3 hours ago
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Everybody’s telephone buzzed astatine erstwhile with an alert astatine astir 19:30 section time.
It read: “You indispensable participate a protected country instantly and stay determination until further notice.”
The connection was sent by the Israel Defense Force’s Home Front Command and ended with the operation "life-saving instructions”.
People began to caput for structure successful harmless rooms arsenic missiles were launched towards Israel from Iran.
The sirens sounding crossed the state were heard by millions.
As the wail of the alarm rang outside, we moved to the structure successful the BBC’s Jerusalem Bureau - a unafraid portion of the gathering with nary windows.
We could perceive predominant booms arsenic missiles flew overhead and were intercepted by Israel’s defence system.
Videos captured present and elsewhere shared connected societal media showed streams of airy arsenic the missiles flew implicit Israel - and clouds of fume arsenic they were intercepted oregon detonated connected impact.
“There’s loads of them,” a interaction exclaimed successful a video filmed successful confederate Israel that shows circles of airy successful the nighttime sky.
At astir 20:00, the IDF said its aerial defence array was identifying and intercepting the launches, and called connected radical to “remain successful a protected abstraction until further notice”.
It continued: “The explosions you are proceeding are from interceptions and fallen projectiles.”
Concern had been mounting crossed Israel arsenic reports emerged aboriginal successful the evening that Iran was preparing a strike.
It came aft Israeli troops invaded Lebanon, successful what its subject calls a "limited, localised and targeted" crushed cognition against Hezbollah.
As missiles flew overhead, messages streamed successful from radical successful antithetic parts of the country, waiting successful their harmless rooms.
“There’s a batch of alarms each the clip truthful we’re successful the harmless room… But we’re OK for now,” a parent of 2 successful the southbound of Israel told maine by dependable note.
“Very, precise scary. I inactive cannot judge this is our life… it was VERY close,” a connection from a writer successful Tel Aviv said.
“Usually we enactment connected our level and don’t spell down to the structure but this time…we realised we had to spell down.”
“It was precise loud,” lawyer Efrat Eldan Schechter says by WhatsApp connection from Ra’anana successful cardinal Israel, adding that she believes “it is not the extremity for tonight”.
“We request to spot however it volition evolve. It is precise scary indeed… but we are beardown and assured that our IDF volition support us. Iran conscionable made a immense mistake.”
About an hr aft the archetypal message, phones again vibrated with a caller alert from the Home Front Command, telling radical they could permission shelters and protected areas.
Following the strikes, the IDF spokesperson said determination were immoderate hits successful cardinal and confederate Israel. There person been reports of immoderate insignificant injuries.
“At this signifier we don’t place much launches from Iran. Stay liable and perceive to instructions,” Daniel Hagari said successful a televised address.
Israel says astatine slightest 180 missiles were fired, astir of them intercepted.
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