Israel-Iran War HIGHLIGHTS: Israel, US vow retaliation for missile attack, Tehran warns of 'consequences'

The United States organized a flight from Beirut to Istanbul on Wednesday to allow Americans to leave Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to US allies over a possible response to Iran's missile attack on Iran. The US State Department said it has made clear to Israel that it does not want to see civilians or civilian infrastructure targeted in Lebanon.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry urged all parties to prioritize peace in a statement after Iran launched at least 180 missiles toward Israel. The ministry said Israel in recent months has “increasingly acted in violation of international law and the UN Charter, resulting in grave humanitarian crisis".

US President Joe Biden Biden told reporters that there would be more sanctions imposed on Iran and said he would speak soon with Netanyahu.

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he does not support strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in response to its missile attack against Israel. "We'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do, but all seven of us (G7 nations) agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond proportionally," Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One.

Three civilians were killed and three wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Syria's capital Damascus on Wednesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a military source as saying.

Israel's UN envoy says Iran will face their actions will be far greater than they could have imagined. Additionally, Iran's UN envoy said Tehran's response was necessary to restore balance and deterrence.

President Biden joined a call with the G7 to discuss Iran’s unacceptable attack against Israel and to coordinate on a response to this attack, including new sanctions. President Biden and the G7 unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel. President Biden expressed the United States’ full solidarity and support to Israel and its people, and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, said the White House in a statement.

Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that killed at least seven people, the group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday it had destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with guided rockets in the Lebanese border town of Maroun el-Ras.

Israel will respond to Iran's missile attack and its forces can strike anywhere in the Middle East, its military chief said on Wednesday. "We will respond. We can locate important targets and we can hit them precisely and powerfully," said the Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi, in a video from an air force base in central Israel, one day after Iran's missile attack on Israel.

The United States warned Iran at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday against targeting it or Israel as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the "deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop" in the Middle East.

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) democracies believe a diplomatic solution to the conflicts in the Middle East "is still possible", the Italian government said in a statement on Wednesday. "Expressing strong concern over the escalation in recent hours, it was reiterated that a region-wide conflict is in no one's interest and that a diplomatic solution is still possible," the statement said.

Israel has eased restrictions on gatherings for its residents living in some areas of the country’s north near the Lebanese border. The Home Front Command said that in northern Galilee and the Israeli-held Golan Heights, up to 50 residents can gather in outside spaces. 

Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in south Lebanon, the Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on X: "The first charter flight taking British nationals out of Lebanon has now departed. We have arranged another flight for tomorrow, and further flights over the coming days for as long as there is demand and it is safe to do so."

As Israel continues to ponder its response to Iran’s missile attack last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a security deliberation with his security chiefs in Tel Aviv, according to The Times of Israel.

"We are hopeful that with God’s help, the hard effort of the Iranian people, inspiration drawn from the Islamic Revolution, and collaboration with other nations, we will remove our enemies from the region, God willing," said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Slovakia is preparing the evacuation of its citizens and other EU nationals from Lebanon, the Slovak foreign ministry said. It has also approved using a military plane to deliver humanitarian aid.

Reacting to reports that Israel has launched ground military operations in Southern Lebanon, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated on Wednesday that China is "deeply concerned" about turmoil in the Middle East and opposes violations of Lebanon's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, the China-based Global Times reported.

A 38-year-old Gazan, the only known fatality in Iran's missile attack against Israel, was buried on Wednesday. Sameh Khadr Hassan Al-Asali had been staying in a Palestinian security forces compound in the occupied West Bank when he was killed by falling missile debris during Tuesday's attack, which Israel said was largely thwarted by its air defence systems.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host a call of Group of Seven (G7) leaders later on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, her office said.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel would face a harsh reaction if it did not stop what he called "its crimes". "If the Zionist regime (Israel) does not stop its crimes, it will face harsher reactions," he told state media as he left for a scheduled trip to Qatar.

A Lebanese soldier was injured in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, according to a statement by the Lebanese army. The soldier was hurt as a Lebanese army unit worked to open a road at the entrance to the southern Lebanese town of Kawkaba, the army said.

The Israeli military has announced its first combat death since launching ground operations in Lebanon this week. The military said Wednesday that a 22-year-old in a commando brigade was killed in combat in Lebanon.

Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday that he was barring the United Nations secretary-general from entering Israel, accusing him of being biased against the country.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said the situation in the Middle East was developing in an alarming direction and called on all sides to exercise restraint.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had contacts with all sides and condemned any action that caused the death of civilians.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that regular infantry and armoured units were joining ground operations in southern Lebanon, stepping up pressure on Hezbollah, as Israel prepared to retaliate against a barrage of Iranian missile strikes.

Iran's attack on Israel has rekindled the allure of safe havens and oil has surged, but with no clarity yet on how the Middle East might evolve, investors are treading tentatively. Their key question is whether Iran's strike marks an escalation, or is more of a one-off backlash. Mohit Kumar, a strategist at U.S. investment bank Jefferies called the market reaction so far "guarded" as investors await Israel's response.

Israel has said there will be consequences after Iran said it fired a salvo of ballistic missiles in what Tehran said was a retaliation for the Israeli campaign against Hezbollah.

Classic safe-havens like gold, government bonds and the Swiss franc surged on Tuesday and were holding most of those gains on Wednesday, while oil LCOc1 traded at $75 a barrel.

"Geopolitics is impossible to trade and hence keeping a low risk profile would be a prudent strategy," Kumar said.

In its first reaction to fresh escalation of tensions in West Asia, India on Wednesday called for restraint by all sides and said the conflict must not take a wider regional dimension. India's comments came a day after Iran fired around 200 missiles into Israel in response to Israel's killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders of the militant outfit. New Delhi said it is deeply concerned over the escalating security situation in West Asia and called for addressing all issues through "dialogue and diplomacy".

"We are deeply concerned at the escalation of the security situation in West Asia and reiterate our call for restraint by all concerned and protection of civilians," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "It is important that the conflict doesn't take a wider regional dimension and we urge that all issues be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy," it said in a statement.

Police in the Danish capital said two predawn explosions took place Wednesday in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen, prompting the nearby Jewish school to close for the day. Police said no one had been injured and they were investigating whether there was a link between the blasts and the Israeli diplomatic mission, which is close by several other embassies. They declined to say whether anyone had been arrested.

Heavily armed officers, search dogs and forensic teams were inspecting the area which had been cordoned off. Copenhagen's Jewish school, Carolineskolen, which is just down the street from the embassy, was already due to remain closed on Thursday and Friday for the Jewish New Year holidays, Michael Rachlin, a spokesperson for Denmark's Jewish community told The Associated Press.

There will also be extra security around the main synagogue in downtown Copenhagen, the Jewish community said in a statement.

The Israeli military has warned people to evacuate another 24 villages across southern Lebanon. The warning on Wednesday came days after the military launched what it said were limited ground operations near the border to combat the Hezbollah militant group. The villages are in a UN.

Most stocks held firm on Wednesday, while oil prices and some safe-haven assets rose, suggesting that the market impact of escalating Middle East tensions has been contained for now. Europe's benchmark STOXX index.STOXX rose 0.24% and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares. MIAP00000PUS climbed 1.23%, despite fears of a wider conflict following Iran's ballistic missile strike on Israel.

The safe-haven dollar traded close to its strongest in three weeks versus the euro.

Macroeconomics also buoyed the dollar, with a resilient U.S. job market arguing for a smaller Federal Reserve interest-rate cut in November, and eurozone inflation trends backing a European Central Bank easing this month.

U.S. S&P 500 stock index futures EScv1 weakened 0.19%, after the cash index. SPX lost 0.9% overnight.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said 146 Chinese nationals and five members of their families arrived in Beijing on Wednesday after being evacuated from Lebanon on a charter flight.
The report said that all Chinese citizens who wanted to evacuate have left the country, while the Chinese Embassy in Lebanon will continue its duties.

At least 32 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Gaza overnight and into Wednesday, Palestinian medical officials said.

The European Hospital in the hard-hit city of Khan Younis said it received the bodies after heavy Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in the city. It said the dead include several women and children, and that dozens of people were wounded.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

According to a 2021 report from the Missile Threat Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Tehran possesses thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles with varying ranges. While exact figures for each missile type remain unclear, US Air Force General Kenneth McKenzie testified before Congress in 2023 that Iran has "over 3,000" ballistic missiles, as noted in a recent report from the Iran Watch website, part of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. 

