Air traffic was halted at Israel's Ben Gurion airport on Tuesday, a spokesman said, as blasts rocked the country after Iran launched a missile

Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthis on Saturday said they had targeted Ben Gurion airport in Israel with a ballistic missile and they had timed the attack to coincide with Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu's arrival.

A direct attack by Iran on Israel will carry 'severe consequences for Iran,' a White House official said. A shelter in place order was issued by the US embassy.

Iran claimed responsibility for a barrage of missiles fired at Israel that threatens to escalate the heightening conflict into a regional war.

Israeli troops are moving deeper into southern Lebanon after beginning their ground invasion overnight, targeting Hezbollah and, by proxy, Iran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains in a secure location after Tehran fired missiles at Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday. He was moved to a secure location after Israel assassinated Iran's close ally Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week.