Israel attacked the Hezbollah militant organization in the Bekaa region of Lebanon.

Tehran:

an said early on Wednesday that its missile attack on Israel was finished barring further provocation, while Israel and the U.S. promised to retaliate against Tehran’s escalation as fears of a wider war intensified.

Washington said it would work with longtime ally Israel to make sure Iran faced “severe consequences” for Tuesday’s attack.

The United Nations Security Council scheduled a meeting about the Middle East for Wednesday, and the European Union called for an immediate ceasefire.

“Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early on Wednesday.

Israel early on Wednesday renewed its bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, with at least three strikes against what it said were targets belonging the group.

Large smoke plumes seen rising from parts of the suburbs. Israel issued new evacuation orders for the area, which have largely emptied after days of heavy strikes.

In its biggest ever military blow against Israel, Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles on Tuesday, according to Israel. Sirens sounded across the country and explosions rattled Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley as the entire population was told to seek shelter in bomb shelters.

No injuries were reported in Israel, but one man was killed in the occupied West Bank, authorities there said.

Iran described the campaign as defensive and solely aimed at Israeli military facilities. Iran’s state news agency said three Israeli military bases had been targeted.

Tehran said its attack was responding to Israeli killings of militant leaders and aggression in Lebanon against the Iran-backed armed movement Hezbollah and in Gaza.

Israel activated air defences against Iran’s bombardment and most missiles were intercepted “by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the United States,” Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video on X, adding: “Iran’s attack is a severe and dangerous escalation.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit back. “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it,” Netanyahu said at the outset of an emergency political-security cabinet meeting late on Tuesday, according to a statement.

Any Israeli response to Tuesday’s missile attack would be met with “vast destruction” of Israeli infrastructure, Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a statement carried by state media, also promising to target regional assets of any Israeli ally that got involved.

Fears that Iran and the U.S. would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel’s growing assault on Lebanon in the past two weeks, including the start of a ground operation there on Monday, and its year-old conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s forces on Tuesday used hypersonic Fattah missiles for the first time, and 90% of its missiles successfully hit their targets in Israel, the Revolutionary Guards said.

Israel’s Hagari said central and southern Israel received limited strikes. A video released by the military showed a school in the central city of Gadera heavily damaged by an Iranian missile.

U.S. Navy warships fired about a dozen interceptors against Iranian missiles headed toward Israel, the Pentagon said. Britain said its forces played a part “in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East” without elaborating.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed full U.S. support for Israel and described Iran’s attack as “ineffective.” Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for U.S. president, backed Biden’s stance and said the U.S. would not hesitate to defend its interests against Iran.

“We will act. Iran will soon feel the consequences of their actions. The response will be painful,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.

U.S. DOES NOT URGE RESTRAINT

The White House similarly promised “severe consequences” for Iran and spokesman Jake Sullivan told a Washington briefing the U.S. would “work with Israel to make that the case.”

Sullivan did not specify what those consequences might be, but he stopped short of urging restraint by Israel as the U.S. did in April when Iran carried out a drone and missile attack on Israel. The Pentagon said Tuesday’s airstrikes by Iran were about twice the size of April’s assault.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned what he called “escalation after escalation”, saying: “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called for an immediate regional ceasefire. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks … spiralling out of control,” he posted on X.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with the leaders of Germany and France, and they agreed on a need for restraint from all sides, Downing Street said.

Nearly 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, most in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics on Tuesday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Tel Aviv:

The Israel Defense Force’s canine unit, Oketz, was credited with helping rescue 200 Israelis while killing 10 Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri.

But a separate encounter on Kibbutz Kfar Aza had a more tragic outcome.

A dog named Nauru sent to locate terrorists and weapons, attacked several terrorists, revealing their position. IDF soldiers killed the terrorists, but during the hours of fighting, Nauru was killed. The soldiers retrieved Nauru’s body for burial.

The commander of the Oketz unit told his soldiers: “The next step is to enter the Gaza Strip. The mission is to kill all the terrorists who will be in front of us in the field. We are true, we are strong, we are united, and we are going to win.”

