JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran will pay the price for launching a barrage of ballistic missiles into its territory, which caused panic in multiple cities.
Iran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and its other top leaders in what is considered to be the biggest cross border attack targeting its enemy.
IDF says most of the missiles were intercepted.
U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris monitored the attack and the response from the White House Situation Room, joined in person and remotely by their national security team.
Fierce fighting is reported in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, which made a ground invasion into its neighbor's territory on Tuesday.
'Our forces and resistance fighters are fully prepared to confront and resist the enemy,' news agencies quoted Hezbollah's Mohammad Afif as saying.
The pro-Iranian terrorist outfit claimed to have repelled an Israeli infantry invasion into Lebanon.
Lebanese army said in a statement posted on social media that Israeli forces withdrew shortly after entering 400 meters into Lebanon, crossing the UN-patrolled Blue Line that separates the two countries.
IDF said in a statement issued on Wednesday that it destroyed more than 150 terror infrastructures of Hezbollah.
'The troops, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force, eliminated terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure through precision-guided munitions and close-range engagements,' it said.
In a separate incident, on Tuesday, a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv took the lives of seven Israeli civilians and wounded many others.
As the conflict escalates to a wider all-out war in the Middle East, President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel.
Vice President Kamala Harris said that Israel, with U.S. assistance, was able to defeat the Iranian ballistic missile attack.
'Our joint defenses have been effective, and this operation and successful cooperation saved many innocent lives.'
The Democratic presidential candidate vowed that her commitment to the security of Israel is unwavering.
Harris warned that Washington will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend U.S. forces and interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists. 'And we will continue to work with our allies and partners to disrupt Iran's aggressive behavior and hold them accountable.'
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