The attack late on Saturday night set off air raid sirens in cities across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem, and explosions were heard.
Iran launched dozens of drones at Israel on Saturday but they will take hours to reach their targets, Israel’s military said, an attack that may trigger a major escalation between the regional archenemies, with the U.S. pledging to back Israel. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
Two security sources in Iraq said dozens of drones had been spotted flying from Iran toward Israel over Iraqi airspace in what Iranian Press TV called “extensive drone strikes” by the Revolutionary Guards.
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The first direct attack on Israeli territory, is a retaliatory assault that wounded a seven-year-old girl and caused minor damage at an Israeli military facility.
The attack late on Saturday night set off air raid sirens in cities across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem, and explosions were heard as Israeli air defences intercepted the projectiles.
A retired Israeli general, Amos Yadlin, told the country’s Channel 12 news that the Iranian drones were equipped with 20 kg (44 pounds) of explosives each.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) confirmed the attack, saying it launched the drones and missiles under the operation “True Promise”.
Nations At Risk
Israel and neighbouring Jordan, which lies between Iraq and Israel, said they were closing their airspace on Saturday night.
The war has driven up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that a Guards helicopter had boarded and taken into Iranian waters the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries.
Retaliation on Attack
Western countries condemned Iran’s missiles and drones assault, including the US, UK, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and Norway.
Pic: Social Media (Israel PM conferring about the attack)
U.S. President Joe Biden, who on Friday warned Iran against attacking Israel after saying such a scenario appeared imminent, has pledged to stand with Israel against Iran, the White House said.
Conclusion
The UN security council will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday, at the request of Israel’s ambassador to the UN, the council’s president said in a statement to media. House majority leader Steve Scalise further stated that there will be a change to the House schedule to consider legislation that supports Israel.
