Israel vows to retaliate after Iran launches missile attack

Salvo of more than 180 missiles fired at targets across the country. Air assault is 24 hours after Netanyahu ordered incursion into Lebanon. Tehran justifies strike as a 'legal, rational and legitimate' response.

- Andrew Roth, Peter Beaumont, William Christou

Israel vowed to retaliate last night after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at targets across the country in a dramatic escalation of a conflict that appeared to be spiralling out of control.

The unprecedented salvo of more than 180 ballistic missiles came within hours of Benjamin Netanyahu ordering the largest ground incursion into southern Lebanon in a generation. Guardian reporters in Jerusalem witnessed dozens of missiles flying towards Israel's main coastal cities in a huge attack not long after 7.30pm, with the engines of the rockets visible from below.

Air sirens sounded across Israel as the missiles, many of them intercepted by Israeli air defences, streaked across the night sky in trails of red and gold. Other missiles, still intact, appeared to continue on towards the coast and central Israel to the sound of distant explosions.

Minutes before Iran began the strike, at least two gunmen in the Israeli seaside city of Jaffa launched an attack that killed six and wounded 10, sowing further concerns that the cycle of violence could lead to terror attacks inside of Israel.

Israel's military said it was not aware of any injuries from the missile attacks, but the Palestinian civil defence authority in the Israelioccupied West Bank said a man was killed near Jericho and falling rocket debris had caused damage and started fires in the area.

Iran said it launched the missiles towards three Israeli military bases as retaliation for a series of Israeli strikes in Lebanon against its proxy Hezbollah that had devastated the suburbs of Beirut, the capital, as well as villages in the south.

The Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed by an Israeli strike on Beirut on Friday, dealing a heavy blow to the group.