THE Middle East moved closer to a long-feared regional war the day after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel and Israel said it began limited ground incursions into Lebanon targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

Israel said it intercepted many of the missiles, and officials in Washington said US destroyers assisted in Israel's defense. Iran said most of its missiles hit their targets. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed late Tuesday (Oct 1) to retaliate against Iran, which he said "made a big mistake tonight and it will pay for it." 

An Iranian commander threatened wider strikes on infrastructure if Israel retaliates against Iran's territory.

The United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting for Wednesday to address the spiraling conflict.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since Oct. 8, the day after Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage.

Israel declared war on the militant group in the Gaza Strip in response. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials.

 - AP