Israel says it has struck Iran as it takes missile fire

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel and Iran traded fire early Monday in retaliatory strikes. Israeli authorities said two waves of Iranian missiles targeted the country, and urged the public to seek shelter. Explosions could be heard in central Israel as Israeli air defenses sought to intercept the incoming Iranian fire.

The Iranian attack came after Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran early Monday in response to missile fire from Tehran, in the most serious crossfire since an April 8 ceasefire was reached in the Iran war.

Tehran warned of retaliation on Sunday after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Monday marked the 100th day of the Iran war which began Feb. 28. The war raged until reaching a nominal ceasefire on April 8, but a permanent end to the hostilities have been challenged by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite terror group Hezbollah.

Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran, without immediately elaborating. A witness in Tehran described hearing at least one large blast somewhere to the west of the country’s capital city. Iran closed the airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main airfield, after the Israeli attack.

Officials offered no details on what had been struck, nor any damage information. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said that Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in its attack Monday morning, without elaborating.

The semiofficial Fars and Mehr news agencies said Israeli strikes had hit a petrochemical factory in the city of Mahshahr in Khuzestan province. It did not elaborate on damage.

The Israeli military later confirmed the strike on the petrochemical plant.

Earlier Monday, sirens sounded across Israel after its military said a missile launched from Yemen targeted the country, without elaborating. Israel’s rescue services said there were no reports of casualties or impacts from the launch from Yemen.

Yemen is home to the Iranian-backed Houthi terror group. The Houthis have fired missiles at Israel during the Israel-Hamas war and later, but haven’t been fully involved in the Iran war. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.

In Saudi Arabia, missile alert sirens sounded Monday morning in an area home to an air base that hosts U.S. forces. Saudi state media reported the alert around its Al Kharj governorate, home to Prince Sultan Air Base. The alert came after Israel’s strikes on Iran. Saudi Arabia shortly after said the missile danger in the area had passed, without elaborating.