Iran has launched aerial drones and missiles at Israel, marking a widely anticipated reprisal attack.
ReutersIran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched “dozens of drones and missiles” at Israel (file photo)
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack was aimed at “specific targets”.
Israeli military sources said more than 100 drones had been launched. The US had shot some down, CBS News reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they were on high alert and “monitoring all targets”. Israel’s prime minster convened a meeting of his war cabinet.
The drones, which were launched around 20:00 GMT on Saturday, would take some hours to reach Israel, about 1,100 miles (1,800km) away.
Israel, Lebanon and Iraq closed their airspaces, and Syria and Jordan put their air defences on alert.
Iran had vowed to retaliate for an attack on its consulate in Syria on 1 April which killed seven military officers, including a top commander.
It accused Israel of carrying out that attack. Israel neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Iran has launched a direct attack from Iranian soil toward the State of Israel,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. “We are closely monitoring Iranian killer drones that are en route to Israel, sent by Iran. This is a severe and dangerous escalation.”
Shortly before news of Iran’s drone launches, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s “defensive systems” were deployed.
“We are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. The State of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. The public is strong.
“We appreciate the US standing alongside Israel, as well as the support of Britain, France and many other countries.”
Earlier this week, Israel’s defence and foreign ministers warned that if Iran attacked Israel, Israel would strike back inside Iran.
After news of the Iranian attack broke, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said: “President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad.”
“The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran.”
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Iran’s “reckless” attack, vowing that the UK would “continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners”.
Iran’s IRGC – the most powerful branch of its armed forces – said it had launched the attack “in retaliation against the Zionist regime’s [Israel] repeated crimes, including the attack on the Iranian embassy’s consulate in Damascus”.
Source: Raffi Berg
D-Ample Newspaper 