Iran fires 181 missiles at Israel; Israel Prime Minister Says: They made a ‘big mistake’ and ‘will pay for it’
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, hinted at a move to evacuate Nigerians in Lebanon as hostility between Israel and Iran escalated, with Iran firing 181 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan lie between Iran and Israel and would be affected by the development.
In a message on X.com on Tuesday evening, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, through his handle, @DOlusegun, said: “Alert! All Nigerians in Lebanon are expected to get in touch with the Nigerian mission for profiling and documentation and subsequent evacuation.”
“A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement, as sirens sounded across Israel, AFP reports.
After about an hour, the military announced there was no longer a threat, and “it was decided that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas across the country,” with a “large number” of Iranian missiles intercepted.
According to The Times of Israel, the Israel Defence Forces said it intercepted the 180 ballistic missiles launched by Iran at Israel on Tuesday evening.
Israel’s air defences were “effective,” the IDF said.
It was Iran’s second on Israel after a missile and drone attack in April in response to a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
AFP journalists reported hearing explosions over Jerusalem, while rescuers said two people were lightly injured by shrapnel in central Israel.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA said the Islamic Republic had launched “a missile attack on Tel Aviv,” Israel’s commercial hub.
Its Revolutionary Guards Corps 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.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned the “broadening conflict in the Middle East,” adding in a statement: “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”
Israeli airspace was closed with all flights diverted, a spokesman for the airport authority said.
Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, which lie between Iran and Israel, closed their airspace too.
As the missiles made their way to Israel from the east, blasts were heard over the Jordanian capital Amman, as Israel’s allies moved to intercept them, an AFP correspondent said.
Jordan said its air defences responded to missiles and drones.
AFP reports that United States President, Joe Biden, ordered the military to “aid Israel’s defence” and shoot down Iranian missiles, the White House said.
Iran’s ballistic missile assault on Israel was “defeated and ineffective,” the White House added on Tuesday, hailing US involvement in repelling some of the attacks.
“Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” US President’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, told reporters.
While Iran-backed groups across the region had already been drawn into the Gaza war, sparked by Palestinian group Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, Tehran had largely refrained from direct attacks on its regional foe.
