The conflict in the Middle East escalated sharply on Tuesday evening when Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel – in retaliation for killings of militant Hezbollah leaders and attacks in Lebanon. The attack set off alarms across Israel, forcing civilians to take shelter and the military to disable its air defense systems. Follow live updates

After the attack, Israel vowed to retaliate and said it would respond at the “time and place of its choosing.” However, Iran warned that it would carry out “crushing attacks” on Israel if it retaliated against the attack.

This has led to great fear of the Third World War worldwide.

According to Israeli Embassy spokesman in India Guy Nir, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is currently assessing the rocket attack and preparing an appropriate response to Tehran, reported NDTV. He said that if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei plans to start a full-scale war with Israel, it will be a “mistake for Iran.”

Nir also warned other countries that might consider joining Iran in attacking Israel, urging them not to do so. “The outcome will be devastating for them too,” he said NDTV.

It should be noted that the United States, a long-time ally of Israel, has ordered military aid for the country. This included systems that helped destroy the approaching missiles. US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were monitoring the situation in the Middle East on Tuesday, according to the White House.

“President Biden has directed the U.S. military to support Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles aimed at Israel,” the White House said in a statement.

World War III trends on social media

Meanwhile, social media platforms were flooded with World War III tags and posts as fear mounted worldwide.

“Israel Iron Dome has failed to stop Iranian missiles hitting Tel Aviv. Looks like World War III is coming,” one X user wrote. Another said: “World War III has already begun.”

One of the users said: “Everyone on Twitter realizes that we are about to enter World War III, all because our government is complicit in Israel terrorizing the entire region.”

“If #Iran thinks it can defeat Israel with one missile strike, it is mistaken. Right now Israel is a very big power and America is behind it. By doing this, Iran has invited World War III. Netanyahu will answer this very soon, this war will be fatal to human civilization,” said a Netizen.