Middle East crisis live: Region braces for further escalation after Iran missile attack; IDF launches strikes on Beirut

Israel launches at least five strikes on Beirut overnight

At least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs in the early hours of Wednesday, a Lebanese security source told the AFP news agency.

The Israeli military issued multiple evacuation orders for buildings in the city, saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites.

Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs after a strike. Photograph: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

Reuters and AFP correspondents reported multiple explosions and smoke rising in at least one area while a fire appeared to burn.

Israel has repeatedly bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs since last week.

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US defence secretary tells Israeli counterpart Iran attack an 'outrageous act of aggression'

The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said he spoke with the Israeli minister of defence, Yoav Gallant, telling him that the attack from Iran was an “outrageous act of aggression”.

The Minister and I expressed mutual appreciation for the coordinated defense of Israel against nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran and committed to remain in close contact.

Israel launches at least five strikes on Beirut overnight

At least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs in the early hours of Wednesday, a Lebanese security source told the AFP news agency.

The Israeli military issued multiple evacuation orders for buildings in the city, saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites.

Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs after a strike. Photograph: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

Reuters and AFP correspondents reported multiple explosions and smoke rising in at least one area while a fire appeared to burn.

Israel has repeatedly bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs since last week.

Welcome and summary

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.

Israel launched strikes across Beirut’s southern suburbs in the early hours of Wednesday, with the Israeli military issuing multiple evacuation orders for buildings in Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah sites.

The strikes came hours after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at targets across Israel, in a dramatic intensification of a conflict that some fear could escalate into a regional war.

Meanwhile Benjamin Netanyahu told a meeting of his security cabinet that “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it.”

The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.”

More on that in a moment, first here’s a summary of the day’s other main events.

• The Israeli military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, spoke on television reacting to what the country called a “serious attack” on Israel by Iran today. Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), pledged that the attack “will have consequences”. He added that the country remained on high alert.

• There continues to be very little information about how much damage Iran’s missile attack on Israel caused. In its attack on Tuesday, Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles, Israel’s government said. No injuries were reported in Israel, but one man was killed in the occupied West Bank, authorities there said. Images show missiles fallen in Ramallah, in the West Bank.

• Late on Tuesday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Iran’s action was “concluded unless Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation”. In a statement on X, he said: “Israel’s enablers now have a heightened responsibility to rein in the warmongers in Tel Aviv instead of getting involved in their folly.”

• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, gave the order to launch the missiles at Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that Tehran “is fully ready for any retaliation”. Meanwhile, the Iranian mission to the United Nations has defended the country’s missile launches against Israel today, calling it a response to “terrorist acts” by Israel.

• US destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea took down multiple missiles launched by Iran, US defence officials said. The UK defence secretary, John Healey, said that British forces “played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East”.

• Six people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting and knife attack on the Israeli seaside city of Jaffa that occurred minutes before Iran launched its attack. Five of the wounded were described as being in a serious condition, including an IDF soldier. CCTV footage showed two men, reportedly armed with an assault rifle and a knife, dressed in black emerging from a train near the light-rail stop along Jerusalem Boulevard where they opened fire on passersby as well as on a second nearby street.

• Emmanuel Macron has condemned Iran’s attack on Israel and said France mobilised its “military resources in the Middle East to counter the Iranian threat.” France’s president also called on Israel to end its military operations in Lebanon “as soon as possible.”