Iran says attack on Israel is over as fears grow of wider conflict

Iran said early on Wednesday that its missile attack on Israel was over.

This came as Israel and the U.S. promised to retaliate against Tehran as fears of a wider war intensified.

Washington said it would work with longtime ally Israel to make sure Iran faced "severe consequences" for Tuesday's attack, which Israel said involved more than 180 ballistic missiles.

The United Nations Security Council scheduled a meeting about the Middle East for Wednesday, and the European Union called for an immediate cease-fire.

"Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early on Wednesday.

Renewed bombing on Beirut suburbs

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

Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from parts of the suburbs. Israel issued new evacuation orders for the area, which have largely emptied after days of heavy strikes.

Nearly 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, most in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics on Tuesday.

People take shelter during an air raid siren after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in central Israel October 1, 2024. Reuters

Iran's biggest attack on Israel

Iran's attack marked it biggest ever military blow against Israel.

Sirens sounded across the country and explosions rattled Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley as the entire population was told to move into bomb shelters.

No injuries were reported in Israel, but one man was killed in the occupied West Bank, authorities there said.

Iran described the campaign as defensive and solely aimed at Israeli military facilities. Iran's state news agency said three Israeli military bases had been targeted.

Tehran said its assault was a response to Israeli killings of its leaders and aggression in Lebanon against Hezbollah and in Gaza.

Netanyahu vows to hit back

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit back.

"Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it," he said at the outset of an emergency political security cabinet meeting late on Tuesday, according to a statement.

Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a statement carried by state media that any Israeli response would be met with "vast destruction" of Israeli infrastructure. It also said it would target regional assets of any Israeli ally that got involved.

Fears that Iran and the U.S. could be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel's growing assault on Lebanon in the past two weeks, including the start of a ground operation there on Monday, and its year-old conflict in the Gaza Strip.

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

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, October 1, 2024 Reuters

US, UK, French armies back Israel

U.S. Navy warships fired about a dozen interceptors against Iranian missiles headed toward Israel, the Pentagon said. Britain said its forces played a part "in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East", without elaborating.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed full U.S. support for Israel and described Iran's attack as "ineffective." Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for U.S. president, backed Biden's stance and said the U.S. would not hesitate to defend its interests against Iran.

"We will act. Iran will soon feel the consequences of their actions. The response will be painful," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned what he called "escalation after escalation", saying: "This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire."

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement that he strongly condemns Iran's new attacks on Israel, adding that in a sign of its commitment to Israel's security it mobilized its military resources in the Middle East on Wednesday.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called for an immediate regional cease-fire. "The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks ... spiralling out of control," he posted on X.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with the leaders of Germany and France, and they agreed on a need for restraint from all sides, Downing Street said.

UN chief condemns broadening of Middle East conflict: 'This must stop'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country to be respected, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs," Dujarric said in a statement, adding that Guterres spoke with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati earlier on Tuesday, telling him the U.N. was ready to help those in need.

"The Secretary-General will continue his contacts, and his representatives on the ground will also continue their efforts to de-escalate the situation," Dujarric said.

Guterres also condemned the "broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation".

"This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire," Guterres said.

He appealed to the international community to support a $426 million humanitarian appeal launched in Beirut to address the urgent needs of those affected.