Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
Iran has launched a large-scale attack against Israel, the Israel Defense Forces announced Oct. 1, just as additional U.S. Air Force assets rushed into the region.
A barrage of missiles was seen over Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities at around 7:30 p.m. local time. Just a few hours earlier, the White House warned that Iran was preparing a ballistic missile attack and said the U.S. would help defend Israel amid concerns that it would spark a full-scale regional war.
U.S. forces are defending against Iranian-launched missiles targeting Israel, a U.S. defense official said.
“The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” a senior White House official said the morning of Oct. 1. “We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.”
Iran vowed to respond to Israel’s forceful strikes on Lebanese Hezbollah, including one that killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Sept. 27. Israel has also launched what it called a limited ground invasion of southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets on Sept. 30. The U.S. has repeatedly pledged to defend Israel from Iran, which backs Hezbollah.
The Pentagon has ordered three additional squadrons of fighter and attack aircraft to the Middle East. A squadron of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft has already arrived in the region, people familiar with the deployment told Air & Space Forces Magazine. On Oct. 1, U.S. Central Command said a squadron of F-16 Fighting Falcons and a squadron of F-15E Strike Eagles were also on their way to the Middle East.
American F-15Es and F-16s helped Israel fend off a massive Iranian missile and drone attack in April by helping shoot down around 80 drones, part of an Iranian attack that also involved hundreds of cruise and ballistic missiles, totaling over 300 projectiles.
In that incident, Iran was retaliating for an April 1 attack by Israel on a facility in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The scope of the latest Iranian strikes are unclear, but one U.S. official said the new attack is expected to be at least as large as the April attack.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem directed U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place, according to a State Department security alert. The embassy added that the U.S. government “reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness as security incidents, including mortar and rocket fire and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) intrusions, often take place without warning.”
The U.S. is increasing the number of warplanes in the region by temporarily extending the deployments of current units so that they overlap with the incoming forces. It conducted a simila move in April before Iran attacked Israel and in October after Hamas attacked Israel.
Before the latest deployments were announced, the U.S. already had squadrons of A-10s, F-16s, F-15Es, and F-22 fighters in the region. The Raptors were sent to the Middle East in August due to concerns about escalation in the region between Israel and Iran. The additional squadrons of A-10s, F-16s, and F-15Es will boost the U.S.’s airpower presence.
In addition to land-based aircraft ordered to the region, the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier strike group is headed towards the Mediterranean Sea, and the Pentagon directed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which was scheduled to head home, to remain in the Middle East. The Lincoln has an aircraft wing that includes F-35C Lighting II and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Sept. 30 and “reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other Iran-backed terrorist organizations,” according to a readout of the call provided by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder said in a readout of the call.
“The Secretary made clear that the United States is well postured to defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations, and determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict,” Ryder added. “The Secretary and Minister Gallant discussed the serious consequences for Iran in the event Iran chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel.”
