Iran attacks Israel with dozens of drones and missiles
Iran's Revolutionary Guard yesterday (Saturday) launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel, sparking a major escalation between the two regional rivals, amid US pledges of support for Israel, Reuters reported.
Iraqi security sources said drones flying over the country from Iran would take several hours to reach their targets, the Israeli military said.
Israeli Channel 12 said missiles fired by Iran took less time to reach Israel, but it explained that some missiles and drones were shot down over Syria or Jordan.
“Hisb Allah”
Lebanon's Hezbollah announced yesterday that it had bombed an Israeli military base in the occupied Golan Heights in conjunction with an Iranian attack. He said in a statement that he fired “dozens of Katyusha rockets” at an Israeli military base located in the Golan.
The Houthis
Britain's maritime security agency “Ambry” announced yesterday that the Houthis had launched drones from Yemen towards Israel in parallel with the Iranian attack on the Hebrew government. The launch by Tehran-backed rebels was carried out “in coordination with Iran”, noting that “Israeli ports are considered potential targets for attack”.
Atre
An Israeli military spokesman, Avichai Adraee, told Arab media that Iran “launched drones from its territory and from the territory of its agents towards Israel's border” and announced the closure of Israeli airspace.
He continued in a post on the “X” site: “We are monitoring the threat in the airspace. Speaking of the threat that would take hours to reach Israeli territory, he stressed: “The army and the air force are implementing planned programs that they are ready to deal with.”
He pointed out that as part of the preparations, GPS services were not available in many places and were disrupted in a concentrated and temporary manner.
Tehran vowed to respond to what it described as an Israeli attack on its embassy in Damascus on April 1, which led to the killing of seven officers in the Revolutionary Guards, including two senior commanders.
Tehran said the strike represented punishment for “Israeli crimes”.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack on the embassy building.
Each Iranian drone carries 20 kilograms of explosives, retired Israeli general Amos Yadlin told Channel 12 News.
Israel's military said sirens would sound in threatened areas and security systems were ready to respond to an attack.
Syria, which is friendly with Iran, has put its surface air defense systems on high alert near the capital and its key bases, military sources said.
President Joe Biden has pledged to stand by Israel in confronting Iran, the White House said. Yesterday Biden warned Iran against attacking Israel.
The war between Israel and the Hamas movement in Gaza, now in its seventh month, has escalated tensions in the region and spilled over to fronts in Lebanon and Syria, prompting the firing of long-range missiles at Israeli targets from remote locations. As far away as Yemen and Iraq.
These conflicts now threaten to escalate into a direct open conflict between Iran and its allies in the region against Israel and its key ally, the United States.
Yesterday, the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported that a Revolutionary Guard helicopter boarded the Portuguese-flagged MSC Ares and took it to Iranian waters.
MSC, which manages the Aris, confirmed Iran's detention, saying it was working with “relevant authorities” for the ship's return and the safety of its 25-man crew.
