The Israeli military says it has intercepted the “vast majority” of strikes from Iran after that country launched a direct attack on Israel late Saturday, lobbing dozens of drones and missiles and pushing the region closer to a full-blown military conflict on multiple fronts.
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari told CNN the assault included “200 different kinds” of drones as well as ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. A 10-year-old child in the southern Negev region was among the first to be reported injured from the attack, reportedly struck by flying shrapnel off an interceptor missile.
U.S. forces helped to shoot down the drones from Iran, an unnamed U.S. defense official told CNN, echoing comments from the White House about an “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security. Iran, meanwhile, issued stark warnings against the U.S., with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps promising a “reciprocal” response to any actions taken by Washington that Tehran deems a threat.
While world leaders called for restraint and condemned the attack, Israel’s Channel 12 TV quoted an unnamed official who said there would be a “significant response” to the strikes. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Sunday, though no details on their conversation have been disclosed.
The United Nations Security Council is due to meet Sunday at 4 p.m. after Israel requested an emergency meeting.
Shortly before the first reports of interceptions came in Jerusalem, Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations called the attack a response to “aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus” in a statement on X and said “the matter can be deemed concluded.”
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) arrives at Gordons Pond to board Marine One in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as he returns to the White House on April 13, 2024. Biden cut short a weekend trip to Delaware on Saturday to return to Washington for urgent consultations on the Middle East, the White House said, amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
“However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!” the statement said.
The escalation had a ripple effect throughout the region, with Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq temporarily shutting down their airspace. Aviation authorities in Israel have meanwhile announced that they are closing the country’s airspace, just the latest precaution after restrictions on public gatherings and school closures in anticipation of the attack.
Iranian state media confirmed “extensive drone strikes,” citing a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that said “dozens of drones and missiles” had been fired. Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was quoted in local media issuing a dire warning to Israel’s allies, saying, “Any country that opens its airspace or ground to Israel for attacking Iran will receive Iran’s decisive response.”
Hours before reports of the drone attack surfaced, Biden hurried back to Washington, D.C. from Delaware to “consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East,” the White House announced.
White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson told Axios and CNN analyst Barak Ravid, “Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel. President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House. His team is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies. This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours. 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 defense against these threats from Iran.”
Tehran has promised for days that it would seek to punish Israel for an attack against an Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus that killed a top Iranian commander and other Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) officials earlier this month. Experts warn that Iran’s attack could be the spark that ignites another all-out war in the Middle East.
Although Israel has not claimed responsibility for the Syria assassination, the Israeli military has been preparing for the Iranian counterstrike in recent days. Last week, the IDF canceled leave for soldiers in the combat unit and boosted air defenses.
Multiple reports had emerged earlier this week citing anonymous U.S. officials warning that an Iranian attack on Israel was “imminent.” A senior U.S. military commander had arrived in Israel on Thursday to help coordinate preparations for an attack. A day after the Pentagon official landed, the U.S. issued a security alert prohibiting embassy personnel from leaving the major regions of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva.
The dramatic escalation threatens to send the region into a tailspin. In advance of the attack, Israel had vowed to respond in kind. “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will react and attack in Iran,” Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his own warning in response to the threat. “Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” he said. “We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”
Biden, meanwhile, had promised “ironclad” support for Israel in advance of the attack. “Our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. Let me say it again, ironclad. We’re gonna do all we can to protect Israel’s security,” the president said.
This is a developing story.
