Airborne warnings went off this morning in numerous locations in northern Israel, including Yiron, Misgav Am and Shtula – in the Upper Galilee – as well as Metula. This was reported by the Israeli army (IDF) on Telegram while last night at least five Israeli attacks hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to a Lebanese security source who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. The source confirmed that “at least five Israeli attacks targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs.” AFP correspondents reported several explosions and columns of smoke in the area, as a fire spread. The Israeli army said “it is currently striking Hezbollah terrorist targets in Beirut.” Second Axioswhich quotes Israeli officials after the attacks «Israel will within days launch a significant retaliation in response to yesterday’s massive Iranian missile attack, which could hit oil production facilities within the country and other strategic sites».The Secretary of American defenseman Lloyd Austin said he spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after « the scandalous act of aggression » by Iran against Israel. “The minister and I expressed mutual appreciation for Israel’s coordinated defense against nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran and committed to remaining in close contact,” Austin wrote in a post on Iranian Army Major General Mohammad Bagheri said that «Iran will target Israel’s entire infrastructure if it is attacked in retaliation for Tuesday’s missile launch. If the Zionist regime, which has gone mad, is not controlled by its American and European financiers and wants to continue these crimes or act against our sovereignty and territorial integrity, the operation like the one tonight (Tuesday) will be repeated with greater intensity and all the regime’s infrastructure will be targeted.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke Tuesday evening about Iran’s massive missile attack on Israel, declining to specify whether or how Israel would respond to the attack. During the briefing, Sullivan said: «Today, Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel. The United States Army coordinated closely with the Israel Defense Forces to help defend Israel from this attack. US naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in launching interceptors to shoot down incoming missiles.” He added: “Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. This was first of all the result of the professionalism of the IDF, but largely also of the skilled work of the US military and the meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack. We will consult with the Israelis on the next steps in terms of response and on how to handle what Iran just did, and we will continue to monitor further threats and attacks from Iran and its proxies. We are particularly focused on protecting the US military in the region.”
He was then asked if the US government and Israel have talked about the possibility of Israel retaliating: «We have had some initial discussions with the Israelis following this at the military level and also at the White House at the Prime Minister’s Office level. . We will continue those conversations in the coming hours. I have no intention of making premature judgments or anticipating anything. We want to have in-depth consultations with the Israelis and I will have more to report to you after we have had the opportunity for more in-depth discussions.” Finally, according to the New York Times which anonymously cites senior Israeli and American officials, recent Israeli air strikes in Lebanon have destroyed approximately half of the missiles and rockets accumulated by Hezbollah in over thirty years, inflicting a severe blow on the capabilities of the terrorist militia Shia. For this reason, Hezbollah is trying to obtain new weapons from its ally, Iran. According to the NYT, “despite Israeli military operations, the group’s arsenal remains impressive, with tens of thousands of projectiles scattered throughout Lebanon, and a massive attack could put Israel’s Iron Dome defense system to the test.”
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