October 1, 2024 Iran launches missile attack on Israel | CNN
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October 1, 2024 Iran launches missile attack on Israel

Sana Noor Haq Maureen Chowdhury Tori B. Powell Aditi Sangal
By Lex Harvey, Irene Nasser, Sana Noor Haq, Antoinette Radford, Maureen Chowdhury, Tori B. Powell and Aditi Sangal, CNN
Updated 11:37 AM EDT, Wed October 2, 2024
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See first look at damage caused by Iran's missile attack on Israel
00:33 - Source: CNN

What we're covering

• Iran launched a missile attack on Israel Tuesday. Sirens sounded across the country as CNN teams on the ground saw dozens of missiles over the cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa.

• An Israeli air base was hit by the Iranian attack, new videos show, while the IDF says it conducted a “large number of interceptions.” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attack focused on Israeli security and military targets and was in response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others.

• The Israeli military — which initially estimated about 180 missiles were fired at Israel — said the attack “will have consequences.”

• Earlier, the US said it believed Iran was preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel, following Israel’s launch of a ground operation in southern Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israeli officials described the ground offensive in Lebanon as “localized raids.”

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Iran military chief warns of broader strikes if Israel responds

From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian and Lucas Lilieholm

Iran’s military chief said the missile attack launched Tuesday was limited to military targets, but warned of broader strikes if Israel responds.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri said Iran had targeted military infrastructure including the Mossad intelligence agency, the Nevatim Air Base, Hatzor Air Base, radar installations and groupings of Israeli tanks, despite having the option of launching a much broader attack.

“We had the capability to attack the regime’s economic infrastructure, but we only targeted military bases,” he said Wednesday.

He added a warning to Israel and its supporters.

“If the Zionist regime is not controlled and takes action against Iran, we will target all of its infrastructure,” he said.

Bagheri said the strikes against Israel were in retaliation for the assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and Abbas Nilforoushan.

Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for more than 30 years, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his underground headquarters in Beirut on Friday. Nilforoushan, a senior commander from Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed alongside him, according to Iranian state media.

Hamas political leader Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran in July using an explosive device that had been covertly hidden in the guesthouse where he was staying, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The Iranian government and Hamas say Israel carried out the assassination. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

“Since the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh, we have gone through a difficult period of restraint at the repeated request of the Americans and Europeans, who asked us to hold back to establish a ceasefire in Gaza. However, after the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Commander Nilforoushan, the situation became intolerable,” Bagheri said.

Israel weighs response to Iran attack as regional escalation fears grow. Catch up here

From CNN staff
Israelis take cover as projectiles launched from Iran are being intercepted in the skies over in Rosh HaAyin, Israel, on October 1, 2024.
Israelis take cover as projectiles launched from Iran are being intercepted in the skies over in Rosh HaAyin, Israel, on October 1, 2024.
Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran’s largest ever attack on the country, fueling fears of a further escalation of conflict in the Middle East.

Iran launched dozens of missiles toward Israel on Tuesday in what Tehran said was a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others, just hours after Israel said it had launched a “limited and localized” ground operation against the Iran-backed group in Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it estimated that Iran fired 180 “projectiles” at the country. It said it intercepted many of the missiles, although some landed on the ground in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

At least one person was killed and several were injured during the attack, according to the Israeli military. The extent of the damage remains unclear.

Here’s what you need to know.

  • Fears of all-out war: Iran’s attack has further raised the stakes in what is already an extremely tense moment. World leaders have long warned the conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon could spiral into a wider regional war — and all eyes will now be on how Israel responds.
  • Israeli signals: Speaking after the assault, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran made a “big mistake” and “will pay” for it. “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies,” he said.
  • Major concern: One big fear for US and Arab diplomats is the possibility of Israel striking inside Iran, potentially against its nuclear facilities. Top officials from France, Britain, Germany and the European Union all condemned Iran’s attacks on Israel, warning of potentially disastrous consequences for the wider region.
  • What the US says: President Joe Biden praised the US’ role in thwarting Iran’s missiles, calling the attack “defeated and ineffective.” He said the United States was “fully supportive” of Israel but his administration was still discussing with Israel what kind of response would be appropriate.
  • Iran’s targets: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted three Israeli military bases around Tel Aviv. CNN analysis of geolocated videos of the attack shows a significant concentration of missiles fell either at, or near, the headquarters of intelligence service Mossad, Nevatim Air Base and Tel Nof Air Base. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
  • Israeli attacks: Israel’s military said its operational capabilities had not been affected by Iran’s strikes. Hours later, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s capital Beirut. An IDF spokesperson said Israel would continue to pursue Hezbollah and anyone who threatened Israeli citizens. “Iran committed a serious act tonight, pushing the Middle East towards escalation. We will act at the time and place we decide,” he said.

