Iran launches unprecedented strikes on Israel ‘in response’ to attack on consulate in Syria
Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles on Israel in an unprecedented attack late on Saturday, the Israeli army announced, “in response” to a deadly airstrike on its Damascus consular annexe earlier this month.
Iran’s proxies and allies also carried out coordinated attacks on Israeli positions as sirens sounded in many places and AFP correspondents heard blasts in the skies above Jerusalem early on Sunday.
What we know so far:
- Israeli army says “minor damage” to air base; warns Iran of “consequences” if situation escalated any further
- US vows “ironclad” support for Israel; UK, France reaffirm commitment to Israel’s security
- Iran says matter of Syria attack “can be deemed concluded”
- UN Security Council to meet at around 8pm GMT at Israel’s request
Iran had repeatedly threatened to strike Israel in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike on its Damascus consular annexe and Washington had warned repeatedly in recent days that the reprisals were imminent.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) launched “extensive” retaliatory drone and missile strikes — as part of what they called the Operation ‘True Promise’ — against “certain targets” inside Israel.
Israel’s military said the drones, which Iraqi security sources said were seen flying over the country from Iran, would take hours to reach their targets, after the IRGC announced that Operation ‘True Promise’ was part of “punishment for Israeli crimes”.
“Iran launched UAVs from its territory towards the territory of the state of Israel,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
“We are working in close cooperation with the United States and our partners in the region in order to act against the launches and intercept them,” Rear Admiral Hagari said.
People in Jerusalem sought cover, as residents also stockpiled water. “As you can see it’s empty, everybody is running home,” said Eliyahu Barakat, a 49-year-old grocery shop owner in Jerusalem’s Mamilla neighbourhood.
US President Joe Biden vowed Washington’s “ironclad” support for Israel after an urgent meeting with his top security officials on the spiralling crisis.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed a retaliatory drone and missile attack was under way against Israel in retaliation for the Damascus strike which killed seven Guards, two of them generals. The Guards said its ballistic missiles were fired almost an hour after the slower-moving drones.
Hundreds of Iranians gathered in Tehran’s Palestine Square, waving Iranian and Palestinian flags to celebrate the unprecedented military action against Israel.
The Israeli army said Iran had launched a “massive swarm of over 200 killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles”.
“So far, we’ve intercepted the vast majority of incoming missiles,” Hagari said. The army said it had scrambled dozens of fighter jets to intercept “all aerial threats”.
Iran’s allies in the region joined the attack with Yemen’s Houthi rebels also launching drones at Israel, according to security agency Ambrey, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement announcing rocket fire at Israeli positions in the annexed Golan Heights.
The official Irna news agency said the attack had dealt “heavy blows” to an air base in the Negev desert, but the Israeli army said there had only been minor damage.
‘Unfolding’ attack
The White House said it expected the attack — which comes against the backdrop of the six-month Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza — to “unfold over a number of hours”. It said Washington would “stand with the people of Israel”.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations warned Washington to keep out of Iran’s conflict with Israel. “It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the US MUST STAY AWAY!” it said.
It added that it hoped its action to punish the strike on its diplomatic mission would lead to no further escalation and “the matter can be deemed concluded”.
But a Pentagon official said US forces were shooting down drones which had been aimed at Israel. President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his home state of Delaware for urgent consultations, the White House said.
Early on Sunday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken with Biden.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz postponed a planned visit to Hungary and Austria while the prime minister convened his war cabinet in Tel Aviv.
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said that Israel was in “complete panic” over Tehran’s looming response. “They don’t know what Iran wants to do, so they and their supporters are terrified,” senior adviser Yahya Rahim said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Iran’s “reckless” action and pledged his government would “continue to stand up for Israel’s security”. The defence ministry said it had moved several additional fighter jets to the region which stood ready to “intercept any airborne attack within range”.
France echoed its commitment to Israel’s security. “In deciding to take this unprecedented action, Iran has reached a new level of destabilisation,” Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said.
Egypt, which regularly acts as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, said it was in “direct contact with all sides to the conflict to try to contain the situation”.
The UN Security Council was to meet at around 8pm GMT on Sunday to discuss the crisis at Israel’s request, its current president Malta said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the “serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by Iran”.
Calling for an “immediate cessation” of hostilities, he said: “Neither the region nor the world can afford another war.”
In his statement, the UN chief urged “all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East”.
Airspace closing
Shortly before the launches, Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for a “direct attack from Iran”.
“Our defence systems are deployed, we are prepared for any scenario, both in defence and attack,” the Israeli premier said in a televised statement, adding Israel had the backing of the United States and “many” other countries.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had already seized an Israeli-linked container vessel in the Gulf earlier on Saturday, putting the whole region on alert. Israel said it was closing schools nationwide while Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon announced they were temporarily closing their airspace.
Israel said it was closing its own airspace from 9:30pm GMT. The Israeli military warned Iran it would suffer the “consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further”.
The April 1 strike in Damascus, which killed 16 people, including two Iranian generals, had been widely blamed on Israel. Iran had repeatedly vowed to hit back, but had not specified how.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship “related” to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, which was now heading towards Iranian waters, Iranian state media reported.
The ship’s operator, the Italian-Swiss group MSC, said it was working with the relevant authorities to ensure the wellbeing of the 25 crew onboard.
Both Israel and the United States denounced the seizure as piracy, with Israel also demanding that the Guards be declared a “terrorist organisation” by the European Union.
In Washington, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson called on Iran “to release the vessel and its international crew immediately”. “Seizing a civilian vessel without provocation is a blatant violation of international law, and an act of piracy”, she said.
Gaza truce stalemate
The Gaza crisis began with the unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,686 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry. Israel’s military said on Saturday it had struck more than 30 Hamas targets across Gaza.
In the main central city of Deir al-Balah, fire burned in the rubble of a destroyed mosque. Israel’s military “demanded that the whole area be evacuated” before it was “wiped out in minutes”, said Abdullah Baraka, a witness.
In nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, Abd Thabet said residents had been warned to evacuate on Friday evening ahead of a large explosion that caused “massive destruction”.
“All of the houses were demolished, including my home,” the 35-year-old told AFP.
Hamas said it had submitted its response to a Gaza truce plan presented by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators at talks in Cairo this week.
The Palestinian group said it was sticking to its previous demands, insisting on “a permanent ceasefire” and the “withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip”.
During the October attack, Hamas seized about 250 hostages, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.
The Israeli prime minister’s office accused Hamas of torpedoing efforts for an exchange of hostages for prisoners. “Hamas to this day has refused any deal and any compromise proposal,” it said.