Israel threatened Wednesday to retaliate after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at its territory, with Tehran warning it would hit “all infrastructure” in Israel if it comes under attack.

Israel vowed it would make Iran “pay” after the attack late Tuesday, which saw most of the missiles intercepted, and pledged to immediately strike “the Middle East powerfully”.

President Joe Biden said the United States was “fully supportive” of Israel after the missile attack, adding that he would discuss a response with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Asked by reporters what the response towards Iran would be, Biden replied: “That’s in active discussion right now.”

Sirens sounded across Israel after Iran unleashed the missiles — most of which were intercepted by Israeli air defences or by allied air forces.

Iranian state media reported 200 missiles had been fired at Israel including hypersonic weapons for the first time, which the Revolutionary Guards said had targeted “three military bases” around Tel Aviv and others elsewhere.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media platform X that Tehran’s “action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation”.

The Revolutionary Guards earlier said the attack was in response to Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week as well as the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran bombing widely blamed on Israel.

Israeli medics reported two people lightly injured by shrapnel. In the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian was killed in Jericho “when pieces of a rocket fell from the sky and hit him”, the city’s governor Hussein Hamayel told AFP.

It was Iran’s second direct attack on Israel after a missile and drone attack in April in response to a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

– ‘Severe consequences’ –

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin slammed an “outrageous act of aggression” by Iran, while Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters there would be “severe consequences”.

Netanyahu said: “Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it.”

Iran reacted by threatening to fire “with bigger intensity” if its territory is attacked, with Major General Mohammad Bagheri warning Tehran would target “all infrastructure” in Israel.

Following the missile barrage, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari vowed to act against Iran.

The air force “will continue to strike (tonight) in the Middle East powerfully,” he said.

The military subsequently announced it was bombarding Hezbollah targets in Beirut, with a Lebanese security source telling AFP that Israel had hit the city’s southern suburbs at least five times overnight.

Black smoke billowed over southern Beirut on Wednesday morning, AFP footage showed.

Sirens meanwhile blared in multiple places in northern Israel, warning of incoming fire, with no immediate reports of casualties.

UN chief Antonio Guterres led international calls to stem the “broadening conflict in the Middle East”, saying in a statement: “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”

While Iran-backed groups across the region had already been drawn into the Gaza war, sparked by Palestinian group Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, Tehran had largely refrained from direct attacks on its regional foe.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had exercised its “legitimate rights” and dealt “a decisive response… to the Zionist regime’s aggression”.

Israel, Iraq and Jordan — which lie between Iran and Israel — closed their airspace, as did Lebanon before reopening.

– US boosts forces –

The escalation came after the Israeli military said early Tuesday that troops had started “targeted ground raids” in south Lebanon, across Israel’s northern border.

The move came despite growing calls for de-escalation after a week of air strikes that killed hundreds in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry said later that the latest Israeli strikes had killed a further 55 people on Tuesday.

Lebanon’s disaster management agency said 1,873 people had been killed since Israel and Hezbollah began trading cross-border fire after the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023.

Iran has said Nasrallah’s killing would bring about Israel’s “destruction”, though its foreign ministry said Monday that Tehran would not deploy any troops to confront Israel.

The Pentagon said Washington was boosting its forces in the Middle East by a “few thousand” troops.

– Deadly strikes on Gaza –

In Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping mission said the Israeli offensive did not amount to a “ground incursion” and Hezbollah denied that any troops had crossed the border.

There was no way to immediately verify the claims, which came as Israel struck south Beirut, Damascus and Gaza.

Israel says it seeks to dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities and restore security to northern Israel, where tens of thousands have been displaced by nearly a year of cross-border fire.

Iran-backed Hezbollah, which suffered heavy losses in a spate of attacks last month, said it targeted Israeli military bases on Tuesday.

In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli bombings killed 19 people on Tuesday.

The Israeli military said troops opened fire Tuesday on “dozens” of Palestinians in central Gaza they saw as an “immediate threat”. At least some were hit, it added.

Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,638 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable.

– ‘Lost my home’ –

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza.

The escalating violence in Lebanon has killed more than 1,000 people since September 17, Health Minister Firass Abiad said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said there could be as many as one million people displaced from their homes in the country, with authorities registering almost 240,000 crossings into Syria since September 23.

