Israel says it will respond “harshly” after Iran launches missile barrage
Around 10 missiles fired and intercepted as Netanyahu convenes top security officials.
Iran launched around 10 missiles toward Israel on Sunday evening, all of which were intercepted, according to Israeli officials, triggering sirens across large parts of northern Israel and activating air defense systems amid a rapid escalation in regional tensions.
The attack came after Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahieh district earlier Sunday, which had already raised fears of a wider regional confrontation.
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Iran missile fire towards Israel during March conflict.
(Photo: REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma)
Schools across Israel are set to remain closed on Monday, and Home Front Command imposed nationwide restrictions on public activity.
Shortly before the launches, the IDF said that following a situational assessment, it was preparing for possible fire toward Israel and had reinforced its defensive systems.
“The IDF is in a state of readiness and high alert for a range of scenarios, both defensive and offensive,” the military said.
The IDF later confirmed that missiles had been launched from Iran toward northern Israel, adding that interception systems were activated and alerts were sent to civilians in affected areas.
Home Front Command subsequently announced a shift to limited activity nationwide, prohibiting educational activity and restricting gatherings to 200 people outdoors and 500 indoors, provided protected spaces are accessible.
In parallel to the missile launches, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security discussion with senior defense officials, in which the initial assessment was that Iran does not want to escalate into a full-scale regional confrontation and is instead seeking a measured and limited response aimed primarily at northern Israel.
However, an Israeli official signaled that Israel’s response would not be restrained.
“Iran can forget about Israel letting this pass,” the official said. “The response will be harsh. We will not allow them to set any rules or violate our sovereignty.”
