ISTANBUL

Air raid sirens sounded on Wednesday across wide areas of Eilat and the Arava region in southern Israel, as Iran launched a barrage of missiles, Israeli authorities said.

Israel’s Home Front Command said alerts were activated in Eilat, the Shaharit industrial zone and the illegal settlement of Eilot, as well as areas in the Arava region, including the illegal settlement of Be’er Ora.

Israel Hayom newspaper reported that air defenses intercepted one missile launched toward Eilat.

The barrage marked the 12th such launch since early Wednesday, according to Anadolu’s tally.

The developments come amid tight Israeli restrictions on reporting losses resulting from missile and drone attacks, as well as ground fighting in southern Lebanon.

Earlier Wednesday, Hebrew media reported that Iran had launched around 470 missiles toward Israel over 25 days of war, noting an increase in launch frequency over the past week.

Since Feb. 28, the US and Israel have been carrying out military operations against Iran, while Tehran says it is responding by launching missiles and drones toward Israel, in addition to targeting what it describes as US interests in the region.

*Writing By Khaled Badr