JERUSALEM, March 10 (AFP): Israel said Tuesday that it had struck an Iranian missile launcher shortly after a barrage fired from the Islamic republic triggered air raid warnings in several Israeli areas.
Late Monday, Israel's military said it identified a round of Iranian missile fire and was working "to intercept the threat."
The Iranian launches sparked air raid warnings in several parts of Israel, forcing people to head for shelter.
But the Magen David Adom emergency services said it received no reports of casualties following the latest round of Iranian fire.
The Israeli military then said it "had struck the missile launcher that launched missiles toward the State of Israel a short while ago."
Before the latest Iranian attack, Israel had announced what it called a "broad wave" of strikes on Tehran, the second such assault launched on Monday.
AP adds: Iran launched new attacks on Tuesday at Israel and Gulf Arab countries as it kept up pressure on the Middle East in a war that has impacted the region and beyond, sent oil prices surging and stunned global economies.
Sirens warned of incoming missiles in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and in Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region and Kuwait's National Guard said it had shot down six drones.
Later in the morning, sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and sounds of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv as Israel's defense systems worked to intercept incoming fire, not long after the military said it had detected an Iranian missile launch.
"We are definitely not looking for a ceasefire," Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote defiantly on X. "We believe that the aggressor should be punched in the mouth so that he learns a lesson so that he will never think of attacking our beloved Iran again."
In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and at American bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure which, combined with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, sent oil prices soaring.
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $120 on Monday before falling back but was still at around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24% higher than when the war started on Feb. 28.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has previously said that the war could last for a month or longer, sought to downplay growing fears that it could take even longer, saying it was "going to be a short-term excursion."
Still, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the strikes on Iran would continue.
"Our aim is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny, (but) ultimately it depends on them," Netanyahu said during a meeting with Israel's hospital and health system leaders. "There is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones."
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Tuesday it completed a series of strikes targeting Hezbollah's financial arm, al-Qard Al-Hasan. Israel, which says Hezbollah uses al-Qard al-Hasan to finance its military activities, also targeted several of the group's branches in southern and eastern Lebanon last week.
Israel's military also reiterated a call for all residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes, saying it planned to "operate forcefully" there against Hezbollah.
Since the war began, at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials.
A total of seven U.S. service members have been killed.
