mostly refrained from directly attacking its primary enemy.
Iran said killing Nasrallah would lead to the “destruction” of Israel, although the Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Tehran would not deploy any troops.