targets, demands, reactions… What we know about Iran’s attack on Israel

Recap While the Israeli army had called on the population to prepare for a possible “large-scale” Iranian attack, Iran fired a salvo of missiles towards the Jewish state on Tuesday. A response to the deaths of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, the Revolutionary Guards said.

Warning sirens were activated throughout Israel this Tuesday, October 1st evening. While Washington warned of an attack “imminent”, Iran fired “missiles on Tel Aviv” the official IRNA news agency reported. An announcement which comes after the Israeli army reported 180 missiles fired from Iran.

Also read

Interceptor missiles were also fired over Jerusalem against projectiles coming from the east visible in their light trails, AFP journalists noted. Israeli airspace was closed and flights were diverted. Details of the attack, reactions… “Le Nouvel Obs” takes stock of the situation.

· Iran fires missiles at Israel

Iran fired missiles at Israel this Tuesday evening where warning sirens sounded throughout the territory. In Tehran, the official IRNA news agency announced firing by Iran of “missiles on Tel Aviv”. This is the second attack of its kind in almost six months.

“Due to the current security situation, the United States Embassy has asked all employees and their family members to take shelter until further notice”the embassy had indicated earlier in a press release. The Israeli army also called on the population to prepare for a possible Iranian attack “on a large scale” obeying passive defense directives and immediately going to shelters in the event of an alert and remaining there “until further notice”.

Also read

A few hours later, the army indicated that the population could leave the shelters and that there was no longer an Iranian threat. ” For now “. “We made a lot of interceptions. There were some impacts in the center and others in the south of the country”said Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. Israel has “proven” its ability to “prevent the enemy from succeeding”welcomed the head of the Israeli army. The IDF said Iran’s missile attack would have “consequences”. “We have plans and we will act where and when we decide”he added.

“(Army) systems identified around 180 missiles fired towards Israeli territory from Iran”the Israeli army said in a statement later in the evening. An Israeli security official confirmed this number to AFP. General Security in Jordan said the kingdom’s air force and anti-aircraft defenses had intercepted missiles and drones present “in Jordanian airspace”a neighboring country of Israel, according to a press release.

· The Revolutionary Guards claim responsibility for the attack

“In response to the martyrs of Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and Abbas Nilforoushan (deputy head of the Guards), we targeted the heart of the occupied territories” (Israel), said in a statement the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, which also threatened to“overwhelming attacks” if Israel responded to missile attacks. Late in the evening, the Revolutionary Guards claimed to have struck “three military bases” located around Tel Aviv. “We targeted three military bases around Tel Aviv” during the operation, the Guardians indicated in a press release relayed by the Isna agency.

The President of Iran, Massoud Pezeshkian, welcomed the “decisive response” against “aggression” of Israel. “In accordance with legitimate rights and with the aim of (establishing) peace and security of Iran and the region, a decisive response was made to the aggression of the Zionist regime”indicated the president on “do not enter into conflict with Iran”.

Also read

For its part, Hamas welcomed Iran’s attack on Israel. Hamas “welcomes the heroic missile strikes carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran against large swaths of the occupied territories” (Israel), the Palestinian movement said in a statement, specifying that these strikes were “revenge for our heroic martyrs”.

The Lebanese news agency reported heavy gunfire heard in the southern suburbs of Beirut, following the Iranian attack on Israel.

· Air traffic interrupted in the region

After closing its airspace and diverting flights, Israeli airport authorities announced in the evening that Israeli airspace has been reopened. “Takeoffs and landings will resume within the next hour”airport authorities said in a statement.

The Iraqi Ministry of Transport ordered the closure of its airspace for reasons of ” security “according to comments reported by the official Iraqi news agency. Jordan also announced the suspension of air traffic. According to a civil aviation press release, “Jordanian airspace is temporarily closed” and all departures and arrivals are suspended. Lebanon has also decided to close its airspace.

For its part, Tehran International Airport announced that it had suspended its flights, local media reported. “For now, we have suspended inbound and outbound flights from Tehran International Airport until flight permission is issued”declared to the Isna agency the head of the international airport of the Iranian capital, Saïd Chalandari.

· 4 dead in “suspected terrorist attack” in Tel Aviv

Furthermore, four people were killed and seven others injured in Tel Aviv in an automatic weapons attack carried out by two shooters, who were “neutralized”indicated the Israeli police after initially reporting seven injured.

Also read

According to surveillance camera images broadcast by Israeli television, the two shooters opened fire while getting off a tram at the Sderot-Yeroushalaïm stop, in the Jaffa district. “The two terrorists were neutralized on the spot”indicates the police in a press release.

· A situation closely monitored in the United States

US President Joe Biden ordered the US military “to help Israel defend itself” against the attack launched by Iran and“shoot down the missiles” targeting this country ally of the United States, indicated the White House. The outgoing president and his vice-president, candidate in the November 5 election, Kamala Harris, both followed the attack from the White House situation room, it is specified.

The United States is ready to provide “additional defensive support” said a US defense official. “Our forces remain in position to provide additional defensive support and protect U.S. forces deployed in the region” after participating in the “defense against missiles fired from Iran against Israel”the official said on condition of anonymity. “Of course, this attack must have consequences for Iran. I am not going to dwell on these consequences today, but there are things on which we will coordinate with our Israeli counterparts.State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller later told reporters.

Iran’s attack on Israel revealed « ineffective » and was “battered” by Israeli forces, supported by the United States, judged American national security advisor Jake Sullivan. Stressing that at present Washington has not “no knowledge of deaths in Israel”but was seeking information about the death of a Palestinian civilian in the occupied West Bank, Jake Sullivan believed it was a “significant escalation by Iran”. Iran fired twice as many missiles at Israel as in its previous attack in April, the US Department of Defense announced.

For his part, the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, judged “totally unacceptable” the attack on Iran, adding that “the whole world must condemn it”. “Early reports suggest that Israel, with active support from the United States and other partners, effectively foiled this attack”he said, referring to the fact that Iran had taken some “200 ballistic missiles”. “We have once again demonstrated our commitment to the defense of Israel”he said again in a short statement to the press.

· UN chief “condemns widening conflict”

“I condemn the widening of the conflict in the Middle East”United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement, after Iranian missile attacks targeting Israel. “This has to stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire”added the head of the UN, deploring “escalation after escalation”.

The EU “condemns in the strongest terms” Iran’s attack on Israel, declared the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks spiraling out of control. An immediate ceasefire across the region is necessary”he estimated on the social network “The EU remains fully committed to helping avoid regional war”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned “with the greatest firmness” the attack on Iran, reiterating “firm commitment” from the United Kingdom “in favor of the security of Israel”. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the Iranian missile launches and called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the region.