Iran warns of civilian attacks over Israel counter-offensive as the world braces for wider escalation in Middle East

Iran raised the specter of all-out war with Israel as it braced for a response to launching a barrage of almost 200 missiles last night. Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system pictured intercepting rockets launched by Iran on Tuesday Lighting flares fired by Israeli army at the Netzarim Corridor area in the central part of the Gaza Strip, Gaza on October 01 It comes as: Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon overnight on Monday with the aim of driving Hezbollah forces away from the border; The operation will be 'limited' and last for 'days, not weeks', Israeli officials told the US; Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles targeted at Israel, although the Iron Dome and the US military coordinated to prevent any significant damage; Two terrorists armed with an assault rifle and a knife killed six people in the Jaffa neighborhood of Tel Aviv minutes before the Iranian missile attack. Iranian Major General Mohammad Bagheri warned of Iran's 'capabilities' in the face of all-out war on Tuesday Israeli artillery fires towards Lebanon from northern Israel in the early hours of Wednesday An Israeli military vehicle fires a shell from northern Israel towards Lebanon in the early hours of Wednesday, as the world braces to see the full extent of its response Workers survey a crater created by Iran's missile strikes on Tuesday, with the large majority of the strikes thwarted by the Iron Dome as Israel said it avoided significant damage Smoke rises Iran cited the deaths of senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Abbas Nilforoushan and longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as the reasons for Tuesday's strikes Iranian military leadership said Tuesday's strikes followed a 'difficult period of restraint' that begun with the July assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh At least five Israeli strikes reportedly hit Beirut's southern suburbs early this morning, with the world holding its breath as the IDF prepares to unleash a 'powerful' response. Tensions are escalating after Israel said it had wiped out Hezbollah's top brass in the airstrike on southern Beirut that killed the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah This photo taken on April 14, 2024 shows flares from explosions in the sky over Tel Aviv as Israel's anti-missile system intercepts missiles and drones from Iran A child sleeps in the trunk of car as people displaced amid Israeli military strikes in Lebanon stay in a street in Beirut, Lebanon, 01 October 2024 Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike on a village in southern Lebanon Smoke rises from a building following an Israeli military strike, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, 01 October 2024 Police officers take cover as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets fired from Lebanon, in central Israel A view of damaged buildings following Israeli attacks on Laylaki and Haret Hireyk neighborhood of Dahieh region in Beirut, Lebanon on October 1, 2024 An Israeli army main battle tank moves at a position along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on October 1, 2024 Iranians burn an Israeli flag during a rally Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike on a village in southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel October 1, 2024 A displaced child sleeps at a makeshift encampment where scores of displaced people live, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, October 1, 2024 Israeli soldiers ready their kit, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel October 1, 2024 This photo released on Sept. 30, 2024 shows Israeli troops stationed on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border An Iranian missile system is displayed next to a banner with a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during Iranian defense week, in a street in Tehran, Iran, September 24 A military spokesperson said Israel recorded 'a few hits in the centre and other areas in the south of the country'. An excavator operates among the rubble of buildings destroyed in an Israeli airstrike the previous day in Ain el-Delb neighborhood, east of the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, 30 September 2024 Residents and rescue teams inspect the damage following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Ain al-Helweh camp for Palestinian refugees on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon early on October 1, 2024 A view from Shuja'iyya school after Israeli army's attack in the central Gaza Strip, Gaza on October 01, 2024 Smoke billows amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Tyre, southern Lebanon October 1, 2024 Israeli artillery shells hit areas near villages in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel Israeli tanks and APC's gather by the Israeli - Lebanese border on September 30 before the ground invasion The US said it was informed beforehand about Israel's raids, which have been described as 'limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.'