Israel accused Tehran of making a “serious mistake” on Sunday after reports that it was hit by several waves of Iranian missiles, the first such attack since a truce was declared on April 8 in the Middle East war.
Air raid sirens were sounded across large swaths of northern and central Israel, including the cities of Haifa, Caesarea and Hadera, according to the military.
In a series of statements issued in a short period of time, the military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran and that all missiles had been intercepted.
Iran fired a total of 11 missiles, the military said in response to a request for details.
Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, said there were no reports of any casualties from the missiles, but some people were injured as they rushed to shelters.
“Iran’s terrorist regime has once again chosen the path of terror and made a serious mistake,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Devlin said in a televised statement.
Tehran said the missile launch was intended to serve as a “warning” after Israel launched air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier in the day, adding that any further aggression would be a “broader” response to all US-Israeli targets in the region.
Israel said its attack targeted the Hezbollah command center on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital.
Iran-backed groups have been engaged in hostilities with Israel since shortly after the broader regional conflict broke out.
“Our attack in Dahiya was in response to Hezbollah’s relentless attacks on communities in northern Israel,” Devlin said.
“The Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate throughout Lebanon and will intensify operations against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
All schools across Israel will be closed on Monday, the Ministry of Education and the military’s Home Front Command said in a joint statement on Sunday night.
The Middle East war triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Tehran that began on February 28 entered its 100th day on Sunday.
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This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
