GENEVA (National Times) A day after Iran struck back against Israel after launching a slew of missile attacks in Tel Aviv following killing of top leadership of Hezbollah by the Zionist state, the United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss ways to avoid escalation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recent episodes of bloody confrontation between warring parties of the Middle East brought the matters on edge, culminating into a full-blown conflict in the powder keg region of West Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United Nations Secretary General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres once again called for an immediate ceasefire while British Prime Minister Kier Starmer condemned Iran\u2019s attack on Israel by reaffirming Britain\u2019s unwavering support for Israel\u2019s defence. The British PM urged Iranian leadership to abandon support for proxies aiming to target the Zionist state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier, United States of America President Joe Biden also vowed to stand by Israel come what may.
Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation to the latter\u2019s campaign against Tehran\u2019s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon and the killing of its chief and that of Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley after Israelis piled into bomb shelters. Reporters on state television lay flat on the ground during live broadcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reuters journalists saw missiles intercepted in the airspace of neighbouring Jordan. Israeli media reports said as many as 100 missiles had been launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After about an hour, the military announced there was no longer a threat and \u201cit was decided that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas across the country\u201d, with a \u201clarge number\u201d of Iranian missiles intercepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reports said between 150 and 200 missiles had been fired in the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was Iran\u2019s second on Israel after a missile and drone attack in April in response to a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel vowed to retaliate with an army spokesman saying it would respond at the time and place of its choosing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis attack will have consequences. We have plans, and we will operate at the place and time we decide,\u201d said Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emergency services said at least two people sustained light injuries during the missile attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCurrently, there are no reports of injuries from the fire towards Israel, except for two light injuries from shrapnel in the Tel Aviv area and some minor injuries nationwide while moving to safe spaces,\u201d a Magen David Adom emergency service statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards said the missile attack was in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week as well as that of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn response to the martyrdom of [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and [Guards commander] Nilforoshan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories (Israel),\u201d the Guards said in a statement reported by the Fars news agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Guards threatened to carry out \u201ccrushing attacks\u201d against regional Israel if it retaliated after the missile attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the Zionist regime reacts to Iranian operations, it will face crushing attacks,\u201d the Guard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave the order to launch missiles at Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that Tehran \u201cis fully ready for any retaliation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s mission to the United Nations in New York posted on X that the attack on Israel is a \u201clegal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GENEVA (National Times) A day after Iran struck back against Israel after launching a slew of missile attacks in Tel Aviv following killing of top leadership of Hezbollah by the Zionist state, the United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss ways to avoid escalation in the Middle East. Recent episodes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n