On Saturday, Iran launched a massive retaliatory attack on Israel that risks sparking a regional conflict involving US military forces. The operation engaged over 300 missiles and drones and marked the first time Iran launched a direct military attack on Israel, according to Iranian and Israeli media.
Iran launched a drone attack on Israel late Saturday night. First it was reported that there were dozens of drones, then Israeli media confirmed the start of a second wave of UAV attacks, followed by a third wave. Also, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Tehran launched ballistic missiles at targets deep inside Israel, the IDF in turn confirmed that it had recorded such launches.
On Sunday, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces, said that of some 30 cruise missiles fired towards Israel, 25 were intercepted by Israeli fighter jets and none managed to penetrate the country. He went on to say that some of the nearly 120 ballistic missiles fired at Israel landed inside the country, causing minor damage to the Nevatim Air Force Base infrastructure but leaving it fully operational. The attack caused explosions in Tel Aviv, West Jerusalem and more than 720 other locations as Israeli defences fired Iranian shells.
“A small number of hits were identified, including at an IDF base in southern Israel, where minor damage was caused to infrastructure,” the statement added.
A 10-year-old girl was seriously injured in the attack, but otherwise no one was hurt. Some 31 people were treated for anxiety or injuries they sustained while travelling to the protected area when the sirens sounded, Israel’s emergency response service said, according to Hagari.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Saturday night that Israel is prepared for a possible attac from Iran: “Our defensive systems are 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.”
As of now, the Israel Airports Authority reports that the country has reopened its airspace at 7:30am (04:30 GMT). Flight schedules from Tel Aviv are expected to be affected and travellers should check flight times.
Benjamin Netanyahu, in a brief post on X, stated Israel will achieve victory: “We intercepted, we repelled, together we shall win.”
For the first time, Iran struck Israel directly from its territory rather than with the help of Yemeni rebels and the Lebanon-based Shiite group Hezbollah. The Houthis and Hezbollah supported the attack as the Houthis launched several drones from Yemeni territory, Reuters reported. Hezbollah, for its part, said it fired dozens of rockets into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The IDF said it retaliated with strikes on the group’s facilities in Lebanon.
Iran has previously threatened Israel in retaliation after an airstrike destroyed the Iranian consulate in Syria on 1 April, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals. Moreover, two US officials previously had informed CBS News that a major Iranian attack on Israel was expected as early as Friday, i.e. 12 April, but in the end no direct attack on Israel took place.
Next, on 12 April, Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel late Friday night, while US officials warned Iran of an imminent attack as early as 12 April. Tel Aviv confirmed that Hezbollah launched a massive wave of attacks on northern Israel, firing between 40 and 50 rockets that were almost entirely intercepted by Israeli air defences. 13 april, Saturday, Iranian paramilitaries seized a container ship near the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions in Israel. Iranian media confirmed that the seizure of the ship was linked to Israel and followed a strike on the embassy’s consulate building in Syria.
For now, the fighting and attacks from Iran are over. Early Sunday morning local time, Iran’s mission to the UN announced that the attack is now “considered completed,” saying Iran’s military action was in response to an Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria that killed two generals and five officers, but Iran would “not hesitate to take more defensive measures to protect its legitimate interests against any aggressive military actions and illegal use of force.”
Further, Iran’s Permanent Mission added in its statement on X:
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 US MUST STAY AWAY!
Additionally, In a statement released on Telegram, Iran’s Foreign Ministry claimed the attack showed Iran’s “responsible approach to regional and international peace and security at a time [of] illegal and genocidal actions by the Zionist apartheid regime against the Palestinian people.”
WORLD REACTION
Hamas, currently at war with Israel and a close ally of Iran, said it affirms the “natural right” of countries and peoples in the region to defend themselves “in the face of Zionist aggression,” referring to Israel.
“The military operation carried out by Iran against the Zionist entity is a natural right and a due response to the crime of targeting the consulate in Damascus,” the Palestinian group said in a post on Telegram.
They further released a statement in which they called on “Arab and Islamic nation, the free people of the world and the resistance forces in the region to continue their support for the flood of Al-Aqsa.”
The successful repelling of an attack by Israeli and allied air defence forces drew praise from a US leader. President Joe Biden commended the country’s ability to repel the attacks as a sign to others who threaten Israel’s security. He said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overnight and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and its intention to hold Iran accountable for the overnight attack:
“Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” Biden said. “My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders.”
US forces in Iraq and Syria, as well as US warships in the region, were involved in efforts to repel the Iranian attack, according to a statement from US officials. They include the destroyer USS Carney, which was involved in destroying missiles and drones in the Red Sea fired by Iranian-backed Houthi forces from Yemen.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted the involvement of US troops in repelling the attack on Israel, saying the US military had shot down “dozens” of missiles and drones headed for Israel from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
“We condemn these reckless and unprecedented attacks by Iran and its proxies, and we call on Iran to immediately halt any further attacks, including from its proxy forces, and to deescalate tensions,” Austin said in the statement. “We do not seek conflict with Iran, but we will not hesitate to act to protect our forces and support the defence of Israel.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued a statement condemning the Iranian launches, adding that the US does not seek escalation but will continue to support Israel.
In turn, Donald Trump blamed Democrats for Iran’s strike on Israel: “ISRAEL IS UNDER ATTACK! This should never have been allowed to happen – This would NEVER have happened if I were President!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned Iran’s attack on Israel and called on all sides to avoid further escalation. She stated: “I strongly condemn Iran’s blatant and unjustifiable attack on Israel. And I call on Iran and its proxies to immediately cease these attacks,” von der Leyen wrote on X.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for an immediate halt to hostilities in the Middle East: “I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation. I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.”
He stated: “I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran this evening.”
Various European countries condemned the attack and expressed support for Israel, with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, describing it on X as “an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security.”
The UK and France reaffirmed their commitment to Israel’s security, with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying that Iran had “once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard.” The Netherlands, Austria and the Czech Republic also condemned the attack and expressed support for Israel, while Spain and Portugal called for de-escalation.
China’s Foreign Ministry issued a broad statement in response to Iran’s strikes on Israel, calling on all sides to “exercise calm and restraint”: “China expresses deep concern over the current escalation and calls on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalations. The ongoing situation is the latest spillover of the Gaza conflict. There should be no more delays in implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2728 and the conflict must end now. China calls on the international community, especially countries with influence, to play a constructive role for the peace and stability of the region.”
In Latin America, Chile and Mexico condemned the use of force, and Argentine President Javier Milay cut short a trip to Denmark to return to his country to form a crisis committee.
Regional powers Saudi Arabia and Egypt expressed similar concerns, with Egypt saying it was in contact with “all concerned parties to try to contain the situation.”
There is a danger that the conflict will escalate further, as different positions on the 1 April strike and today’s attack could be damaging. Iran calls the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April an attack on its territory. Iran cites the 1961 Vienna Convention, which says you should not attack diplomatic premises, embassies or consulates. Israel, meanwhile, claims it was a legitimate target, pointing to the people who died.
For Iran, it took 13 days before it responded. Iran says it is perfectly legal under the UN Charter. Article 51 of the UN Charter states that nothing shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence in the event of an armed attack against a member state of the United Nations.
