Hours after the Iranian strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Security Cabinet meeting said: "Iran made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay for it."
Earlier, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said: "Iran's attack is a severe and dangerous escalation. There will be consequences... We will respond wherever, whenever and however we choose, in accordance with the directive of the government of Israel."
Israel's rescue services reported that two people in Tel Aviv were lightly injured by shrapnel, noting that a building in the northern part of the city was damaged. There have been no immediate reports of fatalities in Israel yet.
Israel's Airports Authority issued a statement announcing the closure of the country's airspace, with incoming flights being redirected to other countries. Due to security concerns, nearby countries of Jordan and Iraq have also announced the temporary closure of their airspace to flights and suspension of air traffic, Xinhua news agency reported.
At least 200 ground-to-ground missiles were fired from Iran, activating sirens across the country and sending millions of residents running to shelters, Israel's Channel 13 TV news reported.
Large explosions were heard across the country as a result of either the successful interceptions of some Iranian missiles or the landing of some others in Israeli territory after they bypassed Israeli air defenses, the military said.
According to IDF, Israeli air defenses intercepted "a large number" of the ballistic missiles launched by Iran.
The US also participated in the defense of Israel, both by detecting the threat from Iran and intercepting some of the missiles, the IDF said.
Chief of Staff, Major General Herzi Halevi, at the end of the situation assessment said: "We proved our ability to prevent the enemy from achieving, by combining exemplary civil behavior and a very strong air defense system. We will choose when to collect the price, and prove our precise and surprising attack capabilities, in accordance with the guidance of the political echelon.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed that it had targeted Israel with dozens of ballistic missiles, Iranian state-run IRIB TV reported.
The IRGC said in a statement that the attacks were in "retaliation for Israel's assassinations of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and senior IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan, as well as its intensification of malicious acts with the US support in its offensives against Lebanese and Palestinian peoples", according to IRIB TV.
The operation was carried out following the approval of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a directive by the General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, with the support of the country's army and Defense Ministry, the IRGC added.
It warned that if Israel retaliates by attacking Iran, it will face further "crushing and destructive" attacks. (IANS)
Read More International News
