New Delhi:
One of about 180 ballistic missiles fired by Iran last night landed near the headquarters of Israel's Mossad intelligence service in Tel Aviv. A video that emerged on social media shows a huge crater near Mossad headquarters after Tehran's missile offensive.
CNN geolocated the video and found it was shot from a high-rise apartment building in Herzliya, less than 2 miles from Mossad headquarters.
The video shows the huge crater in what appears to be a parking lot. The rocket attack kicked up dust and buried several vehicles parked nearby. This crater is located a few hundred meters away from a cinema complex.
Air raid sirens sounded through Israeli cities and some 10 million people rushed to take refuge in bomb shelters after Iran launched a barrage of missiles.
The Israeli military has said most of the missiles were intercepted by the country's advanced defense systems, Iron Dome and Arrow. But some penetrated the shield, causing minor damage.
The rocket offensive was in retaliation for the killings of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Israeli military strikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Iran has made a “big mistake” and warned it will “pay for it.”
Guy Nir, spokesman for the Israeli embassy in India, told Our that Tehran would receive an appropriate response. “If he (Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) plans to start a full-scale war with Israel, it will be a mistake for them (Iran). Israel's response will be strategic and precise, and not a full-scale war. I don't think any party wants that.”
Iran's ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, has warned that Tehran will attack Israel again if it does not de-escalate tensions. “If the Hitler of our time (Netanyahu) stops his brutality and hostility, his country will not have to bear the consequences,” Elahi told Our.
Israel's all-weather ally, the US, has warned Iran, saying the missile attack marked a “significant escalation”. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan pledged that the US would support Israel and any retaliatory measures.
