Iran Retaliates, Firing Missiles at Israel
Iran launched a wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Israeli cities, forcing millions into shelters overnight. The direct state-on-state attack follows the recent assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, with the UK now confirming it will allow the US to use its bases for strikes on Iran. Meanwhile, Lebanon's Prime Minister banned Hezbollah's military activities in an attempt to keep the country out of a wider war.
This direct state-on-state attack ends a decades-long "shadow war" between the two nations. Previously, the conflict was fought through proxies, with Iran backing militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, while Israel conducted targeted assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and airstrikes on Iranian forces in Syria. Iran possesses the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East, with some long-range missiles capable of traveling up to 2,500 kilometers. Its stockpile includes systems like the Shahab-3, the solid-fueled Sejil, and the Khorramshahr, which can reach all of Israel and parts of southeastern Europe. To counter this threat, Israel employs a multi-layered air defense system. This includes the well-known Iron Dome for short-range rockets, "David's Sling" for medium-range threats, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles, including in space. A new laser-based system, the "Iron Beam," became operational in late 2025 to offer a lower-cost method of intercepting drones and mortars. The UK's legal justification for allowing US strikes from its bases is "collective self-defence" of regional allies who requested support. The permission is limited to targeting missile storage sites and launchers. Hours after the announcement, a drone struck the UK's RAF Akrotiri air base in Cyprus, causing minor damage. Leb
