Israel and Iran Exchange Missile Attacks

Israel and Iran fired missiles at each other on Tuesday night. This was the first major fighting between the two countries in two months. The attacks happened after Israel struck targets in Lebanon earlier this week. Many people are worried that a bigger war might start in the Middle East.

The fighting began when Iran launched missiles toward northern Israel around 10 p.m. local time. Warning sirens went off in major Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. People had to run to safe places called shelters. At the same time, a group called the Houthis in Yemen also fired a missile at Israel.

Israel's defense systems shot down most of the missiles before they could hit anything important. A few hours later, Israel fired back at Iran. Israeli missiles hit several targets inside Iran, including a chemical plant near the Iraqi border. No one was badly hurt, but both countries are now ready for more fighting.

The trouble started because of fighting in Lebanon. Israel has been fighting against a group called Hezbollah in southern Lebanon for the past week. Hezbollah is supported by Iran and has been firing rockets at Israeli towns near the border. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an attack on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, Lebanon's capital city.

This was the first time Israel had attacked Beirut in months. Iran got angry about this attack and decided to fire missiles at Israel. The Iranian foreign minister posted pictures of Iranian and Lebanese flags together on social media. This showed that Iran was supporting Lebanon in the fight.

Before Israel fired back, President Donald Trump called Netanyahu and asked him not to attack Iran. Trump told him that attacks should be "more surgical" and not hurt regular people. But Netanyahu decided to attack anyway. The U.S. President had been trying to make a peace deal between the countries through Pakistan.

Many experts think this fighting might end the ceasefire that had lasted two months. President Trump said that in the Middle East, a ceasefire means "moderate firing" instead of all-out war. Countries across the region are now watching carefully to see if the fighting will get worse. Airlines have cancelled some flights because they are worried about safety.