Blasts heard in Beirut as Israeli military says it’s striking southern suburbs

From Jomana Karadsheh and Charbel Mallo

CNN teams in Beirut heard blasts overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

Thick plumes of smoke were visible in the sky above the capital’s southern suburbs, a CNN photo shows.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier said it is striking Hezbollah targets in several southern suburbs of Beirut and more details of the operation would follow.

It also told residents to evacuate several neighborhoods and buildings in the southern suburbs, where it suggested strikes are planned.

In one of a few messages posted to X after midnight local time, IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned that residents are located near “dangerous facilities belonging to Hezbollah against which the Defense Force will act with strength shortly.”

Evacuation orders from the Israeli military have been posted on social media between midnight local time and 3 a.m., likely when many people are sleeping.

An estimated 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced over the past couple of weeks, thousands of them sheltering in Beirut, including in schools on the edges of the southern suburbs of the city.

Investigators comb crater for clues at scene of Iranian missile attack near Israeli school

From CNN’s Manveena Suri and Jo Shelley
Israeli rescue force members inspect the site where a missile fired from Iran towards Israel hit a school building, in central Israel, on October 1, 2024.
Israeli rescue force members inspect the site where a missile fired from Iran towards Israel hit a school building, in central Israel, on October 1, 2024.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israeli authorities were picking through pieces of shrapnel to identify the type of missile used in the aftermath of an attack carried out by Iran on Tuesday.

CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, reporting from the site of an attack near a school in the central Israeli town of Gedera, said the impact of the strike left a wall and the windows of a second-grade classroom shattered, with significant damage seen inside.

Workers and heavy machinery could be seen in the background clearing through debris around a large crater measuring around 8 feet at its deepest portion. Shrapnel pieces could also be seen laid out as they were collected for further analysis.

No casualties were reported but hours before the attack, children had been attending the school.

Remnants of an Iranian ballistic missile, including the guidance section and the warhead, were visible in the images and videos taken by CNN at the site of the crater, according to Trevor Ball, a former senior explosive ordnance technician for the US Army.

He said it was difficult to identify the exact model due to the lack of reference images.

The areas targeted in Iran’s missile strike on Israel

From CNN's Paul P. Murphy, Allegra Goodwin, Avery Schmitz, Benjamin Brown and Gianluca Mezzofiore
Iranian missile appears to hit less than a kilometer from Mossad headquarters in Herzliya, Israel, on October 1, 2024, in videos verified by CNN.
Iranian missile appears to hit less than a kilometer from Mossad headquarters in Herzliya, Israel, on October 1, 2024, in videos verified by CNN.
Social media

Of the approximately 180 missiles the Israel Defense Forces say Iran fired Tuesday night, at least three apparent targets have emerged from a CNN analysis of geolocated videos of the attack.

It’s still too early to tell whether the attack resulted in any serious damage – that will require daylight and likely satellite imagery – but by analyzing the videos from the attack we have a picture of what Iran targeted.

Footage shows a significant concentration of missiles fell either at, or near, the headquarters of Mossad, Nevatim Air Base and Tel Nof Air Base.

Those locations largely tally with what the US intelligence community, and the Israelis, believed would be targeted. Israel assessed that Iran would likely attack three Israeli air bases and an intelligence base, according to a person briefed on the matter. And a US military official told CNN that potential Iranian targets included air bases and intelligence command centers.

