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| Israel under fire as Iran launches drones and cruise missiles | Israel under fire as Iran launches drones and cruise missiles |
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| Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on Jewish state threatens to drag Middle East into regional conflagration | Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on Jewish state threatens to drag Middle East into regional conflagration |
| Iran has launched hundreds of drones as well as cruise missiles towards Israel, the Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state, moving years of shadow war into the open and putting world capitals on high alert for major escalation as the six-month-old war in Gaza threatens to drag the Middle East into a full-blown regional conflagration. | Iran has launched hundreds of drones as well as cruise missiles towards Israel, the Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state, moving years of shadow war into the open and putting world capitals on high alert for major escalation as the six-month-old war in Gaza threatens to drag the Middle East into a full-blown regional conflagration. |
| The launch of what are believed to be powerful Iranian-manufactured Shahed-136 drones was confirmed by both the Israeli military and what Iran’s state-linked Press TV described as military sources at about 11pm local time on Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said more than 100 drones had been launched. | |
| Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp said an hour later it had also launched ballistic missiles at “specific targets” in Israel as part of what it deemed “Operation True Promise”. | Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp said an hour later it had also launched ballistic missiles at “specific targets” in Israel as part of what it deemed “Operation True Promise”. |
| “In response to the numerous crimes committed by the Zionist regime … the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired dozens of missiles and drones at specific targets inside the occupied territories [Israel],” state TV quoted a Guards statement as saying. | “In response to the numerous crimes committed by the Zionist regime … the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired dozens of missiles and drones at specific targets inside the occupied territories [Israel],” state TV quoted a Guards statement as saying. |
| The attack was expected to unfold over a number of hours The first wave reached Israel at around 2am local time (midnight BST), with sirens blaring across the country and explosions visible and audible in the sky in several places. Commercial capital Tel Aviv, the disputed city of Jerusalem, and Dimona, the desert city home to Israel’s nuclear plant, all appeared to have been targeted. | |
| The New York Times reported that Israeli intelligence sources believed the expected targets would be Israeli military installations in the occupied Golan Heights, in the far north, and the Negev desert, in the far south. | |
| Dozens of drones were spotted flying from Iran in the direction of Israel over Iraqi airspace, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters, while Israel’s Channel 12 reported at midnight local time that the first Israeli interceptions of the Iranian drones had begun over eastern Syria and Jordan. | Dozens of drones were spotted flying from Iran in the direction of Israel over Iraqi airspace, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters, while Israel’s Channel 12 reported at midnight local time that the first Israeli interceptions of the Iranian drones had begun over eastern Syria and Jordan. |
| Yemen’s Houthi militia, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, also said overnight they had joined the attack against Israel. | Yemen’s Houthi militia, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, also said overnight they had joined the attack against Israel. |
| The roar of Israeli air force jets could be heard across the country in the early hours of Sunday. The country’s sophisticated multi-layered air defence system was expected to be able to intercept relatively slow-moving drones, although it could be overwhelmed by large volumes of incoming fire. | |
| There has been nearly two weeks of speculation about when, where and how Tehran or its proxy forces would respond to the 1 April strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital of Damascus which killed Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, and eight other officers. | There has been nearly two weeks of speculation about when, where and how Tehran or its proxy forces would respond to the 1 April strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital of Damascus which killed Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, and eight other officers. |
| Israeli officials almost never claim responsibility for attacks carried out on foreign soil. Tehran has blamed Israel for the strike. | Israeli officials almost never claim responsibility for attacks carried out on foreign soil. Tehran has blamed Israel for the strike. |
| Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly promised to respond against Israel over the attack, while Israeli officials have warned several times that the country’s forces would strike Iran directly if it launched any retaliatory action from its territory, raising fears over what is now a rapidly escalating tit-for-tat. | Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly promised to respond against Israel over the attack, while Israeli officials have warned several times that the country’s forces would strike Iran directly if it launched any retaliatory action from its territory, raising fears over what is now a rapidly escalating tit-for-tat. |
| Iran’s mission to the UN said in a statement released in the early hours of Sunday that “military action was in response to Israel’s aggression against Iran’s diplomatic premises in Damascus” and that now “the matter can be deemed concluded … Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be more severe.” It also warned the US to not get involved in the conflict. | |
| On Saturday, Israel’s armed forces were on full alert, and an announcement was made that schools will be closed for the next two days. Israeli, Lebanese, Iraqi, Jordanian and Iranian airspace have been closed. Neighbouring Jordan has declared a state of emergency. | On Saturday, Israel’s armed forces were on full alert, and an announcement was made that schools will be closed for the next two days. Israeli, Lebanese, Iraqi, Jordanian and Iranian airspace have been closed. Neighbouring Jordan has declared a state of emergency. |
| There were unconfirmed reports overnight that US, UK and Jordanian planes had been mobilised to intercept the Iranian attack. Iran’s defence minister, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, told state TV in response that “any country that allows its airspace or soil to be used for Israel to attack Iran will receive a firm response from us”. | There were unconfirmed reports overnight that US, UK and Jordanian planes had been mobilised to intercept the Iranian attack. Iran’s defence minister, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, told state TV in response that “any country that allows its airspace or soil to be used for Israel to attack Iran will receive a firm response from us”. |
| Israel has attacked scores of Iranian-linked targets in Syria during the 14-year-old civil war there with the apparent intent of disrupting arms transfers and other cooperation with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. | Israel has attacked scores of Iranian-linked targets in Syria during the 14-year-old civil war there with the apparent intent of disrupting arms transfers and other cooperation with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. |
| Since the war in Gaza began six months ago, there have been near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border that have threatened to escalate into full-blown conflict. | Since the war in Gaza began six months ago, there have been near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border that have threatened to escalate into full-blown conflict. |
| A direct attack by Iran on Israel, however, was not believed to be on the cards: Tehran’s leaders have previously made clear that they are not seeking a war with Israel, which could also draw in the US. | A direct attack by Iran on Israel, however, was not believed to be on the cards: Tehran’s leaders have previously made clear that they are not seeking a war with Israel, which could also draw in the US. |
| Iran has never responded with such force to previous attacks, including many covert Israeli operations on its soil, or the US assassination of the powerful Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020. | Iran has never responded with such force to previous attacks, including many covert Israeli operations on its soil, or the US assassination of the powerful Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020. |
| US president Joe Biden cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house and returned to the White House to meet his national security team and monitor the situation shortly before the attack was announced. | US president Joe Biden cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house and returned to the White House to meet his national security team and monitor the situation shortly before the attack was announced. |
| The US leader, who this week reiterated Washington’s “iron-clad” commitment to the security of Israel, its most important Middle Eastern ally, was being regularly updated and was in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as US partners and allies, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement late on Saturday. | The US leader, who this week reiterated Washington’s “iron-clad” commitment to the security of Israel, its most important Middle Eastern ally, was being regularly updated and was in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as US partners and allies, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement late on Saturday. |
| The latest war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian militant group’s 7 October attack in which 1,200 were killed and another 250 abducted, has already spread to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawn long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq. | The latest war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian militant group’s 7 October attack in which 1,200 were killed and another 250 abducted, has already spread to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawn long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq. |
| More than 33,000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza, where the 2.3m population is facing a dire humanitarian crisis and some areas have slipped into famine. | More than 33,000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza, where the 2.3m population is facing a dire humanitarian crisis and some areas have slipped into famine. |
| Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that a IRGC helicopter had boarded and taken into Iranian waters the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries. | Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that a IRGC helicopter had boarded and taken into Iranian waters the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries. |