Middle East: Iran launches missiles at Israel
The Israeli military said Iran has fired off missiles toward Israel, as air raid sirens sounded in several locations. Earlier in the day, Israel announced it had entered Lebanon. DW has the latest.
Iran used its 'most modern missiles' in Israel attack, expert tells DW
DW spoke with Fabian Hinz, a military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, about Iran's attack on Tuesday and how it differed from the attack in April.
"What we saw was a substantial Iranian attack. The videos show that some of the re-entry parts of the ballistic missiles were not shot down. Time will tell the full state of the damage," he said.
Hinz said that the scope of Tuesday's attack was greater than the one in April.
"Many of the pictures of the remains of the launched missiles show either Kheybarshekan or Fattah I missiles — those are the most modern missiles of this range that Iran has."
Rather than ballistic missiles, Iran had mainly used cruise missiles and long-range drones with much slower flight speeds in April.
"This time they likely wanted to minimize the amount of forewarning and so reduce the ability to prepare for the attack," Hinz told DW.
US vows 'severe consequences' for Iran's 'significant escalation'
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the attack appeared not to have had much impact.
"Based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective," he told reporters.
Nevertheless, he called it a "significant escalation."
"We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences, for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case," he said, without going into detail.
Iranian president calls strikes a 'response to Israeli aggression'
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Tuesday's attacks a response to Israeli aggression, but also said they had the "aim of peace."
"Based on our legitimate rights and with the aim of peace and security for Iran and the Middle East, a decisive response was given to the aggressions of Israel," he wrote on social media.
"This action was carried out in defense of Iran's interests and its citizens."
He also warned Israel not to respond in kind to Iran's strikes.
"Netanyahu should know that Iran is not a warmonger, but it stands firmly against any threats. This is only a fraction of our capabilities. Do not engage in conflict with Iran."
DW
