Iran launches missiles toward Israel as air defenses activated amid expanding regional strikes

JERUSALEM, — Israel’s military said on Wednesday it detected missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory and activated its air defense systems to intercept them, as Israeli forces carried out a new wave of strikes targeting sites in Iran and Lebanon amid escalating hostilities in the region.

The Israeli military said in a statement on its official Telegram account that missiles had been launched from Iran toward the State of Israel and that defensive systems were operating to counter the threat.

Air raid sirens sounded across Jerusalem, according to AFP journalists on the ground, who also reported hearing explosions in the distance during the interception attempts.

A short time after the alert, Israel’s military said civilians were permitted to leave protected shelters, indicating the immediate threat had passed.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services said there were no immediate reports of direct casualties from the missile fire. However, emergency teams were treating a small number of people who sustained injuries while moving toward protected areas during the alert.

Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that several people were injured near Tel Aviv following the Iranian missile strikes, though the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted a satellite communications center in Haifa as well as Israeli military bases during the missile attack.

The Guards also said they struck U.S. targets elsewhere in the Middle East, including locations in Iraqi Kurdistan and the U.S. Fifth Fleet naval base in Bahrain, according to a statement published on the Sepah News website.

In the statement, the Guards said they would continue sustained attacks against what they described as enemy targets during the conflict.