Videos show at least two missiles falling near the Mossad HQ in Tel Aviv’s Glilot neighborhood, a densely populated area with a number of residential and commercial buildings.

In southern Israel’s Negev desert, videos show a significant number of Iranian rockets hitting the Nevatim base. The facility, one of Israel’s largest, was previously hit by Iran during its April 13 attack (the IDF said the damage was minimal.)

In the area of the Tel Nof base, more than 15 miles south of Tel Aviv, another video showed a number of impacts.

Jordan vows it "will not be a battleground for anyone" following Iranian missile attack on Israel

From CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh
This screengrab from a video shows a missile fragment in Balqa, Jordan on October 2, 2024.
This screengrab from a video shows a missile fragment in Balqa, Jordan on October 2, 2024.
Al Mamlaka TV

Jordan has vowed it “will not be a battleground for anyone,” after an Iranian missile attack on Israel ramped up tensions across the Middle East and compounded fears of a wider conflict.

The Ministry of Interior said missile fragments had fallen in different parts of the country including the capital Amman.

Three people sustained minor injuries from falling missiles and debris, according to al-Momani. “There is material damage that is being assessed right now,” he added.

State media broadcasts showed damage in several locations including one live report from Balqa governorate northwest of Amman where a reporter said a 2-meter missile fragment had landed.

Shelter order: In a rare move, the Jordanian military asked people to stay in their homes and put all its forces in a state of readiness. It also said it was taking “precautionary measures to build and support front-line units on the border fronts to protect the homeland.”

Jordan’s Air Force intercepted Iranian missiles Tuesday, according to a Jordanian official.

The Kingdom was one of the Arab countries that intercepted Iranian drones and missiles that were part of a previous attack against Israel by Iran on April 13.

How Israel defends against aerial attacks

From CNN's Brad Lendon
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on October 1, 2024.
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on October 1, 2024.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israel operates a range of defensive systems to block attacks by everything from ballistic missiles with trajectories that take them above the atmosphere to low-flying cruise missiles and rockets.

The country’s Iron Dome system has been in the headlines often since regional hostilities ramped up last year in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the Israeli military’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza. But the Iron Dome is the bottom layer of Israel’s missile defense, according to the country’s Missile Defense Organization (IMDO).

There are at least 10 Iron Dome batteries in Israel, each equipped with a radar that detects rockets and then uses a command-and-control system that quickly calculates whether an incoming projectile poses a threat or is likely to hit an unpopulated area. If the rocket does pose a threat, the Iron Dome fires missiles from the ground to destroy it in the air.

The next rung up the missile defense ladder is David’s Sling, which protects against short- and medium-range threats, according to the IMDO.

David’s Sling, a joint project of Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense System and US defense giant Raytheon, uses Stunner and SkyCeptor kinetic hit-to-kill interceptors to take out targets as far as 186 miles away, according to the Missile Threat project at the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CSIS).

Above David’s Sling are Israel’s Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, jointly developed with the United States.

The Arrow 2 uses fragmentation warheads to destroy incoming ballistic missiles in their terminal phase – as they dive toward their targets – in the upper atmosphere, according to the CSIS. The Arrow 2 has a range of 56 miles and a maximum altitude of 32 miles, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, which called the system an upgrade of the US Patriot missile defenses Israel once used in this role.

Meanwhile, the Arrow 3 uses hit-to-kill technology to intercept incoming ballistic missiles in space, before they reenter the atmosphere on their way to targets.

Israeli military striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut

From CNN’s Lauren Izso and Jennifer Hauser

Israel’s military is currently striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

It said that details of the operation would follow.

Footage on AFP and Reuters showed an explosion in the Lebanese capital within the past hour.

Israeli military tells Beirut residents to evacuate southern suburbs neighborhoods and buildings

From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Ben Wedeman and Sarah El Sirgany
Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs after a strike, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon, on October 1, 2024.
Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs after a strike, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon, on October 1, 2024.
Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told residents to evacuate several neighborhoods and buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where it suggested that strikes are planned.

In a message posted to X after midnight local time, IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned that the residents are located near “dangerous facilities belonging to Hezballah against which the Defense Force will act with strength shortly.”

