The Middle East has been on high alert after an outbreak of rapid-fire military force that has triggered a huge explosion, sending tremors through Iran's capital Tehran and air raid sirens tearing through central Israel, including in Tel Aviv. The rapid escalation led the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to issue rare and immediate warnings to civilians that there was a "high possibility of incoming missile fire."
Mystery Blast in Tehran
By late Saturday night, photos on social media and local news in Iran began spreading of an enormous orange glow over the Tehran skyline. Witnesses reported a “ground-shaking” explosion in the eastern perimeter of the city that has many sensitive infrastructure and military research buildings.
Although the official Iranian state media has not established a cause of the explosion alternating between “routine maintenance at a gas facility” and “industrial accidents” the timing of the explosion has caused instant suspicion around the world. Alleged reports put the explosion at a military depot, but Iranians have still withheld casualties or damage.
Sirens Blanket Tel Aviv
Not long after news came out of Tehran, the “Red Alert” siren system ran across Tel Aviv and the Gush Dan neighborhood in central Israel. They jumped to bomb shelters amid blaring alarms overhead. An apparent response emerged in response, issuing its own guidance advising civilians to stay closer to safe zones, the IDF’s Home Front Command issued in a statement.
“Given the recent developments in the region, there’s a chance that missiles could be launched at Israeli soil,” said a military spokesman in a televised brief. “All parts of our Iron Dome aerial defense system are in operating order, yet we urge the public to take all precautions in this area.”
A Threatened State
The dual action of Tehran and Tel Aviv reflects a deep buildup in what looks like an active shadow war going on for years. And while neither side has blamed itself formally for the night’s outcome, some military analysts point out that the “possibility of missiles” hint is plenty of intelligence for a potential strike. International leaders have already issued a call for restraint. And as Washington reported, the United States is “closely monitoring” and closely coordinating with its regional allies as best it can to avoid a full-blown conventional war.
The Tel Aviv skies felt quiet by midnight, the moment when the sirens first hit, but still the air crackled under the expectation. And currently, the security forces, officials were quoted to say, have surrounded the area around an explosion in Tehran, while turning up the military guns on critical government buildings. The world is waiting to see whether this evening’s events will be just one such encounter or the first salvo in an ongoing showdown that could reach a scale.