Israel will launch a "significant retaliation" to Iran's Tuesday missile attack within days that could target oil production facilities inside Iran and other strategic sites, U.S. news website Axios reported on Wednesday citing Israeli officials.

Iran told the United States not to get involved following its missile attack on Israel, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying on Wednesday.

Danish police said on Wednesday they were investigating two blasts in the vicinity of Israel's embassy in Copenhagen. "No one has been injured, and we are carrying out initial investigations at the scene," Copenhagen police said on social media X. "A possible connection to the Israeli embassy, ​​located in the area, is being investigated," they said.

 More than 30 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a school and institute housing displaced people in Gaza, official Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine reported on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden says his administration is “fully supportive” of Israel after it thwarted an Iranian missile attack and that he’s in “active discussion” with aides about an appropriate response. Biden also praised the US and Israeli militaries for defeating the Iranian missile barrage. “Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully supportive of Israel,” Biden said Tuesday at the start of a meeting with White House officials focused on the administration’s response to Hurricane Helene.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said soon after the attack that it amounted to a “significant escalation by Iran.” Biden said the consequences Iran will face remain to be seen.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant following what he called an “outrageous act of aggression by Iran against Israel,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

“The Minister and I expressed mutual appreciation for the coordinated defence of Israel against nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran and committed to remaining in close contact. I also expressed my deepest condolences to the families impacted by the horrific and deadly terrorist shooting in Israel.”

Yemen’s two main ports remain operational following Israeli airstrikes, but the strikes damaged power stations, the United Nations says. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen went to assess the situation at Yemen’s main port of Hodeida and the nearby port of Ras Isa following Sunday’s Israeli strikes targeting sites used by Houthi rebels in the ports in western Yemen.

There were no signs of ground combat in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli official said there had been no clashes with Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, cross-border fire continued. Hezbollah said it had targeted groups of soldiers in several Israeli border areas with artillery shelling and rockets. Israel said no soldiers were injured. At the same time, Israeli artillery units pummeled targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut.

Israel’s military said it identified 180 missiles launched from Iran shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sirens blared across the country, and Israelis were ordered to stay in protected areas. An Israeli security official said that in cooperation with the United States, the Israeli Air Force intercepted many of the missiles, though there some direct hits damaging buildings and igniting some fires.

WATCH: Iran launches massive missile attack against Israel 

A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under briefing guidelines, said Israeli ground troops were “within walking distance” of the border, targeting the small Lebanese villages hundreds of meters (yards) from Israeli territory.

The military says Hezbollah militants remain in the area, despite heavy Israeli bombardment over the past few weeks. It says they are using the areas to launch attacks on Israel and to store weapons.

The military says that Israeli troops entered Lebanon late Monday, though it was not clear whether they remained inside or were moving in and out of the country.

In a surprise announcement, Israel said Tuesday that its ground forces have been operating covertly in Lebanon for the last year, carrying out dozens of small ground operations. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army’s spokesman, said the current raid is an expansion of these activities.

The Lebanese army and UNIFIL, a U.N. peacekeeping force stationed in southern Lebanon, have not confirmed that Israeli troops crossed the border, although UNIFIL said it was notified that they were going to.

Israel activated air defences against Iran's bombardment and most missiles were intercepted "by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the United States," Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video on X, adding: "Iran's attack is a severe and dangerous escalation."

Iran described the campaign as defensive and solely aimed at Israeli military facilities. Iran's state news agency said three Israeli military bases had been targeted. Tehran said its attack was responding to Israeli killings of militant leaders and aggression in Lebanon against the Iran-backed armed movement Hezbollah and in Gaza.

Large smoke plumes were seen rising from parts of the suburbs. Israel issued new evacuation orders for the area, which has largely emptied after days of heavy strikes.

Iran said early on Wednesday that its missile attack on Israel was finished barring further provocation, while Israel and the US promised to retaliate against Tehran's escalation as fears of a wider war intensified.
Washington said it would work with longtime ally Israel to make sure Iran faced "severe consequences" for Tuesday's attack.

The United Nations Security Council scheduled a meeting about the Middle East for Wednesday, and the European Union called for an immediate ceasefire.