Iran LAUNCHES missiles at Israel after White House warns of ‘imminent attack’ and Americans rush to shelters
The US Embassy in Israel told its employees to return home and be prepared to enter bomb shelters as the White House warned of an impending ballistic missile attack from Iran.
The warning comes with the Middle East on the brink of all-out war and a day after Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon aimed at crippling the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
Now Iran is preparing to “immediately” launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, the White House warned, adding that such a move would have “serious consequences.”
According to reports from Israel, the first rockets were fired around 12:30 PM ET. The American warning had come about five hours earlier.
“The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to launch an early ballistic missile attack on Israel,” a senior administration official told DailyMail.com.
“We actively support defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack by Iran on Israel will have serious consequences for Iran.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the “imminent” threat with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The attack could exceed the scale of an earlier bombing in April, in which hundreds of drones and missiles were launched at the country.
A Western source told Axios that, unlike the April attack, this time Iran is expected to launch ballistic missiles that can reach Israel within 12 minutes, and not drones or cruise missiles that allow for a much longer preparation time for defense and interception.
The Pentagon said Monday that the United States is sending several thousand additional troops to the Middle East to bolster the 40,000 troops already in the region and help defend Israel.
The US Embassy warned its staff in Israel to prepare to go to bomb shelters amid reports that Iran is planning an ‘imminent’ ballistic missile attack. The image shows an Iranian missile launched during an exercise earlier this year
US fighter squadrons are being deployed, including F-15E and F-16s – fighter jets that played a key role in shooting down Iranian drones when Tehran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel in April.
F-22 fighter jets and A-10 fighter jets are also being sent, while the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is already positioned in the Gulf of Oman, while the USS Harry S Truman is underway as part of a planned deployment.
The order from the US embassy, the first in months, indicates the seriousness of the situation.
Three Israeli officials told The New York Times that the attack would involve firing unmanned drones and missiles at Israel.
The US warning came around noon Israel time, which was 5 a.m. ET, an Israeli official told Axios.
The attack raises the possibility of all-out war between the two bitter enemies, who have waged a shadow war for years as Tehran sought to destroy Israel and Israel sought to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.
Smoke rises from a building after an Israeli military attack, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon in the early hours of Tuesday
When Iran launched its direct attack on Israel in April, few missiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a US-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed in flight.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon are escalating as they try to eliminate Hezbollah’s top leaders.
Over the past year, Hezbollah has attacked Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the Gaza-based armed group also backed by Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday that Israel faces “major challenges” in its fight against an Iranian axis.
In the videotaped statement, he urged the public to listen to public safety guidelines from the Army’s Home Front Command. He made no direct mention of a missile threat.
Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that Israeli officials had received the intelligence update from Washington, but no aerial threats from Iran had yet been detected.
He said Israel and its allies are on a “high state of alert” and that any attack from Iran would have consequences, while the US embassy in Jerusalem ordered its employees and families to “shelter in place.”
A full-scale attack by Iran on Israel could lead to all-out war in the Middle East, with experts warning that such an escalation would likely lead to the US coming to Israel’s defense.
Rescuers in Beirut drive through the rubble of a building decimated by Israeli airstrikes
Israeli soldiers in a moving APC in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border
A view of damaged buildings after Israeli attacks on the Laylaki and Haret Hireyk neighborhoods in the Dahieh region of Beirut, Lebanon
Fears of an Iranian attack increased as the Israeli army warned residents of more than 20 Lebanese border communities to immediately evacuate their homes after announcing the start of ground operations against Hezbollah late last night.
IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee told Lebanese civilians to flee north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border, raising fears that the IDF is planning to deploy its forces deep into southern Lebanon or to increase the intensity of air strikes.
“You must go north of the Awali River to save yourself and leave your homes immediately,” the statement said.
