Breaking: Tehran has launched its first wave of ballistic missiles against Israel

TEHRAN: Source tells Iran’s state news agency that Tehran has launched its first wave of ballistic missiles against Israel.

Iran has launched more than 100 explosives-laden drones at Israel since Saturday, the Israeli military said early on Sunday, declining to immediately confirm media reports that cruise missiles were also part of the salvo.

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Meanwhile, Israel said that a salvo of Iranian pilotless aircraft had been launched at it and that defence systems were poised to shoot them down or to sound sirens ordering residents in any threatened areas to take shelter.

The drones’ flight time would take several hours, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing. He confirmed media reports that “Wing of Zion”, Israel’s version of the U.S. “Air Force One”, was airborne, saying this was due to operational considerations.

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The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month, has driven up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq.

Those clashes now threaten to morph into a direct open conflict pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main supporter the United States.

More to follow…