The Israeli army said on Tuesday 1 October that it had launched ‘targeted ground raids’ on villages in southern Lebanon, aimed specifically at the Islamist movement Hezbollah, despite international calls for de-escalation. In the early evening, missiles were fired by Iran towards Israel, causing millions of civilians to flee to safety.

The Israeli army has confirmed that missiles were fired from Iran towards Israel. In a message published on X, army spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that missiles had recently been launched towards Israeli territory.

Air traffic completely halted at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gourin airport and airspace closed off

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gourin international airport is experiencing a total suspension of traffic, with no flights landing or taking off. This situation is the result of the complete closure of Israeli airspace, while the ‘Iron Dome’ defence system is intercepting missiles fired from Iran towards Israeli territory.

Agence France-Presse journalists on the ground observed several explosions in the sky over Jerusalem. Dozens of detonations were heard, accompanied by visible explosion lights, before the warning sirens sounded again.

The Israeli army has declared that the threat of Iranian missiles hangs over the whole of Israeli territory. At present, all Israeli civilians are being asked to take refuge in bomb shelters as rockets are fired towards Israel.

An attack in response to the deaths of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have declared that the current missile offensive targeting Israel is a response to the elimination of two key figures: Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, and Ismaïl Haniyé, leader of Hamas, both of whom were shot dead by the Israeli army.

In their statement, the Revolutionary Guards threatened to carry out ‘crushing attacks’ if Israel dared to respond to the current offensive.

At the same time, a shooting in Jaffa with a terrorist motive raised

A tragic attack took place in Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, where at least eight people lost their lives in a shoot-out, according to the Israeli media outlet Haaretz. Nine other people were also injured. The local authorities have indicated that the ‘terrorist’ motive is being pursued, and the police have confirmed that two assailants were ‘neutralised’ in the operation.