Middle East latest: Iran and Israel swap threats following Tehran's missile barrage

The Middle East moved closer to a long-feared regional war the day after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel and Israel said it had begun limited ground incursions into Lebanon targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israel said it intercepted many of the missiles, and officials in Washington said U.S. destroyers assisted in Israel’s defense. Iran said most of its missiles hit their targets. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed late Tuesday to retaliate against Iran, while an Iranian commander threatened wider strikes if Israel retaliates against Iran’s territory. The United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting for Wednesday to address the spiraling conflict.