U.S. officials reportedly warned Tuesday that Iran is about to fire ballistic missiles at Israel, as Israeli forces battled Iran’s terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon. Israel reacted to the warning by saying that it had not detected any incoming missiles from Iran yet, but that it was ready. Meanwhile, the State Department told employees of the U.S. embassy to shelter in place. In April, Iran fired some 300 missiles, projectiles, and drones directly at Israel. Almost all of them were intercepted by Israel’s air defenses, and those of other US allies in the region. The Biden administration urged Israel not to mount a significant response. Israel did retaliate, but did so in limited way, targeting Iran’s air defenses, and demonstrating that Israel could penetrate them easily. Iran is suddenly vulnerable to Israeli attack. The Iranian regime had used Hezbollah as a deterrent force against any attack on its nuclear program, but Hezbollah’s capabilities have been severely degraded over the past two weeks. Iran had also vowed to avenge the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, but apparently had not managed yet to mount a significant response. Israel officially announced Tuesday that it had begun ground operations in Lebanon, and revealed that it had been sending commando units into Lebanon for months. Combined U.S. military forces are being rushed to the Middle East to deter an Iranian response in the wake of Israel’s enhanced air campaign against Hezbollah and the start of a ground operation in southern Lebanon to remove terrorist outposts that threaten Israeli communities, U.S. and Israeli officials said Monday. The infusion of fighting assets, which includes air-defense units, will add to the tens of thousands of American personnel already on high alert there, said Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman. The push follows other moves to enhance and reposition U.S. forces already in the troubled region, as Breitbart News reported. Singh linked the additional deployments directly to rhetoric from senior Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has called for all Muslims to stand with Hezbollah as it confronts Israel. Writing on social media over the weekend, he declared that “the blows struck by the Resistance Front on the worn-out, deteriorating body of the Zionist regime will become even more crushing.” The “resistance front” is a reference to the network of militant proxy forces that Iran backs across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and several militia forces in Iraq and Syria. The decision brings the total number of American troops in the region to as many as 43,000, including more than a dozen warships. The beefed-up presence is designed both to help defend Israel and protect U.S. and allied personnel and assets. It comes after U.S. Navy warships shot down a barrage of Houthi terrorist cruise missiles and drones launched Friday from Yemen at the shipping lanes of the Red Sea. The Pentagon confirmed the attack and the successful response on Friday. Iran launched missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening local time, as Israelis throughout the entire country were ordered to take cover in bomb shelters until further notice. The IDF said in a statement: 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. IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari addressed the nation, telling them that the Home Front Command would communicate to them via mobile phone alerts. “We are strong, and we are capable in this attack also,” he said. Iran claimed to have aimed at military targets. Unconfirmed reports on social media suggested that 400 missiles had been launched and that two had possibly hit Israel, while the rest appeared to have been intercepted. Update: IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told Israelis at roughly 8:30 p.m. local time that the Iranian attack had ended, and that there had been no injuries or deaths. He urged the public to exercise caution. He said Israel would respond to Iran “in the place and the time we determine. … We have plans.” Two terrorists opened fire Tuesday evening on civilians along Jerusalem Boulevard in the city of Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv in an apparent terror attack, severely wounding at least seven people. Israel’s Army Radio reported that two gunmen had opened fire with M-16 rifles, aiming at commuters on a light rail station platform. Residents were asked to shelter in place. The Times of Israel quoted police as reporting that both of the terrorists had since been “neutralized.”
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Terror Attack in Tel Aviv: 4 Killed, 7 Wounded in Shooting in Jaffa: