Iran says attack on Israel has ended as fears of a wider conflict grow

By Steven Scheer, Parisa Hafezi and Timour Azhari

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Iran said on Wednesday its missile attack on Israel, its largest military assault on the Jewish state, was over barring further provocations, while Israel and the United States vowed to retaliate against Tehran amid fears a wider war would intensify .

Despite calls from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union for a ceasefire, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued on Wednesday.

Israel renewed its bombardment of the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, with at least a dozen airstrikes against what it said were targets of the group.

Large clouds of smoke rose from parts of the suburbs. Israel issued new evacuation orders for the area, which has been largely emptied after days of heavy attacks.

Hezbollah said it was confronted by Israeli forces infiltrating the Lebanese town of Adaisseh early Wednesday and forced them to withdraw.

Iran described Tuesday’s attack on Israel as defensive and solely targeted its military facilities. According to the Iranian state news agency, three Israeli military bases were attacked.

Tehran said its attack was in response to Israel’s killings of militant leaders and aggression against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Gaza.

“Our action is complete unless the Israeli regime decides to seek further retaliation. In this scenario, our response will be stronger and more effective,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he will strike back. “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it,” he said at the start of an emergency meeting of the Political Security Cabinet late Tuesday, according to a statement.

Washington said it would work with longtime ally Israel to ensure Iran faces “serious consequences” for Tuesday’s attack, which Israel said involved more than 180 ballistic missiles.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant late Tuesday evening and said Washington was “well positioned” to defend its interests in the Middle East, a Pentagon statement said.

“The minister and I expressed our mutual appreciation for Israel’s coordinated defense against nearly 200 ballistic missiles fired by Iran and committed to remaining in close contact,” Austin said separately in a post on X.

U.S. Navy warships fired about a dozen interceptors at Iranian missiles heading toward Israel, the Pentagon said. Britain said its forces had played a role “in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East,” without elaborating.

The Pentagon said Iran’s airstrikes on Tuesday were about twice the size of Iran’s attack on Israel in April.

“THE ANSWER WILL BE PAINFUL”

Israel activated air defenses against the bombing of Iran on Tuesday and most of the missiles were intercepted “by Israel and a defense coalition led by the United States,” Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video on X, adding: “Iran’s attack is serious and dangerous.” Escalation.”

Iranian forces used hypersonic Fattah missiles for the first time on Tuesday and 90% of their missiles successfully hit their targets in Israel, the Revolutionary Guards said.

In a statement to state media, the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces said any response from Israel would result in “significant destruction” of Iran’s infrastructure.

It also said it would target the regional assets of all Israeli allies involved.

Fears that Iran and the U.S. could become embroiled in a regional war have risen with Israel’s intensifying attack on Lebanon over the past two weeks, including the start of a ground operation there on Monday, while the Gaza conflict is already a year old is.

US President Joe Biden expressed full US support for Israel and called Iran’s attack “ineffective.” Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, supported Biden’s stance and said the United States would not hesitate to defend its interests against Iran.

“We will act. Iran will soon feel the consequences of its actions. The reaction will be painful,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.

The White House also promised “serious consequences” for Iran, and spokesman Jake Sullivan said at a briefing in Washington that the United States would “work with Israel to make this happen.”

Sullivan did not provide any information about the possible consequences.

In a statement, French President Emmanuel Macron said he strongly condemned Iran’s new attacks on Israel, adding that France had mobilized its military resources in the Middle East on Wednesday as a sign of its commitment to Israel’s security.

The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a meeting on the Middle East conflict for Wednesday, and the European Union has called for an immediate ceasefire.

Nearly 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 injured in Lebanon in nearly a year of cross-border fighting, most of them in the last two weeks, Lebanese government statistics showed on Tuesday.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie and Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Maya Gebeily and Timour Azhari in Beirut; Parisa Hafezi in Istanbul; Phil Stewart, Jeff Mason and Idrees Ali in Washington; Michelle Nichols in New York; Adam Makary, Jaidaa Taha and Enas Alashray in Cairo; and Tala Ramadan, Jana Choukeir, Elwely Elwelly and Clauda Tanios in Dubai; Editors: Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez;