In a first, Iran and Hezbollah launch coordinated missile strikes on Israel: Report

Iran and Hezbollah carried out their first coordinated attacks on Israel since the start of the latest conflict, Israeli authorities told CNN, in a significant escalation in a war that is rapidly spreading beyond the Middle East.

The Israeli military said a barrage of missiles was launched from Iran while several projectiles, including drones, were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon at roughly the same time. The attacks triggered red alert sirens across major Israeli cities, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, sending civilians rushing to shelters.

According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the first barrage was followed by several additional missile launches. The IDF said the coordinated strike involved one missile launched from Iran and six projectiles fired from Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shia militant group based in Lebanon, has long been one of Israel’s main regional adversaries.

"A short time later," the Israeli military said, Iran and Hezbollah launched a second coordinated wave of attacks.

ISRAEL ENTERS SOUTHERN LEBANON

In a further escalation, Israel confirmed that its forces had entered parts of southern Lebanon amid ongoing cross-border fighting with Hezbollah. The Israeli military released the first footage from its footholds in southern Lebanon, showing that Israeli troops had established positions inside Lebanese territory.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the IDF said its Northern Command was deepening defensive positions in the northern sector as fighting intensified. The move indicates that the conflict might see ground operations along the Israel-Lebanon border.

The coordinated strikes come as Israeli and US forces continue attacks on Iranian and Hezbollah-linked targets across the region. Both Iran and Lebanon are being hit. At least 72 people were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, the country’s social affairs minister Haneen Sayed said.

The overall death toll from the conflict in Iran and Lebanon has surpassed 1,045 people.

WAR SPREADS BEYOND THE MIDDLE EAST

The conflict has already extended far beyond the Middle East. A US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister identified the vessel as the frigate IRIS Dena, which was returning to Iran from an eastern Indian port when it was struck.

At least 87 people were killed in the attack. The incident took place hundreds of miles from the Persian Gulf, in the Indian Ocean.

Tensions increased further for Iran after it fired a ballistic missile toward Turkey, a member of the Nato military alliance. Turkish authorities said Nato air defence systems intercepted the missile before it entered Turkish airspace.

The Turkish defence ministry said the missile had passed over Iraq and Syria before it was destroyed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

"All necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken... (and) we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions," the ministry said. Nato later condemned the incident and said it stood firmly with Turkey.

Following the missile incident, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan lodged a formal protest with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi.

- Ends

With inputs from agencies

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