Iran retaliated against Israel on Saturday by launching a large number of explosive drones and firing missiles. This direct attack on Israeli territory has escalated the risk of a wider conflict in the region. As a show of support, the U.S. has pledged unwavering backing for Israel. Sirens were heard in Israel, and there were reports of aerial interceptions of explosive drones.
In response to Iran’s attack, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and announced plans to convene a meeting with leaders of the G7 to coordinate a diplomatic response. Axios reported that Biden also informed Netanyahu of the U.S.’s opposition to any Israeli counterattack against Iran.
Israel has requested a meeting of the U.N. Security Council to condemn Iran’s attack and designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. According to Israel’s military spokesperson, Iran launched numerous ground-to-ground missiles, most of which were intercepted outside Israeli borders. The attack, consisting of over 200 drones and missiles, caused minimal damage to an Israeli military facility. The Israeli military has since stated that residents do not need to prepare for shelter, indicating that the threat has subsided.
An unnamed Israeli official has promised a significant response to the attack, further escalating tensions. Iran had vowed retaliation following an alleged Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1, that killed seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two senior commanders. Tehran said its strike was punishment for “Israeli crimes”. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack.
“Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations said, warning the U.S. to “stay away”. However, it also said Iran now “deemed the matter concluded”.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said America did not seek conflict with Iran but would not hesitate to act to protect U.S. forces and support defence of Israel.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Iran’s attack, saying he was “deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation.”
According to a statement by British maritime security company Ambrey, the Iran-aligned Houthi group from Yemen has reportedly launched drones against Israel. This has escalated the clashes and now poses a direct open conflict between Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main supporter, the United States.
Egypt, a regional power, has urged for utmost restraint in this situation. Although Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies for many years, their conflict has mostly been carried out through proxies or by targeting each other’s forces in third countries. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that U.S. and British warplanes were involved in shooting down drones that were heading towards Israel over the Iraq-Syria border area.
Three U.S. officials confirmed that the U.S. military successfully intercepted numerous drones and missiles that were bound for Israel. President Biden stated that he had instructed the U.S. military to deploy aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the past week. He expressed gratitude for these deployments and praised the exceptional skills of the servicemembers, as they played a crucial role in helping Israel neutralize almost all of the incoming drones and missiles.