Hours after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard took control of an Israel-linked container ship, the terror-sponsoring nation launched drone attacks against Israel.
ברייקינג: איראן פתחה במתקפה נגד ישראל באמצעות שיגור כטב”מים, כך אמרו לי ארבעה מקורות אמריקנים וישראלים
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 13, 2024
“Breaking: Iran launched an attack against Israel by launching drones, four American and Israeli sources told me,” Ravid’s post says, per Google translation.
“Unverified videos posted to Telegram, and shared online showed a swarm of buzzing Iranian drones — which are known to make a “lawnmower sound” — flying over Iraq,” reports the New York Post. “In response, Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced restrictions on civilian activities.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his country after the attack, promising a response.
“Citizens of Israel, in recent years, and even more so in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Our defense systems are deployed, and we are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and offense. The State of Israel is strong, the IDF is strong, the public is strong.”
On Friday evening, Joe Biden left Washington, D.C. for his Rehoboth, Delaware beach house amid Iranian threats against Israel. Biden indicated before he left that he believed Iran would attack Israel “sooner than later,” but warned Iran not to attack.
“Don’t,” he said.
“Don’t.”
Biden warns Iran not to attack Israel.
“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.” pic.twitter.com/JvmvUrdKqf
— Ben Swann (@BenSwann_) April 13, 2024
Clearly, his word wasn’t enough to stop Iran. The attack comes after Joe Biden cut his latest vacation short “to consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East.”
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“Earlier this week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had promised to retaliate against Israel, saying “it will be punished” for the April 1 strike in Damascus that he described as a “wrongdoing” and akin to an attack on Iran itself,” reports Fox News. “Prior to the attack, the U.S. State Department announced it was restricting travel for government employees and their family members outside of major cities in Israel as concerns remained high that Iran could strike.”
“If Israel is hit and is hit in a sensitive location, Israel will respond heavily,” Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the New York Post. He called the drone strikes “a significant escalation. There’s no other way to put this.”
“The Iranians can no longer claim to be the aggrieved party. It’s a direct strike after having coordinated literally thousands of strikes from proxies,” he added. “This is a moment that I would say has been inevitable in the region for several decades now, where the regime is finally owning its own aggression and it will give the Israelis ample opportunity to respond.”