THIS IS the dramatic moment Israel unleashed its incredible $1billion Iron Dome air defence system to obliterate some 30 rockets fired from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Video captured overnight showed the one-of-a-kind air defence beast kicking into action and shooting down missiles over Galilee, as US officials fear a missile attack from Iran could hit as soon as tomorrow.
Huge flares could be seen shooting through the sky before intercepting and destroying the rockets as they approached Israeli airspace.
Israel's impressive Iron Dome technology has been seen in action several times since October 7.
The mobile, all-weather defence kit has destroyed a number of the rockets, including more than 300 fired by Iran on April 13th.
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) later said “most” of the “projectiles” fired on Saturday night were intercepted and that no one was injured.
Iran-backed terror proxy Hezbollah, based in southern Lebanon, claimed responsibility for the overnight attack saying it was in retaliation to Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon which injured civilians.
Hezbollah, a staunch supporter of terror-group Hamas, has launched renewed attacks against Israel since war broke out in the Gaza Strip in October last year.
The IDF later said their fighter jets attacked Hezbollah targets in Marja’ion, southern Lebanon, where they believe last night’s rockets were fired from.
The US general responsible for American forces in the Middle East arrived to the region yesterday, according to two officials who spoke to .
General Michael Kurilla’s trip was planned before escalating tensions in the region skyrocketed over the past week.
But he is expected to focus on international efforts to protect Israel from another Iranian April 13th-style attack, with three US and Israeli officials apparently expecting one as early as tomorrow.
Iran and Israel, already enemies, appear to have entered a new phase of dangerous relations after the assassination of Hamas' top political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital, Tehran, on Wednesday.
Although Tel Aviv has yet to claim responsibility, Hamas, Iran and US officials all believe Israel was responsible after vowing to destroy Hamas in October last year.
Iran and its terror proxy groups; Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, all vowed to seek revenge on Israel.
And Israel's foreign minister last weekend warned of an "all-out war" with Hezbollah after blaming Hezbollah for a rocket attack in Golan Heights.
The missile hit a village in the Israel-occupied region of Golan Heights on July 27, killing 12 young people including children.
American security officials this week advised their citizens to evacuate Lebanon as soon as possible over concerns that a retaliatory strike from Iran would come via Hezbollah.
The UK, France and Australia have also told their citizens to evacuate.
Several airlines including Air France, Transavia France and Turkish Airlines have axed their flights heading into Beirut and Tel Aviv.
And on August 2nd Royal Marines were put on standby to rescue Brits left stranded in Lebanon.
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
TENSIONS in the Middle East have long been a fluctuating and dangerous area of global concern.
Conflict between Israel and Palestine in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and on Israeli territory itself is nothing new.
Iran and Israel have long been in conflict with each other too.
But after a brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Israeli soil in October last year, things entered a new phase.
Israel hit back like never before, unleashing almost ten months of ground warfare and airstrikes on the decimated enclave in a bid to destroy Hamas and rescue its hostages.
The Iran-backed terror group had killed some 1,200 Israeli people and kidnapped 250 more in the hideous October 7 massacre.
The UN estimates that at least 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the fresh war there broke out.
This figure includes data from the health ministry in Gaza which falls under Hamas domain and has sparked concerns from officials about accuracy.
Now, after almost ten months of war in Gaza, tensions have appeared to enter an all new high after a series of deadly strikes and high-profile assassinations in late July and early August.
On Saturday July 27, a rocket strike fired from southern Lebanon hit a football pitch in Golan Heights - a Druze village occupied by Israel - killing 12 young people including children.
Israel and the US both said Hezbollah, the largest of Iran’s terror proxy groups, operating out of Lebanon, were responsible for the deadly strike.
On Monday July 28, the IDF dropped an airstrike on an area of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, killing Hezbollah’s most senior military commander Fuad Shukr.
Less than two days later, at around 2am on Wednesday July 30, Israel killed Hamas’ top political leader Ismail Haniyeh as he slept in Iran’s capital Tehran.
