Shortly after midnight, Iran launched two long-range missiles towards the US base at Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal citing multiple US officials. This indicates a strike range of up to 4,000 kilometres.

Neither missile struck the base, but the attack marked Iran’s first operational use of intermediate-range ballistic missiles and a significant attempt to project force far beyond the Middle East against US interests. One missile failed in flight, while a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, though it remains unclear whether the interception was successful.

This came amid sustained exchanges, with Iranian missiles continuing to be fired at Israel overnight, triggering repeated nationwide alerts. The night’s exchanges followed a day of intense confrontation. Iranian missiles had earlier set off sirens across central Israel, Jerusalem and the Negev, while alerts in the north, near the Lebanese border, were triggered by Hezbollah drone incursions.

President Donald Trump’s rhetoric remains uncompromising

President Donald Trump’s rhetoric remains uncompromising

Impact sites were reported in central Israel, where Home Front Command search and rescue forces were deployed. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem’s Old City, adjacent to the Temple Mount, debris fell,........

© The Spectator