Currently Online 
Iranian missile attack failed, says Netanyahu
Israel’s PM has also vowed retaliation, saying Iran “will pay” for its actions.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it,” Benjamin Netanyahu said at the outset of a political-security meeting. “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.
“We will adhere to the principle we have set: Whoever attacks us, we will attack them. This is true in every region we fight the axis of evil and it is true for Iran as well.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Iran’s attack ‘very calculated’
Tohid Asadi, a Tehran-based writer and Iranian affairs specialist, says the Iranian military’s claims that it hit military rather than civilian targets in Israel show that it is being careful not to “drag the region into an all-out war”.
While Iran had demonstrated patience during months of Israeli attacks on its allies and in its territory, it eventually had an “obligation” to respond, Asadi told Al Jazeera. Iran is “trying to retaliate, but in a very calculated way”, he added, noting that Iranian state TV shows people taking to the streets to celebrate the country’s missile attack on Israel .
UK, Spain condemn Iranian attack
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he has spoken with Netanyahu and “expressed the UK’s steadfast commitment to Israeli security and the protection of civilians”, according to a readout of the call from Starmer’s office.
He added he condemned the Iranian attack “in the strongest terms”. Spain also released a statement saying it “strong condemns” the attack.
“The international community must act immediately to stop the regional escalation with unforeseeable consequences,” it said.
What happens next?
Sina Toossi, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy think-tank, says the Iranian attack aimed to restore Tehran’s deterrence.
Toossi said the launch showed that Iranian missiles can evade Israel’s advanced defence systems and strike targets inside the country, sending a message to the Israeli government that any attack against Iran would be costly.
He said US and Israeli assertions that the attack “failed” open the door for de-escalation, but tensions will persist.
“Even if Iran’s attack does not trigger a broader regional war right now or an attack on Iran, I think it’ll be a very unstable equilibrium,” Toossi told Al Jazeera.
“In the coming months, when Israel finds an opportunity, it’s going to probably try to hit back and hit back hard against Iran – assassination, sabotage, if not military attack.”
UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting Wednesday
The current council president, Switzerland, has called the meeting to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
Switzerland holds the presidency of the council for the month of October but does not have veto power like the five permanent members: the UK, China, France, Russia and the US.
