Tel Aviv/Beirut, 2 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel, firing around 180 rockets on Tuesday evening, according to initial estimates by the Israeli army.

Iran said the attack was in retaliation for the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. It also warned of "devastating and destructive attacks" if Israel responds.

Iran’s so-called axis of resistance is a network of Iran-allied groups that includes the Palestinian Hamas organization, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.

Most of the missiles were intercepted by Israel and a US-led defence coalition, according to the Israeli military. There was one fatality in the West Bank and two people were injured in Tel Aviv.

In a video post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it."

The US government also assessed the attack on Israel as "defeated and ineffective." Nevertheless, it is a significant escalation, said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington.

US President Joe Biden directed the military to "aid Israel's defense against Iranian attacks," the White House said.

In the West Bank, a 38-year-old Palestinian from Gaza was killed by rocket fragments in Jericho, according to local officials. In Tel Aviv, two people were injured by shrapnel, and others were treated for minor injuries and anxiety.

The Israeli military gave the all-clear after about an hour, allowing people to leave shelters, stating no further threats from Iran at that time.

"This attack will have consequences," warned Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, noting plans were in place.

The attack came hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a "limited, localized" ground operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

The continued escalation has heightened fears that the region is on the brink of all-out regional war.

Israel launches Northern Arrows in Lebanon

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israli army launched the operation dubbed Northern Arrows which consists of "targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence" in villages close to the border that "pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."

The IDF and the air force were supporting ground forces with "precise strikes" on military targets in the area, it added.

No direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters have yet been reported.

"All of our fighters are ready for a real confrontation," a source for the Iran-backed militia told dpa.

However, the operation has already led to chaos in southern Lebanon following a renewed Israeli call for citizens to head north of the Alawi river, around 60 kilometres from the border. People were seen packing their belongings and heading towards Beirut.

The operation marks Israel's first ground offensive into Lebanon since the 2006 war.

Cross-border skirmishes expand

Israel's military campaign in Gaza, triggered by the unprecedented October 7 attacks by Hamas, has been accompanied by almost a year of cross-border skirmishes with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Last week, Israel launched a massive aerial campaign on targets across Lebanon, with the stated aim of pushing back Hezbollah to enable the return of tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern Israel.

The Israeli army had previously warned Lebanon's population against travelling south of the Litani River, which is about 30 kilometres from the border.

According to a UN resolution, Hezbollah fighters are not allowed south of this line. However, after the 2006 war, militants gradually returned to the area.

Ahead of the ground incursion, the regular Lebanese army withdrew from the demarcation line. Lebanon's military has maintained a neutral stance in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

UN condemnation

The start of the Israeli ground offensive has already provoked international condemnation.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said he was "extremely concerned with the escalation of the conflict in Lebanon."

"An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected," he added.

The international community has been urging de-escalation amid the recent Israeli strikes and Hezbollah retaliations, but ceasefire efforts have so far been rejected by both sides.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condmened "in the strongest terms" Iran's attack.

"Once again, a dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliations risks fuelling an uncontrollable regional escalation which is in no one’s interest," Borrell said.

"The EU remains fully committed to lower the tensions and contribute to de-escalation to avoid a dangerous regional conflict."

The UN's special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis warned on X that Israel's ground offensive could have catastrophic consequences for an entire generation of people in the Middle East.

"The risk of dooming another generation to the same fate [of war] is very real, yet again," she wrote.

"Amid the firing of missiles and rockets, dropping of bombs, and conduct of raids, the machinery of war fails to address the underlying issues," Hennis added.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also warned against regional conflagration in a post on X Tuesday evening: "Iran must stop the attack immediately. It is driving the region further to the brink of the abyss."

Celebrations in Beirut after Iranian attack

Celebrations were heard in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday as Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel.

According to eyewitnesses, celebratory gunfire rang out in the suburb of Haret Hreik, where Nasrallah was killed last week in a targeted Israeli airstrike.

Clapping and cheering echoed in the centre of Beirut, where numerous families have been displaced in the wake of Israel's massive aerial campaign on targets across Lebanon. Many are currently seeking shelter on the streets and in public spaces.

Call for donations

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued an appeal for donations of $426 million to care for displaced and homeless people.

The money is intended to support 1 million people for three months in Lebanon, which is in the midst of a debilitating economic crisis.

Since October 2023, an estimated 1 million people have been displaced or otherwise affected by the conflict, the UN office reported.

At least 1,000 people had been killed since the start of the latest Israeli offensive two weeks ago, it said.

Photo: EPA