As military clashes continue between Israel and Iran, Iran carried out additional airstrikes after warning on the 17th (local time) of large-scale missile and drone attacks. However, Israel assessed the scale of Iran's attack as lower and stated that it successfully defended.
Kiumars Heydari, the commander of ground forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran, warned through the state-run IRNA news agency that "a fierce attack deploying new and advanced weapons will take place within the next few hours." He claimed that "hundreds of long-range drones with high accuracy and destructive power successfully struck strategic targets such as Tel Aviv and Haifa."
Iran's state-run IRIB broadcasting and the anti-government Tasnim news agency reported that Iran had launched additional missiles several times that afternoon. They added that it was retaliation for the previous day's Israeli airstrike on the Tehran broadcasting building.
However, Israel refuted Iran's claims. According to The Times of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces stated that "fewer than 10 missiles were launched," and noted that "one was intercepted, and the other fell in an open area." An air raid alert was issued nationwide around 7:10 p.m., but it was lifted about 10 minutes later as there was no damage.
The Israel Defense Forces raised the possibility that Iran's launching method had shifted from mass fire to small-scale dispersed launches. This could make detection difficult and may be a response to the Israel Defense Forces recently targeting Iran's missile infrastructure.
In addition, Israel's Home Front Command shortened the missile detection and warning time from the previous 15-30 minutes to about 10 minutes. This is seen as a countermeasure in response to changes in Iran's attack patterns.
In contrast, Iranian media claimed that their military's airstrikes had "achieved results," presenting a completely different assertion. The Tasnim news agency reported that the Mossad headquarters building located in the coastal city of Herzliya near Tel Aviv was struck by Iranian missiles. IRNA reported that Israel's Iron Dome air defense system was hacked, resulting in friendly fire from the Israel Defense Forces.
Subsequently, Israeli authorities assessed the false warning text advising not to enter the "bomb shelters" as a result of "successful cyber psychological warfare."