Israel says Iran launches drone salvo, monitors airspace and shoots at it

Iran launched a slew of explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel on Saturday night in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, threatening a significant escalation as the United States pledged “irresistible” support for Israel.

Sirens sounded and Reuters reporters in Israel said they heard heavy crashes and explosions in the distance, which local media described as an aerial interception of explosive drones. The ambulance service said a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured.

The Israeli military said more than 100 drones were launched from Iran, security sources in Iraq and Jordan said dozens were flying overhead, and U.S. officials said the U.S. military had shot down some of the drones.

Israel’s Channel 12 television quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack.

Iran’s state news agency quoted sources as saying that the Iranian military also launched a wave of ballistic missiles. The Israeli military also said it fired missiles, but there were no immediate reports of attacks in Israel.

Iran vowed to retaliate for what it called an Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven guards, including two senior commanders, saying the attack was an “Israeli crime.” “Punishment. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations said that “if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran’s response will be harsher” and warned the United States to “stay away.” However, it also said Iran now “considers the matter to be over”.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday warned Iran against launching an attack but cut short a visit to his home state of Delaware to meet with his national security adviser in the White House Situation Room, an official said. He pledged to stand with Israel.

The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month, has heightened tensions in the region, spreading to front lines in Lebanon and Syria and launching long-range fire attacks from Israeli targets as far away as Yemen and Iraq.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has also reportedly launched drones towards Israel, British maritime security firm Ambrey said in a statement.

Those conflicts now threaten to turn into a direct open conflict between Iran and its regional allies and Israel and its main backer the United States, with regional power Egypt urging “maximum restraint.”

While Israel and Iran have been sworn enemies for decades, much of their long-running feud has been fought through proxies or against each other’s military forces operating in third countries.

According to Channel 12, US and British warplanes shot down a number of drones bound for Israel in the border area between Iraq and Syria. Three U.S. officials said the U.S. military had shot down the drones, but did not disclose how many.

upgrade

Israeli military spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said: “This is a serious and dangerous escalation. Before Iran launched this large-scale attack, our defensive and offensive capabilities were at the highest level.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official plane took off shortly after the attack began and he convened his war cabinet at his military headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office said.

The Israeli military said sirens would sound in any threatened area and its defenses were ready to deal with the drones, which it described as “explosive.”

“When a missile comes, we are used to having about 20 seconds to get to the shelter. Here, the warning comes hours in advance. This naturally raises the level of anxiety among the Israeli public,” Channel 12 TV reporter Neil Nir Dvori said. social media.

The Israeli military has asked residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to stay near air raid shelters and put the area on standby to prevent the possible impact of drone attacks.

Israel and Lebanon said they would close their airspace on Saturday night. Two regional security sources said Jordan, which lies between Iran and Israel, was ready with air defenses to intercept any drones or missiles that violated its territory.

Residents in several Jordanian cities said they heard heavy aerial activity.

Iran’s ally Syria said it was putting surface-to-air defenses around its capital and main bases on high alert, Syrian military sources said.

condemn

The European Union, Britain, France, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands condemned the Iranian attack.

Israel has been preparing for an Iranian response to the Damascus consulate attack since last week, when Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel “must and should be punished” for what he called an operation on Iranian soil.

Biden said on Friday that his only message to Iran was “no,” but added that “we are committed to defending Israel.”

Iran’s main ally in the region, Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah, which has been at war with Israel since the Gaza war broke out on October 7, said earlier on Sunday it had fired rockets at an Israeli base.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s state-run Islamic News Agency reported that a guard helicopter boarded the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries and took it into Iranian waters.

MSC, which operates the Aries, confirmed that Iran had seized the ship and said it was working “with the relevant authorities” to ensure its safe return and the welfare of the 25-member crew.

MSC chartered the Aries from Gortal Shipping, a subsidiary of Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac said in a statement, adding that MSC was responsible for all activities on the vessel. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Iran of piracy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)