What to know about Iran's missile barrage and Israel's ground operations in Lebanon

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran launched at least 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening, causing scattered damage and fires from falling shrapnel, but Israeli authorities said there were no injuries. An Israeli security official said most of the missiles were intercepted, though some managed to land.

Israeli officials said Iran would pay a price for the strike.

The missile attack came after Israel said ground troops crossed into Lebanon in what the military described as a limited operation to root out Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it saw no sign of Israeli forces and that its troops were ready to confront them.

Israel said its incursion would be focused on the narrow strip of land just across the border. But it also issued evacuation warnings covering a wider swath of Lebanon, raising fears that a large-scale ground invasion was soon to come.

In recent days, a wave of Israeli airstrikes has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top commanders, while driving hundreds of thousands of Lebanese from their homes. Israel says a ground operation is now necessary to return tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in the north, pummeled by continuous rocket fire from Hezbollah since Oct. 8.

Here's what we know:

Why did Iran launch missiles toward Israel?

Israel's military said it identified 180 missiles launched from Iran shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sirens blared across the country, and Israelis were ordered to stay in protected areas. An Israeli security official said that in cooperation with the United States, the Israeli Air Force intercepted many of the missiles, though there some direct hits damaging buildings and igniting some fires.

U.S. and British officials later said approximately 200 missiles had been...