In central Beirut, Youssef Amir, displaced from southern Lebanon, said: “I have lost my home and relatives in this war, but all of that is a sacrifice for Lebanon, for Hezbollah”.

Beirut resident Elie Jabour, 27, told AFP that despite opposing Hezbollah “politically… I support them defending the border”.

Iran has said that it was fully ready for whatever Israel may come up with.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, gave the order to launch missiles against Israel.

That Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles into Israel early Tuesday.

The Israeli military said it has received no reports of injuries from the Iranian missile attack.

The Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, said the country’s air defenses intercepted many of the incoming missiles, though some landed in central and southern Israel.

However, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran “is fully ready for any retaliation”.

Meanwhile, the Iranian mission to the United Nations has defended the country’s missile launches against Israel, calling it a response to “terrorist acts” by Israel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday vowed to achieve all his “objectives” in Ukraine, marking the second anniversary of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, as the Russian army reported fresh advances in the conflict.

Moscow has captured dozens of Ukrainian towns and villages this year, advancing despite Kyiv’s counter-offensive into Russian-held territory.

“The truth is on our side. All objectives set will be achieved,” Putin said in a video address commemorating what he calls “Reunification Day”—the date in 2022 when Moscow annexed four southern and eastern Ukrainian regions.

He reiterated his justification for sending troops into Ukraine, claiming to protect Russian speakers from a “neo-Nazi dictatorship” that aimed to “cut them off forever from Russia, their historic homeland”.

“Together we are defending a safe, prosperous future for our children and grandchildren,” Putin added.

Russia claimed to annex the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson in September 2022, although it does not fully control any of them.

The Kremlin has intensified its assault in eastern Ukraine in recent months, pressing its advantage as Ukrainian soldiers face exhaustion and continuous bombardment.

The Russian army announced on Monday that its troops had “liberated” the Ukrainian village of Nelipivka, which had a population of about 1,000 before the conflict. The village is located just north of the Ukrainian town of New York, where Kyiv claimed to have made gains earlier in September.

The primary target of Moscow’s recent offensive has been the Ukrainian logistics hub of Pokrovsk, a city on key road and rail routes that supply Kyiv’s forces along the frontline.
‘One-on-one talks’ –

Putin’s remarks came shortly after Russia launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine overnight, some targeting the capital, Kyiv.

“The enemy conducted another massive drone attack on the Kyiv region overnight. Air defence forces effectively responded in the area,” said Ruslan Kravchenko, head of the Kyiv regional military administration.

Wreckage from some of the downed drones caused fires, but no casualties or damage to critical infrastructure were reported, Kravchenko added.

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga was in Budapest on Monday for talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban remains the only EU leader who has maintained close ties with the Kremlin since the conflict began in 2022 and has refused military support for Kyiv.

“The one-on-one talks between Andriy Sybiga and Peter Szijjarto lasted about an hour, twice as long as scheduled,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry stated, without further details.

Hungary has previously blocked significant EU funds for Ukraine, causing frustration for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies.

At least 30 people have died and scores more are unaccounted for in just one county in North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene tore across the state and caused catastrophic flooding.

A clearer image of the damage the storm inflicted after barrelling through Florida and Georgia emerged throughout Sunday, with Buncombe County appearing to be the hardest hit area.

“We have biblical devastation,” said Ryan Cole, an emergency official in the county, which contains the mountain city of Asheville. “This is the most significant natural disaster that any one of us has ever seen.”

At least 116 people have died nationwide since the hurricane made landfall in Florida on Thursday, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS, and that figure is expected to rise as officials reach more areas.

Helene began as a hurricane – the most powerful on record to hit Florida’s Big Bend, and moved north into Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The majority of deaths have been confirmed in North and South Carolina where Helene landed as a tropical storm.

On Sunday evening, officials in North Carolina said 30 people had died in Buncombe County alone. Crews across the state are battling power and mobile service outages, downed trees and hundreds of closed roads.

Some residents returned to find their homes entirely destroyed on Sunday. And with some 1,000 people still unaccounted for in Buncombe County, relatives are working to locate family members with limited mobile service.

