Israeli forces bombarded Beirut and southern Lebanon overnight as the region braced for Israel’s response to a missile attack by Iran that intensified fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against Tehran after dozens of missiles were fired into Israel. “Iran made a big mistake — and it will pay for it,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday. “Whoever attacks us, we will attack them.”
The surprise missile attack by Iran has brought the region even closer to an all-out conflict as Israel continues its offensive against Iran’s proxies. In recent weeks, Israel has hit a Houthi-controlled port in Yemen, carried out mass air strikes against Hizbollah and has been blamed for explosions in Syria.
The US pledged to join Israel in exacting “severe consequences” from Iran for its missile barrage, said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.