In a fresh escalation of regional tensions, Iran yesterday launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the recent military actions by Israel in Lebanon as well as the targeted killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The missile attack ordered by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was targeted at the “heart of the occupied territories,” according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Alarms were heard throughout Israel, and civilians scrambled for cover as the whistles of explosions echoed from Jerusalem and down the valley of the Jordan River. While many of the missiles were intercepted by the Israelis-a number of which flew overhead into neighbouring Jordan-the sheer number of the barrage marked one of the most significant retaliatory actions from Tehran in recent times. According to reports coming out from Israeli media, between 150 and 200 missiles were launched during the attack.

Despite the ferocity of the attack, Israeli authorities said about an hour later that the immediate danger had passed, with most missiles intercepted. Emergency services were only left with two small injuries caused by shrapnel in Tel Aviv.

The Iranian missile strike comes on the heels of an open military campaign by Israel against Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy force in Lebanon. Operationally, the operation described as Israel’s largest offensive in the region since last year’s Gaza conflict has already taken the lives of many Hezbollah leaders and also displaced over a million Lebanese citizens.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the missile attack was in direct response to the killings of Nasrallah, Haniyeh, and Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander in the Quds Force. The Iranian military has threatened further “crushing attacks” should Israel retaliate.

Conversely, it threatened to retaliate at a time and place of its choice. In this regard, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a high-ranking military official in Israel, indicated that the attack will not remain unanswered as he said, “We have plans, and we will operate at the place and time we decide.”

Escalating violence has been the talk of international voices. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the escalating war, and he called for an immediate ceasefire, terming the region about to plunge into full-blown warfare. “This must stop,” Guterres remarked, urging all parties to seek peace.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden asserts that America will continue to protect Israel. In this meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security officials, the U.S. President addressed the U.S. military to assist in Israel’s defence of interception of the missile threat. The U.S. President also appeals for calm; at such a time of uncertainty, the region needs stability.

Missile attacks: the Israeli military is continuing operations inside Lebanon because it has attacked Hezbollah. At the same time, downplaying them as “limited,” Israel’s ground incursions represent its largest deployment of ground troops inside Lebanon in nearly two decades. The violence already mounts, and it can quickly spread into other regions.

As both sides prepare for further action, the international community holds its breath, dreading that this latest chapter in the Israel-Iran conflict might spin into a full-fledged regional war.