Iran attacks Israel directly for the first time with hundreds of missiles and drones.
Iran has launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in an extraordinary response to Israel’s raid on the Iranian consulate in Syria two weeks ago.
The midnight escalation occurred more than six months into Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 33,000 Palestinians and driven the besieged area to the verge of famine. The battle has heightened regional tensions, expanding to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and attracting long-range firing on Israeli targets from Yemen and Iraq.
The Israeli military reported on Sunday that the Iranian barrage included over 300 “killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles” but that 99 percent were intercepted with assistance from forces from France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The launches, which the army claimed came from Iran, Iraq and Yemen, triggered air raid sirens in places around Israel, including Tel Aviv and explosions were heard as air defences intercepted the projectiles.
Iran’s missile and drone attacks were denounced by Western countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and Norway. Egypt and Saudi Arabia urged caution, while the UN Security Council convened an emergency session to review the situation at Israel’s request.
US President Joe Biden left his weekend retreat at his beach house in Delaware on Saturday afternoon to meet with his national security team at the White House. He also reiterated Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to its ally’s security in a late-Saturday conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Pentagon announced that Defense Chief Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart to discuss regional concerns. Austin stated that Israel has full US support to defend itself against attacks from Iran and its proxies.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned Iran’s attack, saying he was deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation.
