Air raid sirens sounded across central Israel on Wednesday without prior warning after rockets were launched from Lebanon and additional projectiles were fired from Iran, marking the first coordinated barrage by Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic in the war.
Loud explosions were heard across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area as air defense systems intercepted incoming threats. At the same time as the fire toward central Israel, the Home Front Command announced that sirens were expected in several central communities due to launches from Iran.
Iranian missile fragments found in central Israel
(Video: from social media)
According to the IDF, one missile was launched from Iran and intercepted. Approximately five additional projectiles were fired from Lebanon. The military said all launches identified from Lebanon were intercepted.
Emergency services received reports of debris impacts in several communities in central Israel and the Sharon region following the fire from Lebanon. One fragment was located in Petah Tikva. Additional sirens sounded in Haifa and neighboring northern communities.
Sirens also sounded in the western Galilee during the attacks. The Magen David Adom national emergency service said no injuries had been reported from the launches from Iran or Lebanon as of Wednesday afternoon.
Later, additional sirens sounded in the Carmel region following further launches from Lebanon, and in central Israel and the Jerusalem area due to an Iranian missile. Interceptor fragments were located at several sites in central Israel, including at a kindergarten, where no injuries were reported. Magen David Adom crews treated several people who were hurt while rushing to protected spaces.
Earlier, the military said it had identified launches from Iran toward central Israel and the lowland Shephelah region, though no sirens were activated at that time.
An alert warning of a hostile drone infiltration was also activated in the Upper Galilee communities of Avivim, Baram and Yir’on. Sirens sounded as well along the confrontation line on the Lebanon border.
Separately, alerts warning of hostile aircraft infiltration were activated in the Upper Galilee communities of Yiftah, Dovev, Ramot Naftali and Malkia. The alerts later expanded to Kiryat Shmona and surrounding areas, as well as Lehavot HaBashan and communities in the northern Golan Heights, including Sha’al, Mitzpeh Orevim, Ramat Trump, Kedmat Zvi and Kela Alon. The Home Front Command later said the incident had concluded.
In a separate development, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said NATO air defense systems in the eastern Mediterranean intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkish territory. According to the ministry, missile debris was located in southern Turkey, not far from the Syrian border. No injuries were reported in what Turkish officials described as an unprecedented incident. “Turkey reserves the right to respond,” the ministry said in a statement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan lodged a protest with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, over the missile launch toward Turkish territory. A diplomatic source in Ankara said Fidan warned Araghchi that steps that could further widen the conflict must be avoided.