‘Severe, Dangerous Escalation’: US, Israel Consider Joint Response After Iran’s Large-Scale Missile Attack – News18

Warning Tehran of “severe consequences,” the United States said Tuesday that it is considering a joint response against the Islamic Republic after it fired a salvo of missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of several leaders of Iran-aligned armed groups.

Israel said it would make Iran “pay” for the attack, which it said saw 180 missiles fired at its territory and promised to strike “the Middle East powerfully”. US President Joe Biden said that it was “fully supportive” of Israel after the missile attack, adding that he would discuss a response with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“At my direction, the United States military actively supported the defense of Israel,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “This is testament to Israeli military capability… [and] also a testament to intensive planning [between] the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against a brazen attack,” he was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.

‘Action is concluded unless…’

On Tuesday, thousands of Sirens sounded across Israel after Iran unleashed the missiles. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted “three military bases” around Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran’s “action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation”.

The Revolutionary Guards earlier said the attack was in response to Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week as well as the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran bombing widely blamed on Israel.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had exercised its “legitimate rights” and dealt “a decisive response… to the Zionist regime’s aggression”. Israel, Iraq and Jordan — which lie between Iran and Israel — closed their airspace, as did Lebanon before reopening.

‘Iran made a big mistake tonight’

The Israeli military announced after about an hour that the attack was over. Israeli medics reported two people lightly injured by shrapnel. It was Iran’s second direct attack on Israel after a missile and drone attack in April in response to a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Hours after Iran launched some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters the missile attack was a “significant escalation” by Iran and that “there will be consequences, severe consequences”.

Late Tuesday, the Israeli PM said “Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,” warning: “Whoever attacks us, we attack them.” Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari promised the Israeli air force “will continue to strike (tonight) in the Middle East powerfully, as has been happening throughout the past year”. In a post on X, the IDF said, “Iran’s attack is a severe and dangerous escalation.” It also posted raw footage of Iranian missiles raining over the Old City in Jerusalem, a holy site for Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

Israel Strikes Beirut

The Israeli military subsequently announced it was bombarding Hezbollah targets in Beirut. The Israeli military said early Wednesday that it was “currently striking Hezbollah terror targets in Beirut”. Israel has repeatedly bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs since last week, a densely-populated Hezbollah bastion where Israel says it is targeting sites belonging to the group.

At least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early Wednesday, a Lebanese security source said, as the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah sites and issued several evacuation orders. “At least five Israeli strikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs,” the source said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

‘This must stop’

UN chief Antonio Guterres led international calls to stem the “broadening conflict in the Middle East”, saying in a statement: “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.” While Iran-backed groups across the region had already been drawn into the Gaza war, sparked by Palestinian group Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, Tehran had largely refrained from direct attacks on its regional foe.

“I am extremely concerned with the escalation of the conflict in Lebanon and appeal for an immediate ceasefire. An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected,” Guterres said.

Middle East Escalation

The escalation came after the Israeli military said early Tuesday that troops had started “targeted ground raids” in south Lebanon, across Israel’s northern border. The move came despite growing calls for de-escalation after a week of air strikes that killed hundreds in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry said later that the latest Israeli strikes had killed a further 55 people in Lebanon on Tuesday. Lebanon’s disaster management agency said 1,873 people had been killed since Israel and Hezbollah began trading cross-border fire after the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023.

Iran has said Nasrallah’s killing will bring about Israel’s “destruction”, though its foreign ministry said Monday that Tehran would not deploy any troops to confront Israel. The Pentagon said the United States was boosting its forces in the Middle East by a “few thousand” troops.

Gaza Conflict

In Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping mission said the Israeli offensive did not amount to a “ground incursion” and Hezbollah denied that any troops had crossed the border. Israel says it seeks to dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities and restore security to the north, where tens of thousands have been displaced by nearly a year of cross-border fire.

The Iran-backed group, which suffered heavy losses in a spate of attacks last month, said it targeted Israeli military bases on Tuesday. In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli bombings killed 19 people on Tuesday. The military said troops opened fire Tuesday on “dozens” of Palestinians in central Gaza they saw as an “immediate threat”. At least some were hit, it added.

Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity. Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,638 people in Gaza, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Escalating violence in Lebanon

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza. The escalating violence in Lebanon has killed more than 1,000 people since September 17, Health Minister Firass Abiad said. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said there could be as many as one million people displaced from their homes in the country, with authorities registering almost 240,000 crossings into Syria since September 23.

(With agency inputs)