Israel has yet to explicitly claim responsibility for the hit, but after vowing to take out all of Hamas last year, they are widely believed to be behind it.
US officials have also said they suspect Israel of being behind the assassination.
On the morning of Thursday August 1 morning the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that a strike on Khan Younis, southern Gaza, had killed Mohammed Deif on July 13.
Dief had worked as head of Hamas' ruthless military wing, the al-Qassam brigades, since 2002.
It marked another major loss for Iran’s terror proxy groups in the region.
Early reports this week suggested Ismail Haniyeh was taken out in a precision strike, when a rocket was fired from a drone outside his window and detonated inside the room.
Then an investigation by the New York Times suggested a bomb had been planted in his room at the military-run compound where he was staying and detonated remotely.
Unnamed Iranian officials also shared the explosive theory with The Telegraph, further confusing the murky details around Haniyeh’s death.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), concluded its investigation into the humiliating security breach on Saturday August 1 and said he died after a “short-range projectile” was fired from outside the building.
A statement shared on Iranian state TV said a 7kg rocket warhead was used in the attack.
Iran and its proxy groups; Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen all vowed to seek revenge on Israel over the assassination of Haniyeh.
Then, on the night of Saturday August 3, Hezbollah fired some 30 rockets from Lebanon towards Galilee in northern Israel.
Tel Aviv’s impressive Iron Dome Defence system launched into action, destroying “most” of the missiles and no one was hurt.
But the UK, US and France have all urged their citizens to evacuate from Lebanon as fears of a wider war breaking out in the region continue to spiral.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken shared his concerns with UK foreign secretary on Saturday about rising tensions in the region.
They shared concerns over the need for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip “as soon as possible”, according to the US state department.
Ceasefire talks were again held in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday but no new developments came of the meeting, unnamed officials told The Telegraph.
Terror proxy Hezbollah said of last night's rocket attack: "In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honourable resistance.
"And in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks on the steadfast southern villages and safe homes, especially the attacks that targeted the villages of Kafr Kila and Deir Siryan and injured civilians.
"The Islamic Resistance included the new settlement of Beit Hillel in its fire schedule and bombarded it for the first time with dozens of Katyusha rockets."
As tensions rise a man in his 70s and a woman, 66, were killed in a stabbing attack in Israel this morning.
A Palestinian man killed them and wounded two others in Holon, a suburb near Tel Aviv, before he was shot dead by police, Israeli cops said.
He was later named in Israeli media as Amar Odeh, 34, from the West Bank city of Salfit.
Two Israeli airstrikes on Saturday killed nine Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank.
The IDF said it struck a vehicle in the north of the area, killing five people inside.
Hamas identified all five, including a local commander.
Later that same day the IDF said it killed four more Palestinian militants in the area after they opened fire on Israeli soldiers.
The Iron Dome is a mobile, all-weather air defence system in Israel designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and 155mm artillery shells fired from a distance of 4km to 70km.
It intercepts rockets that are travelling in the direction of a urban areas and brings them down - it is the first system of its kind in the world.
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, if can be operated in all weather conditions including fog, dust storm, low clouds and rain.
The system was ready for use in March 2011 and in April it had successfully intercepted a BM-21 Grad launched from Gaza for the first time.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Iron Dome had shot down 90 per cent of rockets launched from Gaza that would have landed in populated areas.
It is part of a future multi-tiered missile defence system being developed by Israel, but each interception rocket launch costs $50,000.
The dome is made up of missile batteries which are shaped like giant match boxes and are tilted in the direction of Gaza.
It can detect a target using radar and monitors its trajectory.
A control centre then calculates an interception point and then commands a rocket to launch if the foreign missile is heading towards an urban area.
Once in contact with the missile, the rocket explodes and brings it down.
Each launcher contains 20 Tamir Missiles with proximity war heads and there are several batteries positioned around the country.
Since being implemented in 2011 the computer systems have been updated, improved and upgrades to improve the accuracy of the rockets.
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