Iran fires multiple missile strikes across Israel

Iran launched dozens of missiles against Israel on Tuesday, a barrage of strikes it says are in response to the deaths of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned citizens to shelter in place and follow instructions from the Home Front Command as the Jewish State’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense system works to intercept incoming rockets.

“During the defense, we carried out quite a few interceptions,” IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said after the attack was over. “There are some impacts in the center and areas in the south of the country.”

Hagari said that while Israel is still assessing the Iranian attack, officials “are unaware of casualties.”

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A U.S. defense official told Fox News in a statement that U.S. forces in the region were defending against the Iranian barrage against Israel.

“On accordance with our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, U.S. forces in the region are currently defending against Iranian-launched missiles targeting Israel,” the official said. “Our forces remain postured to provide additional defensive support and to protect U.S. forces operating in the region.”

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, October 1, 2024. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said this latest barrage of missiles is in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in an Israeli airstrike late last week and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, according to Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned in a statement released by Iranian state media that if Israel responds to the missile barrage, “it will face crushing attacks.”

A senior White House official told Fox News earlier Tuesday morning that Iran was preparing to “imminently” launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel. The move comes after weeks of Israeli strikes against Tehran’s proxies in the region.

“The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” the official said. “We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.”

Rockets fly in the sky, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, October 1, 2024.  (REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

Another U.S. official earlier told Fox News that Iran could launch its attack as soon as Tuesday afternoon, saying that the U.S. has seen additional movement of missiles in Iran to prepare for the now “imminent” attack.

The official added that Iran’s attack could look like the one it launched in April against Israel, which had more than 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. 

While the U.S. official did not know what the exact scope or size will be, the official said that Iran has been at a state of readiness to launch an attack on Israel within 12 to 24 hours since early August following the July 31st assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. 

Iran already launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in April, though the regime’s proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, have traded attacks with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.

On Tuesday, Israel was beginning a limited ground invasion into southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei previously called Nasrallah “the flag-bearer of resistance” in the region.

Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei has reportedly moved into hiding and remains at a secure location within the country. (Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images, File)

“The blood of the martyr shall not go unavenged,” Khamenei said after Nasrallah was killed late last week in Beirut, Lebanon, by an Israeli airstrike, according to Reuters.

Three U.S. Navy destroyers are positioned in the Mediterranean Sea, an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Oman and fighter jets arrayed throughout the region to assist Israel in the event of an attack from Iran. All are capable of shooting down incoming missiles.

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Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department announced Tuesday that sanctions are being imposed on two Israelis and a “violent extremist group” in the West Bank as Iran strikes the Jewish State.

Fox News’ Nicolas Rojas and Greg Norman, along with The Associated Press contributed to this report.