“This storm has brought catastrophic devastation… of historic proportions,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said.

The American Red Cross has opened more than 140 shelters for those in south-eastern states who evacuated their homes. More than 2,000 people are currently using the shelters, the organisation said on Sunday.

Erin Quevedo, the owner of a flooded salon in Buncombe County, spoke to The Asheville Citizen Times while ankle-deep in mud.

“The salon was completely destroyed. It looks like the water came up to about five feet inside,” she said. “Right now, all we’re doing is we’re trying to salvage what we can.”

Rescue operations are ongoing in North Carolina and supplies, including food and water, are being delivered by air to affected areas that cannot be reached due to closed roads.

“People are desperate for help and we are pushing to get it to them – [it is] a massive effort,” Governor Cooper said.

The North Carolina National Guard has rescued more than 119 people – including one infant, according to Major General Todd Hunt. He said the largest rescue was of 41 people north of Asheville.

Many petrol stations are closed throughout North Carolina with long queues of cars at those that are still open. Meanwhile, the few open supermarkets have been crowded by customers attempting to buy bottled water.

The damage from the storm is estimated at between $95bn and $110bn (£71bn-£82bn) nationwide. The scale of the destruction will become clearer in the coming days.

The search for survivors is ongoing and federal emergencies have been declared in six states, including Florida and Georgia.

“The devastation we’re witnessing in Hurricane Helene’s wake has been overwhelming,” President Joe Biden said on Saturday.

He was briefed by Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who he directed to speed up support to storm survivors, including deployment of extra teams to North Carolina.

Some of the areas most affected by the storm lie in states expected to be decisive in November’s presidential election, namely Georgia and North Carolina.

The White House has said Vice President Kamala Harris will visit affected areas as soon as she can do so without affecting rescue operations.

Meanwhile Donald Trump’s campaign said he would visit the Georgia city of Valdosta on Monday.

Although Helene has weakened significantly, forecasters warn that high winds, flooding and the threat of tornadoes could continue.

There could be as many as 25 named storms in 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned earlier this year.

Between eight and 13 of those storms could develop into hurricanes and a handful already have, including Helene. More storms could be on the horizon, officials warned, as the official end of hurricane season is not until 30 November.

Search and rescue teams in Nepal’s capital picked through wrecked homes on Monday after waters receded from monsoon floods that killed at least 192 people around the Himalayan republic.

Deadly floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is making them worse.

Entire neighbourhoods in Kathmandu were inundated after the heaviest rains in more than two decades, with the capital temporarily cut off from the rest of Nepal after landslides blocked highways.

“Our focus is on search and rescue, including people who have been stranded on highways,” Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari told AFP.

“192 people have been reported dead, and another 31 are missing,” he added.

At least 35 of those killed were buried alive when earth from a landslide careened into vehicles on a highway south of Kathmandu, Nepal Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP.

Rescuers in knee-high rubber boots, meanwhile, were using shovels to clear mud from the worst-hit riverside neighbourhoods around Kathmandu, many of them unauthorised slum settlements.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, a Nepal-based think tank, said the disaster had been made worse by unplanned urban encroachment around the Bagmati River, which courses through the capital.

Nepal’s army said that more than 4,000 people had been rescued, with helicopters, motorboats and rafts used to bring stranded households to safety.

Bulldozers were being used to clear nearly two dozen sections of major highways leading into Kathmandu that had been blocked by debris.

• ‘All of it is stuck’ –

Merchants in Kathmandu said that damage to intercity roads had drastically cut the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables into the capital.

“The farmers have their produce ready but with the highways blocked, all of it is stuck,” Binay Shrestha, who works at one of the city’s main produce markets, told AFP.

Nepal’s weather bureau said preliminary data from stations in 14 districts measured record-breaking rain in the 24 hours to Saturday morning.

A monitoring station at the Kathmandu airport recorded about 240 millimetres (9.4 inches) of rain, the highest figure since 2002.

The summer monsoon from July to September brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall and is vital for agriculture and food production in a region home to around two billion people.

But monsoon rains also bring widespread death and destruction in the form of floods and landslides.

Experts say climate change has worsened their frequency and intensity.

More than 300 people have died in Nepal in rain-related disasters this year