Oketz, which means “sting” in Hebrew, trains each of its dogs in a specific speciality — attack, search and rescue, detecting explosives, and locating weapons.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Appreciating the support of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon metaphorically stated that so many Indians volunteered to assist Israel that they could almost form another unit of the Israel Defence Force (IDF). He also lauded PM Modi for being one of the first global leaders to give a ‘clear condemnation’ of the terror attack.

Speaking to ANI about the support from India, Naor Gilon said, “For me, it’s the point of optimism. It’s very emotional. The level of support that we got, from the Prime Minister, on the same day on Saturday when the whole picture was not clear. Among the first leaders, who came out and tweeted very clear condemnation. We will never forget that”.

“This is very very important. After speaking with PM Netanyahu, Modiji had another strong tweet. I got calls from Minister… who said ‘We are with you’. High officials here, big businessmen here… offering any kind of help,” he added.

The Israeli envoy further expressed his gratitude for the support from the Indian people, emphasizing that India-Israel relations are very “deep and emotional”.

“This is only part of the picture, regular Indians. Look at the social media of the embassy. It’s amazing, I think I could have another IDF with the volunteers. Everyone is telling me, I want to volunteer, I want to fight for Israel,” he said.

He added, “I served in many countries in the world, many friendly countries. This wide support, strong support is unprecedented for me. I am really moved and touched. The closeness between Israel and India is something I cannot even explain…it’s very emotional, very deep…it is something very unique”.

Amid the onslaught by Israeli forces on Gaza following Hamas attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and provided him with an update about the ongoing situation.

PM Modi said in a post on X that the people of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour.

“I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. The people of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said.

On October 7, expressing solidarity with Israel in the wake of the deadly rocket strikes by Hamas, Prime Minister Modi said that the thoughts of people were with the innocent victims and their families.

“Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” PM Modi posted on X.

The death count in Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7 has jumped to 1,300 and some 3300 have been injured, including 28 in critical condition and 350 in serious condition, The Times of Israel reported citing Hebrew media reports.

The fate of an estimated 150 people abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip during the attack by Hamas is still unclear, the report said.

Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military has so far notified families of 97 hostages who were being held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Appreciating the support of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon metaphorically stated that so many Indians volunteered to assist Israel that they could almost form another unit of the Israel Defence Force (IDF). He also lauded PM Modi for being one of the first global leaders to give a ‘clear condemnation’ of the terror attack.

Speaking to ANI about the support from India, Naor Gilon said, “For me, it’s the point of optimism. It’s very emotional. The level of support that we got, from the Prime Minister, on the same day on Saturday when the whole picture was not clear. Among the first leaders, who came out and tweeted very clear condemnation. We will never forget that”.

“This is very very important. After speaking with PM Netanyahu, Modiji had another strong tweet. I got calls from Minister… who said ‘We are with you’. High officials here, big businessmen here… offering any kind of help,” he added.

The Israeli envoy further expressed his gratitude for the support from the Indian people, emphasizing that India-Israel relations are very “deep and emotional”.

“This is only part of the picture, regular Indians. Look at the social media of the embassy. It’s amazing, I think I could have another IDF with the volunteers. Everyone is telling me, I want to volunteer, I want to fight for Israel,” he said.

He added, “I served in many countries in the world, many friendly countries. This wide support, strong support is unprecedented for me. I am really moved and touched. The closeness between Israel and India is something I cannot even explain…it’s very emotional, very deep…it is something very unique”.

Amid the onslaught by Israeli forces on Gaza following Hamas attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and provided him with an update about the ongoing situation.

PM Modi said in a post on X that the people of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour.

“I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. The people of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said.

On October 7, expressing solidarity with Israel in the wake of the deadly rocket strikes by Hamas, Prime Minister Modi said that the thoughts of people were with the innocent victims and their families.

“Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” PM Modi posted on X.

The death count in Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7 has jumped to 1,300 and some 3300 have been injured, including 28 in critical condition and 350 in serious condition, The Times of Israel reported citing Hebrew media reports.

The fate of an estimated 150 people abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip during the attack by Hamas is still unclear, the report said.

Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military has so far notified families of 97 hostages who were being held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)