[note 1] Israel said that the coalition whose defensive efforts were codenamed Iron Shield,[40] destroyed 99 percent of the incoming weapons,[41][42][43] most before they reached Israeli airspace.

[65][66] Airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) also targeted Hezbollah's military bases, command centers, airstrips, and weapons caches across southern Lebanon.

The Houthi movement have been cut off from supply routes, while Hezbollah has suffered considerable losses, including most of its senior leadership, numerous mid-level commanders, and a large portion of its Iranian-supplied missile arsenal.

[74][75][76] The killing of Nasrallah delivered a significant setback to the Iranian-led "Axis of Resistance", a network of proxy Islamist militias that Iran has long employed to target both Israel and Western interests in the Middle East.

[88] According to a senior Iranian official, the order to launch missiles at Israel came from the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who stayed in a secure location.

[14][93] A 37-year-old[94] Palestinian man identified as Sameh al-Asali, a laborer originally from Gaza, was killed in Jericho by a shrapnel from an intercepted missile in an incident captured on CCTV.

[8][97] A missile struck an open area in northern Tel Aviv, damaging a restaurant, while another caused significant destruction at the Chabad School in Gedera, leaving a large crater.

[100] The headquarters of the Mossad near Tel Aviv were targeted, but escaped damage, with the closest ballistic missile apparently landing approximately 500 meters away and no other impacts reported.

Satellite images from Planet Labs analyzed by Decker Eveleth showed at least one destroyed building and one damaged concrete hangar in addition to several craters.

The IDF said Iranian missiles damaged "office buildings and other maintenance areas" at its air bases but that no soldiers, weapons or aircraft were hit.

[102] Iran claimed that some missiles they launched hit Israeli positions in the Netzarim Corridor in the Gaza Strip,[103][104] where there was ongoing fighting between Hamas-led Palestinian forces and the IDF.

[109] Air France launched an investigation after it was found that one of its passenger aircraft headed to Dubai from Paris flew over Iraqi airspace while Iranian missiles were inbound, with the pilots reporting visual contact with the projectiles.

[117] Crowds celebrated the strikes in Tehran and other cities, waving the Hezbollah, Iranian, Palestinian and Lebanese flags while holding portraits of Hassan Nasrallah.

[118] While leading Friday prayers at the Grand Mosalla mosque of Tehran on 4 October, Khamenei described the strikes as "minimum punishment" for Israel's "astonishing crimes".

"[121] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran made a "big mistake" and that Israel will attack its enemies anywhere in the Middle East.

[99] IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated: "We will choose when to exact the price, and prove our precise and surprising attack capabilities, in accordance with the guidance of the political echelon.

[125] During a press briefing, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated: "there will be severe consequences for this attack and we will work with Israel to make that the case.

"[26] US vice president Kamala Harris criticized the Iranian missile strike as "reckless and brazen," asserting that it underscores Iran's role as a "destabilizing, dangerous force" in the Middle East.

[157] In Tehran, a small crowd gathered to celebrate the missile strikes, with some holding posters of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, waving flags and chanting anti-Israel and anti-American slogans.

[157] The attack intensified fears of economic instability, especially amid rumors that Israel might retaliate by targeting Iran's vital oil infrastructure.

[157] The incident also dampened hopes for diplomatic progress, particularly after the recent election of President Masoud Pezeshkian, which had briefly inspired optimism for easing regional tensions.

[157] The missile strike highlighted the split between nationalists, who viewed the government's actions with pride, and those worried about further conflict, economic deterioration, and the suppression of domestic reform movements.

Some Iranians called for regime change as the solution, while others stressed the importance of resolving the country's future without foreign intervention, fearing that external involvement could lead to further chaos.

[118] Arash Azizi, writing for The Atlantic, frames Iran's missile strikes as a move by Supreme Leader Khamenei to salvage his government's reputation.

He further asserts that the escalation marks a "terrifying moment for Iran", after the country has long maintained a position of supporting militias opposed to Israel and Western interests while avoiding direct conflict.

[161] Euronews reported that some observers viewed Iran's missile strike as an expensive, staged display intended to influence public sentiment.

The outlet also noted that the timing and broad distribution of the strikes during rush hour raised speculation about whether the attack was planned to shape public opinion.

[162] The Wall Street Journal noted that the missile attack "means that Iran is now facing potentially devastating blows to its own military or civilian infrastructure, opening an escalation spiral against a more powerful foe.

[163][164] The Economist noted that the attack appeared to be an attempt to "overwhelm Israel's missile-defence systems by force of numbers," but it "failed almost completely," as "most of the missiles were intercepted and destroyed in mid-air.