Iranians celebrate as Iran launches missiles at Israel

Iranians took to the streets of Tehran to celebrate after Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said the assault was in retaliation for recent Israeli killings of militant leaders and aggression in Lebanon and Gaza. Its forces used hypersonic Fattah missiles for the first time, and 90% of its missiles successfully hit their targets in Israel, the Revolutionary Guards said.

Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley. Israelis piled into bomb shelters and reporters on state television lay flat on the ground during live broadcasts.

Israel said more than 180 missiles were launched into Israel from Iran and Israeli air defenses were activated to intercept them. US Navy warships fired about a dozen interceptors against Iranian missiles headed toward Israel, the Pentagon said.

Also Iraqis in the capital Baghdad and the southern city of Basra celebrated late in the night after Iran targeted Israel with missile strikes.

In Baghdad, a crowd formed around the iconic Freedom Monument in Liberation Square and waved Palestinian and Hezbollah flags.

In Basra, members of the Popular Mobilization Forces performed traditional dances while waving their weapons around in celebration.

Fears that Iran and the US would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel's intensifying assault on Lebanon in the past two weeks, including the start of a ground operation there and its year-old conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

Israeli army radio said nearly 200 missiles had been launched into Israel from Iran. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Iran had launched tens of missiles at Israel, and that if Israel retaliated Tehran's response would be "more crushing and ruinous."