Violent explosions are reported in Tel Aviv.

There are unconfirmed reports of impacts North of Tel Aviv

Smoke is rising east of Tel Aviv.

Explosions in Zaporizhzhia. Repeated KAB launches.

Hezbollah artillery fire has been pounding IDF positions and troop accumulations in the village of Metula for the past hour.

Wtf did I just wake up to…

It is estimated that 180 ballistic missiles were launched.

— 🇮🇱/🇮🇷 WATCH: The speed of an Iranian hypersonic missile

@Middle_East_Spectator

Reportedly Israel’s Mossad headquarters leveled by an Iranian missile.

Israel has renewed their airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

— ❗️🇮🇷/🇮🇱 Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Muhammad Baqeri: 'In this operation, we targeted the Mossad base in Tel Aviv, the Nevatim Airbase in the Negev, the Hatzerim Base, the IDF's radar array, and the gathering places of Israeli tanks'

@Middle_East_Spectator

Meanwhile in Ukraine, Vuhledar has likely been captured by Russian forces.

— 🇮🇷/🇮🇱 Iran's attack in April was a message and a show of force. The attack was extensively telegraphed for over 2 weeks, and Iran gave advance warning to the US in order to avoid an all-out war.

This time, Iran did not inform anyone. US intelligence only detected the attack about 2 hours before it happened. There were also no NOTAMs issued in Iranian airspace, which usually signals an imminent attack. Iran also decided to carry out the attack with ballistic missiles only, which arrive in Israel within ~15 minutes, giving Israel virtually no time to respond. Most US aircraft carriers recently left, something Iran was waiting for. Everything shows that Iran really aimed to re-establish deterrence this time, while still not going 'all-out'.

All in all, it seems that today was for real. We'll have to wait to assess the damage, and Israel will try to cover up as much as possible, as usual. From the videos that are available, I would estimate at least 60-70 impacts in total, and that's a conservative estimate. We won't know for sure until the satellite images get released in a few days.

Until then, we wait for a potential Israeli response. Last time, there was virtually none, but this time seems different. In any case, this was only the first wave, and the IRGC has prepared for an unprecedented exchange that could last multiple months.

@Middle_East_Spectator

Meanwhile in Gaza, the IDF has withdrawn from the Al-Manama neighborhood of Khan Younis, after a raid which lasted for hours. Heavy artillery shelling and airstrikes were reported on civilian areas, killing and wounding several people.

Local sources reported extensive damage in the city and stated that the situation was “catastrophic”.

Israeli sources and Hezbollah reported that a major confrontation occurred on the border between Israel and Lebanon a few hours ago.

IDF infantry, likely from the 98th division, were building up in the village of Misgav Am. They then attempted a cross-border assault on Hezbollah positions in the village of Aadaysit Marjaayoun but fell into an ambush. 4 Helicopters and 20 ambulances arrived and evacuated at least 20 wounded Israeli soldiers. Later, 1 Israeli soldier was confirmed to have been killed.

Gunfire is still being directed at Israeli troop concentrations in the village of Misgav Am, while rockets and artillery are hitting Israeli positions further north in the village of Metula.

Geolocated footage indicates that Russian forces continue to advance in the Hirnyk direction and have occupied new positions in the territory of a mine.

Russian forces were able to expand their foothold in the St Basil mine and occupied the first industrial waste heap. They then advanced south, crossing the railway lines and occupied the other industrial waste heap. This gives them fire control over the southern approaches to the mine and will allow for better surveillance of Ukrainian treeline positions.

From here, the Russians will likely advance south in order to bypass Hirnyk and take it into a pocket.

I forgot to mention that Russian forces also likely advanced into southern Tsukuryne. This is based on reports from both Russian and Ukrainian sources.

The IDF's 36th division has reportedly been redeployed from the rear to the border with Lebanon, further reinforcing the Israeli formations attacking there.

The 36th division previously operated in the northern Gaza strip and was the first unit to reach the coast and cut off Gaza city during the initial offensive. They were then pulled out of Gaza in mid-January for training and replenishment.