© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Iran carries out a massive missile attack on Israel, expanding the Middle East conflict

Israelis shelter on the highway during a massive missile barrage from Iran on Tuesday.
Maya Levin for NPR
Israelis shelter on the highway during a massive missile barrage from Iran on Tuesday.

Updated October 01, 2024 at 15:33 PM ET

Iran unleashed a major airstrike targeting sites across Israel on Tuesday night, while Israel's air defenses shot down most of the 180 incoming missiles, according to Israeli officials.

The Iranian attack marked the latest escalation in fighting that now stretches into several countries in the region, with warnings that more fighting is likely. Israel found itself fighting on three separate fronts on Tuesday — with Hamas in Gaza to the south, with Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north and with the Iranian missile strike from the east.

Air raid sirens wailed, explosions lit up the nighttime sky and loud booms echoed throughout the country as Israeli defenses fired on the Iranian missiles. Israel's military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said most Iranian missiles were intercepted, though a small number crashed into central and southern Israel.

No Israeli deaths were reported in the airstrike, though the attacks caused some limited damage. Palestinian officials said a Palestinian man was killed by falling debris in the West Bank. Iran fired a large barrage of missiles and drones against Israel back in April. Almost all those weapons were also shot down, and no Israelis were killed in that attack either.

After Tuesday's strike, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Security Cabinet, "Iran made a big mistake this evening, and it will pay for it." He went on to add, "Whoever attacks us, we will attack them."

In Washington, President Biden said, "Based on what we know now, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective." The president added, "Make no mistake. The United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel."

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said two U.S. destroyers fired a total of 12 interceptors at Iranian missiles as they headed to Israel. He said the U.S. Defense Department was still assessing whether the interceptors hit their targets.

In a separate development, two gunmen shot dead six people and injured 12 in an attack on a light-rail train in Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv, according to Israeli authorities. Israeli police said they then shot dead the two gunmen at the scene. Israeli media reports described the gunmen as Palestinians from Hebron in the West Bank.

Escalating regional violence

The Iranian strikes come in the wake of an escalating Israeli operation against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, including a ground campaign launched Monday. Israel is attempting to greatly weaken the group, which has been trained and armed by Iran for four decades.

Loading...

Iran claimed the missile attack was in response to several recent killings. They include the assassination of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, killed last Friday in an airstrike in Beirut; the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Iran's capital, Tehran, in July; and the earlier death of an Iranian military commander.

Iran's mission at the United Nations said in a statement on the social media platform X that Iran carried out a "legal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime." The statement added that "should the Zionist regime dare to respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing response will ensue."

People take cover on the side of a road as a siren sounds a warning of incoming missiles fired from Iran on a freeway in Shoresh, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel on Tuesday.
Ohad Zwigenberg / AP
/
AP
People take cover on the side of a freeway in Shoresh, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, on Tuesday as a siren sounds a warning of incoming missiles fired from Iran.

Israel's government had warned the public that an attack was coming, and civilians took to bomb shelters nationwide before and during the strike. A short while later, Israelis received another official notice saying they could come out of the shelters. Meanwhile, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have been put under tight restrictions, including new limits on gatherings in any urban centers.

Iran's strike linked to wider regional conflict

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel last Oct. 8 — one day after Hamas launched a major attack into southern Israel. Hezbollah describes its effort as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Over the past year, Israel and Hezbollah have been firing almost every day across the Israel-Lebanon border. But the shooting remained at a relatively low level until Israel unleashed a much larger campaign two weeks ago.

Since then, Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people and have forced many Lebanese civilians to flee their homes, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The strikes have targeted Hezbollah and its weapons, killing Nasrallah and several other top officials, as well as many civilians.

Back in April, an Israeli strike killed several leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Damascus, Syria.

Iran responded by attacking Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles, but nearly all were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States. A few missiles did cause some damage. A 7-year-old girl was severely injured and a military base in southern Israel suffered minor damage, according to Israeli officials.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Greg Myre is a national security correspondent with a focus on the intelligence community, a position that follows his many years as a foreign correspondent covering conflicts around the globe.
Hadeel Al-Shalchi
Hadeel al-Shalchi is an editor with Weekend Edition. Prior to joining NPR, Al-Shalchi was a Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press and covered the Arab Spring from Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, and Libya. In 2012, she joined Reuters as the Libya correspondent where she covered the country post-war and investigated the death of Ambassador Chris Stephens. Al-Shalchi also covered the front lines of Aleppo in 2012. She is fluent in Arabic.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content