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By Dan Williams and Parisa Hafezi
JERUSALEM/DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran launched a swarm of explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first ever direct assault on Israeli territory, risking a significant escalation as america pledged “ironclad” backing for Israel.
Sirens wailed and Reuters journalists in Israel mentioned they heard distant heavy thuds and bangs from what native media known as aerial interceptions of explosive drones. Authorities mentioned a 7-year-old woman was critically injured.
Israel’s army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari mentioned Iran launched dozens of ground-to-ground missiles at Israel, most of which have been intercepted exterior Israeli borders. They included greater than 10 cruise missiles, he mentioned.
The Iranian salvo amounted to greater than 200 drones and missiles up to now, Hagari mentioned, and had precipitated mild injury to 1 Israeli army facility.
The Israeli army mentioned later that it was not advising any residents to arrange to take shelter, revising an earlier alert in what appeared to sign the top of the menace.
Israel’s Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying there can be a “important response” to the assault.
Iran has vowed retaliation for what it known as an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April crimes”. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied duty for the consulate assault.
“Ought to the Israeli regime make one other mistake, Iran’s response will likely be significantly extra extreme,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations mentioned, warning the 1 that killed seven Guards officers together with two senior commanders and mentioned its strike was a punishment for “Israeli U.S. to “keep away”. Nonetheless, it additionally mentioned Iran now “deemed the matter concluded”.
United Nations Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres condemned Iran’s assault, and mentioned he was “deeply alarmed concerning the very actual hazard of a devastating region-wide escalation.”
U.S. President Joe Biden, who on Friday had warned Iran in opposition to an assault, minimize quick a go to to his dwelling state of Delaware to satisfy nationwide safety advisers within the White Home State of affairs Room. He pledged to face with Israel.
“Our dedication to Israel’s safety in opposition to threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” he mentioned on X after the assembly.
The Gaza struggle between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month, has pushed up tensions within the area, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range hearth at Israeli targets from as far-off as Yemen and Iraq.
British maritime safety firm Ambrey mentioned in a press release that drones have been additionally reportedly launched in opposition to Israel by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group.
These clashes now threaten to morph right into a direct open battle pitting Iran and its regional allies in opposition to Israel and its essential supporter america, with regional energy Egypt urging “utmost restraint”.
Whereas Israel and Iran have been bitter foes for many years, their lengthy feud has largely unfolded by way of proxies or by concentrating on one another’s forces working in third international locations.
U.S. and British warplanes have been concerned in capturing down some Israel-bound drones over the Iraq-Syria border space, Channel 12 reported. Two U.S. officers mentioned the U.S. army had shot down dozens of drone plane headed to Israel.
ESCALATION
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose official jet took off shortly after the assault started, convened the struggle cupboard at a army headquarters in Tel Aviv, his workplace mentioned.
Israel and Lebanon mentioned they have been closing their airspace on Saturday evening. Jordan, which lies between Iran and Israel, had readied air defences to intercept any drone or missile that violated its territory, two regional safety sources mentioned.
Residents in a number of Jordanian cities mentioned they heard heavy aerial exercise.
Syria, an ally of Iran, mentioned it was placing its ground-to-air defence programs across the capital and main bases on excessive alert, military sources there mentioned.
The European Union, Britain, France, Mexico, Czechia, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands all condemned Iran’s assault.
Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response to the Damascus consulate strike since final week, when Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned Israel “should be punished and shall be” for an operation he known as equal to 1 on Iranian soil.
Biden mentioned on Friday that his solely message to Iran was “Do not”, however added that “we’re dedicated to the protection of Israel.”
Iran’s essential ally within the area, the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah that has been exchanging hearth with Israel for the reason that Gaza struggle started on Oct. 7, mentioned early on Sunday it had fired rockets at an Israeli base.
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