Iran launches retaliation attack on Israel with hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles
 |
| An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel April 14, 2024 |
Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late Saturday in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, a retaliatory strike that raised the threat of a wider regional conflict as the US pledged "ironclad support" for Israel.
Sirens wailed and Reuters journalists in Israel heard distant heavy bangs and bangs from what local media called an aerial capture of explosive drones. A seven-year-old girl was seriously injured, according to authorities.
An Iranian volley of more than 200 drones and missiles caused light damage to one Israeli military installation, Hagari said.
The Israeli military later said it did not advise any residents to prepare to shelter. This revision of the earlier alert appeared to signal the end of the threat.
Israel's Channel 12 TV quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying the attack would have a "significant response".
Iran vowed retaliation for what it called an April 1 Israeli attack on its Damascus consulate that killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guards officers, including two senior commanders. Tehran said its strike was punishment for "Israeli crimes". Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack on the consulate.
"If the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran's response will be much more severe," Iran's UN mission said, warning the US to "stay away." However, he also said that Iran now "considers the matter closed".
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said America is not seeking conflict with Iran, but will not hesitate to act to protect US forces and support Israel's defense.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Iranian attack, saying he was "deeply concerned about the very real danger of a devastating escalation across the region".
Deputy Russian ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky said on the Telegram social network that in addition to the letter from Israel, the Security Council received a letter from Iran, which claimed that its attack was within the framework of the UN Charter governing the right of self-defense.
"He warns that if Israel responds, Iran will respond in a more powerful and decisive way," Polyansky said.
Biden, who warned Iran on Friday of the attack, cut short a weekend visit to his home state of Delaware and returned to Washington to meet with his national security advisers, including his defense and state secretaries, in the White House situation room. He pledged to stand by Israel.
"Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its proxies is unwavering," Biden said.
The war in Gaza, which Israel invaded after an October 7 attack by Hamas, has heightened tensions in the region, spilling over to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and prompting long-range fire on Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq. .
British maritime security company Ambrey said in a statement that Yemen's Iran-linked Houthi group also allegedly launched drones against Israel.
These clashes now threaten to escalate into outright open conflict, pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main backer, the United States. Regional power Egypt called for "maximum restraint".
While Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies for decades, their disputes have mostly developed through proxies or mutual focus on their forces operating in third countries.
US and British warplanes were involved in shooting down some drones headed for Israel over the Iraq-Syria border area, Israel's Channel 12 reported. The US military shot down dozens of drones and missiles headed for Israel, three US officials said.
Biden said he ordered the U.S. military to move missile defense aircraft and destroyers to the region during the past week.
"Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skills of our personnel, we helped Israel shoot down almost all incoming drones and missiles," he said.
ESCALATION
Netanyahu summoned Israel's war cabinet to military headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office said.
Israel and Lebanon announced they were closing their airspace on Saturday night. Jordan, which lies between Iran and Israel, has prepared air defenses to intercept any drone or missile that would breach its territory, two regional security sources said.
Residents of several Jordanian cities reported hearing heavy aerial activity.
Iran's ally Syria said it was putting its air defense systems around the capital and major bases on high alert, military sources there said.
The European Union, Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and Norway condemned Iran's attack.
Biden's Republican rival in the November presidential election, Donald Trump, briefly mentioned the bombings at a rally in Pennsylvania and criticized his Democratic rival.
"They are under attack right now," Trump said. "That's because we're showing great weakness. That wouldn't happen, the weakness we've shown is unbelievable, and it wouldn't have happened if we were in office."
Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response to the Damascus consulate strike since last week, when Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished and will be punished" for what he described as an equivalent operation on Iranian soil.
Iran's main ally in the region, Lebanon's Shiite group Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war, said early Sunday it had fired rockets at an Israeli base.