THE Middle East is moving closer to a long-feared regional war the day after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel.
The move came as the Israelis said they had begun limited ground incursions into Lebanon targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire pounded Lebanese villages where people were ordered to evacuate.
Israel said it intercepted many of the missiles fired by Iran on Tuesday evening, and officials in Washington said US destroyers had assisted in Israel’s defence.
The UK’s Defence Secretary, John Healey, also confirmed that British forces “played their part” in attempts to prevent further violence in the Middle East, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he “stand[s] with Israel”.
Iran said most of its missiles hit their targets. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed late on Tuesday to retaliate against Iran, which he said “made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it”.
An Iranian commander threatened wider strikes on infrastructure if Israel retaliates against Iran’s territory.
The United Nations Security Council has called an emergency meeting for Wednesday to address the spiralling conflict.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since October 8, the day after Hamas’ cross-border attack on October 7, which killed 1200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage.
Israel declared war on the militant group in the Gaza Strip in response.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials.