Iranian Shahab-3 series missiles likely used in attack on Israel, experts say

From CNN’s Gianluca Mezzofiore
An Iranian soldier stands next to an Iranian Shahab-3 missile in Tehran, Iran on April 29, 2022.
An Iranian soldier stands next to an Iranian Shahab-3 missile in Tehran, Iran on April 29, 2022.
AFP/Getty Images/File

Variants of the Iranian Shahab-3 series ballistic missiles were used in the latest missile attack on Israel, weapons experts who analyzed verified social media videos from the scene told CNN.

Trevor Ball, a former senior explosive ordnance technician for the US Army, told CNN that fragments consistent with Shahab-3 variants such as Emad or Ghadr, were identifiable from images and videos of the attack. In one video, debris of a booster with visible markings of an Emad missile was visible, according to Ball. Different models such as the Kheibar Shekan or, less likely, a Fattah could also have been used, he added.

The Shahab-3 is the foundation for all Iran’s medium-range ballistic missiles using a liquid-propellant, according to Patrick Senft, a research coordinator at Armament Research Services (ARES). “It is most likely based on a North Korean missile which itself is probably based on the Soviet-designed Scud missiles. The Shahab-3 was the first Iranian ballistic missile that could reach Israel,” he added.

Remnants of an Iranian ballistic missile, including the guidance section and the warhead, were visible in images and videos collected by CNN at the site of a rocket attack at a Shalhavot Chabad School in Gedera, according to both Ball and Senft. It is difficult to identify the exact model due to the lack of reference images, Ball said.

Regarding claims that Iran used its Fattah 1 hypersonic missile for the first time during its attack on Israel, weapons experts expressed skepticism.

“It’s one of their newest ballistic missiles, and they have a lot to lose from using it,” Ball said. “Israel would get an idea of its capabilities just from being used. There’s also the chance it could fail to function, giving Israel an even greater idea of its capabilities. They get free propaganda and risk nothing by saying it was used.”

Israeli Air Force’s capability not affected by attack, will continue to strike in Middle East overnight: IDF

From CNN’s Lauren Izso

The Israeli Air Force will carry out more strikes in the Middle East overnight and its operational capabilities have not been affected by Iran’s missile strikes, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“The Air Force continues to operate fully, and tonight it will continue to strike in the Middle East powerfully, as has been happening throughout the past year,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said late on Tuesday night local time.

The statement came after new video footage emerged showing Iranian missiles striking Nevatim air base in southern Israel.

Hagari added that Israel would continue to pursue Hezbollah commanders and anyone who threatened Israeli citizens.

“Iran committed a serious act tonight, pushing the Middle East towards escalation. We will act at the time and place we decide,” Hagari said.

US officials recently thought the prospect of an Iranian missile attack against Israel had been thwarted

From CNN's MJ Lee and Katie Bo Lillis

Even until a few weeks ago, some senior US officials privately believed that through its diplomatic and deterrence efforts, the US had helped to successfully thwart a large-scale Iranian attack against Israel, sources told CNN. 

But Iran’s missile attacks against Israel on Tuesday marked yet another development in the Middle East that the Biden administration had hoped to avoid, but could not. Israel’s strikes in the Lebanese capital of Beirut last month that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in particular, appears to have effectively guaranteed that Iran would move ahead with its offensive against Israel.

And even before Israel assassinated Nasrallah, there were some indications that Iran had grown alarmed about the degree of damage that Israel was inflicting on its most powerful and capable proxy militia in the region, according to a US military official.

The US believed that Iran would intervene in the conflict if it judged that it was about to “lose” Hezbollah, according to a senior US official. The combined effects of Israel’s operations against Hezbollah had already taken hundreds of fighters off the battlefield, according to that official and another person familiar with the intelligence.

Hezbollah itself also remains a dangerous adversary for Israel. Even if Israel has done severe damage to Hezbollah’s command structure, the group still maintains a dangerous arsenal of military assets it could bring to bear against Israel.

