JERUSALEM/TEHRAN, Oct. 1 - Iran launched several waves of rocket attacks on Israel on Tuesday. The Israeli emergency services said two people in Tel Aviv were lightly wounded by shrapnel, and noted that a building in the northern part of the city was damaged. No immediate casualties have been reported in Israel so far.
The Israel Airports Authority issued a statement announcing the closure of the country's airspace, with incoming flights being diverted to other countries. The neighbouring countries of Jordan and Iraq have also announced the temporary closure of their airspace to flights and the suspension of air traffic for security reasons.
At least 200 surface-to-surface missiles were fired from Iran, setting off sirens across the country and causing millions of residents to take refuge in shelters, Israel's Channel 13 television reported.
Large explosions could be heard across the country, either the result of some Iranian missiles successfully intercepting or some others landing on Israeli territory after bypassing Israeli air defenses, the military said.
Xinhua news agency correspondents in Jerusalem also confirmed that sirens were blaring throughout the city, loud explosions could be heard and residents were seeking shelter amid the attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had aimed dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, Iranian state television IRIB reported.
The IRGC said in a statement that the attacks were in retaliation for the Israeli assassinations of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah and senior IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushana, as well as the intensification of "malicious acts" with US support in the offensive against the Lebanese and Palestinian people, IRIB television reported.
The operation was carried out following the approval of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a directive from the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces with the support of the country's army and defence ministry, the IRGC added.
It warned that if Israel responded by attacking Iran, it would face further "crushing and devastating" attacks.
Xinhua/ gnews - RoZ_07
PHOTO - Xinhua/Chen Junqing
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