Iran launched military attack against Israel: UPDATE

According to The Iran Project, in response to Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Iranian army struck several Israeli targets.

On Monday afternoon, Israeli warplanes bombed the Iranian consulate, situated next to the embassy building in Damascus’s Mezzeh district.
The air raid killed two Iranian military generals who were on an advisory mission to Syria as well as five of their accompanying officers.

IDF Confirmes Iran's attack
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed Iran attack on a tweet:

Iran launched UAVs from within its territory toward Israel a short while ago. The IDF is on high alert and is constantly monitoring the operational situation. The IDF Aerial Defense Array is on high alert, along with IAF fighter jets and Israeli Navy vessels that are on a defense mission in Israeli air and naval space. The IDF is monitoring all targets.

US President Joe Biden will meet with his national security team on Saturday evening to discuss Iran’s “airborne attack against Israel,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson has said in a statement.

“Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad,” Watson continued. “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”

Jordan’s air defence ready to shoot down any Iranian aircraft that violate its airspace

Reuters, citing two regional security sources, reports that Jordan’s air defences are ready to intercept and shoot down any Iranian drones or aircraft that violate its airspace.

The sources said the army was also in a state of high alert, and that radar systems were monitoring drone activity.

Iraq closes its airspace

Iraq’s Transport Ministry has announced that the country’s airspace is now closed.

The management of Erbil International Airport also confirmed in a news statement that the decision to close Iraqi airspace also included the Iraq’s Kurdish region.

The IRGC has released a statement

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has released a statement saying:

“We launched an operation using drones and missiles in response to the Zionist entity’s crime of targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria”.

“The operation was carried out with dozens of missiles and drones to strike specific targets in the occupied territories”, the statement read.

Syria puts its ground-to-air defence systems around capital, major bases on high alert: Report

Reuters, citing army sources, reports that Syria has put its Russian-made Pantsir ground-to-air defence systems on high alert around the capital, Damascus and major bases in the event of Israeli strikes.

The sources said they expected Israel would retaliate to any attack from Iran by targeting army bases and installations where pro-Iranian militia were based.

Netanyahu has convened Israeli war cabinet

The office of the Israeli prime minister says that the war cabinet has convened at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

This comes shortly after Iran said that it has begun an attack on Israeli territory with drones and cruise missiles.

Iran has launched a direct attack from Iranian soil: Israeli military

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari has issued a statement in which he said, “We are closely monitoring Iranian killer drones that are en route to Israel sent by Iran”.

“This is a severe and dangerous escalation. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are at the highest level of readiness ahead of this large-scale attack from Iran”.

Lebanon announces temporary closure of its airspace

The Lebanese government says it will reopen its airspace at 7 am local time (04:00 GMT).

The country joins Iraq, Jordan and Israel in closing its airspace.
US National Security Council says attack on Israel will unfold over several hours
NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson says: “President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House.

“This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours.

“President Biden has been clear: Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran”.

‘The malicious Zionist regime will be punished’: Khamenei

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made the statement in a post on X alongside a video in which he stated that the Israeli “regime” is all “malice, evil and error”.

Iran has launched cruise missiles at Israel: Israeli media

Israel’s Channel 12 reports that cruise missiles have now been launched and that they have a shorter flight time than drones.

The channel also states that a third wave of Iranian drones has been launched towards Israel.

Iran warns countries against allowing Israeli attacks via airspace, territory: Report

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reports that the country’s Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani has issued a warning that Tehran will firmly respond to any country that “opens its airspace or territory for attacks on Iran by Israel”.

Egypt calls for exercise of the ‘utmost restraint’: Statement

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement in which it called for the exercise of “utmost restraint” to spare the region and its people from further factors of instability and tension, after Iran launched a drone and missile attack against Israel.

Tehran fires ballistic missiles at targets inside Israel: Report

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, quoting an informed source, reports that a batch of ballistic missiles was launched towards targets in Israel.

Houthis launch drones at Israel in coordination with Iran: Security agency

We can now report that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched multiple drones at Israel in coordination with Iran, according to security firm Ambrey.

The company added that the projectiles were likely timed to reach Israel simultaneously.

“Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were reportedly launched by the Houthis toward Israel. The UAVs were launched in coordination with Iran,” Ambrey stated.

“Israeli ports are assessed to be potential targets”, it added and warned of “collateral damage” to shipping.

