The air defense system is also on high alert, as are fighter jets and naval vessels. Spokesman Hagari stressed that the army is monitoring the situation and all security agencies are ready. Additionally, GPS reception has been suppressed in various parts of the country. Israel closed its airspace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a war cabinet at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office said. It was initially unclear whether Israel would retaliate against Iran. Defense Minister Jove Gallant recently insisted that an attack would not go unanswered.
Drones were intercepted, sirens and explosions were heard
According to reports, insiders say that many drones have already been intercepted, including in the US. Sirens and explosions were heard at night in various parts of Israel. No injuries reported so far. According to a report by Israel's Channel 12, Iran also fired cruise missiles at Israel. Their flight is shorter than drones. The Israeli army has not yet confirmed this.
At the same time as Iran attacked Israel, Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon fired rockets into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Iran-allied fighters said they had hit an Israeli military base in the Golan Heights with “dozens of Katyusha-type rockets” on Sunday night. The Israeli military has called on residents of the Golan Heights, Nivatim, Dimona and Eilat to be prepared to take cover if necessary.
Iran: Also hit by missiles
Iranian state media confirmed the retaliatory attack against Israel. “A wide drone operation by the Revolutionary Guards against targets in the occupied country (Israel, reference) began minutes ago,” it said on state television shortly before midnight (local time) on Saturday. The operation, dubbed “Sincere Promise,” will target specific locations in Israel with drones and missiles, according to a Revolutionary Guards statement carried by state media.
Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani warned any state against “allowing its airspace or territory to be attacked by Israel on Iran”. Any government that attacks Iran will receive a “decisive response”. This was reported by Iranian news agencies.
Iran asked the US to stay out of conflict with Israel. The Iranian attack was in response to Israel's “aggression” against the Iranian embassy building in the Syrian capital Damascus, the Iranian delegation to the UN said on X (Twitter) on Sunday. Jordan has been warned against interfering, a military official told Fars.
States are closing the airspace
Jordanian officials said they would shoot down Iranian drones if they violated Jordanian airspace. According to unconfirmed sources, Jordan intercepted dozens of drones aimed at Jerusalem.
Jordan closed its airspace in the evening, as did Iraq. Jordan has denied media reports that a state of emergency has been declared in Jordan. The Communications Minister also said that the airspace is not closed. Lebanon and other countries also closed their airspace and airlines diverted their flights.
Sunak condemns the attacks
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the attack. “These attacks will increase tensions and destabilize the region,” it said in a statement. “Iran has demonstrated once again that it is determined to sow chaos in its own backyard.” Britain will continue to work for the security of Israel and all regional partners – “including Jordan and Iraq”.
EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell spoke of an “unprecedented escalation”. “The European Union strongly condemns the unacceptable Iranian attack on Israel,” Borrell Foreign Minister Stefan Sjörn explained on the online service X on Saturday. Tehran thereby “takes the risk of military escalation”.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called for “greater restraint” in a statement. Then the region and its population can be protected from further instability and further tensions. The country's air defense is on “high alert” and a crisis team is monitoring the situation “closely” and reporting hourly to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, state-affiliated Egyptian television channel Al-Qahera News reported. Officer.
Israel raised the alarm
Given the tense security situation shortly before the attack, Israel raised the alarm further: the army issued new security measures to civilians, which were initially said to apply until Monday evening. The US president returned to the White House to discuss the attacks with his security team.
A spokesman for the National Security Council said Biden will be kept informed of the situation and will meet with his security team at the White House on Saturday afternoon. The attack “lasted several hours.”
The US pledged support
Military tensions in the Middle East rose after an Israeli airstrike on Iran's embassy in Syria killed two Iranian brigadier generals on April 1. The government in Tehran announced that Israel would retaliate against the attack.
Biden has repeatedly assured Israel of America's full support in the face of a feared attack by Iran. On Saturday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin renewed that pledge. On Saturday, Iran detained a ship with “connections” to Israel. Israel immediately threatened consequences and, for example, demanded that the European Union classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist organization.”
