{"id":54457,"date":"2026-07-19T22:47:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T22:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/54457\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T22:47:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T22:47:25","slug":"idf-fires-interceptors-over-eilat-as-iranian-missiles-target-nearby-aqaba-in-jordan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/54457\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF fires interceptors over Eilat as Iranian missiles target nearby Aqaba in Jordan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel launched interceptors on Sunday after fragments from Iranian missiles fired at Jordan\u2019s southern city of Aqaba potentially threatened the nearby city of Eilat, as the escalation in US-Iran fighting showed no signs of abating.<\/p>\n

The missiles were intercepted by American air defense systems, according to initial Israel Defense Forces assessments, while the military said it also launched Iron Dome interceptors amid the missile attack to shoot down fragments.<\/p>\n

No sirens sounded in Eilat, as the fragments were shot down. Interceptor fragments fell in an open area near the city, without causing any damage or injuries, the IDF said.<\/p>\n

The Jordanian military said three Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted while a fourth hit an open area, according to a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.<\/p>\n

There were no reports of injuries in the attack.<\/p>\n

Iran launched fresh missile attacks against nations allied with Washington as the US has struck Iran for eight consecutive nights<\/a> and has expanded its airstrike campaign by increasingly hitting civilian infrastructure. The operations followed US President Donald Trump\u2019s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for the global energy supply.<\/p>\n

IDF has identified missiles launched from Iran in Jordan’s southern city of Aqaba. Explosions were heard in Eilat from an interception. The IDF warns the public that there may be debris that spills over. pic.twitter.com\/DhPKZsqm9x<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Emily Schrader \u2013 \u05d0\u05de\u05d9\u05dc\u05d9 \u05e9\u05e8\u05d9\u05d9\u05d3\u05e8 \u0627\u0645\u06cc\u0644\u06cc \u0634\u0631\u06cc\u062f\u0631 (@emilykschrader) July 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

So far, Israel has not been involved in the latest escalation, and Tehran has not directly targeted the Jewish state.\n<\/p>\n

Echoing similar comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel would respond powerfully to any attack by Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force,\u201d Katz said during a visit to a rescue service facility. \u201cIf the United States changes its policy, which is also something that could happen, we are prepared for both defensive and offensive\u201d action against Tehran, he added.<\/p>\n

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military is \u201cclosely monitoring the developments in Iran and maintaining a high level of readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe monitored the launch toward the Aqaba area today, and our air defense array is on alert to protect the citizens of Israel,\u201d Zamir said during a visit to the West Bank today, according to remarks provided by the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are prepared to immediately resume fighting and will act with great force against anyone who harms us,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) is seen with his office manager, Lt. Col. Tomer Sayag (left) and Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth at the Judea and Samaria Division headquarters near Beit El in the West Bank, July 19, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

The US said strikes overnight Saturday-Sunday were intended to \u201cpunish\u201d the IRGC for a deadly strike that killed two US military personnel in Jordan<\/a> and left another missing.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Atomic Energy Organization on Sunday condemned a US attack on the site of the nuclear power plant under construction in Darkhovin, saying the strike violated international law, Mehr news agency reported. It did not say when the strike occurred.<\/p>\n

Construction of the plant in southwestern Iran\u2019s Khuzestan province began in 2022.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThis screen grab taken from UGC video footage, posted on social media on July 18, 2026, shows a plume of black smoke and flames billowing over the town of Mangaf, south of Kuwait City. (various sources\/AFP)<\/p>\n

In response to the latest strikes, Iran carried out a drone attack that targeted US military assets and equipment at Kuwait\u2019s Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base, Iranian state TV reported early on Sunday. Both bases have been targeted as part of Iran\u2019s attacks against US assets and allies in the Gulf since last week.<\/p>\n

Kuwait\u2019s Electricity Ministry said a desalination plant had been attacked for the second day running, causing a fire. Kuwait\u2019s armed forces said earlier they had again intercepted Iranian missiles, after a sustained Iranian attack on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Bahrain\u2019s air defenses also intercepted an Iranian attack on Sunday, its state TV reported.<\/p>\n

In recent days, both sides have taken aim at shipping traffic, with the US saying it is enforcing a naval blockade on Iran and Tehran saying it targets vessels violating its rules on navigating the Strait of Hormuz, which usually handles one-fifth of global oil supply.<\/p>\n

The IRGC said on Sunday that four vessels had attempted to transit the strait via an \u201cunsafe route\u201d with US backing after ignoring IRGC warnings. It said two had abandoned the attempt while the other two were involved in an \u201caccident.\u201d It did not elaborate.<\/p>\n

New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly \u2018not in Iran\u2019<\/p>\n

An Israeli security source cited by the Saudi al-Hadath outlet on Sunday said Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei \u201cis not in Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khamenei, who was appointed supreme leader shortly after his father was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28, which sparked the war, has only communicated via written statements since, and has made no public appearances.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA mourner chants slogans, as she holds a poster with graphic depicting Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a ceremony commemorating his father, the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, July 14, 2026. (AP\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n

The source told al-Hadath that Khamenei\u2019s messages are written by the new Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Ahmad Vahidi, and other members of the IRGC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran\u2019s internal divisions are deep and threaten the existence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,\u201d the source was cited as saying.<\/p>\n

The Israeli source also said that the US does not want Israel to participate in strikes on Iran, even if Tehran attacks Israel.<\/p>\n

Separately, Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that an intelligence breach that allowed Israel to assassinate the senior Khamenei has likely not been patched.<\/p>\n

In a Persian-language interview, Araghchi said that he told President Masoud Pezeshkian on the morning of February 28 that \u201cthe atmosphere is war.\u201d He said that he then met with Khamenei aide Ali Asghar Mir Hijazi at 9 a.m., shortly after which Israel carried out the deadly attack on a Tehran compound where Khamenei was having a high-level meeting.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThis image provided by Airbus shows the strike on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei\u2019s compound in Tehran, Iran, on February 28, 2026. (Airbus via AP)<\/p>\n

Araghchi said that at the time of the strike, Khamenei was in his office, the advisory Strategic Council for Foreign Relations was holding its weekly meeting, and the Defense Council had also convened.<\/p>\n

\u201cHolding simultaneous meetings was not unusual in those days,\u201d said Araghchi, \u201cbut the enemy\u2019s knowledge of these meetings was the result of an information breach that probably still exists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Araghchi also said that he has yet to meet with Mojtaba Khamenei in person: \u201cOnly a handful of people have met him,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n

The US and Israel together launched a campaign against Iran on February 28 to degrade the regime\u2019s military capabilities, distance threats posed by the country \u2014 including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs \u2014 and \u201ccreate the conditions\u201d for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the military and other Israeli leaders have said.<\/p>\n

Israel respected the US-Iran ceasefire that began April 8, and the government, while not included in the process of negotiating the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last month, did not object to it even though it purported to bind both the US \u201cand its allies.\u201d<\/p>\n


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The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n

There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n

As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n

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