In a series of back-and-forth strikes across the border — including a particularly intense exchange on August 25 — Hezbollah has so far held back from using some of their more sophisticated long-range fire options, like ballistic and cruise missiles, potentially preserving them for later use, according to current and former US officials. And even though Israel has struck many of its launch sites, those officials say, others still remain.

US officials have long assessed that both Iran and senior Hezbollah leadership has wanted to avoid all-out war with Israel, even as both have exchanged fire in recent months. In April, Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel.

Iran uses domestically produced hypersonic missile for the first time, local media reports

From CNN’s Leila Gharagozlou
Iran's Fattah hypersonic missile is carried past an Iranian flag during a military parade in the south of Tehran, Iran, on September 21.
Iran's Fattah hypersonic missile is carried past an Iranian flag during a military parade in the south of Tehran, Iran, on September 21.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Iran used its Fattah 1 hypersonic missile for the first time during its attack on Israel on Tuesday, according to the semi-official Iranian media outlet Mehr News.

The Fattah is considered Iran’s first domestically produced hypersonic missile.

Iran’s military unveiled the weapon last year, saying it can travel up to 15 times the speed of sound and is capable of “targeting missile defense systems.”

What we know about the Biden administration's response to Iran's missile attacks

From CNN staff

Tuesday’s attack in Israel was a “significant escalation” by Iran with more than 200 ballistic missiles shot toward the country, the White House said Tuesday. US Navy destroyers fired roughly a dozen interceptors against the Iranian missiles

Iran’s attack against Israel today was twice as large as Iran’s attack in April, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday.

Here’s what we know about the Biden administration’s response to the attacks:

White House comments on attack’s impact:

  • National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press briefing Tuesday that Iran’s attack “appears to have been defeated and ineffective.” Sullivan said the US and the IDF were still trying to assess the impact of the attack and stressed that it was still early in that assessment. He called the matter “a fluid situation.”
  • While the US has been warning citizens in the region for some time about the possibility of escalating attacks, Sullivan said there was the US had “not begun triggering a noncombatant emergency evacuation… and do not have an intention to do so at this time.”

Administration braced for Iran’s retaliation for weeks:

  • In recent weeks, as Israel carried out targeted attacks on top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders and the outlook for negotiations over ceasefire proposals in Gaza and Lebanon grew dim, the Biden administration has been bracing for potential retaliation by Iran or its proxies.
  • Following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh carried out by Israel in Tehran, the Pentagon in early August said it was moving military vessels and aircraft across the region to bolster the US’s defense capabilities. A week later, the White House echoed Israeli intelligence that showed an Iranian attack could be imminent – a warning voiced before Israel’s top spy agency carried out a complex operation detonating thousands of pagers and walkie talkies carried by some Hezbollah operatives and a targeted strike in densely-populated Beirut that killed Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah.

Inside the Situation Room meeting:

  • US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting Tuesday in the White House’s Situation Room, where they met with top national security officials.
  • According to the White House, the two “reviewed the status of U.S. preparations to help Israel defend against these attacks and protect U.S. personnel in the region.”

Harris also condemns attack:

  • Harris condemned Iran’s attack and said she supports Biden’s decision to direct US military to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles.
  • “Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East, and today’s attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact,” Harris said during remarks at Josephine Butler Parks Center in Washington, DC.

Iranian missile appears to hit less than a kilometer from Mossad headquarters in videos verified by CNN

From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London

A video has emerged on social media which appears to show an Iranian missile exploding less than a kilometer (or 0.6 miles) northwest of the Mossad headquarters in the fringes of Tel Aviv.

CNN geolocated the video and found it was filmed from a high-rise apartment building in Herzliya, less than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the headquarters of the Israeli intelligence service.

CNN geolocated another video appearing to show the impact of this missile in a nearby parking lot. The video shows a large crater, with dirt from the impact covering nearby vehicles. The crater is just a few hundred meters away from a cinema complex.

CNN cannot independently confirm the intended target of the missile, or that the crater was caused by the impact seen in the video shot from the apartment. However, it is likely that this was the cause, based on the missile’s trajectory.

55 people killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Lebanese health ministry says

From CNN's Sarah El Sirgany

Fifty-five people were killed and 156 were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon in the past 24 hours, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Among the victims, 22 were killed and 47 were injured in the city of Nabatieh, the ministry said.

