Iran on Saturday launched a coordinated drone attack on Israel, according to Israeli and U.S. officials, as Tehran brushed off warnings from the Biden administration and appeared willing to escalate its standoff with Jerusalem.
The Israel Defense Forces said the country is prepared for the swarm of more than 100 Iranian drones and White House officials pledged that the U.S. will help Israel fend off the attack.
The first wave reportedly included dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles. A second wave of drones was reportedly launched shortly after, though Israeli media said it would take hours for the craft to reach Israeli territory from Iran. Iran‘s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the Islamic Republic also launched missiles aimed “at specified targets inside occupied territories in response to the Zionist regime’s numerous crimes.”
It’s unclear what the intended targets are.
“Iran launched UAVs from within its territory toward Israel a short while ago,” the IDF said in a post on X. “The IDF is on high alert and is constantly monitoring the operational situation. The IDF Aerial Defense Array is on high alert, along with IAF fighter jets and Israeli Navy vessels that are on a defense mission in Israeli air and naval space. The IDF is monitoring all targets.”
Air raid sirens began blaring across Israel later Saturday night as hundreds of drones and missiles launched from Iran entered the country’s airspace. A 10-year-old girl was seriously wounded when an Iranian missile impacted near home in a Bedouin village in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, according to local media reports.
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An Israeli defense official told reporters that “dozens” of ballistic missiles were fired by Iran, causing what he called “slight damage” to a military base. Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s long-range Arrow air defense system, the official said.
The U.S. reportedly knocked out some of the Iranian drones fired at Israel. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said he was sending additional Royal Air Force jet fighters and tanker aircraft to the region to bolster Operation Shader – the British counter-ISIS operation.
“In addition, these jets will intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required,” Mr. Shapps said on X.
IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video message that the country’s military forces are ready.
“Together with our partners, the IDF is operating at full force to defend the State of Israel — and the people of Israel. This is a mission that we are determined and ready to fulfill,” he said.
Iran’s diplomatic representatives at the UN on Saturday confirmed that Tehran’s drone attack was in response to Israel’s April 1 airstrike that demolished Tehran’s consulate in Syria. They insisted the mission was conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter which pertains to legitimate defense.
“The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the Iranian officials said on X. “It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. must stay away.”
The White House quickly confirmed the Iranian assault. Officials said President Biden will meet with his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Saturday.
“President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House. His team is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours. President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged the Biden administration to continue backing Israel as it faces a barrage of Iranian drones and missiles over the coming hours.
“This is the moment for the United States to show we stand together with our allies. Our shared enemies, including Iran and their proxies, need to know our commitment is unwavering,” Sen. Wicker said. “We must join with Israel to ensure that Iran’s aggression is met with resolute action and resounding strength.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday condemned “in the strongest terms” Tehran’s drone attack on Israel.
“Iran has, once again, demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard,” Mr. Sunak said in a statement. “The U.K. will continue to stand for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq.”
He said the British government is working alongside its allies to stabilize the situation in the region and prevent a further escalation of hostilities.
“No one wants to see more bloodshed,” Mr. Sunak said.
Saturday’s move by Iran appears to be direct retaliation for an April 1 Israeli strike on a portion of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.
That strike killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi and other Iranian officials.
Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed revenge. But it was unclear until Saturday exactly what form that revenge might take. Israel and the U.S. expected Tehran to respond with some type of attack, but there was speculation that Iran could opt to rely on its proxy forces in the region to launch the assaults rather than use its military.
Another possibility was that Iran could target Israeli embassies or other assets abroad, rather than an attack on the Israeli homeland.
Saturday’s attack seems to confirm that Iran has chosen to use its military forces for direct strikes on Israeli territory. That decision could lead to a broader escalation of hostilities across the Middle East, something that the U.S. has desperately tried to prevent.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have been high for years, but have neared a fever pitch in the months since Oct. 7, when the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. Another Iran-linked group, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, has waged a months-long campaign to disrupt commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea and other regional waterways.
Israeli officials said the country’s airspace will be closed as the country braces for the Iranian drones to reach Israel. Before the attack was announced, a FlyDubai flight from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, Israel, turned around as it was over Saudi Arabia, the Associated Press reported, citing flight-tracking data.
Reuters reported late Saturday afternoon that several drones could be seen flying across Iraq in the direction of Israel. Iraq also said it would close its airspace, as the ripple effects from the unfolding Israel-Iran clash stretch across the Middle East. Jordan also reportedly closed its airspace.
The U.S. has considerable military assets in the region, stationed both on land and at sea. It’s unclear to what degree American forces will assist Israel in shooting down the Iranian drones.