JERUSALEM — Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening in a major attack with little advance warning, sending Israelis scrambling for shelter as the security cabinet convened in a bunker and the United States readied forces to come to Israel’s defense.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran's missile attack on Israel failed and vowed retaliation. "Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it," he said at the outset of a political-security meeting.