Air sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and across Israel, as Iran launched 150 ballistic missiles on Friday night, according to reports from the Israeli military.
Israeli residents were ordered to seek shelter as the country’s armed forces entered full combat readiness.
Israeli authorities confirmed that Houthis also fired missiles targeting southern and central regions of the country. Witnesses reported explosions in areas around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, believed to be interceptions by Israel’s air defense systems, “Iron Dome” and “David’s Sling.”
Iran’s state news agency IRNA later confirmed the launch of a second wave of missiles, with dense smoke visible in the skies over Tel Aviv following the initial barrage.
Iran’s missile strike is being framed as retaliation for Israel’s unprecedented military operation “Rising Lion,” carried out in the early hours of Friday, June 13. The operation reportedly involved massive airstrikes on over 100 targets inside Iran, including military bases, radar systems, missile launchers, and high-value nuclear sites such as Natanz and the underground Fordow complex.
Israeli sources claimed that the operation resulted in the deaths of several senior members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and key nuclear scientists involved in Iran’s atomic program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the strike was “only the beginning,” vowing continued operations until “the Iranian nuclear threat is eradicated.” In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran’s retaliation would be “strong and sustained.”
Iranian state media reported that Tehran is preparing to launch up to 5,000 ballistic missiles in multiple phases, fueling concerns of a broader military confrontation in the region.
The current phase of the Iran-Israel conflict marks the most severe military escalation in the Middle East in decades. The threat of the conflict spilling into neighboring countries is increasingly tangible, with serious and potentially lasting consequences for global security and energy stability.