Iran says its attack on Israel ‘concludes’ matter of Israeli attack on its embassy

Iran’s mission to the UN says on X that its drone and missile attack on Israel was conducted “on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense” and in response to Israel’s April 1 attack on its embassy in Damascus, Syria.

With the attack, “The matter can be deemed concluded,” says Iran.

“However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY,” it added.

Hezbollah launches ‘dozens’ of rockets at Golan Heights

The Iran-aligned Lebanese group says on its Telegram channel that it targeted the air and missile defence headquarters of the Israeli army in the “Keila barracks” in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with dozens of Katyusha rockets.

The Israeli military has been carrying out attacks in southeast Lebanon as well in recent hours and there is escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Israeli military instructs residents of high-risk areas to stay close to bomb shelters

The military issued a warning that residents of the occupied Golan Heights, Nevatim, Dimona and Eilat stay “near protective spaces until further notice”.

Nevatim is the site of an Israeli air base. Israel has a nuclear reactor on the outskirts of Dimona. Eilat is Israel’s southern Red Sea port, which has come under repeated attack by Yemen’s Houthis.

Sirens and air defense interceptions in Tel Aviv

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut is reporting many “active interceptions” of incoming attacks over the skies of Tel Aviv, and Al Jazeera’s cameras have captured a number of flashes in the night sky above the city.

She also reports that air raid sirens are sounding across the country, including in Tel Aviv.

Iran strikes on Israel an ‘unprecedented escalation’: Borell

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, has condemned Iran’s strikes on Israel as an “unprecedented escalation”.

“The EU strongly condemns the unacceptable Iranian attack against Israel,” he wrote on the platform X.

“This is an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security.”

Borrell and the EU also condemned Israel’s April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.

Iran warns Jordan over any moves to support Israel: Report

Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars, quoting a military source, reports that Iran is watching Jordan for any moves in support of Israel during Tehran’s retaliatory attacks, warning the country may become the “next target”.

“A military-informed source said [we] are closely monitoring Jordan’s movements during the punitive attacks … and if they participate in any possible action [to back Israel], they will be the next target,” Fars stated.

RAF jets deployed to intercept any airborne attacks in Middle East: UK MoD

The Ministry of Defence says British Royal Air Force jets in the Middle East “will intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required” after Iran targeted Israel with drones and missiles.

“In response to increased Iranian threats and the growing risk of escalation in the Middle East, the UK Government has been working with partners across the region to encourage de-escalation and prevent further attacks,” it said in a statement.

Ballistic missile barrage concluded: Report

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing the Israeli military, reports that the ballistic missile barrage launched from Iran has now concluded and that drones and cruise missiles are now expected.

Israel’s air defence system has not faced attack of this magnitude before

Rory Challands

reporting from occupied East Jerusalem

We’ve been looking out from the balcony here across the Jerusalem skyline. And we’ve seen a succession of air defence interceptors going up from various points around the city to meet targets in the sky.
And now the police seem to be going around on the streets in their cars with an announcement going out which is telling people to go to their nearest air raid shelters as quickly as they can.
The military has been telling people that the air defence systems that Israel has – that’s the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow 2 and 3 – are very capable systems designed to deal with multiple types of threats.
It’s a layered air defence system to deal with rockets, to deal with ballistic and cruise missiles and to deal with drones as well.
And that is what we’re likely to be seeing over the next few minutes and hours as these different waves of projectiles come in.
The big test of course, for this layered air defence system is, [can it] cope with an assault of this magnitude, because this is not something that Israel has faced before, on this scale.

‘America supports Israel’: Trump

The former US president has hit out at Biden over the Iranian attack on Israel.

“ISRAEL IS UNDER ATTACK! This should never have been allowed to happen – This would NEVER have happened if I were President!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“AMERICA SUPPORTS ISRAEL!”

Jordanian jets shoot down dozens of Iranian drones flying towards Israel: Report
Reuters, citing two “regional security sources”, reports that Jordanian jets have downed dozens of Iranian drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading to Israel.
The sources said the drones were brought down in the air on the Jordanian side of the Jordan Valley and were heading in the direction of Jerusalem.
Others were intercepted close to the Iraqi-Syrian border. They gave no further details.

US commitment to Israel’s security remains ‘ironclad’: Biden

US President Joe Biden has said in a post on X that he has met with his national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks on Israel.

Further details will be published as soon as announced.

Reporter : Editorial of The Iran Project