Tel Aviv/Beirut, 1 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Iran on Tuesday said it fired missiles towards Israel, as a dpa correspondent reported loud explosions in Tel Aviv.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - the elite branch of the Iranian military - said it had launched the strikes on military targets, warning of "devastating and destructive attacks" if Israel responds.

Iranian television said the latest attack came in response to the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.

"All Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on the social media platform X, as sirens sounded across the country.

Initial reports in Israeli media suggested that two people were slightly injured by shrapnel, while others were brought to hospital in a state of shock.

The IDF later said residents were "permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas across the country."

Shortly before the strikes, a senior White House official said the United States had "indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel."

"A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran," the official further warned.

The latest developments come months after Iran launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel following the killing of an Iranian general in an airstrike in Syria.

Most of the attacks in April were successfully repelled by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system.

Photo: EPA