Iran launches rocket salvo at Israel, tensions escalate rapidly
Almost 200 missiles pierced the sky over Tel Aviv last night as Iran carried out a rocket attack on Israeli civilian and military infrastructure. The day after, Iranian politicians gathered in parliament to chant "death to America" together.
Tensions in the Middle East are rising sharply. Last night, Iran launched a salvo of missiles at Israel following the killing of Hezbollah ally leader Hassan Nasrallah by the Israeli Defense Forces in an airstrike in Beirut on Saturday.
This morning, Iranian politicians were seen in parliament raising their fists in the air, chanting "Death to America." Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also read verses from the Quran.
The breakdown of diplomatic relations between Iran and the USA dates back to 1979, when a group of armed Iranian students held 57 diplomats and citizens hostage at the US embassy for as long as 444 days.
Though tensions between Iran and the USA have always been high, they have peaked over the last year, seemingly reaching a climax in the past few days.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin condemned Iran's "outrageous act of aggression," while Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that "the consequences will be serious."
When reporters asked what the response to Iran's actions would be, US President Biden stated that it was currently under discussion. He also added that the USA helped Israel fend off a massive rocket attack from Iran last night by launching a dozen interceptors and warned Tehran that America "fully supports Israel."
Rockets in Israeli sky. Iran retaliates
The rocket attack was a response to Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week, as well as the death of Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh in a bomb attack in Tehran in July, for which Israel was widely blamed.
Commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, threatened to fire "with greater intensity" if Israel follows through on its promise of retaliation.
Israel managed to intercept most of the Iranian rockets, estimated to be about 180. Israeli medics reported that two people were injured by shrapnel.
Iran made a big mistake today and will pay for it. Who attacks us, we attack them — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Early Wednesday morning, in retaliation, Israel bombed the Lebanese strongholds of Iran's ally, Hezbollah, conducting heavy attacks on southern Beirut.
Experts believe that the conflict between these two countries will escalate.
