Iran made a “big mistake tonight,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem shortly after an Iranian missile attack, “and it will pay for it.” The strike on Israel earlier in the evening “failed,” he says. “It was thwarted thanks to Israel’s air defense system, which is the most advanced in the world,” says the prime minister, thanking the US for its support as well. “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies,” says Netanyahu.

The IDF says ballistic missiles have been launched from Iran at Israel. It takes approximately 10-12 minutes for them to fly from Iran to Israel – unless they are intercepted or fail before then. Initial reports say that at least 102 ballistic missiles were launched in this first wave, and that there may be more missiles coming. The entire Israeli population has been ordered into bomb shelters. There are unconfirmed reports of at least one building being struck in northern Tel Aviv. No confirmation yet. DEVELOPING (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The White House said Tuesday morning that the United States has received indications that Iran is preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel in the near future. “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel. We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” an unnamed senior White House official said in a statement.

Sirens blared in central Israel on Tuesday morning in dozens of cities, including Tel Aviv, Ramat HaSharon, Kfar Saba, Herzliya, and Ra’anana. Residents heard the sounds of loud booms as several rockets fell. Other rockets were intercepted. One of the rockets hit a highway near the Choreshim Interchange, injuring at least one person from shrapnel. This is a developing story. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

U.S. officials have confirmed that the IDF has entered southern Lebanon and initiated limited ground operations targeting Hezbollah positions near the border. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel informed the U.S. about the raids, which he said were described as “limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.” This is the first IDF ground operation in Lebanon since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.  

In the first public statement by a Hezbollah official since the killing of the group’s leader, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, declared that the terrorist organization is fully prepared for any potential ground operation by Israeli forces. “We will face any possibility, and we are ready if the Israelis decide to enter by land. The resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement,” Qassem said, visibly sweating during a speech from an undisclosed location in Beirut. Qassem’s remarks follow the death of Hezbollah’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last Friday. Despite the heavy loss of its top leader and ongoing Israeli attacks, Qassem said that Hezbollah remains committed to its cause.

Journalists at Iran’s Press TV broke down in tears as they reported the death of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Marzieh Hashemi, a prominent Iranian-American anchor for the state-run television network, was one of them. During a live broadcast, Press TV’s Beirut correspondent, Mariam Saleh, broke down in tears when told Nasrallah was dead. She said she didn’t know how she would cope with his death. “I wish I could sacrifice my children and have Nasrallah back,” she said tearfully. She went on to vow that despite the loss, the fight would continue until victory was achieved. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

IDF special forces have been carrying out small targeted raids into southern Lebanon in preparation for a possible larger ground operation that could begin as early as this week, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The raids, which include entering Hezbollah tunnels along the border, were also previously carried out in past months as part of the IDF’s efforts to root out Hezbollah’s operations along the border. The report quoted Amir Avivi, a former senior Israeli military official who continues to be briefed by defense officials, as saying that a ground incursion by Israel is imminent and that the raids are part of the preparation. “The IDF has made a lot of preparations for a ground incursion,” Avivi said. “Overall, this always includes special operations.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) announced on Monday morning that three of its leaders were killed in an IDF strike in Beirut shortly after midnight. The attack was Israel’s first strike within the city limits of Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut, with previous strikes mainly executed in Dahieh, a suburb of Beirut and a Hezbollah stronghold. The PFLP statement said that the three leaders were killed in a strike on the upper floor of an apartment building in the Kola district of Beirut. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he does not personally care about the “Palestinian issue” during a meeting earlier this year, The Atlantic reports. The conversation, which took place in January in al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, occurred amid ongoing discussions about Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel. According to the report, the Crown Prince expressed that while he might not have personal investment in the Palestinian issue, many young Saudis do care. “Seventy percent of my population is younger than me,” he reportedly told Blinken. “For most of them, they never really knew much about the Palestinian issue. And so they’re being introduced to it for the first time through this conflict. It’s a huge problem.