Iran launched drone attack on Israel
Iran launched attack drones against Israel on Saturday night local time.
The big picture: It is the first time Iran launched an attack from its soil against Israel. U.S. officials are concerned an Israeli retaliation against Iran will lead to another regional escalation.
- It’s unclear what the specific targets are.
- The Biden administration has vowed to help Israel counter the Iranian attack.
- Iranian officials had threatened to retaliate against Israel for an attack in Syria last week that killed a top Iranian general.
Driving the news: Iran launched attack drones from its territory toward Israeli territory, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
- Iran’s state television confirmed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched "a wide-ranging drone strike against Israel."
- The IRGC also said it "fired dozens of cruise missiles at specific targets inside the occupied territories."
- Israel announced it is temporarily closing its air space.
Hagari said Israel is monitoring the threat and said it will take the drones several hours to reach Israeli air space.
- A senior Israeli official says the Iranian attack includes "hundreds of attack drones."
- Two Israeli officials told Axios the plan is to intercept many of the drones outside Israeli airspace with the help of the U.S. and other countries.
What they’re saying: "Our defensive systems are deployed; we are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively," Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- "We have determined a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and will do so level-headedly and with determination."
- U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement said the White House is in "constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies."
- "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 statement said.
Catch up quick: Iran publicly vowed to "punish" Israel for the recent assassination of Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a top Iranian Quds Force general in charge of Iran’s military operations in Lebanon and Syria.
- Zahedi was the most senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer to be killed since the U.S. assassinated Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
David Wilson