Analysis: The world holds its breath as Israel ponders its response to Iran’s attack

Analysis from CNN’s Ivana Kottasová in Haifa
Rockets are seen in the sky from Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
Rockets are seen in the sky from Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
Ammar Awad/Reuters

Tuesday’s attack by Iran on Israel could shift the scales in the already extremely tense situation in the Middle East as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tehran “will pay.”

Up until now, Iran has mostly used its proxies in the region — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen — to strike against Israel.

When it attacked Israel directly in April, after accusing it of bombing its diplomatic complex in Syria, the assault appeared designed for effect rather than impact.

Tuesday’s missile strikes seemed different.

The Pentagon said Iran’s attack on Tuesday was twice as large as Iran’s last barrage against Israel in April. Tehran said the barrage was a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others. It came just hours after Israel announced it launched “limited and localized” ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon — something that would have been seen by Iran as a major escalation.

While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said most of the missiles were intercepted, some have landed on Israeli soil and appear to have caused damage.

Unlike in the spring, when Israel had days to prepare for the attacks, it received little warning on Tuesday, learning about the imminent threat just hours before Tehran launched the barrage.

Whatever Israel decides to do in response could shape the next stage of the conflict. It opted for a limited response back in April following pleas by the US and other allies to exercise restraint. But the words used by Israeli officials on Tuesday suggests the reaction might be more forceful this time.

IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari called the barrage a “serious attack” and said “there will be serious consequences.” Hagari did not elaborate on what these consequences might be.

CNN’s Nic Robertson contributed to this report.

France, UK, Germany and EU condemn Iranian attack on Israel

From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy, James Frater and Sharon Braithwaite in London
A crater is seen in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, on Tuesday.
A crater is seen in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, on Tuesday.
Saeed Qaq/Anadolu/Getty Images

Top officials from France, Britain, Germany and the European Union have all condemned Iran’s missile attacks on Israel, warning of potentially disastrous consequences for the wider region.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced what he called an “attempt by the Iranian regime to harm innocent Israelis” and “escalate this dangerous situation” in the Middle East.

The British leader was on a phone call to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, when the Iranian attack began, according to a readout from Starmer’s office.

Starmer said he had used calls with Netanyahu and his Lebanese, French and Palestinian counterparts to push for a “political route forward.”

Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, also condemned Iran’s attack “in the strongest possible terms.”

“We have urgently warned Iran against this dangerous escalation. Iran must stop the attack immediately. It is leading the region further into the abyss,” Baerbock said on X.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier also weighed in on what he described as “an extremely serious situation in the Middle East.”

Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, warned a “dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation” is underway that risks “spiraling out of control.”

The bloc is “fully committed to contribute to avert a regional war,” Borrell said, stressing that “an immediate ceasefire across the region is needed.”

Israeli air base hit by Iranian attack, new videos show

From CNN’s Paul P. Murphy

Two new videos show a number of Iranian missiles striking Nevatim air base in southern Israel based on geolocation analysis by CNN.

Iran previously targeted the same base during a similar April 13 attack.

How CNN geolocation worked: The videos were filmed from Ar’arat an-Naqab, a town just south of the air base, in southern Israel’s remote Negev desert. CNN was able to geolocate the videos by matching the buildings seen in the videos to archival photos of the town and the airbase.

What’s seen in the videos: As the camera pans skyward, dozens of rocket trails can be seen falling toward the base. Sirens are heard wailing in the background.

Then, in both videos, a single interceptor missile can be seen rising from a battery near the base before it travels out of frame.

The control tower at the air base can be seen in one of the videos as the missiles begin to impact and explode. Smoke begins to rise across the area of the base, as the sound of more impacts is heard, and more explosions are seen.

Without daylight, however, it’s unclear what exactly was hit at the base.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the videos, but did not immediately receive a response.

After the April 13 attack, Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesperson, confirmed that some of the hundreds of projectiles fired at Israel did hit the base, causing minor damage to the infrastructure there, including in an area near the runway.

Nevatim remained fully functional then, Hagari said at the time.