Sirens sound in central Israel as missiles launched from Iran

ISTANBUL

Air raid sirens sounded across central Israel Friday after missile launches were detected from Iran, Israeli media reported.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that sirens were activated across central areas of the country, including the Shfela, Lachish, and Samaria, following rocket and missile launches from Iran.

A strike on Holon set vehicles on fire, the report said, adding that air defense systems intercepted the limited barrage of missiles launched toward Israeli territory.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported shrapnel falling in several locations in central Israel.

An Anadolu correspondent also reported large explosions in the skies over central and northern parts of the occupied West Bank, coinciding with the launches.

Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had launched the 45th wave of what it described as “Operation True Promise 4” against Israeli and US targets using a barrage of missiles, in coordination with naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards, drone units of the Iranian army, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The attacks come amid rising tensions across the Middle East, which have flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and injuring over 10,000 others, according to Iranian authorities.

Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.