Explosions over skies of Israel as barrage of Iranian missiles and drones are intercepted

We follow the main breaking news about the

skies

of Israel. There is a large-scale air assault underway right now with waves and waves of

drones

and

missiles

coming in from Iran, directly from Iran. Our team on the ground in Jerusalem has been hearing

explosions

. Sirens have been sounding for the last few moments as US and Israeli forces reported intercepting multiple Iranian attacks. But we still don't know what the final impact of this latest Iranian bombing will be, neither the immediate damage inside Israel nor the response it might bring next from the Israeli military. Our reporters and analysts are covering all of this.

We have journalists everywhere watching this all unfold. I want to speak directly to our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward. She will be joining us from Tel Aviv. Clarissa, we heard the sirens sounding. We saw the rockets

intercepted

by the Iron Dome over Jerusalem. What are you seeing about Tel Aviv, Israel's largest city? Well, we had heard, Lobo, many planes in the sky. It's calmer now. People are preparing for continued waves of

drones

and

missiles

and interceptions that could take place all night. Much concern about what this portends. I really think people are just looking at these extraordinary images that we're seeing, particularly over Jerusalem, of those interceptions over the Al-Aqsa Mosque itself, one of the holiest sites in Islam, and trying to grapple with what this portends for the region more broadly.

We look forward to hearing from IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hajari at any time. Israel has closed its airspace. He has advised residents across the country, but particularly in several key areas. I can hear another plane now in the distance to stay close to shelter, to stay alert, to stay close to their phones, to make sure they are following updates. Schools have been closed. Universities have closed and everyone is preparing for what comes next. Because, as we have discussed before, Iran is now declaring this matter technically. They have achieved what they set out to do and it's over.

But in reality, until we see the scale and scope of the damage or destruction that may or may not occur as a result of this unprecedented airstrike, it is too early to say that this is over, not for long. the imagination. So certainly tensions here and throughout the region are very high as people wait to see what these future waves could bring to Wolf. You know, there's a lot of nervousness right now. So, to be precise, I understand that Ben Gurion Airport and international flights in and out of Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv are now closed.

Alright? We have seen people in this hotel coming with their suitcases. They had tried to go to the airport. They were told not to even bother going, because as long as there are cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones in the sky, of course they won't allow civilian planes to land or take off. We also saw many people at our hotel gathering in the lobby carrying their pillows and asking where the shelter was. A lot of nervousness, as I said, hotel staff telling them that at this point it was not necessary. And again, just to underscore, Wolf, we haven't heard of direct hits yet.

However, we still do not have the feeling that there have been any significant casualties. There is a report of a 110-year-old girl in the Negev area who was seriously injured. And so, at this stage, interceptions appear to be remarkably effective. But that doesn't detract, Wolf would say, from the gravity of the moment in terms of how this could rapidly escalate into that regional conflagration that everyone feared and hoped to try to avoid. Clarissa Ward in Tel Aviv for us. Clarissa, stay safe there. We will be in close contact with you. I want to go to Jerusalem right now.

Nic Robertson, of course, is on the scene for us. Nic, for viewers who may be tuning in right now, tell us what's been happening for the last two hours over the

skies

over Jerusalem, a city that is sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews. What has been happening in Jerusalem? Wolf, there were fighter jets flying in the sky and a lot of red trails of what appeared to be incoming Iranian missiles being shot down in the sky as interceptions came from multiple different directions, which we saw maybe 30 to 40 intercepts. The

explosions

could be heard. Gunshots could be heard coming from other parts of the city.

At times you could see what appeared to be missiles flying low and steady through the air and then being

intercepted

. It looked like fighter jets were doing much of the interceptions that were in progress, but that sounded like Iron Dome-type intercept detonations happening in the background. I heard jets of water above, but there were some very loud bangs and, of course, the sound of sirens and you could also hear on the streets, the sound of people panicking when all this was happening. Now, there has been no indication that we have had so far that, despite all of those interceptions over this densely populated city that has Jewish and Arab populations here as well, there have been no casualties that we are aware of so far.

Of course, the IDF spokesperson will bring an update on this. But I think there's one thing I'm reflecting on now, Wolf: Of course, we've all been here, we've been talking for many months since the horrendous, horrendous October 7 attacks by Hamas and how shocked Israelis are and how many of them are still traumatized, that their security could be so affected and the security dynamics that they felt in the security pact with the government that they believed they had, that the people in Israel would be safe from attacks from outside. Hamas destroyed that on October 7, but Iran will do it again tonight.

It is another level of attack that takes perhaps that precarious failure, that concern that the Israelis have that an outside power could bring them death and destruction. Looks like that's going to reach another level tonight. Once again we are talking about the crossing of a Rubicon. We have talked about the dynamics of Iran that now point directly at Israel. But when you think about it in human terms, about the way the people who live here will feel about this new level of threat and how they were already impacted by Hamas, on October 7, I have to reflect that this is, of course, It will now be part of what weighs on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's mind as he considers his next step and how to respond to Iran Wolf.

Yes, I'm sure there will be some kind of Israeli response. It is not clear what this will be, but this situation could clearly escalate dramatically in the coming hours. There is no doubt about that. Nick, wait. Be safe there in Jerusalem. I hate to say be safe in Jerusalem, but we see what's going on in Jerusalem right now.