After attacks

Iran plans imminent missile attack on Israel

Israeli police officers work on a damaged school building that was hit by Iranian missiles in Gadera, Israel2.

(Bild: AP)

According to the Israeli army, Iran has fired around 200 missiles at Israel. For Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, the attack is not yet over. Israel, on the other hand, announced a "powerful" attack.

The blows of the resistance front on the exhausted and doomed body of the Zionist regime (Israel) will, with divine help and strength, become even more fierce," wrote the head of state (85) on Platform X. Khamenei has the final say in all strategic matters in Iran.

The so-called resistance axis includes militias in the Middle East, such as the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Islamist Hamas is also supported by Tehran in order to fight the common arch-enemy Israel.

An Iranian missile left this huge crater in front of a school in the Israeli city of Gedera.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Menahem KAHANA)

Rockets hit Israel
Millions of people in Israel sought refuge in shelters during the attack. Dozens of people gathered in a bunker beneath a shopping mall in the center of Tel Aviv. One woman reacted in panic to the sounds of explosions, which could also be heard in the underground rooms. Many people read or listened to the news until the all-clear was given after around an hour and they were allowed to leave the bunker again. 

Iranian missile hail over Israel

(Bild: APA/AFP/Ahmad GHARABLI)

Numerous videos from Israel showed dozens of rockets flying over towns and cities in the country. Some explosions could also be heard, although it was often unclear whether the rockets were intercepted in mid-air or hit the ground. Air alarms sounded throughout the country. Reporters lay flat on their stomachs as they continued to report on state television. In the evening, the army declared that there was no longer any danger from Iran "at the moment". People could leave the shelters again.

Damage after the missile strike
Israeli media have published images of suspected damage as a result of the Iranian missile attacks. In a video shared by the Israeli channel Kan 11, which is said to have been recorded in a town in central Israel, a crater several meters deep can be seen in the ground; cars around the crater are covered in earth, while videos on social media showed rocket fragments falling on Israeli towns such as Tel Aviv. The Israeli army radio station published a photo from the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva in southern Israel, showing part of a meter-high rocket stuck vertically in the ground. According to Israel's military, there were a small number of impacts in the center of Israel and others in the south of the country. The damage following the Iranian attack is currently being assessed, an Israeli security official said.

Israel threatens revenge
Israel, meanwhile, threatened to retaliate. "As we have previously made clear to the international community, any enemy that attacks Israel must expect a harsh response," tweeted UN Ambassador Danny Danon.

Iran described its missile attack on Israel as an appropriate response to the escalation in the Middle East and threatened further attacks. "Iran's legal, rational and legitimate response to the terrorist attacks of the Zionist regime - the attacks on Iranian citizens and interests and the violation of the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran - was duly carried out," Iran's UN representative in New York announced. Should Israel dare to respond, "a devastating response will follow."

Shortly beforehand, the army had called on people in Israel to prepare for a "large-scale" Iranian attack and to stay close to shelters. A dpa correspondent reported that strong explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv.

Iranian state media also reported on the attack on the arch-enemy. According to Reuters witnesses, Iranian missiles fired in the direction of Jerusalem were intercepted over Jordanian airspace.

Biden orders US army to shoot down Iranian missiles
In view of the missile attacks from Iran on Israel, US President Joe Biden has ordered his country's army to come to Israel's aid and shoot down Iranian missiles. This was announced by the White House in Washington on Tuesday. According to a high-ranking representative of Iran, the country's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave the order for the missile strike. He said that Iran was ready for any retaliatory strike. Khamenei was kept in a safe place after the attack.

Nehammer condemns attack
Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has already commented on the attack on X. He shared a video taken from the roof of the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem showing the attack. Iran should immediately cease its hostile actions against the state of Israel, he demanded.

AUA cancels flights
Due to the current situation, AUA is flying around Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including October 2. This means that the Austrian Airlines flight to and from Erbil on Wednesday has to be canceled. Affected passengers can rebook to a later travel date free of charge or alternatively receive a full refund of the ticket price. Connections to and from Tel Aviv are suspended up to and including October 31. There will be no flights to Tehran up to and including October 14, Austrian Airlines informed APA.

Second front against Israel
Immediately after the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas on October 7 last year, Hezbollah opened a second front against Israel with regular rocket attacks from Lebanon. In April, Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones directly at Israel from its territory for the first time. Several allies helped Israel to repel the attack at the time.