Six people have been killed after armed men opened fire on the streets of Tel Aviv in an apparent coordinated terror attack by Tehran as Iranian missiles rained down on Israel.
At least nine others were wounded in the shooting on Tuesday night, just a day before the Jewish New Year.
Magen David Adom – Israel’s national emergency services – announced that the ‘terrorist’ incident in Jaffa involved multiple casualties.
Footage showed the gunmen getting off at a light rail station and opening fire, before bodies were seen piling up along the platform.
According to local police, the two armed men were ‘neutralized’ by security forces with another suspect reportedly at large.
‘We know their origin and are conducting further checks with the Shin Bet. They are not Israeli citizens,’ Tel Aviv District Commander Haim Sargrof said.
Israel’s MDA ambulance service said it received a report at 7.01 p.m. of people injured by gunfire on Yerushalayim Street.
Sargrof said the gunman opened fire onboard the light rail, killing four, before continuing their rampage on the street.
A light rail security guard, two officers from the municipal Sela Unit, and police officers shot the terrorists.
Medics and paramedics provided on-site medical treatment to a number of wounded people, ‘in varying conditions’ MDA said.
They included two unconscious people in critical condition, two in serious condition, two in a moderate condition and one with minor injuries.
Hanan Peretz, head of the Sela Unit, praised the swift response of his team.
‘They identified the gunman, took cover without hesitation, and fired at him,’ he said. ‘It seems the terrorist’s weapon malfunctioned during the shooting.’
Eyewitnesses described the terror and chaos. ‘We were on the light rail when we suddenly heard gunfire from outside,’ one witness said.
‘At first, we thought it was fireworks, but then we realized it was something much worse. There were many gunshots. We dropped to the floor, and people were crying. I saw someone bleeding on the ground.’
A nearby shop owner added, ‘I saw crowds of people running and shouting ‘terror attack.’ I quickly closed my shutters and locked up.’
It comes as Iranian 500 rockets lit up the sky and smashed into buildings across the city – just hours after the White House warned an attack was ‘imminent’.
Iran said the missile attack was in retaliation for the deaths of the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week, the death of the head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Abbas Nilfroshan.
MDA said that it was searching the sites of rocket strikes across the country.
‘Currently, there are no reports of injuries from the fire towards Israel, other than minor injuries from shrapnel or falls on the way to safe areas,’ the agency said.
Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Embassy in Israel told its employees to return home and be prepared to enter bomb shelters as the White House warned of an imminent ballistic missile attack from Iran.
The warning comes with the Middle East on the brink of an all-out war and a day after Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon aimed at crippling the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.
The IDF has since said the citizens can leave their protective areas the airstrikes are believed to be over.
‘We request that the public continue to follow the home front command’s guidelines,’ a statement reads.
The first missiles were fired around 12:30 pm ET, according to reports out of Israel. The U.S. warning had come about five hours earlier.
President Joe Biden convened a meeting of his national security council, including Vice President Harris, shortly before the attack began.
‘They reviewed the status of U.S. preparations to help Israel defend against these attacks and protect U.S. personnel in the region,’ the White House said.
The White House had warned any attack would carry ‘severe consequences.’
‘The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,’ a senior administration official told DailyMail.com earlier Tuesday.
‘We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.’
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari echoed his sentiments in a statement given to the BBC.
‘We are on high alert both defensively and offensively. We will defend the citizens of the State of Israel. This attack will have consequences. We have plans, and we will operate at the place and time we decide,’ he says.
‘We are not aware of any casualties; this is thanks to your responsible conduct,’ he added.
This is a breaking news story, please check back for updates…