The Israel Defense Forces said about 180 missiles were fired from Iran towards Israel, the BBC reports.

A security official said most of the missiles were intercepted by the Israeli air force. Where missiles made impact, the military is assessing the damage.

An IDF official also reportedly said Israel was going to continue strikes across the Middle East:

It’s been a dramatic few hours in Middle East news as warnings that Iran planned to launch ballistic missiles at Israel came to fruition. Israel’s defenses appear to have repelled the approximately 200 weapons that were fired from reaching Israeli citizens and infrastructure, even though Iran said most of the rockets reached their targets.

It’s shortly after 9pm in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beirut, 7pm in London and 2pm in New York, where the White House press briefing is due to begin soon.

Israel has pledged retaliation against Iran, while Iran said its assault was retaliation for Israel’s attacks on its regional Islamist proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. And so the tit-for-tat language continues, as the United Nations chief calls for this regional escalation “to stop” and ceasefires to be agreed immediately.

Here’s where things stand:

• António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation” and said “we absolutely need a ceasefire”.

• The Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to be over, with reports coming through that the Israeli military has told residents across the country that they are “permitted to leave protected spaces”.

• The Israeli military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, spoke on television reacting to what the country called the “serious attack” on Israel by Iran today. Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), pledged that the attack “will have consequences”. He added that the country remained on high alert.

• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, gave the order to launch missiles at Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding 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 today, calling it a response to “terrorist acts” by Israel.

• The United States had stood ready to be involved in supporting Israel’s defenses against incoming rockets from Iran, an unnamed official had said prior to the missiles actually beginning to rain down on Israel.

• The Iranian revolutionary guard said the missile launches against Israel were in retaliation for Israel’s killing of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July and, last week, the killing in Lebanon of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

• Two waves of ballistic missiles were incoming over Israel today, fired from Iran, and were seen over Jordanian and Syrian air space before whizzing above Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities in parts of northern Israel.

• Two gunmen were involved in what the Israeli authorities reportedly called a “terror shooting”, firing at Jewish residents in Jaffa, which is part of greater Tel Aviv. Initial reports came in shortly before Iran launched its attack on Israel and after the barrage of missiles stopped arriving over Israel, it further emerged that four had been killed and seven wounded. The two gunmen had been killed. Few details are known yet.

• While a senior American administration official raised the alarm a little earlier that Iran is preparing “imminently” to launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, the US also warned of “severe consequences” should such an assault take place.

• Air raid sirens were heard across Israel, starting in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as Israelis were ordered to seek shelter from an imminent missile attack from Iran.

• Prior to sirens going off, the US embassy in Israel directed all American government employees and their family members in Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza to shelter in place until further notice.

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation”, moments ago, after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” Guterres said in a statement, Reuters reported.

This follows comments from Israel and Iran in a belligerent tit-for-tat, warning each other of the consequences of further millitary assaults from either side. At this point, what is an offensive action and what is a counteroffensive action is hard to discern, from Beirut to Tel Aviv to Tehran.

Guterres’s statement follows pleas from him earlier and multiple international urgings in the last week for the cessation of hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon.

Reports are coming through that the Israeli military has told residents across the country that they are “permitted to leave protected spaces”.

The ballistic missiles began flying into the Israeli skies, passing over parts of Jordan, just over an hour ago, after several tense hours after warnings that an attack was imminent.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said moments ago in a televised address that there were no reports of injuries on the ground as Iran fired what is believed to be around 200 rockets.

He added that there appeared to be no more threat of incoming weapons from Iran “for now” but added that Israel remained ready.

Israel has within the past few moments reopened its airspace.

The Israeli military spokesperson is now on television reacting to what the country is calling the “serious attack” on Israel by Iran today.

Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), pledged that the attack “will have consequences”. He added that the country remained on high alert.

The situation across Israel and the region is extremely tense tonight. It is just after 8.30pm in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.