TEL AVIV: Israeli government is reportedly considering major strikes on Iranian oil refineries and other strategic sites in retaliation to a massive ballistic missile barrage launched by Tehran on Tuesday night, US media outlets reported on Wednesday. The Iranian attack involved around 180 ballistic missiles targeting various locations in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting late Tuesday to discuss potential military actions in response to the Iranian offensive.
According to reports from the US news site Axios, Israeli officials are considering a “significant retaliation” within days, which could include attacks on Iranian oil production facilities and other strategic sites.
The decision-making process is being coordinated with US officials to ensure operational support and defensive cooperation from US Central Command.
“There will be severe consequences for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated on Tuesday evening.
Netanyahu made it clear that Iran would face serious repercussions for its actions, asserting, “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it.” He emphasized Israel’s determination to defend itself and retaliate against threats.
US lawmakers, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have voiced support for a robust response, urging the Biden administration to work closely with Israel to “hit Iran’s ability to refine oil” as part of a broader retaliatory strategy.
In the wake of the missile attacks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they would reinforce their presence in southern Lebanon as part of their largest military operation in the area since the 2006 war with Hezbollah.
The IDF stated that the 36th Division, comprising troops from three brigades, would join ongoing targeted operations against Hezbollah infrastructure.
Israeli media reported that around 100 rockets have been launched into Israel from Lebanon on Wednesday, with evidence of direct clashes between Israeli ground forces and Hezbollah fighters. Israeli airstrikes also targeted locations in Beirut, with reports of heavy smoke rising from the city.
Casualty reports from the Iranian missile attack indicate that while most missiles were intercepted, one person was killed by shrapnel from a downed missile. Additional injuries were reported as a result of the missile onslaught, but the bulk of the missiles fell outside densely populated areas.
Eyewitness accounts from Jerusalem described a dramatic scene as air sirens sounded and missiles streaked across the night sky. The Iranian missile salvo specifically targeted several Israeli military bases.
In response to escalating tensions, the IDF issued warnings to residents of southern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut, advising evacuations of areas near Hezbollah facilities that were likely to be targeted in forthcoming operations.
![NEW YORK: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation, on Tuesday warned that India's aggressive actions pose a serious threat to peace in South Asia and urged the international community to take note of India's aggressive conduct. Bilawal was addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on recent regional developments after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in New York to present Pakistan’s stance on the military escalation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the global level. The visit is part of Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic outreach to brief key UN stakeholders on the alarming regional situation. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to arrive in Washington today, where it plans to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal said that he wanted to use the opportunity to share Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military conflict with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the way forward. Bilawal said that the “illegal strikes” launched by India as part of its ‘Operation Sindoor’ were “in violation of the UN Charter, international law”. He said the attacks had targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, energy infrastructure and innocent women and children. He said India had used the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam as a pretext to launch the attack inside Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered publicly to India that Pakistan was ready to be part of any impartial international investigation into this attack. “We did so because we were confident, our hands were clean and we had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. “We expressed our sympathy with the victims of terrorism and Pakistan has consistently and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that PM Sharif had immediately expressed Pakistan’s willingness to India and the global community to be part of any impartial international investigation. “Indian government refused Pakistan's offer and chose instead to conduct their illegal strikes. Pakistan only then acted in self-defence, we never initiated any violence against India,” Bilawal said. Bilawal emphasised that Pakistan never initiated hostilities against India but responded to Indian aggression by downing six Indian fighter jets. "The Pakistani military had responded with precision the night of the first Indian attack and only targeted and downed six planes because we believed those were the ones to release their load on Pakistan”. He stated that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a vital role in achieving a ceasefire during heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. “We’ve seen during the course of this conflict how quickly the escalation ladder between our two countries rose and the concern is that the next time there is such an incident, there may not be time for the international community to intervene before things get a lot worse. That is why it is absolutely important for Pakistan and the international community to continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace.” He said Pakistan’s position was to hold a “comprehensive dialogue” with India that would include the issue of terrorism as well. The head of the Pakistani delegation said that no civilized nation can support the use of water as a weapon and urged the international community to play its part, questioning, "What would be the global reaction if someone’s lifeline was cut off?" He stressed that Pakistan has paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and has suffered the most. “The single largest number of terrorist attacks that take place in any one country is Pakistan. The single largest number of victims of terrorism is Pakistan. I myself have suffered at the hands of terrorists. My mother [Benazir Bhutto] was assassinated by the terrorists.” Bilawal also criticised India for targeting water reservoirs and civilian areas, including mosques, during its attacks. Calling negotiations the only path to peace, Bilawal reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of regional instability. He urged the global community to take notice of India’s aggressive conduct.](https://wenewsenglish.com/storage/2025/06/Bilawal-Bhutto-Zardari-300x180.jpg)
