In a sharp escalation, Tehran launched an offensive with drones and cruise missiles against Israeli territory, where the Iron Dome was activated; strong U.S. support for Netanyahu, who spoke with President Joe Biden
Iran launched a massive drone and missile attack on Israel yesterday at the summit of an escalation that capped months of tensions between the two powerful enemies and risks becoming a conflagration throughout the region, which generated global alert.
Two Iranian-allied militias, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, launched other airstrikes against Israel simultaneously with the Iranians. The two groups had increased their operations in the area since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip that sent the entire Middle East into a frenzy.
Israel’s military said more than 200 drones had been fired into its territory, prompting the activation of Iron Dome, and said it was ready to respond. It also reported that its warplanes intercepted more than ten cruise missiles, less easily shot down, outside Israel’s borders.
We are keeping a close eye on the killer drones sent by Iran and on their way to Israel. This is a serious and dangerous escalation,» army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address. He added that Israel was working «closely» with the United States and its allies in the region to repel the attack.
The battle between Israel and Iran shifts from Syria to Lebanon
Hours later, sirens began to sound across the country and loud explosions were heard distant from what media outlets described as aerial intercepts of explosive drones. The U.S. confirmed at the same time that its forces in the region had shot down drones.
Israel and Iran were heading for a clash during Israel’s six-month war in Gaza, which was sparked by the armed incursion of jihadist militants into southern Israel on Feb. 7 that killed 1,200 people and led to the taking of 240 hostages. The Israeli offensive that followed on the Palestinian enclave caused widespread devastation and has already left more than 33,000 people dead.
Iranian state television was the first to reveal the outbreak of accumulated tension, announcing yesterday to the country’s population that the Revolutionary Guards had launched an attack «in response to the numerous crimes committed by the Zionist regime».
The Iranian operation, called «Honest Promise,» was «launched with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council and under the supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces,» according to the announcement, adding that the details would soon be made «known to the heroic people of Iran and freedom fighters around the world.»
Day by day the Zionist regime will weaken and get closer and closer to its decline and collapse.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
In the United States, President Joe Biden held a meeting with his top security advisers shortly after Israeli authorities confirmed the massive bombing from Iran, in order to analyze the events and plan the American response. In the early hours of the morning, the president even engaged in telephone communication with Netanyahu.
«The Iranian military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic facilities in Damascus,» the Iranian mission to the UN posted on its X account.
«If the Israeli regime makes another mistake, the Iranian response will be considerably more severe,» he added. «It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the United States must stay out of it!» the mission insisted.