Iran launches ballistic missile attack on Israel in retaliation for killing of Hassan Nasrallah and Haniyeh

Iran on Tuesday launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel in retaliation for its recent killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and an Iranian general in Lebanon.

The attack came on the heels of Israel’s deployment of ground forces into south Lebanon.

“In response to the martyrdom of Martyr Haniyeh, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Martyr Nilforoushan, we have targeted the heart of the occupied territories,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement after missiles began appearing in the skies over Israel.

“Should the Zionist regime respond to Iran’s operation, it will face crushing attack,” the IRGC said.

A White House official warned that any direct attack on Israel by Iran “will carry severe consequences for Iran.”

“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack,” the official said.

Iran preparing to launch ‘imminent’ ballistic missile attack against Israel, U.S. officials say

That official and a Defense Department official said that Iran was expected to target military and government sites, not civilian locations.

President Joe Biden met Tuesday afternoon with Vice President Kamala Harris and national security officials to discuss the expected attack, the White House said.