Israel said Iran had fired missiles at Israel and warned residents to seek shelter

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran said it fired dozens of rockets into Israel on Tuesday, marking a sharp escalation in the months-long conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militias Hezbollah and Hamas. There were no immediate reports of casualties as Israel ordered residents to shelter in bomb shelters and as air raid sirens wailed across the country.

A series of shaking explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem, although it was not immediately clear whether the sounds came from missiles landing, being intercepted by Israeli defenses or both.

Israel and the United States have warned that an attack on Israel from Iran, which supports the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, would have serious consequences. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris monitored the attack on Israel from the White House Situation Room.

Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the country’s air defense system was fully operational and had detected and intercepted threats. “However, the defense is not hermetic,” he said.

Orders to seek shelter were sent to Israelis’ cellphones and announced on national television.

Iran claimed responsibility for firing dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel. The claim was made in a statement read out on state television.

In its statement, Iran referred to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard General Abbas Nilforushan, both of whom were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last week. It also mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a top Hamas leader who was assassinated in a suspected Israeli attack in Tehran in July. It warned that this attack was only a “first wave,” without elaborating.

The airstrike warnings in Israel came a day after Israel said it had begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire hit villages in southern Lebanon from which people were ordered to evacuate. Hezbollah fighters responded by firing rockets at Israel. There was no immediate estimate of casualties as fighting intensified and Concerns about a larger regional war growth.

A senior White House official warned of “serious consequences” if Iran fires a ballistic missile against Israel. US ships and aircraft are stationed in the region to support Israel in the event of an attack an attack from Iran. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence.

Hagari also warned of consequences if Iran fired missiles at Israel.

He urged the public to stay near protected areas. “The Iranian attack could be far-reaching,” he said.

Iranian officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in April, but Only a few of his projectiles reached their target. Many were shot down by a US-led coalition, others apparently failed to take off or crashed in flight.

While Hezbollah denied that Israeli troops had entered Lebanon, the Israeli army said it had also carried out dozens of ground attacks in southern Lebanon for almost a year. Israel released video footage purporting to show its soldiers operating in houses and tunnels where Hezbollah stores weapons.

If true, it would be another humiliating blow to the Iran-backed Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group in the Middle East. Hezbollah suffered from weeks of targeted attacks that killed its leader. Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders.

On Tuesday morning, Israel warned people to evacuate north of the Awali River, about 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border and much further than the Litani River, which marks the river’s northern edge a UN declared zone It was intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war.

The border region has largely emptied over the past year due to a firefight between the two sides. But the scope of the evacuation warning raises questions about how far Israel plans to send its troops into Lebanon.

An Israeli airstrike hit a residential building near Beirut on Tuesday, causing damage, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The attack apparently hit an apartment about 100 meters from the Iranian embassy.

In anticipation of further Hezbollah rocket attacks, the Israeli army announced new restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches in northern and central Israel. The military also said it had called up thousands more reserve soldiers for deployment on the northern border.

Questions have been raised about the entry of Israeli forces

An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating in armored trucks near the border and helicopters circling overhead, but could not confirm that ground troops had entered Lebanon.

Ahead of Israel’s announcement of an invasion, U.S. officials said Monday that Israel described carrying out small ground strikes in Lebanon as it prepared for a broader operation.

Neither the Lebanese army nor a UN peacekeeping force patrolling southern Lebanon have confirmed the entry of Israeli forces. The UN force said a cross-border operation would be a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif rejected what he said were “false claims” about an Israeli invasion. He said Hezbollah was ready for “a direct confrontation with hostile forces that dare or attempt to enter Lebanon.”

Hagari claimed troops were carrying out “local ground attacks” on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon to ensure Israeli citizens could return to their homes in the north.

“We’re not going to Beirut,” he said.

Israel has said it will continue attacks on Hezbollah until a safe return is possible for its citizens. Hezbollah has vowed to continue firing rockets at Israel until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

He said Israel had carried out dozens of small raids in Lebanon since October 8, when Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel after the war broke out in Gaza.

Hagari said Israeli forces crossed the border to collect intelligence and destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons. Israel said Hezbollah was preparing its own Oct. 7-style attack on Israel. It was not immediately possible to confirm these claims.

An Israeli military official said troops involved in the latest raid were within walking distance of the border and focused on villages hundreds of meters (yards) from Israel. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said there were no clashes with Hezbollah fighters.

The Israeli military was accused of lying to the media in 2021 when it released a statement saying ground forces had entered Gaza. The military played down the incident as a misunderstanding, but well-informed military commentators in Israel said it was part of a ruse to lure Hamas into the fight.

Israel attacks more targets and Hezbollah fires rockets

The Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens and wounding one man. Hezbollah said it fired volleys of a new medium-range missile at the headquarters of two Israeli intelligence agencies near Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military official said Hezbollah also fired projectiles at Israeli communities near the border, targeting soldiers without hurting anyone.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 sparked the war in Gaza. Israel launched retaliatory air strikes and the conflict steadily escalated. In recent weeks, Israel has unleashed a devastating wave of air strikes on large parts of Lebanon.

Hagari said UN Security Council resolution The declaration that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 was not enforced and southern Lebanon was teeming with “terrorists and Hezbollah weapons.”

This resolution called for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the area between the border and the Litani River and for the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to patrol the area. Israel says these and other provisions were never enforced. Lebanon has long accused Israel of violating other provisions of the resolution.

Israeli official says there are no plans to march on Beirut

The military statements suggested that Israel could focus its ground operations on the narrow strip along the border rather than launching a larger invasion aimed at destroying Hezbollah, as it attempted against Hamas in Gaza.

Hezbollah and Hamas are close allies backed by Iran, and any escalation has raised fears of a larger war in the Middle East that could involve Iran and the United States has sent military assets to the region in support of Israel.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon in the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

Hezbollah is a well-trained militia believed to have tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles. The last round of fighting in 2006 ended in a stalemate, and both sides have spent the last two decades preparing for their next showdown.

Recent airstrikes have wiped out most of Hezbollah’s leadership Explosions of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies Hezbollah members suggest that Israel has penetrated deep into the group’s upper echelons.

The group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said in a televised statement on Monday that Hezbollah commanders killed in recent weeks had already been replaced.

As fighting intensifies, European countries have begun withdrawing their diplomats and citizens from Lebanon.

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Mroue reported from Beirut and Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Zeke Miller and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed.

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