Israel’s Defence Forces say civilians are now taking cover in bomb shelters following the attack, which came shortly after 5:30pm this evening – with dozens of missiles seen flying over Jerusalem
This is the chilling moment air raid sirens are heard ringing out across Israel and counter measures are fired as Iran launches 100 missiles over Jerusalem.
Israel’s Defence Forces say civilians are now taking cover in bomb shelters following the attack, which came shortly after 5:30pm this evening. Footage taken from above Jerusalem show dozens of glowing missiles flying over the country, with residents ordered to take cover and remain close to bomb shelters.
The IDF said in a brief post on X: “All Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel”. It later said officials are doing “everything necessary” to protect Israelis. The IDF said: “A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel. You are instructed to remain alert and precisely follow the Home Front Command’s instructions.
“In the last few minutes, the Home Front Command has distributed life-saving instructions in various areas across the country. The public is asked to adhere to the Home Front Command’s guidelines. Upon hearing a siren, you must enter a protected space and remain there until further notice. The IDF is doing and will do everything necessary to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.”
The barrage of rockets follows a series of deadly Israeli air raids across Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after the IDF said on Monday night it had began to carry out what it called a “limited, localised” operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Israel previously warned there would be “repercussions” if Iran were to launch an attack. In Jerusalem, residents were ordered to take shelter ahead of an expected missile attack – with warnings sent to mobile phones and announced on national television.
The bombardment came moments after White House officials warned a ‘ballistic missile attack’ in the region was imminent. CNN’s senior White House correspondent, MJ Lee, said an official told how an Iranian attack against Israel was on the way. In a post shared on X/Twitter, she said: “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel.
“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran. The US expects that the potentially forthcoming Iran attack on Israel could be similar in scope and scale as the attack back in April, per US official.”