Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired dozens of drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday in an attack that could trigger a major escalation between the bitter regional foes, with the United States vowing to support Israel.
The Israeli military said the drones, which Iraqi security sources said were seen flying over the country from Iran, would take hours to reach their targets. Israel’s Channel 12 said missiles fired from Iran would likely hit first, but that some missiles and drones had been shot down over Syria or Jordan.
Iran’s state news agency cited a source as saying its military also fired a first wave of ballistic missiles at Israel.
Iran vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven Guard officers, including two senior commanders, and said its attack was retribution for “crimes Israelis”. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack on the consulate.
US President Joe Biden, who on Friday warned Iran against attacking Israel after saying such a scenario appeared imminent, pledged to support Israel against Iran, the White House said.
The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month, has increased tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire on Israeli targets as far away as Yemen and Iraq.
These clashes now threaten to escalate into a direct and open conflict pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main backer, the United States.
US and British warplanes were involved in shooting down some Israel-bound drones in the Iraq-Syria border area, Channel 12 reported.
“This is a serious and dangerous escalation. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are at the highest level of readiness in view of this large-scale attack by Iran,” said Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose official jet took off shortly after the attack began, met with the war cabinet at a military headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office said.
The Israeli military said sirens would sound in any threatened area and that its defenses were ready to deal with the drones, which it said were “explosive”.
“We are used to having about 20 seconds to reach the shelters when the missiles arrive. Here the alarm comes hours in advance. This naturally increases the level of anxiety among the Israeli public,” said Nir Dvori, a television correspondent for Channel 12 on social media. average.
Israel and Lebanon said they would close their airspace on Saturday evening. Jordan, which lies between Iran and Israel, has prepared air defenses to intercept any drones or missiles violating its territory, two regional security sources said.
Residents of several Jordanian cities said they heard strong aerial activity.
Iran’s ally Syria said it was putting its surface-to-air defense systems around the capital and key bases on high alert, local military sources said.
Source: Terra
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