IDF vows to strike heavily across Middle East after Iranian assault

Some 181 ballistic missiles were launched onto Israel on Tuesday night by Iran, the Jerusalem Post understands, leading to 1,800 rocket sirens sounding across the country. 

A Palestinian worker from Gaza was reportedly killed as a result of fragments of rockets that fell in the city of Jericho in the West Bank, according to Israeli media.

Magen David Adom's CEO Eli Bin announced that there was a direct hit to a building in north Tel Aviv on George Wise Street. MDA confirmed that three people had been wounded by falls in Tel Aviv.

A strike also hit a home in Tel Sheva, according to Maariv.

Multiple other falls were recorded in Tel Aviv, Dimona, Nabatim, Hora, Hod Hasharon, Beersheba, and Rishon Lezion.

Israeli air defenses shot down dozens of missiles that flew over Syria, Syrian army sources told Reuters. 

Video footage from KAN showed falling fragments of interceptors and missiles in the Dead Sea.

תיעוד: נפילת שברי מיירטים וטילים בים המלח@rubih67
(צילום: יובל אפריאט) pic.twitter.com/ojN9RY8hGA

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 1, 2024

The Hezbollah terrorist organization said in a statement on Tuesday that it had targeted Israeli troops across the border in Metula with artillery fire but made no mention of Israel's announcement that it had begun a ground incursion into Lebanon.

Earlier, after sirens were triggered at 7:36 a.m. in the Metula area, about five rockets were detected coming from Lebanon, the IDF reported. Some were intercepted, while others crashed in open areas in the region.

Later, at 7:46 a.m., sirens in Avivim sounded as several rockets were launched from Lebanon, which also reportedly crashed in open areas.

Again, at 8:01, sirens went off in Metula, with more projectiles crossing from Lebanon. The military added that some were intercepted, and others were confirmed to have struck the area. 

Israel Air Force jets conducted a precise strike on Hezbollah military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing facilities in the Beirut suburbs of Dahieh on Monday night, the military said on Tuesday.  

The IDF added that before the strike, it had taken steps to avoid harming civilians, including issuing warnings to the civilian population, using precise ammunition, and aerial surveillance. 

The military noted that Hezbollah had knowingly positioned such facilities in the heart of the civilian population in Beirut.

"The IDF is continuing to strike Hezbollah's terror infrastructure and degrade its military capabilities in Lebanon in order to restore security to the citizens of the State of Israel," the IDF stated.

Rocket sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel starting at 11:03 a.m. local time on Tuesday. 

This is a developing story. 

"Lebanon is facing one of the most dangerous stages in its history," caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said during a meeting with UN organizations and ambassadors of donor countries on Tuesday.

The IDF maneuvered into several villages in the eastern sector of Lebanon on Tuesday, where, according to intelligence, Hezbollah has terrorist infrastructure.

IDF artillery also fired at the area, aiming to destroy terrorist infrastructure, kill Hezbollah terrorists, and disrupt terrorist activity.

The ground maneuver was supported by extensive air force operations aimed at gathering intelligence on the situation on the ground and targeting terrorists operating inside buildings.
 
 

The United Arab Emirates reaffirmed its unwavering position towards the unity of Lebanon, its national sovereignty, and its territorial integrity, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Israeli officials and ministers have expressed their support and blessings for Israel's ground operation in southern Lebanon, which began on Monday night as tensions between Hezbollah and Israel continued to escalate.

Israel's ground operation in Lebanon marks the first IDF operation in the country since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

One of the first official reactions to the invasion came from MK Moshe Solomon of the Religious Zionist Party, who made a post on X/Twitter blessing Israel's endeavors as it initiated the ground operation before the IDF made an official announcement confirming that troops had entered Lebanon.